The Emperor's New Clothes (1972)

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Who better to narrate this Rankin-Bass Animagic version of The Emperor's New Clothes than Danny Kaye, who starred as celebrated Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen in the 1952 musical film of the same name? Taking more than a few delightful liberties with Andersen's original tale, this… More Who better to narrate this Rankin-Bass Animagic version of The Emperor's New Clothes than Danny Kaye, who starred as celebrated Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen in the 1952 musical film of the same name? Taking more than a few delightful liberties with Andersen's original tale, this version is all about the pompous, self-impressed Emperor Klockenlocher, whose vanity proves his undoing when he is hoodwinked by a pair of con artists into spending a million dollars on a new wardrobe spun from "invisible cloth." Cyril Ritchard, best remembered as Captain Hook in Mary Martin's adaptation of Peter Pan, provides the voice of the Emperor, with TV legend Imogene Coca voicing the role of the Emperor's daughter, Princess Jane. The usual Rankin-Bass creative team is well in attendance, including artist Paul Coker Jr., who provided the character design, and Maury Laws, who penned the wonderful musical numbers "Come Along With Me," "Creation," "The Tailor's Song," "Clothes Make the Man," and "I See What I Want to See." Enhanced with a handful of live-action sequences filmed on location in Denmark, The Emperor's New Clothes debuted as an ABC network special on February 21, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi