A Disappointing Continuation

A different way of telling a story

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"Faeries" is an Amercian 24-minute animated short film from 1981, so this one is already over 35 years old and despite the age, I am a bit surprised how this is almost forgotten by now. Thhe reason is that it received a pretty strong deal of Emmy attention (it is a television special of course) and that the genre also appeals to many I guess. I am not the very greatest fantasy lover, but it still worked out nicely. The director and also among the writers who adapted the books is Lee Mishkin, but the more known names are probably included in the voice acting cast, namely Hans Conried, Frank Welker and June Foray, who just died very recently close to the age of 100. It is fitting that this trio voiced supporting characters as the human hero in charge of saving the fairies in here is pretty generic and forgettable and maybe also the reason why this was not made as a series after the success of this one. Or at least a sequel. The heart and soul are the supporting characters as they are still interesting thanks to their looks, even if we don't find out that much about most of them. The story is okay, nothing too special and slightly predictable. The animation is really solid too and you could see that it was improving again after the years of drought past the Golden Age of Animation. Good for us, the audience. This is an underseen little film. Go check it out if you like fantasy animation. It is worth seeing.

I was about 7 when I first saw this CBS special that my mom recorded for me. Years later, I was able to obtain a new VHS of the show. Sadly this classic was never put on DVD so I had it done so I no longer had to worry about the tape getting damaged.All I can say is that cartoons lack so much these days. This is your classic good vs evil storyline. But what makes it so intriguing, is the characters are based on the book Faeries by Brian Froud, the guy that helped with the Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. The music is wonderful and the ending with the hero fighting the villain is dramatic and intense and keep you on your seat.I would rate this a 10 but I give it a 9 only because I wish it was longer.If your lucky to get a copy, have your kids watch it. Should them the good stuff that they missed out on!

WOW. Here we are, twenty-five years after "Faeries" first aired, and I thought I'd COMPLETELY hallucinated the experience.Supposedly it was based upon the 1978 book of the same name, which was basically a collection of paintings by Brian Froud -- the artist who would go on to do the conceptual art for such films as "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal" -- of different types of Faeries, with the illustrations strung together by some narrative text. (I read the book afterward, and it's very enjoyable.) But "Faeries" also borrows several significant characters from actual Irish legend: part of the Fenian Cycle involving Oisín, the son of the hero Fionn mac Cumhal, and his adventures in the "other world" with a Faerie woman named Niamh.That's a LOT of unexpected depth for an ABC weekend special. Especially considering its short running time, and being mainly geared for children, it packed a narrative wallop, was visually pleasing, and didn't patronize the viewer.Today, it's an official "rare cartoon"; it just seemed to vanish into thin air after one viewing like one of its namesakes.Pity.

This could have been easily an ABC Weekend Special. Sadly, I only found it once in a rental store and never saw it again.Sad, because this was a pretty good story with so-so heroes and cool villians.Oisin is a poor hunter. When he tries to shoot a deer, it becomes a blue fairy that takes him to FairyLand (obviously). There, he learns that he has to destroy the evil Shadow, who was created from the fairy king's own shadow.It's a typical fairy tale, but it'll keep your interest if you have a half hour to spare. Good news for Disney Haters: there's no songs, only a ballet-like theme. The animation is okay, but does seem sketchy at times.Fun Fact: This film was based on a book written and illustrated by artist Brian Froud. He would go on to create the artwork for the films "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth", both directed by the Great Jim Henson....