Mother Goose

There is REAL MAGIC at work in this wonderful little film! How else could you explain a movie where all the characters and sets are paper cut-outs being so enthralling?

A fantasy flick financed by Joseph Goebbels may not sound like everybody's cup of tea, but if, like me, you are a fan of the ineffable Baron Munchausen, you won't want to miss the sheer visual splendor of this version! The depiction of the Baron's trip to the Moon is particularly amazing!

"The Emperor's Nightingale" has to be one of the loveliest fairy tale adaptations ever! You'd have to be a jaded mandarin not to be charmed by this one!

In the Brothers Grimm's rendition of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella's wicked stepsisters are ready to do anything to fit their feet into the heroine's slipper after she loses it in her haste to leave the palace before the last stroke of midnight. One of them is so desperate, she cuts off her big toe with a knife in an attempt to fool the prince. Unfortunately for her, while on the way to the castle, two birds perched on a branch draw the prince's attention to the blood dripping from the slipper, thereby exposing the fraud. The second stepsister is equally determined to enter the royal family and chops off a bit of her heel. The same situation ensues: the prince mistakes her for Cinderella, rides off with her on his horse and she is unmasked by the same two birds. Delightful, isn't? Curiously, the scenes I just described are nowhere to be found in the Disney version. I wonder why... (devious wink) Needless to say, the Mickey Mouse company went for a more family-friendly approach, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Beneath its sugar-coating, "Cinderella" is a masterpiece of fantasy and story-telling -- possibly the finest screen version of the tale that will ever be made. Lovable characters, enchanting musical numbers, a sumptuous palette and superb animation all contribute to the success of this remarkable achievement. Disney's "Cinderella" casts a spell which, unlike the Fairy Godmother's magic, remains undiminished by time.

Simply put, this movie is nothing short of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! :P