Jim Henson's The Storyteller

1987

5.0

2 reviews

Eligible

Season 1 episodes (9)

1 Hans the Hedgehog

1/31/87

Hans, a hedgehog-boy, feels ostracized in his town so he runs away. Twenty years later, Hans helps a king lost in the woods find his way back to his kingdom. The king rewards Hans with the first thing that the king will see when he re-enters his kingdom. But when the first thing he sees turns out to be his beautiful daughter, will despair take hold or can love prevail?

2 Fearnot

10/26/87

Fearnot is a young man who is incapapble of feeling fear. He leaves his home and his true love to embark on a vast journey to experience the shudder of fear. No monster or creature that he meets, however horrible or terrifying, makes him afraid. It is only upon return that he learns that true fear exists in the places which are closest to us.

3 A Short Story

1/22/88

The storyteller recalls his days of servitude to the king for bamboozling the royal cook out of a free meal. A story a day was his punishment - or else he’ll boil in the cook’s cauldron of oil! All goes well until the final day... when he can’t think of a story to save his life!

4 The Luck Child

4/16/88

Upon news of the birth of a Luck child - a peasant boy predicted by wise man to one day wear the crown - the cruel-hearted king seeks out the boy, pretending to take him under his terrible wing. Will luck indeed play a part in our hero’s final destiny?

5 The Soldier & Death

4/28/89

Returning from war, a young soldier trades his last biscuit for a magical sack... into which anything summoned will enter! Trapping devils and even death itself, the soldier brings peace to his country. But death soon proves a greater enemy captured than free!

6 The True Bride

7/23/89

A girl who was adopted by an abusive troll finally is freed with the help of a white lion. When her betrothed does not return after a trip, the girl is grief-stricken to learn that the troll’s sister had put a spell on him and plans to marry him. The white lion appears again and helps the girl by giving her three magical gifts. But how can she use them to convince her bewitched love that she is his true bride?

7 The Three Ravens

7/30/89

After using her powers to charm the widowed king into marrying her, an evil witch sees his children standing in the way of her power. She uncovers the children’s secret hiding place and turns the three princes into ravens. The princess escapes, but only after seeing her stepmother’s evil magic. The ravens tell the princess she cannot speak a word for three years, three months and three days or they will remain forever as birds. But can the princess keep her promise of silence even in the face of death?

8 Sapsorrow

7/30/89

Upon fleeing her kingdom to escape an arranged marriage, the lovely Princess Sapsorrow toils in the kitchen of a faraway palace, disguised as an ugly hag. Her masquerade is no ball, as Sapsorrow has fallen in love with a prince, who sees her only as a peasant!

9 The Heartless Giant

4/14/89

A young prince is tricked into helping a heartless giants escape fromo the king’s dungeon. The evil giant unleashes teror across the land and those who go off to fight him never return. The young prince becomes the servant of the giant and tries to find where the giant’s heart is hidden. But even if he were able to get the heart, can all be made right once more?

About this show

This anthology series features both human actors and creations from Jim Henson's Creature Shop™ in this retelling of classic folk tales, fables, and legends. The series stars John Hurt in the title role. Aided by his cynical dog, The Storyteller narrates fascinating tales that combine humor, intrigue, and magic. Academy Award-winning writer/director Anthony Minghella wrote the screenplays for all of the marvelous stories. These timeless tales feature such stars as Miranda Richardson, Sean Bean, Brena Blethyn, Gabrielle Anwar, Jennifer Saunders, Jane Horrocks and Jonathan Pryce.

Ratings and reviews

5.0

2 reviews

Marty

January 30, 2020

Incredible high quality production with rich storytelling and a superb cast. Featuring timeless classical stories that will engross children and adults alike. It has some of the best Jim Hension creatures ever seen and I'm looking forward to my children falling in love with this series charm as I did 30 years ago!