Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics


Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, also known as Grimm Masterpiece Theater in the original version and The Grimm's Fairy Tales, is a Japanese anime anthology series by Nippon Animation based on the Grimms' Fairy Tales.

Premise

Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics adapted several old favorites, taking liberties in some cases. The series also contains many obscure fairy tales, though some of these were removed from later reissues of the volume. Some were eliminated because they originated outside Germany, and therefore didn't appear in the Brothers Grimm's collection of stories, such as Puss in Boots, Bluebeard and Beauty and the Beast. The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes is instead based on a variation of the tale reported by the Brothers Grimm in the notes of the first edition of the book. Most of the tales were presented in one episode, while some stories in the first season were told over two or four episodes for a total of 41 fairy tales. Similar to Andersen Stories, a green-haired female pixie was used as a framing device, though limiting herself to announce the titles and never getting involved with the plot.
The show comprises two series. The first series, known in Japan as Grimm Masterpiece Theater, aired from October 21, 1987, to March 30, 1988, for a total of 24 episodes. The second series, known in Japan as New Grimm Masterpiece Theater, aired between October 2, 1988, and March 26, 1989, totaling 23 episodes. Both series were produced by Nippon Animation with the cooperation of Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in Osaka. It was also localized under the series' English name.
The fairy tale anthology was broadcast in the United States by Nickelodeon, in local stations throughout Europe, Latin America, Philippines, Israel, Arab World, New Zealand and Australia.

Cast

Japanese cast

English cast

Music

In Japan, for both seasons, the series used two theme songs; the opening theme, "The Rainbow Bridge", and the ending theme, "My Town's Merry-Go-Round", were both performed by Ushio Hashimoto. Incidental music used in the Japanese version was composed by Hideo Shimazu. The theme tune and incidental music used in the English dub were both composed by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. Most of the incidental music was in fact recycled from the earlier VHS series My Favorite Fairy Tales.

Releases

Limited episodes were produced in NTSC VHS by Saban International and distributed by Starmaker Entertainment Inc. and Hi-Tops Video/Fisher-Price in 1990 and Video Treasures/HGV Video Productions in 1992. Those volumes included:
A few episodes were released to a single Region 2 DVD titled "Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics - Volume One" under distribution by Fox Kids and Maximum Entertainment Ltd. in 2004. The episodes included were:
The British newspapers Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror released the following episodes on promotional DVDs:
  • Snow White
  • Bluebeard
  • The Frog Prince
  • Rapunzel
  • Rumpelstiltskin
  • Cinderella
  • Beauty and the Beast
  • Puss N' Boots
  • Little Red Riding Hood
  • The Golden Goose
  • Hansel and Gretel
The original Japanese version of the series was released as a 5-disc DVD set in Region 2 with 10 episodes from the series.
Despite a large cult following, none of the English dub were released on DVD in Region 1 for many years and only limited episodes were released in Region 2. The rights to the English dub reverted to Nippon Animation on July 19, 2005 and March 31, 2006.
Discotek Media acquired the rights to release the series on SD-BD. The first volume was released on May 25, 2021, and the second volume was released on August 31 the same year. The releases included both the original Japanese versions of the episodes, along with the English dubs by Saban Entertainment, reconstructed using video from the Japanese version and audio from the dub masters. The Season 1 release included alternative English versions of The Travelling Musicians of Bremen, Bluebeard, and The Naughty Spirit. The Season 2 release included the English versions of The Crystal Ball, The Marriage of Mrs. Fox, The Old Woman in the Woods, The Faithful Watchmen, Mother Holle, The Six Swans, The Spirit in the Bottle, The Iron Stove, The Water Nixie, and The Godfather of Death, which had never aired in North America. The Season 1 episode The Six Who Went Far is incorrectly titled The Six Who Went Too Far in the Discotek release.
Season 1 of the English dub is available on Amazon Prime in the USA.

Title translations

  • Baśnie Braci Grimm
  • Cuentos de los hermanos Grimm
  • Videocuentos Infantiles
  • Soñar con los ojos abiertos
  • Grimm Masterpiece Theater
  • Grimm Meisaku Gekijō
  • Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics
  • Le Fiabe son Fantasia
  • Raconte moi une Histoire
  • فى جعبتى حكاية
  • グリム名作劇場
  • 格林童話劇場
  • Grimm legszebb meséi
  • Grimms Märchen
  • Os Teus Contos Clássicos
  • Бајке браће Грим
  • אגדות האחים גרים
  • Сказки братьев Гримм
  • Приказките на Братя Грим
  • Aka-uka Grimm ertaklari
  • Grimmove pravljice
  • Grimmove bajke
  • Pohádky bratří Grimmů