# Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics (1987)

> A Japanese animated anthology adapting Grimm and other European folk tales, each episode a self-contained fairy tale for young viewers.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/9182

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 48
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, family, fantasy
- Cast: Mitsuko Horie, Ryusei Nakao, Osamu Kato, Sanji Hase, Yoshiko Ohta, Mami Koyama, Chieko Honda, Shunsuke Shima
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0305033/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: gentle, whimsical, comforting, wholesome, charming

## What critics say

Audiences broadly regard the series as a well-loved, acclaimed animated take on classic folk and fairy tales, with the first season rated especially highly.

## Synopsis

Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics (1987-1989) is a Japanese animated anthology series created by Nippon Animation, a studio known for its gentle family classics. Across two seasons and forty-eight episodes of roughly twenty-five minutes each, it adapts a wide range of folk and fairy tales, drawn from the Brothers Grimm and beyond. Each story stands on its own with new characters, so a young viewer can start anywhere. Mitsuko Horie voices the princess who recurs in the series, while other tales are carried by one-off voice performances. The engine of each episode is a familiar fairy tale problem: a clever child or humble figure faces a witch, a wolf, a demon or a bargain with a magical being, and must rely on honesty, kindness or wit to get through. Episodes move at a measured pace with bright hand-drawn imagery, warm colors and a soft, comforting register that foregrounds wonder and gentle moral lessons. Familiar motifs such as dancing, magic, talking animals and enchanted objects recur throughout. Fans of Faerie Tale Theatre, Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Shirley Temple's Storybook will find similar family-friendly charm and storybook warmth in this classic, fondly remembered Japanese take on European folklore.

## Shows like Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics

- [Ikkyū-san (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/40710)
- [Robot Carnival (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/73944)
- [The Storyteller (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/5030)
- [Moomin (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/59423)
- [A Tale Dark & Grimm (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/110106)
- [Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/27148)
- [The Grimm Variations (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/165159)
- [Ani*Kuri15 (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/40512)
- [Nina the Starry Bride (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/157119)
- [Flying Witch (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58199)

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