"Once Upon a Time"
Animated Tales of the World (2001, Ages 6 and Up) (9/1/15)
Here is a show that I had a hard time catching because the fact that it was on HBO, and thus it had highly unpredictable air times and could only watch it on the living room T.V., and even then only when I was alone and had the T.V. to myself. When I did get the chance, however, it was nothing short of a dream for me as a connoisseur of both animation and story-telling. And you can imagine the ecstasy I felt when I finally found it on DVD. Like the title states, Animated Tales of the World is an original HBO series consists of various traditional folk tales from all parts of the globe, each set to a different method and style of animation. From Canada, Japan, and Singapore, to Australia, Denmark, and Taiwan; from Claymation, CGI, and pencil sketches, to Stop-motion, paints, and flash, each episode boasts a treat for both the eyes and the imagination.
Animated Tales consists of thirty-nine fifteen-minute shorts in total: two of these shorts would be featured together to make a half-hour long T.V. episode. While, as I said, I didn’t see much of these on T.V., I’m not sure that many of the shorts were actually put on the air, as I realized after researching the show. It’s too bad really, because I think the sheer variety it offers means that it could appeal to just about anybody.
I expect that when most people (at least in North America) think of the old stories today, they often think of those of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling and the like. Not that there is anything wrong with those stories; they are most certainly classics and they have a great deal to teach us, whether we are one or one hundred. But what I enjoy about this series is that every episode features stories that are not as well known in this part of the world; and those that are essentially the same stories we’ve been told since infancy, or that at least have elements and tropes that we may be very familiar with, are presented in ways different enough to keep interest fresh for both younger and older viewers.
One example of this is the German tale, “The Enchanted Lion”, which contain story patterns seen in “Beauty and the Beast” and various tales featuring a maiden traveling for years in search of her lost true love. Here, a maiden is forced to live with a lion after her father steals one of his roses, but the lion later explains to her that he is a prince cursed by a witch to be a lion during the day, and also, later, to fly nonstop for seven years as a dove. Another tale, “King Solomon and the Bee” from Israel, is a lot like “The Lion and the Mouse”. When a baby bee mistakes King Solomon’s nose for a flower and stings it, the king is rightly furious. The bee feels terrible and promises to make it up to King Solomon by helping him somehow. The king thinks this hilariously unlikely but releases the bee anyway. But then, when the Queen of Sheba presents Solomon with a challenge to test his legendary wisdom, the bee comes to his rescue when he gets stumped.
Those tales (and their respective places of origin for that matter) that I personally hadn’t heard of prior to watching Animated Tales include “The Shoemaker’s Son” from Armenia (located in Western Asia), in which a clueless king keeps trying to learn why the titular character and his friends are always so happy despite being so poor, while the king’s royal gatherings are boring and miserable. And in “The Manairons”, from Catalonia, Spain, a farmer foolishly gambles away what portions of his field he can’t plow within a day. But his resourceful daughter may (or may not) have found the solution in the Manairons, tiny, hyperactive bug-like creatures that cause uncontrolled mayhem if not given a task of any kind to channel their overloaded energy.
As mentioned, what’s especially unique about this show is its diverse animation. Here are just a few examples. “Omuninyan”, a Cinderella-esque tale from Namibia, a country in Southern Africa, is done in CGI with the characters looking as though they were modeled out of numerous coils of copper wire. The 2D style of “Raven Steals the Daylight”, which suggests that the reason why the sky has the sun is thanks to Raven the trickster, is based on the totem-like art of its native Alaska, with its fluid curves, symmetrical shaping, and juxtaposing bright and dark colors. “The Loch Ness Kelpie”—a Scottish story in which a boy battles the legendary water monster by stealing its magical bridle-- has its backgrounds done in watercolors, while the human characters and most objects are solidly colored, almost completely unshaded and unseparated by dark lines except for on the faces for expression purposes. And in “The Story of Flax”, a tale from Poland which describes how the material Flax was accidently created by a greedy king, the animation is 2D but actually looks like stop-motion, as if construction paper cut-outs have been layered on top of one another, with the forming lines long, jagged, and very broad.
Music also serves as a teaching tool for young viewers in this series. Some episodes feature songs whose sounds and lyrics both enhance the plot and reflect the story’s respective culture. These include the American tall tale, “John Henry: Steel-Driving Man”, featuring the African-American hero who saved the jobs of the railroad workers by defeating a giant drill in a mining challenge; The Irish tale, “The Boy Who Had No Story”, in which an unwanted series of strange events befalls timid Rory after an old crone turns him away for being unable to recite a tale for her in exchange for shelter; the story from the Caribbean, “The Chief and the Carpenter”, about a crazy chief who forces his people to build a tower out of their furniture, houses, and trees, so that he can touch the moon and make himself famous; and “The Magic Paintbrush” from China, in which a boy who wants to be a great artist is given an enchanted brush that can bring anything painted with it to life, and which he uses to outwit an evil emperor.
What will be especially beneficial to parents and teachers is the “Discussion Topics” feature included on the DVD of each episode. These are questions and suggestions for children to get them thinking about the story and its characters and plot. These topics are all specific to their respective story, but in general, they include but are not limited to:
- Compare/Contrast the two main characters (usually the protagonist and the villain).
- Sketch or list the sequence of events that lead up to the main accomplishment or climax of the story.
- Describe how the protagonist uses trickery or other means to accomplish his/her goal.
- List the ways in which another character aids the protagonist.
- List other tales you’ve read or heard that also include similar themes to the one(s) seen in this story.
- Write a caption for a given image and describe how you would capture the emotion with just a brief statement.
- Explain the meaning behind, or describe the emotion of, a given image.
- Explain your reaction to an event from a given story.
- Answer a question using the given video clip for review.
There is also a “Teacher’s Guide” booklet included in the DVD case, with a list of basic definitions of multiple types of stories as well as suggested related projects and activities for teachers to try out with students.
If there was ever a T.V. show that provides a fantastic introduction on the rich diversity of world culture and art for children, media students, and story-lovers at large, Animated Tales of the World is it, opening viewers up to a realm of imagination in the context of real-life people, places, and history.
Credits - All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.
(CREDITS PENDING)
Listen to the episode here!
Animated Tales of the World on Wikipedia
Animated Tales of the World on IMBd
Animated Tales of the World on Common Sense Media
Animated Tales of the World on tvtropes
Buy Animated Tales of the World at the Library Video Company
Buy Animated Tales of the World on eBay
Animated Tales consists of thirty-nine fifteen-minute shorts in total: two of these shorts would be featured together to make a half-hour long T.V. episode. While, as I said, I didn’t see much of these on T.V., I’m not sure that many of the shorts were actually put on the air, as I realized after researching the show. It’s too bad really, because I think the sheer variety it offers means that it could appeal to just about anybody.
I expect that when most people (at least in North America) think of the old stories today, they often think of those of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling and the like. Not that there is anything wrong with those stories; they are most certainly classics and they have a great deal to teach us, whether we are one or one hundred. But what I enjoy about this series is that every episode features stories that are not as well known in this part of the world; and those that are essentially the same stories we’ve been told since infancy, or that at least have elements and tropes that we may be very familiar with, are presented in ways different enough to keep interest fresh for both younger and older viewers.
One example of this is the German tale, “The Enchanted Lion”, which contain story patterns seen in “Beauty and the Beast” and various tales featuring a maiden traveling for years in search of her lost true love. Here, a maiden is forced to live with a lion after her father steals one of his roses, but the lion later explains to her that he is a prince cursed by a witch to be a lion during the day, and also, later, to fly nonstop for seven years as a dove. Another tale, “King Solomon and the Bee” from Israel, is a lot like “The Lion and the Mouse”. When a baby bee mistakes King Solomon’s nose for a flower and stings it, the king is rightly furious. The bee feels terrible and promises to make it up to King Solomon by helping him somehow. The king thinks this hilariously unlikely but releases the bee anyway. But then, when the Queen of Sheba presents Solomon with a challenge to test his legendary wisdom, the bee comes to his rescue when he gets stumped.
Those tales (and their respective places of origin for that matter) that I personally hadn’t heard of prior to watching Animated Tales include “The Shoemaker’s Son” from Armenia (located in Western Asia), in which a clueless king keeps trying to learn why the titular character and his friends are always so happy despite being so poor, while the king’s royal gatherings are boring and miserable. And in “The Manairons”, from Catalonia, Spain, a farmer foolishly gambles away what portions of his field he can’t plow within a day. But his resourceful daughter may (or may not) have found the solution in the Manairons, tiny, hyperactive bug-like creatures that cause uncontrolled mayhem if not given a task of any kind to channel their overloaded energy.
As mentioned, what’s especially unique about this show is its diverse animation. Here are just a few examples. “Omuninyan”, a Cinderella-esque tale from Namibia, a country in Southern Africa, is done in CGI with the characters looking as though they were modeled out of numerous coils of copper wire. The 2D style of “Raven Steals the Daylight”, which suggests that the reason why the sky has the sun is thanks to Raven the trickster, is based on the totem-like art of its native Alaska, with its fluid curves, symmetrical shaping, and juxtaposing bright and dark colors. “The Loch Ness Kelpie”—a Scottish story in which a boy battles the legendary water monster by stealing its magical bridle-- has its backgrounds done in watercolors, while the human characters and most objects are solidly colored, almost completely unshaded and unseparated by dark lines except for on the faces for expression purposes. And in “The Story of Flax”, a tale from Poland which describes how the material Flax was accidently created by a greedy king, the animation is 2D but actually looks like stop-motion, as if construction paper cut-outs have been layered on top of one another, with the forming lines long, jagged, and very broad.
Music also serves as a teaching tool for young viewers in this series. Some episodes feature songs whose sounds and lyrics both enhance the plot and reflect the story’s respective culture. These include the American tall tale, “John Henry: Steel-Driving Man”, featuring the African-American hero who saved the jobs of the railroad workers by defeating a giant drill in a mining challenge; The Irish tale, “The Boy Who Had No Story”, in which an unwanted series of strange events befalls timid Rory after an old crone turns him away for being unable to recite a tale for her in exchange for shelter; the story from the Caribbean, “The Chief and the Carpenter”, about a crazy chief who forces his people to build a tower out of their furniture, houses, and trees, so that he can touch the moon and make himself famous; and “The Magic Paintbrush” from China, in which a boy who wants to be a great artist is given an enchanted brush that can bring anything painted with it to life, and which he uses to outwit an evil emperor.
What will be especially beneficial to parents and teachers is the “Discussion Topics” feature included on the DVD of each episode. These are questions and suggestions for children to get them thinking about the story and its characters and plot. These topics are all specific to their respective story, but in general, they include but are not limited to:
- Compare/Contrast the two main characters (usually the protagonist and the villain).
- Sketch or list the sequence of events that lead up to the main accomplishment or climax of the story.
- Describe how the protagonist uses trickery or other means to accomplish his/her goal.
- List the ways in which another character aids the protagonist.
- List other tales you’ve read or heard that also include similar themes to the one(s) seen in this story.
- Write a caption for a given image and describe how you would capture the emotion with just a brief statement.
- Explain the meaning behind, or describe the emotion of, a given image.
- Explain your reaction to an event from a given story.
- Answer a question using the given video clip for review.
There is also a “Teacher’s Guide” booklet included in the DVD case, with a list of basic definitions of multiple types of stories as well as suggested related projects and activities for teachers to try out with students.
If there was ever a T.V. show that provides a fantastic introduction on the rich diversity of world culture and art for children, media students, and story-lovers at large, Animated Tales of the World is it, opening viewers up to a realm of imagination in the context of real-life people, places, and history.
Credits - All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.
(CREDITS PENDING)
Listen to the episode here!
Animated Tales of the World on Wikipedia
Animated Tales of the World on IMBd
Animated Tales of the World on Common Sense Media
Animated Tales of the World on tvtropes
Buy Animated Tales of the World at the Library Video Company
Buy Animated Tales of the World on eBay