# Gulliver's Travels (1996)

> A returned traveler recounts his fantastical voyages to lands of tiny people and giants in this 1996 miniseries adaptation of Jonathan Swift's novel.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12746

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 95 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: fantasy, adventure
- Created by: Jonathan Swift
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Peter O'Toole, Ted Danson, James Fox, John Gielgud, Omar Sharif, Kristin Scott Thomas, Alfre Woodard, Robert Hardy
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115195/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: whimsical, surreal, wistful, satirical

## What critics say

Reviewers found the 1996 miniseries whimsical and handsomely mounted, with a strong cast, but uneven in tone and pacing as an adaptation of Swift.

## Synopsis

Gulliver's Travels (1996) is a two-part American miniseries adapted from Jonathan Swift's satirical novel, produced for NBC with Jim Henson Productions. Ted Danson plays Lemuel Gulliver, a doctor who has returned home after long years at sea and tells his family the story of his journeys. Each episode unfolds as his recollection of strange lands: a kingdom of tiny people, a realm of towering giants, and encounters with talking animals and eccentric rulers. The engine is wonder and survival, as a sailor is cast adrift among peoples whose size and customs unsettle his sense of himself. The tone is whimsical and surreal, with fairy tale warmth undercut by gentle satire of human vanity and political folly. Peter O'Toole and Alfre Woodard lend the royal roles their theatrical grandeur, and the puppetry-era imagination of the Henson studio gives the fanciful creatures a handmade charm. Set in the eighteenth century, the story is simple and episodic, a limited two-part fable built around a single voyage narrative. Its blend of adventure, fable and social commentary makes it a fitting choice for family viewing and for anyone who enjoys storybook fantasy with a sharper edge.

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