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So, we’ve come to the end of this years-long Faerie Tale Theatre retrospective, my friends. It’s been quite a ride. Unlike most big Hollywood collaborations, Faerie Tale Theatre wasn’t a vanity project or a corporate mandate driven by synergistic greed, but a labor of love from start to finish. There’s been highs and lows, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any passion put into every minute of it. If the acting isn’t magnetizing and subtle, then it’s entertainingly over-the-top. And the idea of basing the production design off famous illustrators and works of art is a masterstroke, branding every episode with a unique identity. Many of the entries provide an entertaining fairy tale alternative to Disney; others you can derive pleasure from the camp value, nostalgia, or the recognizable names involved.
Will time be as kind to Faerie Tale Theatre as it has been to many products of the 1980s? Who can say? I’ve already touched on how the age is beginning to show in some aspects (namely the special effects and some enforced heteronormativity). But a good work, while not free from criticism, can still stand strong regardless. New generations have already begun to discover this series, whether it’s through their parents, a casual find on the internet, or through youtubers reacting to episodes and reviewing them, some of which I found quite entertaining.
Two qualities that routinely define my favorite pieces of media – be it film, plays, television, etc. – is whether the work in question has grown and changed as I’ve continued to mature, and if I can find something new with every viewing. I’m delighted to say that Faerie Tale Theatre boasted both these qualities in spades during my revisit, and I can proudly declare without irony or fear of ridicule that it is now one of my favorite shows of all time. It reminds viewers that fairy tales aren’t just for children and shouldn’t be classified as such, but can still give older viewers the same feelings of wonder, terror, and cheer that they had experiencing these stories in their childhood.
Reviewing these episodes have been a thrill, and ranking them hasn’t been easy. Some of the assigned places will come as no surprise to you, some will inspire rage, but each one includes a summation of my feelings and a link to the whole review for you to peruse. Feel free to share in the comments what your favorite episode is, and how much of this list I got completely wrong.
Shall we begin?
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