Amazon.com reviews for
"Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995) More at IMDb Pro »

Pinocchio - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The award-winning HBO series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child provides updated cartoon versions of the classics that will hold your kids' attention without banging them on the head with themes. This very sweet version of Pinocchio features a star-studded voice cast, including Will Smith, Chris Rock, Charles S. Dutton, and Della Reese. Although this may make the take sound strictly African American, the spin is decidedly multicultural. Gepetto becomes "George" and Pinocchio, being "chips of pine and oak off the old block" is called "Pinoak." The big spin is on Pinocchio's insect friend, who in this version is a termite named "Woody," played with a rascally style well suited to Chris Rock. If the kid wants you to watch with him or her, you will surely enjoy watching Reese "do her thing," as she says, which is a nifty Motown number called "What's Right What's Wrong." Rock gets his chance to get down with a rap called "No Strings Attached," even if the accompanying break dance is ill served by the rudimentary drawings and movement of the characters. Older viewers may cringe at the crude animation, but it is totally appropriate for its intended audience. The villainy is very low-key so as not to disturb. And the time-honored theme that you can only be a real boy when you learn to tell the truth makes for a story that can only end "happily ever after." --Lloyd Chesley

Mother Goose: A Rappin' and a Rhymin' Fairy Tale - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Creativity oozes from this rollicking rhymefest, an animated retelling of some well-loved classic nursery rhymes. The 30-minute rappin' romp is part of the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child series. A star-studded cast of celebrities lend their voices, including Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Smits, and Denzel Washington. The merriment takes place in Mother Gooseberg Land, where Old King Cole reigns over the likes of Little Miss Muffet, Georgie Porgie, and the rest of the gang who take their poetic direction from the grand dame of rhyme herself, Mother Gooseberg. Yet all is not well in the land of make-believe. Seems that Mother Gooseberg wants to retire from her life of rhyme, due to a litany of complaints from the villagers. Jack is upset because of repeated head injuries from falling down the hill (he laments, "When Jill and I fall down the hill, look what happens to our medical bill"). The Crooked Man wants to straighten up, and Little Bo Peep has grown indifferent toward lost sheep. Add to that King Cole's distress when Mother Gooseberg suddenly calls a moratorium on rhyming--"For a kingdom used to rhyming in verse, the situation is growing worse!" he cries.

Kudos to the film's producers for representing several races and cultures through its animated characters. And while kids will be captivated by the fast-moving tale, adults will smile at the clever humor directed at them, such as when Humpty Dumpty proclaims his name change to "The Egg Formerly Known as Dumpty." (Ages 3 and older) --Lynn Gibson

The Pied Piper - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Now it can be told: The seductive music that the Pied Piper played to woo the children of Hamelin was jazz. At least, that's the take in this installment from the delightful HBO series, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. Mixing old tales with new world vision, this series adds other races to the white European stereotypes. Here, the selfish King of Hamelin (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) loves to dismiss all politics so he can count his money. Unfortunately, the rat problem becomes so severe that plans must be put into action. When a smooth, jazz-playing stranger (Wesley Snipes) wanders into town proclaiming that he can address the problem, the city council is ready to give him riches. When they fail to deliver the reward, they pay a high price. Sharply animated and wonderfully scored, The Pied Piper is another high-quality 30-minute short from this great series. (Ages 5 and older) --Doug Thomas

Jack and the Beanstalk - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Jack and his mother live on a farm where they are struggling to make ends meet. The mother decides that selling their beloved cow Bessie is the only way to earn enough money to sustain them. On the way to town, Jack happens upon a man who trades him five magic beans for the cow. Needless to say Jack's mother is less than pleased with Jack's trade and throws the beans outside. We all know what happens next. This lively retelling of the classic fairy tale is courtesy of the "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" series from HBO. The vocal talent of Robert Guillaume, Harry Belafonte, Jackee Harry and Tone-Loc gives the European fairy tale an African American slant (the giant's bellow is "fee-fie-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an African"), but the moral never changes: need is one thing, greed is another. Ages 4-9, but adults will be entertained as well. --Peggy Maltby-Etra

The Golden Goose - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: A simple chore of chopping trees turns into a life lesson for a trio of peasant brothers in this fresh take on a classic tale as part of the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child series. Drexel, Axel, and Simpleton are three strapping boys who live with their father and mother in a small kingdom. When father sends the older sons to clear the forest, they encounter a wizard--dressed as a beggar--who asks them for some food. When they brush him aside, their selfishness reaps immediate and painful consequences. Then it's Simpleton's turn to venture into the forest. He, too, encounters the beggar and responds to his plea with generosity. Rewarding Simpleton for his small act of kindness, the beggar gives him a golden goose whose feathers bring good fortune. Meanwhile, a short distance away, the king is distressed because his daughter the princess "had not laughed, chuckled, giggled, or even cracked a smile" for years. It is no surprise that the golden goose plays a part in bringing together the man and the maiden to live happily ever after. Yet first, Simpleton must meet the king's improbable conditions for marriage. Woven throughout this simple tale are subtle messages of the benefits of faith and kindness in everyday living, best understood by children ages 4 and older. --Lynn Gibson

Beauty and the Beast - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The story is familiar: A wealthy merchant has a daughter named Beauty. After a blinding sandstorm hits, causing the man to lose his way, he stumbles upon an enchanted castle that is owned by the angry Beast. This grotesque creature has an offer for the man: The Beast will keep the man or the man's daughter as his captive to live in the castle. Beauty, not wanting her father to be locked away, agrees to the offer, and only she can see past the Beast's rough exterior to his kind heart. This is an updated version of a classic fairy tale with an ethnic twist. It brings home the lesson that inner beauty has more importance than outward appearances. Featuring the vocal talents of Robert Guillaume, Vanessa Williams, and Gregory Hines, the film contains two upbeat songs, "Could She, Would She, Will She" and "Wave Good-bye." A fun and vibrant rendition with an engaging script, this short originally appeared on HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child series, which promoted topnotch storytelling to reach children of all backgrounds. For ages 4 to 9, but adults will be entertained as well. --Peggy Maltby-Etra

The Emperor's New Clothes - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Actor Robert Guillaume (Benson) narrates this classic tale about an Emperor so obsessed with his clothing that he fails to perceive the problems facing his empire. When a pair of swindlers in a nearby town learn of the Emperor's fixation on fashion, the pair tricks the Emperor into giving them his country's fortune in return for the promise of a very special birthday suit made from the "fabric of dreams." Meanwhile, the Emperor's brother, Akira, struggles to keep the empire functioning in the face of great flooding and famine with virtually no monetary resources. When Akira is banished from the Empire for declaring his brother a fool for squandering funds on clothing, the Empire's future looks grim. The Emperor's birthday suit turns out to be much, much less than he had hoped for, but the truthful words of one young boy provide the town with the gift of laughter and the promise of better days ahead. This 26-minute video is nicely animated and features the voice talents of George Takei (Star Trek) and Gedde Watanabe (Mulan). (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Rapunzel - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In this animated version of the classic fairy tale, narrated by Robert Guillaume, Rapunzel has the misfortune of being born to a humble couple living next door to an evil "hoodoo diva" (Whoopi Goldberg) in New Orleans. When Dad (Meshach Taylor) gets caught sneaking some rapunzel herb from the wicked Zenobia's garden for his pregnant wife's jambalaya, he makes a deal with the diva that forfeits their right to the baby if it's a girl. So Rapunzel--named after the herb that announced her fate--goes to live next door, only to be imprisoned in a tower and forced to answer the command "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, girl." That is, until she is romanced and eventually rescued by a prince, making for the kind of ending that gives the HBO multicultural series its title of "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child." Embellished by song and humor, this series will entertain ages 3 and older as well as adults. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Little Red Riding Hood - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: A mischievous Little Red Happy Coat, as she is called in this animated China-based version of Little Red Riding Hood, spills soy sauce on her sister's wedding dress, giving her mother something more urgent to do than deliver a meal to Grandma. So Happy Coat gladly accepts the basket of won tons and bamboo shoots, as well as the admonishment to stay on the path. But a clever and hungry wolf (B.D. Wong of Father of the Bride) talks her into supplementing Ma-Ma's basket with a stop at the tea shop on Grandma's side of the forest. Of course, the wolf gulps grandmother and then granddaughter down whole. Not to worry--a village herbalist is on hand with a remedy that ensures a happy ending for the little girl and her beloved Poa-Poa, and which convinces the wolf to stick to smaller game in the future. Part of HBO's charming Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child series, narrated by Robert Guillaume, this installment will entertain children of all cultures. (Ages 3 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Goldilocks - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In this astonishingly star-studded animated version of the traditional tale, Goldilocks (Raven-Symone of TV's The Cosby Show) is a black girl from a tropical village whose way of life boils down to doing what she wants without thinking of the consequences. She gets her customary comeuppance, of course, but not before she has incriminated her fellow students for something she did and alienated all her friends. As she wanders through the forest playing hooky, she meets a spider (Jenifer Lewis), a snake (Ben Vereen), and a bat (Lou Rawls) who warn her in song, but the musical trio cannot divert her from her fateful encounter with the three bears (Tone Loc, Alfre Woodard, David Alan Grier). This 25-minute production narrated by Robert Guillaume has a Caribbean flavor to its music, background, and references. (When their food is too hot, the bear family takes a minibus to a reggae concert.) This delightful interpretation of the classic is part of HBO's Happily Ever After series. (Ages 3 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Puss'n Boots - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: A Mother Goose classic is retold with a Polynesian theme. A cat is shipwrecked on a mice-infested island, but this is one talking feline with a taste for twisting the truth, not rodents. He talks his new owner into making him a pair of boots in return for fame and fortune. When the owner's father dies, he leaves the plantation to the older brother and the crop to the middle brother, while the youngest brother gets Puss. Puss, ever the player, connives, manipulates, and flat-out lies to a neighboring island king and princess to get his owner noticed. But when the owner finds out about all the untruths, he sets the record straight, much to the dismay of Puss. The king and his daughter appreciate the owner's honesty, and the owner ends up engaged to the princess, proving that honesty is the best policy. Peppered with modern slang and humor, this version of Puss in Boots is very entertaining. Narrated by Robert Guillaume and starring David Hyde-Pierce as Puss, this HBO production is good for children 3 and older, but is one the whole family will enjoy. --Peggy Maltby-Etra

Twelve Dancing Princesses - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The dancing daughters have relocated from Northern Europe to Spanish- speaking southern climes in this animated HBO Happily Ever After production. El Rey Marti (Hector Elizondo of TV's Chicago Hope) despairs of divining the method by which his dozen daughters escape the palace each night to ruin their perfectly good dancing shoes. So he makes a royal proclamation: Whoever solves the mystery gets a kingship and the daughter of his choice. The offer brings a long line of men to the palace, ranging from a sexist pig of a prince to a humble singing soldier (Latino warbler Jon Secada). The lowly enlistee and one of the royal daughters (TV hostess Daisy Fuentes) fall in love, and one can guess by the series title what happens. This 26-minute retelling of the classic fairy tale is jauntily narrated by Robert Guillaume and further livened up by mariachi music, a conga line, and a big dollop of humor. Ages 3 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Thumbelina - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This updated version of Hans Christian Andersen's classic Thumbelina is set by a river in a rain forest in South America. A childless woman prays every day to be blessed with a child. One day, a rare exotic flower floats down the river. Wrapped in its beautiful leaves is Thumbelina, a child no bigger than the woman's thumb. The woman rejoices in her answered prayers. As Thumbelina grows older (not taller), she yearns to "have an adventure." And what an adventure this street-smart, strong girl ends up having- -she is kidnapped by an overzealous mother frog, swept away by floodwaters, and set to marry a sinister bat prince. Rescued and returned to her mother, Thumbelina learns the power of love and friendship, and that appearances aren't always what they seem.

Originally produced for HBO, this version of Thumbelina is multicultural and modern. Narration by Robert Guillaume and the voice talents of Rosie Perez as Thumbelina are wonderful additions. This version has fun with the culture (example: Thumbelina's bed is an avocado) Viewers can also learn Spanish names for things as they go along on Thumbelina's rain-forest adventure. Muy bueno! Good for children 3 and older, but one the whole family will enjoy. --Peggy Maltby-Etra

Hansel and Gretel - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This installment in HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child series shifts the familiar Grimm story to Latin America. Instead of asking, "Nibble, nibble like a mouse, who's been nibbling at my house?" the Witch says, "Qué pasa, qué pasa, someone's nibbling on my casa!" The half-hour show boasts simple, appealing character designs with dark skin and black hair, and bright watercolor backgrounds. Voice actors Christopher Montoya and Chrissy Padilla make Hanselito and Gretelita appealing, resourceful children: When they're caught by the Witch, Hanselito offers to work to pay for what they've eaten off her house. Rosie Perez clearly enjoys herself as the Witch, "Susannah from Havana," half-speaking, half-singing a mixture of English and Spanish. Her mini-production number with Tito Larriva is the high point of the story. The filmmakers don't shy away from the ending: Gretelita shoves the Witch into the oven. But it's done in a comic way that removes any feeling of violence. The animation and Liz Torres's vocal performance are so over the top, the Stepmother feels nastier than the Witch. But small children are more likely to focus on the bright colors and upbeat song than on nuances of character. (Ages 5 and older) --Charles Solomon

The Frog Prince - Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The Frog Prince is a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a spoiled princess who learns the true meaning of friendship. What's different about this production is its ethnic perspective. Narrator Robert Guillaume and voice talents Sinbad and Danny Glover speak in a folksy, ethnic dialect that lends a whole new perspective to the story. The animation, too, has an ethnic slant, with the main characters portrayed almost as caricatures.

Princess Ebony has everything a princess could possibly want, but longs for some subservient, worshipful friends her own age. King Niger attempts to pacify his daughter by constructing a nugget court (a game that bears some resemblance to rugby) and bequeathing her a golden nugget ball that's been in the family for generations. The game entertains the princess for a while, but when the Jester challenges the Princess to a real game, she throws a tantrum and loses her valuable ball down a deep well. When an idiosyncratic frog offers to retrieve the lost ball in return for her friendship, the Princess agrees, but has absolutely no intention of keeping her promise. King Niger learns of his daughter's unfulfilled promise, realizes how spoiled and self-centered she has become, and vows to remedy the situation by insisting that she honor her promise to the frog. The princess endures the frog's company for a day, and is driven to a desperate act, the results of which teach her the true meaning of friendship and humility. For a very different look at this same classic tale, try the non-animated Frog King in the From the Brothers Grimm series by Tom Davenport. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi