Customer Reviews

Faeries [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is definitely a great show for children and people who enjoy a good fairy story. If you liked "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," you'll probably like this one as well. The plot is simple, and geared toward a child's pace and grasp of conflict. But it has an ample supply of magical and unexpected twists that keep the story enthralling, even for some adult viewers like me.

The animation is different from what you might expect. It's nothing like the mega-budget eye candy typically put out by Disney, Dreamworks, and other media giants. (Some of us actually consider that a plus.) "Faeries" uses a combination of 2-D hand-drawn animation and very simple 3-D, flying-toaster-like computer animation. The result, as I said, is quite different. But it's not unpleasant, and I found myself getting quite used to it after only a few minutes. So while the animation technique is unusual and more economical than some, the artists use it well, and the result is a beautiful and effective piece of visual story-telling.

The voice acting is also very good, with excellent performances all around. And it's fun to recognize the voices of the three adult stars (Kate Winslet as Brigid, Jeremy Irons as Shapeshifter, and Dougray Scott as the Prince).

All-in-all, it's a fine piece of work. But since not all people enjoy this sort of thing, I'll just say this: If you don't get it... don't get it. The rest of us will enjoy a great show!

About the animation: Whatever you're expecting, this film isn't like that. "Faeries" in no way resembles the mega-budget masterpieces you might expect from Disney, Dreamworks, or other media giants specializing in state-of-the-art, rapid-fire eye candy (though departure from that can sometimes be a good thing). It's definitely a lower-budget production, utilizing a rather conspicuous blend of hand-drawn animation and very simple, flying-toaster-like computer animation. To the artists' credit, they've managed to do a very credible job within the obvious limitations of their technique. And younger children (the audience to whom the film is targeted) probably won't mind the animation style. Some adults might not either. I found myself getting quite used to it after only a few minutes, and was rewarded with a very charming and enjoyable experience. However, if you're a person who tends to be distracted by film styles that fall outside the popular media norm, then maybe "Faeries" isn't for you. It might be kind of like having to watch PBS when you're really in the mood for a big-budget hit.

The voice acting is very good, with fine performances all around, and it's fun to recognize the voices of the three adult stars (Kate Winslet, Jeremy Irons, and Dougray Scott). The story itself I found engrossing, despite its very simple plot which is geared toward a child's pace and grasp of conflict. It is magical and has an ample number of twists, not unlike "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," which also takes place in England in roughly the same time period. And importaly, this particular fairy story enjoys the distinct advantage of NOT being two-hundred years old.

So for younger children (and for the young at heart), I definitely recommend "Faeries." For people not so easly enchanted, perhaps you'll want to think it over more carefully before buying it.

I watched this (and bought it) movie recently. It's very cute indeed. I must confess the reason I even watched was because the WONDERFUL Kate Winslet lent her beautiful voice for this film. Though I am glad I checked it out! If you have young kids, you may want to check it out! It's brilliant!

Hi,
I really like the video I would like to see this one on DVD real soon please thank you.
Candy

Great movie!
It's family friendly but still gives adults some comedy to laugh at. The effects are a little unusual, but over all 5 stars!

Faeries is an animated film about a sister and a brother, Nellie and George, who are sent to live at a relative's farm for a time. They are somewhat unhappy about this, Nellie in particular. Once they're settled in, the children go out to play. George wants to play hide and seek and scampers off to hide from Nellie, and while she isn't looking, disappears into a tree. While looking for George, a creepy looking man (Jeremy Irons!) appears and tells her of a prophecy. She is a little shaken by this stranger and runs back to the house (not seeing him turn into a crow and fly away). She gets back to the house and continues her search for her brother and comes across a hobgoblin in her cupboard. It appears as though her brother has gone into the fairy realm, and Nellie must hurry and bring him back before he eats something and is unable to return. The goblin takes her to the faery tree and she goes in to find her brother. When she does get to him though, he has already eaten faery food and cannot return to the human realm ever. Nellie calls the faery king and pleads for the release of her brother. The king contents to give them three quests, and if they complete these quests, George will be able to leave fairy land. The nature of the quests change after the prince see's the farm hand Brigit (Kate Winslet). There is also the matter of the shape shifter, who is after the fairy king's throne. It is of course up to Nellie and George to save the day.

This film has a mix of both classic 2D animation as well as an early 3D animation style. For the most part the classic cartoon animation is used for the characters and the background, but several movement shots are done in 3D. Fairy land might have been real life foam fauna as well.

A pleasent little picture for the little kids. The animation is good, but, it's slapped together, drawn-computerised, 2d-3d, you know.

the main characters are air heads, all except the red haired female lead who does all the work, (she saves her brother and endes up with an ulcer at the end of the film) the story line is simple enough to entertain 7- down, the bright colours are atractive as are the fairies.

Not family fun !Interesting for little kids only!