Television series
Faerie Tale Theatre
- Fairy tale
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Shelley Duvall's whimsical anthology series reimagines classic fairy tales with surprising warmth and imagination. Each hour-long episode is a self-contained story directed by acclaimed filmmakers and featuring eccentric casting choices that shouldn't work but somehow do. It's playful rather than reverent, handmade rather than lavish—perfect for family viewing that respects children's intelligence without condescension.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy fairy tales told as stagy, storybook theatre, where each hour is a self-contained play with its own quirky visual invention and a cast happy to look a little silly.
Skip it if you want a polished modern look or one continuous story; the sets look deliberately homemade, and uneven quality from episode to episode can wear thin over a long binge.
What it asks of you: Episodes run about an hour, each a fresh start with new people and a new look, so it suits sampling over following one thread.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Princess Bride1987
A fairy tale for people who think they're too smart for fairy tales, packed with genuine adventure, perfect comic timing, and the rare feat of being quotable without being annoying. It shares Duvall's mischievous spirit.
But If you need high stakes and genuine peril, the constant meta-humour and self-aware tone might keep you at arm's length. Some find it precious.
Labyrinth1986
Jim Henson's dark, trippy take on the goblin-king fantasy adventure has the same willingness to be weird and handmade that defines Faerie Tale Theatre. Stunning puppetry and genuinely unsettling moments sit beside the whimsy.
But The plot is threadbare and the tone swings wildly. Some of the creature design will seem dated, and the pacing drags in places where it shouldn't.
Into the Woods2014
Sondheim's musical deconstructs fairy tales with intelligence and darkness, asking what happens after 'happily ever after.' Like Duvall's series, it treats the material seriously while remaining playful about its own artificiality.
But It's very theatrical and very talky—if you want action or spectacle, the constant songs and philosophising will frustrate you. The second act is notably less fun than the first.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Faerie Tale Theatre
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Dark Crystal1982
Both emerged from the same 1980s impulse to build real, tactile fantasy worlds that trusted the audience to surrender to strangeness rather than holding their hand.
Released the same year as Faerie Tale Theatre's first episode, Henson and Froud's all-puppet fantasy epic shares Duvall's commitment to handmade magic. It's visionary, strange, and wholly committed to creating an alien world that somehow feels familiar.
But It's slow, meditative, and deliberately difficult to parse. If you want clear narrative and emotional clarity, the opacity and the uncanny puppet aesthetics will frustrate rather than enchant you.
More like this (8)
Ella Enchanted2004
A charming fairy-tale adaptation with real wit and heart, centring a heroine who's resourceful and funny rather than waiting to be rescued. It has that same spirit of affectionate irreverence toward the source material.
But The movie-star casting and modern comedy rhythms can feel slick compared to Duvall's handcrafted oddness. Some will find it too cute.
The Tale of Despereaux2008
A gorgeously illustrated animated fairy tale about a mouse who falls in love with a princess. It's earnest and beautifully made, with the same willingness to linger in wonder that makes Duvall's series so appealing.
But The animation style is extremely busy and can feel chaotic. The mouse protagonist's voice and personality annoy a significant number of viewers.
The 10th Kingdom2000
A sprawling NBC miniseries that blends fairy tales with modern New York cynicism. It's ambitious, funny, and genuinely tries to do something unexpected with familiar stories—exactly Duvall's impulse but with bigger production values.
But Nearly four hours long and the pacing is uneven. The tonal shifts between camp and darkness don't always land, and some of the jokes feel dated.
Stardust2007
A fantasy adventure that understands the difference between mockery and affection. It's funny about fairy-tale conventions without being cruel, and the cast seems to be having genuine fun with the material.
But The plot is fairly straightforward, even predictable. If you want real stakes and meaningful consequences, the lightness of touch will feel evasive.
Once Upon a Time in America1984
Sergio Leone's three-and-a-half-hour epic uses fairy-tale logic and dreamlike narrative to tell a story of friendship and betrayal. It's visually stunning and emotionally devastating—fairy tales for adults who've learned what loss means.
But Nearly four hours, deliberately paced, with a non-linear structure that demands your full attention. The violence is brutal and the ending is genuinely bleak.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe2005
A solid adaptation of Lewis's classic that respects the source material while giving it cinematic scale. It has genuine wonder, strong performances from younger actors, and real moments of darkness that earn their place.
But The special effects haven't aged particularly well and some of the dialogue clunks. If you're hoping for the book's intimacy, the movie's spectacle will get in the way.
Pan's Labyrinth2006
While Faerie Tale Theatre celebrates fairy tales, del Toro uses their structure to ask why we need them—what they protect us from and what we lose when we have to stop believing.
Guillermo del Toro's Spanish Civil War nightmare wrapped in fairy-tale language. It has the same willingness to blend whimsy with darkness as Duvall's series, but here the darkness wins—a fairy tale for understanding that growing up means loss.
But It's violent and genuinely horrifying. The fantasy elements don't provide escape; they deepen the dread. If you're watching for comfort or comfort, this will wound rather than soothe you.
The Company of Wolves1984
Where Duvall's series treats fairy tales as scaffolding for storytelling, Jordan treats them as a language for exploring the unconscious—the same stories told in the vocabulary of surrealism instead of variety show warmth.
Neil Jordan's visually baroque reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood as a fever dream. It's surreal, sensual, and wholly committed to using fairy-tale language to explore transformation and desire. A woman director making space for female agency in ancient stories.
But It's cryptic and dreamlike—narrative clarity takes a back seat to atmosphere and image. The sexual content is present and surprising. If you need plot, you'll be lost.
