Mythology

The 10th Kingdom

This epic 10-hour miniseries from the Emmy-winning writer of Gulliver's Travels was a ratings bust on television, but on video and DVD, where it can be enjoyed at one's leisure, it has a better chance to cast its magical spell. Kimberly Williams has never been more enchanting than as Virginia, a waitress who still lives with her janitor father (John Larroquette) and yearns for something exciting to happen to her. Her wish comes true when she and her father are transported from New York City into a dimension that, with apologies to Rod Serling, can only be called the Fairy Tale Zone; nine kingdoms populated by characters from fairy tales of yore. They team up with a dog who's really a prince--Wendell, grandson of Snow White--changed into canine form by the evil Queen (Dianne Wiest), who plots to usurp Wendell's throne. Father, daughter, and his royal dogness are relentlessly pursued through the nine kingdoms by the Troll King (Ed O'Neill) and his three bumbling and horrible children, and the conflicted Wolf (Scott Cohen), who is allied with the Queen but, with the aid of some Oprah-esque self-help books, tames his inner beast and falls in love with Virginia. The 10th Kingdom is a special effects extravaganza. There is indeed, as one character marvels, magic to behold here. But despite the Hallmark brand name and the presence of a grown-up Snow White (Camryn Manheim) and Cinderella (Ann-Margret), bewitched animals, magic mirrors, and trolls, this is not kid's stuff. It can get scary, surprisingly violent, and quite intense; you know, just like real fairy tales. --Donald Liebenson

The Witches

This splendid adventure-fantasy from 1990 was adapted from Roald Dahl's book and directed by maverick British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who turned out to be a perfect (if seemingly unlikely) interpreter of Dahl's fiendishly clever tale of witchcraft in contemporary England. Scary, funny, and wildly entertaining, it's all about a young boy named Luke (Jasen Fisher) whose parents have died in a tragic accident, and whose grandmother (Mai Zetterling) takes him to a posh hotel in England, where a secret coven of witches is holding its annual convention. The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston, in a scene-stealing performance) has decreed that all children in England be turned into mice, and Luke and his pal Bruno (Charles Potter) are the first victims on the list. That's when the movie magicians from Jim Henson's creature shop have their work cut out for them, turning Luke and Bruno into clever little rodents and The Witches into a dazzling display of imaginative special effects, using a seamless combination of real mice and superb animatronic puppets. Director Roeg doesn't compromise the sinister edge of Dahl's story, but comedy gets equal time from the brilliant cast including Brenda Blethyn (from Secrets and Lies and Little Voice), Rowan Atkinson (of Black Adder and Mr. Bean fame), and Jane Horrocks (Little Voice) as the Grand High Witch's beleaguered assistant. Although it was largely neglected during its brief theatrical release, this wonderful movie has since enjoyed a thriving appreciation on video--see it and you'll understand why. --Jeff Shannon

From the great Muppet creator Jim Henson comes this classic bursting with enchantment and adventure. Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston stars as the Grand High Witch in this exhilarating tale.Year: 1990

Beauty and The Beast - Criterion Collection (Restored Edition)

This is definitely not the Disney version. While it remains faithful to the plot of the classic fairy tale by Leprince de Beaumont, Jean Cocteau's 1946 French romantic fantasy is the product of a sophisticated, mature sensibility in its tones and textures and, above all, in its surprising emotional power. With sparkling black-and-white imagery that, for once, is actually dreamlike rather than cute or kitschy, and with a Beast (Jean Marais) who is almost as glamorous with his silky blonde facial hair as he is clean shaven, the movie casts a seductive spell. It might actually be a little too rich and unsettling for kids. Even the costumes and the draperies are entrancingly ornate. Viewers intoxicated by this enveloping vision should consider moving on to Cocteau's even more aggressively other-worldly 1949 masterpiece Orpheus, in which Marais plays the doomed poet of ancient Greek legend, updated to a Parisian "punk" milieu of motorcycles and black leather. --David Chute

Into the West

Set mainly in the Ireland the tourist board didn't tell you about, Into the West is the story of a "traveling" family who have given up their traditional life of roaming, and find themselves trying to make it in the gritty, violent projects of Dublin. Gabriel Byrne is excellent as Papa Reilly, a once-proud father and leader whose grief over his wife's death has turned him into a booze-sodden has-been. His two sons, Tito (Ruaidhri Conroy) and Ossie (Ciaran Fitzgerald), escape the projects on an apparently magical white horse, Tir Na Nog, which leads them back to the West. After being forced to steal the horse back from a wealthy and ruthless horse dealer, they are pursued across the increasingly beautiful landscape by virtually all the policemen in Ireland. The much-loved actor David Kelly (Waking Ned Devine) does a nice turn as the grandfather, and Ellen Barkin is a surprising but believable choice as an old "traveling" friend of Papa Reilly. For better or for worse--mainly better--this is not the story Disney would have told: redemptive and uplifting at the end, it's realistic to the point of ugliness on the way there, with a style of cinematography that the Magic Kingdom has never been able to stomach. The younger brother, Ossie, is supposed to be 7, but the story itself is perhaps more appropriate for somewhat older children. Entertainment Weekly's best family video for 1994. --Richard Farr

Here's the enchanting big-screen adventure about two city kids who receive a gift beyond their wildest dreams -- a magical horse. But when a rich breeder tries desperately to take the horse away from them, their only hope is to escape and become the coolest outlaws ever to ride ... INTO THE WEST! Capture the thrill of this delightful adventure and experience for yourself the feeling and joy it brought to critics and audiences everywhere! Starring Gabriel Byrne (END OF DAYS, ENEMY OF THE STATE) and Ellen Barkin (SOMEONE LIKE YOU, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS), this terrific motion picture delivers nonstop entertainment for everyone!

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin is a classic Brothers Grimm tale about greed, magic, and the power of belief. In this 1987 musical version by Cannon Films, the boastful miller declares that his beautiful daughter Katie (Amy Miller) has the power to spin gold out of straw. The gold-loving King (Clive Revill) hears of her talent and demands that she spin gold for him. Katie looks to a magical and greedy elf (Billy Barty) for help, but is forced to pay him with her precious jewelry and the promise of her first-born child. Eventually, Katie's efforts for the King are rewarded with the dream-fulfilling privilege of marrying the Prince, but when their son is born, she must guess the elf's secret name or lose her precious son to the greedy elf. This production features several lovely songs and is wholesome family fun appropriate for children ages 3 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Happily ever after has never been so golden! Amy Irving (Tuck Everlasting) stars as a miller's daughter who must learn magic from a troll to perform a miracle in this dazzling musical adaptation of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Billy Barty (Willow), the "dean of the screen's little people" (Los Angeles Times), co-stars as the mischievous troll whose name is the kingdom's best-kept secret!After Katie's (Irving) father boasts to the king that she can turn grain into gold, she finds herself thrown in a dungeon with orders to spin straw into gold or else! A crafty troll (Barty) agrees to help her perform the seemingly impossible featand land the king's handsome son but his assistance comes at a price. Unless she can figure out his unusual name, she must hand over her firstborn child!

The Tales of Beatrix Potter (with Dancers of The Royal Ballet)

Snow White

Mirror, mirror, on the wall who's the fairest storybook heroine of them all? Snow White! Sarah Patterson (The Company of Wolves) stars as the fabled slumbering beauty while Emmy winner* Diana Rigg ("The Avengers") serves up some "delicious comic villainy" (Variety) as the wicked stepmother who's consumed by vanity in this thrilling live-action adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm tale. After her jealous stepmother (Rigg), the queen, tries to have her killed, Snow White (Patterson) runs away into the forest, where she finds refuge with seven kindly dwarves. But when thequeen discovers she's still alive, she decides to destroy her rival herself using clever disguises. Finally, a poisonous apple does the trickor so she thinks until the handsome prince arrives to save Snow White!

Red Riding Hood

Rediscover the magic and romance of one of the best-loved fairy tales of all time! Charming, suspenseful and wonderfully moving, Red Riding Hood is filled with stirring songs, spectacular dance numbers and superb sets! In a magical forest alive with wonderment, a little girl finds that not all is as it seems. Living alone with her mother (Rossellini), Linet (Shankley) spends her days exploring the woods with nothing to fear. But when she embarks on a perilous journey to visit her grandmother and discovers both an enchanted wolf and an evil lord in her path, it'll take a magical red cloak and a friendly woodcutter to save the day!

Kirikou and the Sorceress

This animated film exquisitely recounts the tale of tiny Kirikou -- a clever, courageous little boy born in an African village in which Karaba the Sorceress has placed a terrible curse -- as he sets out on a quest to free his village of the curse and find out the secret of why Karaba is so wicked. Kirikou depicts a precocious newborn infant who battles ignorance, and so-called evil, with endearing perseverance. This film speaks to the child within us all who yearns to express and defend the best in others and ourselves. Kirikou's stunning visuals are accented by a traditional music soundtrack by African music giant Youssou N' Dour.

The Company of Wolves

The tangled forest is misty with mystery, the thatched cottages are cute and quaint, and the dashing rogues are devious charmers, but this revision of "Little Red Riding Hood" is not your usual fairy tale. In the troubled dreams of an adolescent girl in the hormonal rush of puberty, it becomes a veritable werewolf story with lush storybook imagery, gothic horror flourishes, and decidedly sexual implications. Director Neil Jordan, who collaborated with author Angela Carter in this 1985 adaptation of her story, applies a knowing intelligence to the bittersweet tale. The often startling transformation effects may appear primitive compared to modern movies, but the delight is in the dark imagination, dense textures, and fantastical wonders of this dream world. Angela Lansbury is the story-spinning granny and David Warner the understanding woodsman father, and watch for a devilish cameo by a sinister and seductive Terence Stamp. --Sean Axmaker