DVD : Happily Ever After Collection: Fairy Tales For Every Child (Mother Goose/Pinocchio/The Pied Piper/The Golden Goose)
List Price: $12.98Amazon.com's Price: $7.99 You Save: $4.99 (38%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780783128443
Format: Animated, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
ISBN: 0783128444
Label: Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Hbo Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 09, 2004
Running Time: 30 minutes
Sales Rank: 13838
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Description:
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.
Amazon.com:
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. Four half-hour tales are included, each with a bevy of well-known vocal talent. A 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. Geppetto 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. For Mother Goose Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Smits, and Denzel Washington lend voice as 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. Creativity oozes from this rollicking rhyme fest, an animated retelling of some well-loved classic nursery rhymes. A simple chore of chopping trees turns into a life lesson for a trio of peasant brothers in this fresh take on The Golden Goose. 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. 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. The seductive music that the Pied Piper played to woo the children of Hamelin was jazz. At least, that's the take in retelling as old tales mix with new world vision. Here, the selfish King of Hamelin (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.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
This collection gives a fun and unique spin on classic fairy tales. I love the fact that the characters represent a broad range of cultures and ethnicities.
Rating: -
I saw this DVD at a local museum and it was priced at $22. I wanted it immediately for my 2 year old because of the wonderful animation, celebrity participation, and the fact that it focused on some of my childhood favorites. When I bought this product, I expected it be good...It was/is great!! My 2 year old watches it over and over. It was well worth the price and my child's excitment is priceless! Thanks to AMAZON.COM for always having a wonderful selection of products at a wonderful price. (~_~)
Rating:  -
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 ... Read More
Rating: -
These are wonderful stories being retold in a way every child can relate to the chacters. It's so refreshing to see characters of all nationalities being represented. My children watch these dvd's over and over. You can also watch this series on HBO Family "Happily Ever After" in the mornings.
Rating: -
This CD was bought for my two year old grandson - I reviewed it to make sure it would be acceptable to his parents. . . it may not be . . . for although the look of the characters and the delivery of the tales have changed a great deal, the greed, corruption, cheating and misrepresentation are still within!
It's worth a look see though. But tell me . . . do you think the Pied Piper could be an MJ? After all, he did reap his payment by whisking the children off to a neverland of sweets and play for all their days . . . .
Browse for similar items by category:
|
|
|
|
|
starring: Robert Guillaume, Amy Hill, Jenifer Lewis, Sinbad, David Alan Grier
Related Items:
     see more
Related Items:
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780783128443
Format: Animated, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
ISBN: 0783128444
Label: Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Hbo Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 09, 2004
Running Time: 30 minutes
Sales Rank: 13838
Studio: Hbo Home Video
|
|
|
Browse:
Books |
Classical Music |
DVD
| VHS |
Electronics |
Magazines
| Movies |
Music |
Software
|
|
Today's HotLink:
Pigeons
See Also: Fine Silk Fabric
|
Recommended Movie:
Tokyo Drifter
Today's Movie Director: John Ford
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
