It is very easy to see why 'Faerie Tale Theatre' is so highly regarded by many people. It is not a perfect series, with some imperfections here and there in individual episodes, but there is a huge amount to like and it is difficult not to get any enjoyment out of them.As seen in all my reviews of the individual episodes, which goes into a good amount of detail as what worked in the episode and what didn't quite. Many of their adaptations of various well-known and well-loved fairy tales are charming, clever and sometimes funny, a few even emotionally moving. 'Faerie Tale Theatre' puts its own magical spin (whether playing for laughs or straight) on the best of the episodes while still capturing the essence of the stories (much more faithful than anything by Disney, speaking as a fan), while also giving further enjoyment in seeing talented performers in early roles or in roles that are departures from their usual roles.Favourite episodes of 'Faerie Tale Theatre' are-: "Hansel and Gretel", "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers", "The Princess and the Pea", "The Three Little Pigs", "The Snow Queen", "Rumpelstiltskin", "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "The Dancing Princesses" and "Cinderella".Least favourite episodes, while still not bad at all are "Rip Van Winkle" (the worst looking and scripted of the series) and "The Princess Who Had Never Laughed". Other lesser episodes, though there is not a misfire in the whole of 'Faerie Tale Theatre', are-: "Puss in Boots", "Pinocchio", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Nightingale" and "Jack and the Beanstalk".Visually, mostly 'Faerie Tale Theatre' does well with its low budget. Episodes that actually look good are in particular "The Snow Queen", "Hansel and Gretel", "Little Red Riding Hood", "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" and "Cinderella". There are a few episodes that don't fare so well, particularly "Rip Van Winkle", the toads in "Thumbelina", the effects in "The Little Mermaid", the ghoulish make-up in "The Nightingale" and the cow and the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk".Throughout the whole series the music is great, apart from the random and misplaced mole's song in "Thumbelina". Shelley Duval does wonders with the introductions and proves that she wasn't that bad an actress, especially in "Rumpelstiltskin".Really enjoyed the writing on the most part, with the few exceptions being "Rip Van Winkle" and some overdone innuendo in "Sleeping Beauty". Some episodes are very funny, especially "The Three Little Pigs", "The Frog Prince", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "Little Red Riding Hood", while there are darker toned ones like "The Snow Queen", "Snow White", "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" and "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers" as well as some poignant ones like "The Snow Queen" and "The Little Mermaid".Most of the acting is great. Highlights are Robin Williams, Herve Villechaize, Malcolm McDowell, Burgess Meredith, Klaus Kinski, Vanessa Redgrave, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, James Earl Jones, Leonard Nimoy, Jean Stapleton, Joan Collins, Jeff Goldblum, Lesley Ann Warren and Lee Remick.A few didn't work so well for me. They were Paul Reubens, Elliot Gould, Brock Peters, Matthew Broderick, Robert Carradine, Edward James Olmos and the waste of Anjelica Huston in "Beauty and the Beast".Check out the greatest moments/reunion episode "Grimm Party". That is entertaining and has a nice invented story.Overall, flawed but still timeless. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I remember watching Faerie Tale Theatre as a child and in my opinion some of them were awesome and some were OK. I remember my parents renting them for me and my brother and watching them on TV. I watched all of them as a child, but only a few stuck in my mind over the years. My favorites: Rapunzel, Rumplestiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk & Pinocchio.I liked the other tales as well, but we all have our favorites. The actors are amazing. This show came out when I was two years old and I didn't know who any of these actors were. I just loved watching them. Looking back, all of the stars were very well known at that time and today, some are still famous, while others sadly died but are legends we will never forget.I have to admit that the special effects and props are a little cheesy. They didn't have the special effects and technology back in the early 80's that we have today but everyone involved in this classic series did an amazing job making all of the tales come to life. This didn't stop me from enjoying them as a child and now as an adult.I was in shock to find out that all twenty six episodes were released in a DVD collectors set last year. I just had to have them for me and for my unborn child due this summer. I am glad that I came across this set. Now I can enjoy them again and I hope my child enjoys them as much as I did one day. If you get a chance and want to get a taste of your childhood, watch them. If not, I think you are missing out. Enjoy!!

I remember watching these when I was younger, my grandma who worked at a library at the time often took the VHS's of them out for me.When watching these movies I often get a warm fuzzy feeling, a feeling of content. They are the kind of movies that you would sit down and watch in front of a fire place with a nice cup of hot chocolate and a blanket. These movies bring the stories to life. I often watch re-runs of them on the book channel, or watch the videos I own.I would suggest watching these movies if your sick of the hustle and bustle of Hollywood movies.If your tired of the hardcore action movies or horror flicks tune in to these.

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 asTatum 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.