The Fairytales (2003–2005) User Reviews (6)

Kids will love it

[hottuna14 · 11 December 2005]

This series did the rounds on ABC Kids once about 2 months, before being relegated to a less popular Saturday Morning slot for repeats. Whilst it isn't as funny as other modern day adaptations such as 'Martin Morning' or 'Once Upon A Time', it should still prove popular for kids who love a good story and aren't too fussed about quality voice-work or believable plots. The animation and sound is simple yet effective, and the characters very clear-cut with good morals and values.

Overall, a clear return to Hans Christian Andersens traditional fairy tales, with the only bells and whistles being in the surprisingly good intro before each episode. This short section is actually quite meaningful (I should know I studied it for English) and should offer some parents a bit of insight into how their kids view the world, sometimes on a much deeper level than the parents, and always on a more fun one. Certainly not groundbreaking stuff, but worth a watch if you get the chance.

superb entertainment for adult & child alike

[spj-4 · 10/10 · 23 January 2007]

This set of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales is absolutely superb! The quality of animation is far superior to many modern children's movies & TV shows, with the characters actually life-like instead of based on computer generated trickery. I have seen a great many of these stories & their adventures, that are almost always intriguing. Many of them I had not previously known of, but they are so impressively presented.

They draw the viewer, adult & child alike,into the unraveling plots in each episode. At about 25 minutes each, they are short enough to suit unsettled or hyperactive children. This is not childish entertainment but masterful storytelling. It is very relevant to the power without heart & soul, that too often preoccupies government & big business, where money, deceit & gross injustice flow freely, at the expense of downtrodden victims, whose lives often never recover from the financial & emotional wreckage inflicted.

So our world is too often dominated by unfairness, bigotry & hierarchies that aren't a fraction as important as they would like to think themselves! Such modern day emperors without clothes are all around us. So are the ugly ducklings, & the coldness surrounding the snow queen. So too, such as Jack the fool or golden treasure pursuit, among those less known. So the mastery of Hans Christian Andersen's tales are as relevant to our environmental concerns in the 21st century & encounters with politics, banking etc, as they ever were! Those who have created this set of "Fairytaler" programs, have clearly reflected on the underlying message of ETHICS, much more than the superiority or morality or status preoccupations that hype up the daily news. Hans sought to share with the world of Danish society he observed with an astute eye! Surely it is so relevant to EVERY civilisation ever learned about.

The episodes focus on priorities & loves of those disadvantaged in the broader world, & show empathy in their creations, as inspired & talented & enthusiastic supporters of the more important concepts their protagonist sought to share with his audience in a world 100-200 years before internet concepts of global problems.

Do not miss this excellent series.

Utterly magical

[kingportablex · 10/10 · 16 May 2013]

I think between the summers of 2005-2009 my best friends and family thought i was completely mad being this 12/15 year boy old watching children's cartoons on the ABC, well if you see hidden gems like these it is hard to not be mesmerised. It was a great introduction actually no, personal-realisation/eye-opener of the magic that the great writers within the literary canon has provided the generations. People have long been mesmerised by Andersen's tales even without reading his books or seeing this magical rendition of his work, some without even knowing it. This is a gem well worthy of any DVD collector's library, get the collectors edition i believe these ones will be off high value in the future. Utterly beautiful; Fantastic voice acting, fantastic yet simple animation to a truly great adaptation of Andersen's work. Any member of the family would enjoy this collection.

A Nice Homage To The Late Danish Writer.

[Dawalk-1 · 10/10 · 6 May 2018]

I hadn't heard of nor seen any of this show before coming across it on the Web, I guess I could say that happening upon this was serendipitous. It all began when I was actually looking for the adaptation of The Nightingale to watch by the now-defunct Atkinson-Film-Arts (which also happened to be the very last production by the Canadian cartoon studio). No success in finding a copy of that for viewing online, so I decided I try out one of this series's episodes of the same title instead, thus that was the first episode I saw. But I'm very glad I did. At first, I didn't know it was a part of a series of stand-alone episodes, since the copy the episode I saw didn't mention the show's title as well, nor did it include the intro and outro. The taste I got of the program, I enjoyed it right away. This is another one of the greatest discoveries I ever made and I'm all the more grateful for it.

A couple other reviewers here mentioned this aired on ABC. That couldn't've been the American Broadcasting Company and must be referred to some other ABC (at least, the other one that I know of, probably in Australia, anyway), because I don't remember it ever airing on the channel in my area. About this series, I read elsewhere that it was created to nearly coincide with the 200th anniversary of Andersen's birth. Well, this was a fantastic idea and a great way to commemorate and pay tribute to him. After seeing its rendition of The Nightingale and another episode so far (The Little Mermaid), this Danish-British co-production has since become one of my favorite European cartoons, favorites of the 2000s, and favorites in general.This is the second, literary, anthology T.V. series to feature animated adaptations of classic stories by this very same, singular author (the first being Mushi Productions's Andersen Monogotari or Hans Christian Andersen Stories anime, featured as one of the World Masterpiece Theatre shows, making them unique in that sense). For a while, I wondered why there's always somebody wanting to make his/her own adaptation of stories and books, and I'm thinking, "How many times can a story be adapted?" and "Doesn't it get tedious after a while?" and "I'm not so sure if any can top the original or some other version of a tale". But now I think, " These are one of the very best things to happen in animation (usually)" and that "These make for a very good, beneficial thing". Because, at least, despite certain stories having been there, done that, several times before, these provide better alternatives and are such brisk breaths of fresh air to the trype that gets pushed out of the assembly-line constantly over something that's the opposite, and is more worthwhile. Most animated adaptations may be one of the best things in animation, as opposed to most toyetic cartoons, those based on video games, and celebrities. This should be considered among those that truly reinvigorate animation.

As with most, other, anthology shows, this one is formatted to contain singular, one-shot episodes basically (with the exception of The Snow Queen episode, which was split into two parts) and carries on the tradition of ending with morals and lessons, true to the originator of these tales. This presentation contains 30 Anderesen stories in total, although there are 31 episodes, which is, once again, due to The Snow Queen being a two-parter. Like one of the other reviewers who mentioned that there are some Andersen tales he or she hadn't heard of, some of the titles I saw in the episode listing are unfamiliar to me as well, but I'll get acquainted with those once I watch the others I have yet to watch. This is among those 'toons that have better animation, the stories seem simple, but there's more to them than that. They're intelligent or intellectual, but not too much, just enough. This show's version of the characters from the late Danish writer's various stories may be just as good as his originals. The voice work sounds just fine enough. The music is good too, no complaints here at all. Genuine quality-entertainment like this is what keeps great animation alive and what remind me to keep having faith in the art form. There is a such thing as cartoon shows and movies being appealing enough for all demographics and that can be shared among kids, teens and adults. But with so many inferior shows being emphasized so much over the superior ones, this often makes it very hard to defend and convince some others. This has my vote for being one of the best cartoons of the 2000s. There were the Festival of Family Classics in the 1970s; the ABC Weekend Specials in the late '70s, '80s, and most of the '90s; CBS Storybreak in the '80s; Papa Beaver's Storytime and Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales For Every Child in the '90s; and The Fairytaler in the 2000s. If anyone reading this enjoyed any of the other, previous anthology shows I just mentioned and is a big anthology show fan, then he or she will enjoy this one as well. A wonderful celebration of the man and his creations from over two centuries ago. Not to be skipped and recommended.

Fairytale magic

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 8 August 2018]

As said many times, have always had a lifelong love of animation, old and new. Disney, Studio Ghibli, Hanna Barbera, Tom and Jerry, Hanna Barbera, Looney Tunes and also the works of Tex Avery and Fleischer. With a broader knowledge of animation styles, directors, studios and how it was all done actually love it even more now.

It's not just animation held in very high regard by me. Have also had an undying lifelong love of Hans Christian Andersen's classic stories, they're beautifully written and full of magic, emotion and memorable characters. His timeless appeal is more than justified and there is a reason why his name is so commonly associated with fairy tales, along with the darker stories of the Grimm Brothers. Would see any adaptation of his work, animation or live-action, and there have been numerous times where his work has lent well to animation.

To me this Danish animated series 'The Fairytaler' is one of the best examples and should be more widely known. For good animation, characters that have lost none of what made them so great in the first place and wonderful storytelling that has its own spin yet treats the stories with respect. All the episodes are short and holds the attention of even the most hyper of youngsters, so engrossing they are and the minutes just fly by.

In terms of animation, 'The Fairytaler' is simple but doesn't go overboard with this. It is still beautifully coloured and meticulously detailed with characters that are remarkably life-like and a lot of smoothness and crispness. The music is whimsical at times, haunting in others and poignant in others, matching with the images more than appropriately. The intro is magical and impossible to forget and loved how Andersen himself is written in.

Andersen's stories are as the summary here promises, told with elegant style and entertaining wit, the energy never wavering while never being rushed. The dialogue is never too complicated and not too simple. Yet the spirit and essence of the stories are captured well, with no effort to dumb down the more emotional ones ('The Ugly Duckling' and 'The Little Mermaid' are really touching) or ones with darker elements. The storytelling charms, entertains and moves and nothing is juvenile. There are differences of course, namely the more gruesome details like with the mermaid's tongue.

My personal favourites being 'The Ugly Duckling', a story that never fails to make me cry, and 'The Snow Queen', which is so enchanting and sometimes melancholic. Credit is due for making slight stories like 'The Emperor's New Clothes' entertaining without stretching it out too much and also for maintaining the ending of 'The Little Mermaid'. Nothing will traumatise younger viewers and adults should feel nostalgic, traditionalists will find a lot to admire still and making the stories accessible to present day viewers is handled with intelligence and no awkwardness at all. A lot of themes too are very resonant and hold relevance even today.

Characters have everything that made them so great and memorable in the first place and credit is due also for not making them standard archetypes, the villainous characters not being evil with no redeeming qualities. Also really connected with many of the titular characters, especially the ugly duckling. The voice acting is dynamic and well suited for the characters. Any narration never falls into the trap of telling/explaining too much.

Overall, magical and a must for fans of animation and Hans Christian Andersen. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Excellent series, especially 'The Snow Queen'

[jenkinsr628 · 10/10 · 29 June 2009]

This series is fantastic and i love the animation because most animation that's not Disney looks like that old Pokermon style which i hate but these animators has made this series magical because it's animation looks like the pictures you find in well drawn story books but alive instead!

I love The Snow Queen the best because it is probably the longest of the series and has a fantastically magical atmosphere while watching. Although the little tune Gerda sings is not very catchy apart from that it is great. In this version the Snow Queen is evil during the film but as we come to the end of the film we learn something that other versions do not reveal which is that the Snow Queen only took Kay and made him do the mirror puzzle because if he finishes it the Snow Queen will be freed from a spell she was put under and she'll return to her beautiful self as a fairy but does Kay finish it well i can't tell you you'll have to buy it yourself!!!