Reviews & Ratings for
"Faerie Tale Theatre" More at IMDbPro »

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24 reviews in total

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13 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
The best, 16 November 2001
Author: Nick (turboman2814@aol.com) from Elmont, NY

i dont know why but i always used to call this the Krofft Supershow of the 80's. maybe that is pushing it but anyone who saw this show would not disagree the imagination and fun of this series. Each episode was roughly an hour long and each episode dedicated to diferent Fairy Tales starring some of the biggest names in the busness. The show was produced, narrated and opened by Shelly DuVaul. Its witty writing and good acting were a guaranteed hit. the show ran from 1982 to 1987 with random syndications all over the place and was released on video by Playhouse(which arguably had the coolest beginning), CBS fox and Raz ma Taz or something like that. The show had some of the biggest directors like Francis Ford Coppola(Rip Van Winkle)and Tim Burton(Alladin and his Wonderful Lamp) directing some of the biggest stars such as

Tatum O'Neal as goldilocks, Billy Crystal as Larry, the 3rd Pig, Robin Williams and Terri Garr in The Frog Prince, Jeff Goldblum as The Big Bad Wolf, Vinent Price as the magic mirror in snow white, Gregory Hines and Ben Vereen in Puss in Boots, Elliot Gould, Jean Stapleton and Dennis Christopher in Jack and the Beanstalk, Valerie Bertinelli, Lenard Nemoy, Robert Carradine and James Earl Jones in Alladin, Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Beals in Cinderella, Ricky Shroder and Joan Collins in Hansel and Gretal, Carrie Fisher as Thumbelina, Eric Idle in the Pied Piper of Hamlin, Carl Riner, James Belushi, Michael Richards and Paul Reubens in Pinnochio, MalcomMcDowell and Mary Steinburgen in Little Red Riding Hood, Pam Dawber as the Little Mermaid, Shelly Duvaul, Herve` Vilachez and Ned Beatty in Rumpelstiltskin, Art Carney and Alan Arkin in The Emperors New Clothes, Mick Jagger in The Nightingale, Liza Manelli in the Princess and the Pea, Howie Mandell in The Princess Who Had Never Laughed, Christopher Reeves in Sleeping Beauty, Lee Remick as the Snow Queen, Elizabeth McGovern as Snow White and Harry Dean Stanton as Rip Van Winkle.

And there was many more than that. that was basicly the run down of each episode and the bigger stars in each one. i used to have all 26 episodes on video but now am down to about 15. with the re-release of i think 12(plus a mail away princess who had never laughed) by Raz Ma Taz you shouldnt have too much of a problem obtaining the better ones. Blockbuster has a handful too. I highly recommend checking these out. You may just love these more than your kids. This show is perfect for the young and the young at heart. I cant recommend it enough.

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12 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
I LOVED these when I was little - I wish there was a way to see them again!, 13 May 2003
Author: alexise-1 from Chicago, IL

I have such great memories of all of these stories set to film. I particularly loved The Snowqueen and The Seven Dancing Princesses. What a great way to get to know classic stories and much better than what's out there for kids today. Someone should put them on DVD, I'd buy them for my future child

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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
The Best Faerie Tale Series on TV!, 22 March 2003

Author: cmoore0013 from Jackson, MS

I Loved this show as a child.I would always rent them at my local Blockbuster. They amazed me always.Families should consider buying all of them.I have seen all and they are beautiful and entertaining.My favorites are Cinderella,Snow White,Rapunzel,and Sleeping Beauty.Young and old will love them.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Each one is a gem, 1 November 2003

Author: carflo from Texas

Faerie Tale Theatre is a gem, a jewel, of a series. They are wonderful for children, but make sure the adults in the family watch them also. My personal favorite is The Frog Prince with Robin Williams and Teri Garr. Teri Garr has best line in the show: "I didn't turn down all those princes to shack up with a frog". Although The Frog Prince is my favorite, others are wonderful to. Mick Jagger is remarkably good Emperor in The Nightingale. Lee Remick is unbelievably beautiful as The Snow Queen. The Three Pigs has Jeff Goldblum as the Big Bad Wolf with Billy Crystal as the responsible pig brother. The prize goes to Valerie Perrine as a lady pig (not in the original story) that would have Miss Piggy eating her heart out. Joan Collins is the wicked step-mother and the wicked witch in Hansel and Gretal and she was never more wicked. Shelley Duval has created a masterpiece in this series. If we could vote on a series I would give it a 10/10. Even if you don't have any children, please try at least one. It will be your first but not your last.

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8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A Wonderful Adventure, 9 December 2002
Author: suessis

I remember when I heard that Fairie Tale Theatre was coming out. I remember trying to find every way that I could to convince my parents to get Showtime on which they aired. When I finally did get to see them I was spell bound.

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.

The only episode I was disappointed with was Tony Bill's version of "The Princess and the Pea", featuring Tom Conti and Liza Minnelli. I saw no chemistry between Conti and Minnelli, and I think some of the stuff in it was a little too highbrow for kids.

The only overall problems that I noted with the series itself were that the pacing tended to be off in some of the shows, and some of actors tended to ham it up big time and be a little too over the top (like Vanessa Redgrave in "Snow White").

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9 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
A classic series that adults love too!, 2 September 2004
Author: gerry-russell-139 from United States

I grew up enraptured of FAERIE TALE THEATRE. My sister and I would watch them and then act them out later playing dress-up. We even went as far as re-enacting the publicity ad where Shelley Duvall (God bless her for coming up with the idea for this show!!!) would sit on the PRINCESS AND THE PEA set surrounded by hundreds of old antique books and introduce several different episodes of this timeless series. My favorites would have to be (1) LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD (2) THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA and (3) GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS. Others are THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, Cinderella, RAPUNZEL, THE DANCING PRINCESSES and THE LITTLE MERMAID. Malcolm McDowell as the Wolf in RED RIDING HOOD, Vanessa Redgrave as the evil queen in SNOW WHITE, Eve Arden as the Stepmother, Karen Black as the Sea Witch and Gena Rowlands as the Witch in RAPUNZEL are by far the best portrayals. And, miracle of miracles, they are FINALLY AVAILABLE ON DVD!!!! Praise Jesus!!!! Check them out at unbelievably discounted prices of just $6.98 each @starmaker2.com and amazon.com at the same price! This is truly a series that all can enjoy no matter what your age is.

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
More children's shows should be like this!, 8 December 2007
Author: eowyn_belle from United States

I would love to meet Shelley Duvall and shake her hand for creating "Faerie Tale Theatre". She produced a show that dared to be intelligent, witty, and romantic. Most children's shows today are loud, ugly, crude, condescending and downright painful for adults to watch with their kids. "Faerie Tale Theatre" rose above its low budget and put a fresh spin on the fairy tales we all know and love so much. And, best of all, they had magnificent actors to star in them! They include Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave as the Evil Queen in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", Broadway veteran Bernadette Peters in "Sleeping Beauty", and even Duvall herself as "Rapunzel". Without being too lowbrow, there was quite a bit of adult humor in "FTT". For instance, in "The Tale of the Frog Prince", the frog (Robin Williams) says the princess (Teri Garr) is cute in "a bitchy sort of way". There is also more subtle innuendo in the first ten minutes of "Sleeping Beauty" than there is in most PG-13 movies. Still, it wasn't as overbearing as the toilet humor in the "Shrek" movies, so it will most likely fly over the little ones' heads. This marvelous little series was released on DVD in 2004 for what felt like minutes, and is currently out of print. By all means, track it down on eBay or petition for it to be re-released. It is a delightful show that isn't mindless or saccharine or too violent and it dares to treat children like thinking human beings.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
I loved these as a Kid!, 5 April 2001
Author: chrisuab from Birmingham, AL

I had Showtime when I was a kid and they would air all the "Fairie Tale Theatre" episodes. My favorite were "The Snow Queen" with Melissa Gilbert and "Sleeping Beauty" with Carol Cane and Christopher Reeves. They brought these old tales magnificently to life. I haven't seen one since I was about 7 and now I'm 24. I hope maybe one day I will be able to see another one.

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8 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Sexual Innuendos, anyone?, 11 September 2006

Author: slothfrog7 from United States

So I used to watch this as a kid, just like all of you, and I loved each and every one of them (my personal favorite being The Dancing Princesses.

I am now a sophomore in college, and when I found out about the DVDs my friend and I bought them.

Now... we watch them for the unbelievably blatant sexual references that we so clearly did not get when we were kids. I mean really...

Examples:

Sleeping Beauty:

"Use your mouth!" ... and then they get to sloppy second A little mini Dr. Ruth in a chest that teaches the king and queen how to have sex??? "Charity Starts.. right here", pointing to her scantily clad self

Rapunzel:

"I want Radishes!" "Are you sure you wouldn't like a nice cucumber instead?" as he leans over in bed

Little Red Riding Hood:

The explanation of carving the wood/chopping it down... I don't even want to describe it.

I know there are more, but I'm tired and have homework to do.

I just wanted to see if we were the only ones who found the sexual nature of this series so entertaining.

That, and the fact that Shelley Duvall was clearly on acid the entire time she made these.

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5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Best Show Ever, 23 November 2001
Author: OscarManiac

If there was one television series that I could give an award to, this would be it. It was one of the most outstanding show i've ever seen. It came on when I was little, but as I grew older I still loved the show because of it's great actors. After watching it constantly on PBS, I taped all of the episodes when they became re-runs on the Disney Channel. If they ever do become re-runs again, i highly encourage everyone to watch it. You won't be disappointed.

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