# Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001)

> A wealthy developer who uncovers a giant skeleton on his building site is drawn into a family curse and must climb a towering beanstalk to the land in the sky.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/15274

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 87 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: fantasy, adventure, family
- Created by: Brian Henson
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Matthew Modine, Vanessa Redgrave, Mia Sara, Daryl Hannah, Jon Voight, Richard Attenborough, Bill Barretta, Honor Blackman
- TMDB rating: 6.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264262/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: whimsical, earnest, adventurous, warm, playful

## What critics say

Audience reception is mixed, with a modest but positive rating for this fantasy miniseries that reimagines the fairy tale in a modern setting.

## Synopsis

Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001) is an American fairy tale miniseries created by Brian Henson for CBS, produced with Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. Across two feature-length episodes of roughly eighty-seven minutes each, Matthew Modine plays Jack Robinson, a wealthy developer whose construction work turns up a gigantic human skeleton. A mysterious woman tells him the bones are part of a curse that has haunted his family for generations, and the only way to break it is to climb a very tall beanstalk into the land in the sky. Vanessa Redgrave plays Countess Wilhelmina, and Mia Sara, Daryl Hannah and Jon Voight appear among the principal figures of the magical realm, with Richard Attenborough and Bill Barretta lending their voices and presence to the giant and fantastical characters. The engine of the story is Jack's push to reach the sky, with each episode built around new encounters, perilous obstacles and dangers in a world of giants and dragons. Set in a contemporary American city that gives way to a folkloric realm, the miniseries blends the warmth of Henson's puppetry tradition with the grandeur of a classic adventure. Its tone is whimsical and earnest, and fans of Jim Henson's The Storyteller and Once Upon a Time will find a similar resonance in its family-friendly magic.

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