Reviews

I had actually started watching "Animated Tales of the World" way back in the early 2000s and being a huge fan of folktales in general, I just had to check this show out! I was definitely amazed by the beautiful animation and the interesting stories being told! Some of my most favorite stories in this series were "Persephone," "Ewenn Congar," "The Tyrant and the Child," "Redhill," "The Enchanted Lion," and "The Three Sisters who Fell in the Mountain." I definitely think that "Animated Tales of the World" is one of the best animated series on HBO Family and anyone who is a huge fan of folktales in general will definitely enjoy this series!

When I first saw this little video of "X-Men: Gifted," I was so amazed at how good the story was here that I started reading X-Men comics frequently after that since before I had seen this, I rarely read any X-Men comics.

The story of "X-Men:Gifted" was just so fantastic as it deals with the X-Men coming face to face about the idea of being "cured" of their mutant abilities and how some of the X-Men reacted to that. Joss Whedon has done a brilliant job at weaving an action-packed story while exploring all of the characters in the story, which really made me feel connected to all of the characters and how they deal with this situation. I also loved the surprise of a certain X-Men character that I have grown to love over the years (but I won't spoil it!) Probably the only problem with this story is that the animation is a bit jagged as the characters don't really move fluidly and their facial expressions seems to be stuck on one expression whenever they are talking. However, since the story is really story, this can easily be overlooked.

I would strongly recommend "X-Men: Gifted" to anyone who is a fan of Joss Whedon and love a good X-Men story!

This is easily my favorite episode of "Reading Rainbow!" I always wanted to know how books are made since I love reading books to death and here is an episode that shows us how books are made! What was the best part of this episode was when Ruby Dee was narrating Henrik Drescher's "Simon's Book" since I loved that book to death! The book "Simon's Book" was an instant treat for me and I loved the surreal nature of the story as the boy in the story is trying to escape a frightening monster with the help of two pens and an ink jar. I would definitely recommend this episode to anyone who loves surreal children's books and want to learn more about how books are being made!

When I first heard about Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater, I was thinking "hey that is the same actress from 'The Shining!'" So, I had to check this series out and I was so amazed at what I saw from this show! "Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre" was a television series in the 80s that presents various popular fairy tales in a theater format and featured famous celebrities during the 80s which included Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Eric Idle, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal and many more acting out the roles of the characters. This show used to come on Showtime and sometimes PBS when it first came out.

Alright, now onto my opinions about this series! I thought that this series was brilliant beyond all reason! I loved the theater like style of this show, which made this series truly unique from any other show I have seen! Also, I love how some of the episodes take on a different twist on the classic fairy tales, such as "Sleeping Beauty" staring Bernadette Peters and Christopher Reeve where the story is told in the traditional Russian style fairy tale and "Puss in Boots" starring Gregory Hines and Ben Vereen where it stars an all African-American cast.

If there are any cons for this series it would probably have to be the theater style special effects, meaning that there are set props shown everywhere on screen and so it causes the stories to be too unrealistic and outdated, but for anyone who loves fairy tales and love watching theater productions in the comfort of their home might not mind the somewhat outdated special effects.

I would strongly recommend this series to anyone who loves fairy tales and theater productions and I'm sure that no one would be disappointed!

There have been many Rabbit Ears stories that I have not heard of up until now and "Paul Bunyan" is one of them. "Paul Bunyan" is about the largest and tallest logging man in history named Paul Bunyan who starts his adventures as he tries to chop down all the trees in the Dakotas so that the new settlers could have homes to live in. Jonathan Winters' rich narration along with Leo Kottke and Duck Baker's inspiring music and Rick Meyerowitz's hilarious illustrations, all combine together to make "Paul Bunyan" one of the most creative and hilarious stories ever created on Rabbit Ears! Overall, "Paul Bunyan" is definitely one of the most hilarious and creative stories created by Rabbit Ears Productions and I am sure that many adults and children will enjoy this hilarious version of America's favorite tall tale hero Paul Bunyan!

I remember when I read the book "Coraline" and I was thinking how creepy the book was. But, when I saw the previews for this film in 2009, I thought that there were going to be drastic changes to the film from the book, such as the film being on a lighter note. Well, I actually saw the film and I was so surprised at how dark and scary it was, just like the book. Truth is, I actually love this movie because it stayed true to the book and the animation was beautiful. I especially love the main character Coraline as she was truly courageous and has a lot of spunk. Other characters that I have enjoyed greatly were the Other Mother, because she was truly scary, especially towards the end of the movie and Mr. Bobobinsky, the Russian circus performer who was weird yet entertaining to watch. I would strongly recommend anyone to see "Coraline" because it is definitely one of the top movies of 2009 because of its creepy yet adventurous plot and interesting characters.

"Harriet the Spy" has to be one of Nickelodeon's greatest movies ever created! Michelle Trachtenberg was flawless in her role as Harriet M. Welsch as she displays such emotion and energy, that her acting made Harriet a very likable character. I love the way that Harriet is spunky and eager to learn more about life and that just makes me love her character more. I also love Rosie O'Donnell's role in this movie as she acts as Harriet's guide to learning more about life by encouraging her to write about what she sees out in the open. The scenes where Harriet is tortured by her classmates because she wrote some nasty things about them, is both intense and realistic as we actually see Harriet suffering from losing her two best friends and how she ends up distrusting everyone around her. "Harriet the Spy" is definitely one of Nickelodeon's classics that can't be forgotten for a long time.

At first, I didn't like this show because of the gross humor, but when I looked at it on Nicktoons Network (when it was still on) I realized that this was a really great show! The humor in this show was not only hilarious, but it also entertains the adults like the episode where Spunky falls in love with the mop and the other one where Heffer has a nudist party in Rocko's backyard when he has to stay with Rocko for a few days. Also, I love the way that the show focuses on Rocko's transition to America after he moves out of Australia and I think that his Australian accent is awesome and impressive! I believe that this was one of the most creative and offbeat shows during the 90s next to "The Angry Beavers" and "Hey Arnold!" About the gross humor, there is a bit of gross out humor in this show, but it's not so bad and it only occurs on a couple occasions. "Rocko's Modern Life" will continue to be a cult classic in my heart and will always be known as one of the greatest Nicktoons to ever surface on television!

"The Angry Beavers" is probably my most favorite Nicktoon on Nickelodeon ever next to "Hey Arnold!" Basically, this show is about two beaver brothers, Norbert and Daggett, who try out the experience of living on their own while fighting with each other along the way. What I love about this show was the fact that the humor was actually hilarious and some of it was aimed at the adults, just like "Rocko's Modern Life" which made the show very interesting to watch. I also love the characters of the show, especially Norbert, who is calmer and cooler of the two brothers and I also like Daggett, who is always crazy in every episode. Because these brothers have different personalities, they always fight with each other, hence the name "Angry Beavers." This was probably the greatest Nicktoon on Earth because of its adult/kid humor and its surreal story plots and those two elements combine makes this show highly creative and hilarious at the same time! "The Angry Beavers" will always be a popular Nicktoon in my heart!

"Hey Arnold!" is my second most favorite Nicktoon, next to "The Angry Beavers" and I must say that this was certainly one of the most memorable Nicktoons I have ever seen! "Hey Arnold!" is about a football-headed boy named Arnold who would go through many trials during his life at a boarding house to life in school. What I loved about "Hey Arnold!" was the characters since they were all very interesting to look at. My favorite character would have to be Arnold because he is so calm in many crazy situations that take place on this show and he also provides good advice to his classmates whenever they are in a tight situation. I also love Helga, especially when she teases Arnold and then declares her love for him behind his back. "Hey Arnold!" had an unique way of combining humor and moral lessons for the audience that made this show interesting to watch. "Hey Arnold!" is probably one of the greatest Nicktoons ever created next to "Rocko's Modern Life" and "The Angry Beavers" and I will always treasure its morality and humor for many years.

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE is probably one of Rabbit Ears' most intense and charming story yet as it has drama and suspense throughout the story. Jodie Foster has done an excellent job at narrating this story as she narrates in a brooding manner, making the story suspenseful to hear and Van Dyke Parks' music is charming and elegant, which fits perfectly for this story. Last, but not least, Diana Bryan's illustrations are dark yet creative, providing the perfect mysterious mood to this story. THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE is the perfect story about the consequences of greed and about being content with what you have.

PECOS BILL is one of Rabbit Ears finest stories ever told and is probably just as funny as THE FOOL AND THE FLYING SHIP. Robin Williams' narration is a hoot as he gives an incredible John Wayne impersonation for the greatest cowboy hero. Tim Raglin's illustrations are colorful and beautiful, especially of the image of Pecos Bill himself with his red shirt, his red hair, and his white, furry pants that gives the perfect impression to Pecos Bill's style. Ry Cooder's music is probably the true highlight of this story as he makes the music sound so country. PECOS BILL is surely a classic hit that children will love for many years.

THE FOOL OF THE WORLD AND THE FLYING SHIP is probably Cosgrove Hall's most recognizable and charming story ever featured. Making its debut appearance on the PBS series, LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY, this story is truly a classic that both adults and children will love for many years.

THE FOOL OF THE WORLD AND THE FLYING SHIP is a beautiful tale about a young man named Pyotr who's kindness towards an old man and with help from six unusual super humans, eventually leads him to the Czar's winter palace so that he can take the Czar's daughter hand in marriage.

The animation is superb as the creators effectively use puppet animation to make this story more creative and realistic to look at. This story will be an instant treat for the young and old and also check out for the Rabbit Ears' version of this tale, narrated by Robin Williams which is called RABBIT EARS- THE FOOL AND THE FLYING SHIP.

Let me tell you. When I saw the previews of "The Cat in the Hat," I thought it was going to be a great movie. So, I tried to buy the video for weeks and I finally got it, but I was extremely dismayed at what they put in this movie.

In my opinion, this was the WORST movie I have ever seen this year. This movie lacks a certain moral to the whole experience, like, what was the Cat's purpose of coming to the children's house? Was he trying to show them to have fun once in awhile, or, was he trying to show them how to work together? (Which that message was just thrown at the end of the movie). Since, the movie lacked a moral, the whole plot just got destroyed by the movie's constant crude humor and sexual jokes. I always thought that the Cat in the Hat's character was more sweeter than the Grinch, even though the Cat can be extremely mischievous at times. But the way Mike Myers played out the Cat in the Hat was extremely vulgar and not at all funny. I don't think that any children's book would contain such vulgarity as this movie did. I mean, even though "Shrek" had some adult humor, it was actually funny and has a positive message about being yourself, something this movie could not display. The only good things about this movie was the set designs are extremely true to the tone of the book and Dakota Fanning does a great job playing as Sally. Also, the movie's music is played by David Newman, which gives the movie a slightly sweet tone. But because the movie has too many crude remarks and a horrible script, this movie is a big flop!!! I don't blame Mike Myers or the other actors and actresses for the downfall of this movie, since they were only doing what they were being told, but I do blame the director Bo Welch and the writers for making this movie the worst of 2003. I suggested that unless you want your children to see a sweet film for children, try to avoid watching "The Cat in the Hat."

Funny, interesting, and imaginative are the qualities of

this movie!!! This version of the Russian Folktale is extremely funny as it is also very touching. Robin Williams does a great job of making the characters extremely creative.

Henrik Drescher's illustrations are so full of life and bizarreness that it gives the movie an edgy but exciting and touching mood on the story. The story is an instant classic to the children as well as the adults.

The adults will laugh at some of the humor this movie has while the children will enjoy the drawings and the light-humored tone of this story. This is a story that will remain in the hearts of everyone who sees this new version of the famous Russian Folktale.