Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre -The Complete Collection Gift Set (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)After years of waiting, Faerie Tale Theatre fans can finally own the series on DVD. Shelley Duvall's series originally appeared on Showtime 20 years ago and featured well-known and rising stars of the time. The series' enthusiastic interpretations of beloved fairy tales has made it a cult classic. Better yet, the DVD prices are affordable, especially after the high prices the used VHS copies have been earning in recent years.
The collection package featured here contains all of the 26 fairy tales created for the series. The original series had an extra special, called Grimm Party, that was a retrospective of the series with various casts and Shelley Duvall. Unfortunately, this episode has never been made available on VHS, laser disc, or DVD, not being included in licensing packages. While this might be a disappointing omission, it shouldn't lessen the thrill of finally having DVD editions of the 26 tales themselves at a great price.
Here's a list of all 26 episodes contained in this collection:
The Tale of the Frog Prince
Rumpelstilskin
Rapunzel
The Nightingale
Sleeping Beauty
Jack and the Beanstalk
Little Red Riding Hood
Hansel and Gretel
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Princess and the Pea
Pinocchio
Thumbelina
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Beauty and the Beast
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
The Three Little Pigs
The Snow Queen
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Cinderella
Puss 'n Boots
The Emperor's New Clothes
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
Rip Van Winkle
The Little Mermaid
The Dancing Princesses

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Rugrats - Tales From the Crib - Three Jacks & a Beanstalk (1991) Review

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(More customer reviews)The biggest turnoff of this special to me was how much crude humor it contained. Dil's pattened "poopy" catchphrase was used way too much (not to mention was already getting way old) and Phil's pants kept falling of resulting in the viewer seeing the place where the sun don't shine far too many times. Aunt Moo was also given way too much face time and didn't really fit in well with the main rugrats cast.
I was annoyed that none of the grownups appeared and would've rather seen one of them narrate the story instead of Taffy or whatever the heck her name was.
As for the way the story was told, it seemed like something on the level of really young kids of like 3 or 4 year olds. Being a diehard Rugrats fan I was disappointed in this movie special and advise everyone else to pass on ordering it.

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Hello Kitty's Animation Theater - Once Upon a Time (Vol. 1) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Most importantly, this is the first Hello Kitty DVD I've seen that actually features Japanese with English subtitles along with the English dub. This of course makes it the first Hello Kitty DVD I've bought as well. Amazon isn't listing this detail on their website...
The fairy tales are pretty true to their source considering how sanitized they are, I think. Also there is at least a taste of Eastern legends in the form of the Bamboo Princess. And of course high levels of Hello Kitty style cuteness.

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Happily Ever After Collection: Fairy Tales For Every Child (Mother Goose/Pinocchio/The Pied Piper/The Golden Goose) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Parents looking for a colorful spin on their favorite childhood stories need search no further than HBO's multicultural animated series "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child," available in full on DVD or on demand from HBO Family. Designed for the 12-and-under-crowd, the award-winning series offers modern reinterpretations of familiar classics, placing minority characters in the lead roles, and shifting the settings to reflect a diversity of world cultures. Little Red Riding Hood gets transported to ancient China, The Emperor's New Clothes is reimagined in feudal Japan, Rapunzel gets a Cajun makeover, and Snow White becomes a Native American princess named White Snow. Narrated by Robert Guillaume and boasting such A-list voice talent such as Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, and Samuel L. Jackson, among others, the show adds a new emphasis on tolerance, understanding and cooperation to each story's traditional moral lesson.
Deftly avoiding the twin pitfalls of racial caricature and bland political correctness, the show manages--at its best--to fuse the distinct flavor of each culture into its storytelling, without sacrificing the timeless qualities that have kept these tales alive for generations. Of course, as with any series, some episodes succeed better than others, so here I will offer a more detailed critique of three in particular to serve as a representative snapshot.
The first, entitled "The Princess and the Pauper," takes Mark Twain's tale of mistaken identity and gives it a feminist twist. Olivia is the pampered princess of Peachburg, a prosperous kingdom with a dark underbelly--the crime-infested slum known as the Peach Pits, home of the virtuous Zoe. Encouraged by her loving mother, Zoe dreams of a better life outside the ghetto, but her degenerate father keeps her down, telling her, "You're just a broke nobody like the rest of us." A chance encounter in the town square leads to a friendship between Zoe and Olivia, who realize that they are exact doubles. Switching clothes on a lark, the girls end up displaced from their respective homes, and during their adventures each learns valuable lessons about equality and human dignity. Aside from the class issues explored in this episode, there is also a remarkable range of ethnicities on display, although race relations are not addressed explicitly. Olivia and Zoe are both black (and ostensibly "American,") but Olivia has a Persian father and an African mother, and the townspeople pictured are white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and Arabic, all shown living harmoniously. The episode also delicately addresses the death of Olivia's father, so parents of younger viewers should be prepared to discuss the subject further after the credits roll.
The second episode, called "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," tells the story of a young wheelchair-bound girl named Imani, who lives with her grandmother, and prefers the company of her own imagination to that of other kids her age. One day, her grandmother gives her a box of toy soldiers made by her grandfather. One soldier in particular is missing a leg where her grandfather ran out of material--"That's just the way that one was made," the grandmother says. Imani dubs the toy Goldie, and gives it a place of honor among her other playthings. Once everyone is asleep, the toys come to life and interact with one another, and Goldie finds herself ostracized by the group, except for a handsome African doll atop Imani's bookcase. Determined to win his affections, Goldie begins her long climb upward, facing a series of obstacles along the way, including the scheming of a psychotic Jack-in-the-box, and the musical taunts of a mean-spirited trio of Barbie dolls, who tell her, "You don't stand a chance." Goldie perseveres, however, with the mantra, "Determination is all I need," and eventually reaches her destination to become the hero of the toyroom. Imani wakes up to find Goldie locked in a dance with the African doll, decides to stop feeling sorry for herself, and is empowered to leave the house to make new friends.
The third episode is a resetting of the tale of Robin Hood against a Mexican background. Entitled "Robinita Hood," the episode incorporates a good deal of Spanish into the story of the plucky heroine who "steals from los ricos and gives to los pobres." Together with her band of Merry Chicas, Robinita Hood terrorizes the evil sheriff and fights for the underprivileged, fostering ideas of charity as well as female empowerment. Parents may not like the use of violence as a solution to conflict that is prevalent in this episode, and although no gets hurt, plenty of money is stolen by the protagonist, albeit for a noble cause. A discussion about injustice and what can be done about it would probably be useful after viewing this one with younger children.
All in all, this series does an admirable job of presenting an alternative to the typical Eurocentric heroes of the cartoon landscape. Entertaining and educational, with clear moral lessons imparted in each episode, "Happily Ever After" is a fun and effective way to open children's eyes to the diversity of modern life, and to start them thinking early about respecting and appreciating other cultures. Unfortunately, HBO stopped producing new episodes of the series in the early 2000s, but families can still find the show in various formats. I would give the series a solid A-minus, and recommend that parents or teachers watch this with their children and encourage a dialogue about the issues explored.


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Fairy tales have always been a source of family pleasure, for parents and children alike. Now, some of the best-loved classics are being re-told in this vibrantly original and musical animated series, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales For Every Child. Each tale features a hip, contemporary all-star cast of voices and all-new songs the entire family will enjoy! Classic fairy tales become fresh and fun, told as if for the very first time. So share the magic and wonder with your children as we invite you to enter the wonder-filled world of Happily Ever After.

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The Best of Fractured Fairy Tales, Volume One (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fractured Fairy Tales are not only fantastic classic toons, but they're also great for use in a high school english classroom to illustrate narrative elements! Pair it with the companion book (Fractured Fairy Tales, A.J. Jacobs) with 25 tales for even more fun. I just purchased this disc from Amazon and have enjoyed rewatching these great shorts from my childhood. I couldn't find a list of the included episodes anywhere before purchasing, so here's the rundown in case you're wondering too! The disk includes these 15 episodes:
* Rapunzel
* The Brave Little Tailor
* Rumpelstiltskin
* Cinderella
* Snow White
* Sleeping Beauty
* Pinocchio
* Ridinghoods Anonymous
* The Ugly Duckling
* Cinderella Returns
* Rumpelstiltskin Returns
* Leaping Beauty
* The Enchanted Frog
* The Pied Piper
* The Magic Fish
The disk also has some nifty Bullwinkle puppet intros as a bonus, as well as a cute case and menu theme.

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Item Name: The Best of Fractured Fairy Tales, Vol. 1 (1961); Studio:Classic Media

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Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Collection (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Koch Vision presents "SHELLEY DUVALL'S FAERIE TALE THEATRE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION" (1982-1987) (1387 mins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) -- Brought to you on seven discs the fairy tale event of the year arrives with Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Collection, the ultimate DVD collection for both kids and parents alike --one of the most acclaimed and universally beloved series ever produced -- is family entertainment like none other --- From the Brothers Grimm to Hans Christian Andersen, twenty-six of the most beloved stories of all time are brought to life by A-list actors (in some of their most unique and memorable roles) as well as master directors including Tim Burton and Francis Ford Coppola among them --- You'll in seeing Robin Williams as the Frog Prince,Eric Idle as the Pied Piper, Billy Crystal as one of the Three Little Pigs,Jennifer Beals and Matthew Broderick as Cinderella and her prince, Bernadette Peters and Christopher Reeve as Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming, Susan Sarandon and Klaus Kinski as Beauty and the Beast, Paul Reubens as Pinocchio, James Earl Jones as the Genie inside Aladdin's lamp, and Carrie Fisher as Thumbelina.
Each one of these stories is literally hand crafted by the directors (some of them famous directors like Francis Ford Coppella) and Shelley Duvall to reflect a certain style --- An example being the Sleeping Beauty tale was set in Russia with the sets and costumes designed to look like scenes from classic Russian motifs, the music from the Russian ballet --- Another being the direct rip off of the classic Jean Cocteau film "Beauty and the Beast".
All of these were designed with the intent of entertaining not only children but adults --- Some of the best moments in these are only things that adults will understand --- Christopher Reeve does a fantastic job in his multi-role part in "Sleeping Beauty" as does Malcolm McDowell as the Wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood" --- McDowell infuses the character with a subtle dark sensuality --- His chemistry with his then wife Mary Steenburgen is strong.
Probably the best one of all is the "Three Little Pigs" with Jeff Goldblum (as the Big Bad Wolf), Valerie Perrine (as a ravishing piglette), and Billy Crystal(as one of the three little pigs) --- The writing in this one is completely off the wall as well as it should be --- So enjoy with a loving heart and the mind of an innocent child.
Under the production staff of:
Series Directed by
Peter Medak (5 episodes, 1984-1987)
Gilbert Cates (2 episodes, 1983-1984)
Robert Iscove (2 episodes, 1985-1987)
Mark Cullingham (2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Series Produced by
Shelley Duvall .... executive producer / producer (7 episodes, 1983-1987)
Bridget Terry .... producer (5 episodes, 1982-1986)
Fred Fuchs .... producer (5 episodes, 1984-1987)
Series Writing credits
Rod Ash (7 episodes, 1983-1987)
Mark Curtiss (5 episodes, 1983-1987)
Charles Perrault (2 episodes, 1983-1985)
Mark Curtis (2 episodes, 1984-1986)
26 Spellbinding Episodes:
1. "Alladin and His Wonderful Lamp"
2. " Beauty and the Beast"
3. " The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers"
4. "Cinderella"
5. "The Dancing Princesses"
6. "The Emperor's New Clothes"
7. "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"
8. "Hansel and Gretel"
9. "Jack and the Beanstalk"
10. "The Little Mermaid"
11. "Little Red Riding Hood"
12. "The Nightingale"
13. "The Pied Piper of Hamelin"
14. "Pinocchio"
15. "The Princess and the Pea'
16. "The Princess Who Had Never Laughed"
17. "Puss in Boots"
18, "Rapunzel"
19. "Rip Van Winkle"
20. "Rumpelstiltskin"
21. "Sleeping Beauty"
22. "The Snow Queen"
23. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
24. "The Tale of the Frog Prince"
25. "The Three Little Pigs"
26. "Thumbelina"
the cast includes:
John Achorn ... Comedian / ... (12 episodes, 1982-1987)
Shelley Duvall ... Host / ... (10 episodes, 1982-1986)
Patrick DeSantis ... Ensemble / ... (9 episodes, 1982-1987)
David McCharen ... Alfred / ... (7 episodes, 1984-1987)
Charlie Dell ... Arturo / ... (4 episodes, 1982-1985)
Donovan Scott ... Cubby Bear / ... (3 episodes, 1982-1984)
Mark Blankfield ... Derrick Van Bummel / ... (3 episodes, 1983-1987)
Jean Stapleton ... Fairy Godmother / ... (3 episodes, 1983-1985)
Bud Cort ... Music Master / ... (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Maysie Hoy ... Housekeeper / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
John Salazar ... Juggler / ... (2 episodes, 1983-1986)
Vincent Price ... Narrator / ... (2 episodes, 1984)
Rene Auberjonois ... King Boris / ... (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Joseph Maher ... Narrator / ... (2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Bobby Porter ... The Goblin (2 episodes, 1983-1985)
Jerry Hall ... Pansy / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
Anjelica Huston ... Marguerite / ... (2 episodes, 1983-1984)
Eric Idle ... Narrator / ... (2 episodes, 1982-1985)
Michael Richards ... King Geoffrey / ... (2 episodes, 1982-1984)
Paul Dooley ... Father / ... (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Phil Fondacaro ... Bernard / ... (2 episodes, 1983-1984)
Jane Alden ... Agricultural Princess / ... (2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Tony Cox ... Bubba / ... (2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Daniel Frishman ... Boniface / ... (2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Brandis Kemp ... Mama Bear / ... (2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Nancy Lenehan ... Georgette / ... (2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Peter Risch ... Bruno / ... (2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Mitchel Evans ... Barrister Fish / ... (2 episodes, 1984)
Stan Wilson ... Jaques / ... (2 episodes, 1984)
Barrie Ingham ... Finnance Minister / ... (2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Roy Dotrice ... Peter Vanderdonk / ... (2 episodes, 1987)
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Bonus Shorts - Lost Episode: "Faerie Tale Theatre's Greatest Moments" ("Grimm Party")
2. Featurettes - Vintage Faerie Tale Theatre Presentation Reel (Hosted by Shelley Duvall)
3. Trailers - B-Roll Promo Footage
4. Collectible Book - 112-page Storybook with an Introduction by Producer Bridget Terry
5. Limited Edition - "3-In-1" Faerie Tale Theatre Game (Custom Playing Cards, Memory Match, and Trivia)
Great job by Koch Vision --- looking forward to more high quality titles from their film market --- order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.
Total Time: 1387 mins on DVD ~ KOCH 6544 ~ (9/02/2008)

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Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre brings to life twenty-six of the most magical fairy tales of all time. Directed by such masters of cinema as Tim Burton and Francis Ford Coppola, and star-powered by Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Mick Jagger, James Earl Jones, Howie Mandel, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon and more, this collection is an unparalleled treasury of best-loved tales of enchantment, adventure and wonder. Contains 26 Spellbinding Stories Digitally Restored and Re-mastered! Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp Beauty and the Beast The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers Cinderella The Dancing Princesses The Emperor's New Clothes Goldilocks and the Three Bears Hansel and Gretel Jack and the Beanstalk The Little Mermaid Little Red Riding Hood The Nightingale The Pied Piper of Hamelin Pinocchio The Princess and the Pea The Princess Who Had Never Laughed Puss in Boots Rapunzel Rip Van Winkle Rumpelstiltskin Sleeping Beauty The Snow Queen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs The Tale of the Frog Prince The Three Little Pigs Thumbelina ALSO INCLUDES ENCHANTING EXTRAS: Lost Episode: "Faerie Tale Theatre's Greatest Moments" ("Grimm Party") Vintage Faerie Tale Theatre Presentation Reel with Shelley Duvall B-Roll Promo Footage AND EXCLUSIVE COLLECTOR'S ITEMS: Photo-Rich 112-Page Storybook "3-In-1" Faerie Tale Theatre Game (custom playing cards, memory match and trivia)

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Fairy Tale Police Department: Complete Series Review

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(More customer reviews)By far one of the best Fractured Fairy Tales events dealing with two copies from our world trying to keep the historic Fairy tales on track but creating new versions of the stories in the process like when the little mermaid falls in love with Johnny the male cop or when by accident they arrest the 40 thieves before meeting Ali Baba.

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White Fang Review

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(More customer reviews)So many translations of White Fang are awful, and this one is the worst of them all! Garishly bright colors and extremely poor animation make it an eyesore and the plot (such as it is) varies so greatly from the original as to be an almost separate story. Everything about White Fang's abusive puppy hood and dog sledding history is neglected, with much of the focus being on a young Native American boy who is his best friend. Anyone who has read the book will know such a thing is laughable. Although the creators of this movie were trying to tone down the violence of an admittedly violent story, I felt that the result was condescending to children's intelligence. No narration and little dialog made the drag even more noticeable. Even though the DVD cover is cute, it houses a dull and lifeless movie.

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