'The Emperor's New Clothes' is not one of my favourite Hans Christian Andersen's (my favourite of the fairytale authors) stories, others touch and charm me more and others are more interesting story-wise. Can see totally why it is one of his best known, and why it is as important and relevant as it is thematically. It has also been for years in everyday culture an often seen and heard term (that to me is overused and ignorant) used to describe something praised in a derogatory way.
Rabbit Ears Productions does a great and accessible job adapting it and it is a story that lends itself a lot better to anything 6 to just under 30 minutes in length rather than feature length. Rabbit Ears' adaptation of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' is not one of the best Storybook Classics works (all of them very good and more), not like 'The Velveteen Rabbit', 'The Ugly Duckling', 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', 'The Elephant's Child', 'Pecos Bill' and 'Paul Bunyan'. But it is still great.
Not very much wrong here, though it doesn't quite have the same amount of charm and emotion as the best of Rabbit Ears Productions' work.
It is still great in pretty much every area. It is beautifully drawn for one thing courtesy of Robert Van Nutt. Simple, while not limited, but very expressive and delicate. Especially the attention to detail in the backgrounds and the use of pastels. The music from Mark Isham also has an understated beauty, the instrumentation is simple but the way the music is used manages to make this simplicity elegant and interesting. Loved the celebratory court music.
John Gielgud's (one of the greatest when it came to ironic humour and witticisms) narration helps hugely, very distinguished and humorously enthusiastic without overplaying. The narration in writing is faithful while also accessible, not too wordy and it doesn't come over as self-indulgent or anything.
Storytelling has a good deal of energy and is adapted amusingly. All the characters are strongly written.
Overall, great. 9/10.
Rabbit Ears Productions does a great and accessible job adapting it and it is a story that lends itself a lot better to anything 6 to just under 30 minutes in length rather than feature length. Rabbit Ears' adaptation of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' is not one of the best Storybook Classics works (all of them very good and more), not like 'The Velveteen Rabbit', 'The Ugly Duckling', 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', 'The Elephant's Child', 'Pecos Bill' and 'Paul Bunyan'. But it is still great.
Not very much wrong here, though it doesn't quite have the same amount of charm and emotion as the best of Rabbit Ears Productions' work.
It is still great in pretty much every area. It is beautifully drawn for one thing courtesy of Robert Van Nutt. Simple, while not limited, but very expressive and delicate. Especially the attention to detail in the backgrounds and the use of pastels. The music from Mark Isham also has an understated beauty, the instrumentation is simple but the way the music is used manages to make this simplicity elegant and interesting. Loved the celebratory court music.
John Gielgud's (one of the greatest when it came to ironic humour and witticisms) narration helps hugely, very distinguished and humorously enthusiastic without overplaying. The narration in writing is faithful while also accessible, not too wordy and it doesn't come over as self-indulgent or anything.
Storytelling has a good deal of energy and is adapted amusingly. All the characters are strongly written.
Overall, great. 9/10.