Hansel and Gretel is a 1983 made-for-television film that aired on the Disney Channel after 10 P.M. EST on October 29 and 31st, 1983 as part of the Disney Studio Showcase[1].
Synopsis[]
The film begins with many shots of kooky toys. On the other side of the toyshop window, two children, Hansel and Gretel, stand and stare longingly. The boy reaches out for a chameleon toy but a large woman comes out and bites his hand for punishment. This is the children's stepmother and she orders them to get back to work. She then yells at her toy making husband, saying that just selling toys won't be enough to help them make money and survive. The Stepmother glares at her children and they walk away behind their small house. At nightfall, it is dinner time and the Stepmother complains to herself as she pours goop into each family member's bowl and a massive amount into her own. As they family eats, Hansel and Gretel exchange mischievous looks and whisper in each other's ears. Hansel then spits his mouthful of gruel onto the table, infuriating their Stepmother who raises her hand to beat them when the Father stops her. The Stepmother sends the children to their room for their bad manners.
Hansel and Gretel sit by their window and Gretel remarks the part in Cinderella where Cinderella says that no one can take away her dream even after her stepsisters ruined her dress. The children eye each other and slip into their pads on the floor for another night's sleep. Later that night. The father opens the trapdoor and a hand puppet named Jocko pops out. The children smile as the puppet puts on a silly little show then beckons them to come over to it, handing over cookies. Gretel tells Jocko how much it means for him to be their for them when they have to live with their abusive Stepmother. Jocko says that someday, they won't have to anymore and tells them to get into bed while he sings them a lullaby. After the song, the father places a toy swan on the attic floor and leaves.
The next morning the Stepmother takes the Children outside takes them for a walk. As they walk, Hansel drops the pebbles to make a path to help them get back home. When the Stepmother turns around to find that the children are still with her, she makes a face a throws a firecracker to distract them. When the children look back, their Stepmother is gone. Back home, the Father worries for his missing children and the Stepmother barks back at him, saying he cares too much for them and they're better off not having to deal with their incompetence. The Father suspects with fear in his eyes that his wife may have had something to do with the children's disappearance and she lies that she tried to call for them and it wasn't her fault. Just then, Hansel and Gretel arrive at the door to the Mother's surprise and the father hugs them in relief. The children explain that they followed the pebbles back home and the three turn back and glare at the Stepmother who makes up her mind to join in the hug with an annoyed frown.
The next day, the Stepmother hands the Children a wrapped gift from their Father who went to town to sell his toys. The children open to box to find a rollaround duck. The Stepmother says he wanted them to be the first to try this new toy out and it's best to take the duck with them on a walk for Father's honor. While the three go on their walk, the duck toy rolls behind Hansel and "eats'" the pebbles he drops. When the Stepmother abandons the Children again, they quickly figure the ploy out and sit together hopelessly. When they wake up the next morning, they find the duck has morphed into a walking humanoid robot. Hoping it's their Father's counterplan to to lead them home, they follow it to a large house made of candy and sweets. Hansel pokes the walls and different colored jellies ooze out and Gretel eachs and licks different parts of the door. She grabs a candy cane and a woman shrieks. The children back away as the door opens, revealing a woman dresses in black with sunglasses, a cane, orange lips, and a candy cane for a nose. She warmly invites them in.
Inside, holes in the ceiling are dripping jellies as the Witch sends them to a table holding a luscious cake with cut outs of the children on top. Hanself pokes a fork on the cake but realises it is fake. The Witch laughs and tells them the tables, chairs, and pillows are in fact edible and very flavorful. As the Children dig in, the Witch subtly expresses her excitement to fatten these kids up and eat them. Later, all that is left are the fake cake, the children, and crumbs and puddles. As they gobble down the last bits, the Witch sends them to bed not in pads, but in luxurious marshmallow beds "made for the . The Witch then turns off the light and leaves, but not before stating that almost everything in the house is edible.
Soon, the beds come to life and peppermint hands bind the children in place. Hansel bites one of the hands and sets himself free and the Witch, who hasn't really left at all hurls stars from her dress like shurikens which land on the wall. Hansel comes out of hiding and takes a star, looking around before licking it. Just then, the Witch snatches the boy and places him back on the bed where the hands drag him down a chute to a small room. A chandelier-like contraption drops an eerie talking gingerbread man named Dan-Dan who entices the boy to eat him, which he does, slowly. The next morning, Gretel is still trapped in the bed and asks where Hansel is. The Witch refuses to tell and takes the girl to the oven where the Children are to be cooked once they're nice and plump.
Meanwhile, Hanzel stops eating Dan-Dan who now just has a torso, head, and one arm. He says he's grossed out by the cookie who then scowls and orders him to eat more. Once Hansel gets to the head, he decides he's had enough and throws the cookie to the wall where he breaks to pieces. Just then, Peppermint hand come down and bring Hansel up to the kitchen where the Witch approaches to throw him in the oven. Gretel follows from behind and attacks with a fire poker. The Witch retaliates with her cane as Hansel tears the peppermint arms from the ceiling and fights the Witch with them. After a Ninja-style battle ending with the Witch being lured right into the oven, the house starts blowing apart with bombs of jelly flying everywhere. The Children manage to escape and watch the house slowly melt into nothing.
Out of the puddle emerges a large wooden swan, the same swan that their father left in their room. It floats over the Hansel and Gretel and takes them home like a boat. Back at the house, the Father sits sullenly with a pinwheel and then notices something outside; His children have returned. The three embrace and the Father apologises for what he put them through. He says that the Stepmother is gone, just like he said she would be, and they can live happily ever after with the tons of money that falls out of the swan's mouth.
Cast[]
- Michael Yama as Stepmother/Wicked Witch
- Andy Lee as Hansel
- Alison Hong as Gretel
- Jim Ishida as Father
- David Koenigsberg as Dan Dan the Gingerbread Man
- Vincent Price as Host
Production[]
Development[]
Before directing his first films, this was some of Tim Burton's early works at Disney. While the sets and designs themselves weren't on the expensive side, they matched Burton's style.
Filming[]
Filmed for $116,000 on 16mm, this live-action short film featured a cast of East-Asian-American amateur actors, kung fu fights and Japanese toys, as Burton was obsessed with Japanese culture at the time of production. The film's design style and color schemes paid homage to the Godzilla movies and features heavy special effects such as front projection, forced perspective and even some stop-motion animation.
The film itself runs for 35 minutes, where a 45 minute runtime reflects the film being paired with Tim Burton's Vincent short film and Vincent Price's interlude during its original airing as a part of the Disney Studio Showcase.
Reception[]
A New York Times article states that the special was screened at Museum of Modern Art as part of a Tim Burton special exhibition which ran from November 22, 2009 to April 26, 2010. It was shown in Hong Kong, until the exhibition ended in 23 January 2017. As of February 2018, it is screening in Mexico City as part of "The World of Tim Burton" exhibition.
In June 2014, a copy of the short appeared in its entirety on-line.
Gallery[]
External links[]
Hansel and Gretel at the Internet Movie Database- https://screenrant.com/tim-burton-hansel-gretel-short-watch-online/
References[]
- ↑ The Disney Channel Magazine, October 1983. Monthly Magic, page 22.