Hello & welcome back to Classic Shorts Showcase. Today's short, Babes In The Woods is a take on the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel. It's a good little short that certainly has some creepy moments to it.
The Plot
As I said, it's the basic tale of Hansel and Gretel with a few changes made to it. For instance, the character of their father is cut out of the short thus making them orphans and also I can't recall but I do believe that in the version I read, the children stumbled upon the Witch's house whereas in this one, the Witch attacks a village of dwarfs/elves who take Hansel and Gretel in. Also Hansel and Gretel willingly go with The Witch to her house where we see she has taken other children and turned them into animals. Hansel and Gretel free them at the end while the dwarfs/elves fight off the Witch. This moment reminds me of the Donkey Scene from Pinocchio. Really, all of the Witch's house reminded me of that sequence.
That was a bit creepy but it worked well for this short but I think that stories such as these benefit from having creepy moments like these but even though it was creepy, it thankfully didn't drag on.
The Witch's House
An important aspect of this in my opinion, one of the most important aspects to this story as it is meant to lure Hansel and Gretel and be deceiving but it doesn't seem to have as a big role in this short as it should. Because instead of seeing the children eat the house and have the witch stuff them up, she just takes them to her house and then turns Hansel into a spider. Which is perhaps the only downside to this short.
Plot Device
The Witch Rock
This ugly old rock is important to the short as you see that's actually the Witch as this is what she became and the short opens up on this ugly old rock basically saying that it'll tell us the story of The Witch Rock.
Characters
Hansel & Gretel
Okay, I have to say that I think the faces on the trees are really creepy with butterflies being eyes. As for Hansel and Gretel themselves, well. They're forgettable. Really the characters aren't all that strong in this short. The strongest things in this short has to be the ideas and how they are executed but not the characters. At best, Hansel and Gretel just feel like props for the story.
Elves/Dwarfs
The Elves/Dwarfs characters are jolly happy go lucky people that the only thing that scares them is the Witch. Again, they don't do all that much within the short until the climax where they save the day. As they fight off the Witch and use arrows and her house against her. It was a really fun watch and it worked wonderfully. Perhaps one of the biggest highlights of this short.
Villain
The Witch
The Witch while looking like a standard witch was creepy in how she would willingly turn children into animals. Sure, it's a departure from the norm but it worked for this short. I also really love that the sweeping end of her broom acts as a propeller. That is such a cool touch, I almost wish that The Witch had some more time as she was so much fun in this short. Although I have to say Hansel & Gretel are really dumb for going with her and even though this short was made long before anyone thought of those "Very Important Messages". It felt like Stranger Danger but I assume I thought of that only because of how stranger danger specials I watched as a little kid.
My Final Thoughts
All in all, this is not a bad short but the characters are not as strong as the story presented sadly. It's enjoyable for the spin, it puts on this tale and for that reason, I suggest it. Join me next time as we take at how a new generation of Disney animators took on the same tale but with Mickey & Minnie as I look at...
Hansel and Gretel
The Plot
As I said, it's the basic tale of Hansel and Gretel with a few changes made to it. For instance, the character of their father is cut out of the short thus making them orphans and also I can't recall but I do believe that in the version I read, the children stumbled upon the Witch's house whereas in this one, the Witch attacks a village of dwarfs/elves who take Hansel and Gretel in. Also Hansel and Gretel willingly go with The Witch to her house where we see she has taken other children and turned them into animals. Hansel and Gretel free them at the end while the dwarfs/elves fight off the Witch. This moment reminds me of the Donkey Scene from Pinocchio. Really, all of the Witch's house reminded me of that sequence.
That was a bit creepy but it worked well for this short but I think that stories such as these benefit from having creepy moments like these but even though it was creepy, it thankfully didn't drag on.
The Witch's House
An important aspect of this in my opinion, one of the most important aspects to this story as it is meant to lure Hansel and Gretel and be deceiving but it doesn't seem to have as a big role in this short as it should. Because instead of seeing the children eat the house and have the witch stuff them up, she just takes them to her house and then turns Hansel into a spider. Which is perhaps the only downside to this short.
Plot Device
The Witch Rock
This ugly old rock is important to the short as you see that's actually the Witch as this is what she became and the short opens up on this ugly old rock basically saying that it'll tell us the story of The Witch Rock.
Characters
Hansel & Gretel
Okay, I have to say that I think the faces on the trees are really creepy with butterflies being eyes. As for Hansel and Gretel themselves, well. They're forgettable. Really the characters aren't all that strong in this short. The strongest things in this short has to be the ideas and how they are executed but not the characters. At best, Hansel and Gretel just feel like props for the story.
Elves/Dwarfs
The Elves/Dwarfs characters are jolly happy go lucky people that the only thing that scares them is the Witch. Again, they don't do all that much within the short until the climax where they save the day. As they fight off the Witch and use arrows and her house against her. It was a really fun watch and it worked wonderfully. Perhaps one of the biggest highlights of this short.
Villain
The Witch
The Witch while looking like a standard witch was creepy in how she would willingly turn children into animals. Sure, it's a departure from the norm but it worked for this short. I also really love that the sweeping end of her broom acts as a propeller. That is such a cool touch, I almost wish that The Witch had some more time as she was so much fun in this short. Although I have to say Hansel & Gretel are really dumb for going with her and even though this short was made long before anyone thought of those "Very Important Messages". It felt like Stranger Danger but I assume I thought of that only because of how stranger danger specials I watched as a little kid.
My Final Thoughts
All in all, this is not a bad short but the characters are not as strong as the story presented sadly. It's enjoyable for the spin, it puts on this tale and for that reason, I suggest it. Join me next time as we take at how a new generation of Disney animators took on the same tale but with Mickey & Minnie as I look at...
Hansel and Gretel
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