There is a lot to like about the 'Faerie Tale Theatre' series. Many of their adaptations of various well-known and well-loved fairy tales are charming, clever and sometimes funny. 'Faerie Tale Theatre' puts its own magical spin on the best of the episodes while still capturing the essence of the stories.
Although 'The Frog Prince' is a nice enough story, there was the worry as to whether there was enough content considering the story is also a pretty slight one to sustain just under an hour's episode when as evidenced in Cannon's decent but flawed version it would struggle to lend itself well to a feature film.
No need to worry though. Although not among the best of the series, "The Tale of the Frog Prince" is not the worst either and is actually one of the series' most entertaining, also one of its funniest. Adjectives that you would usually not put in the same sentence with this particular story. True, the storytelling is slight even for the running time, though that is the fault of the original story itself. Thought the sets were colourful (if not lavish) and the photography lovely, but the costumes are clearly low-budget and pretty amateurish-looking.
"The Tale of the Frog Prince" is well scored and irreverently directed by none other than Eric Idle, who is certainly a long way from a slouch when it comes to comedy and fun. Considering the tone of the episode, Idle couldn't have been a more perfect choice for director.
Loved the dialogue here. It is agreed that it is very racy for the time and you are indeed amazed at how much it gets away with, but that is a huge part of the fun and charm. A lot of the dialogue is absolutely hilarious. While slight the story is charming enough.
Performances are just fine. The standout is Robin Williams, who is an absolute joy as the titular character. Shelley Duval is an inviting host and Teri Carr does bring charm to her spoilt character, was worried she would be very unlikeable but she wasn't thankfully. Watch out for Rene Auberjonois as well. No dubious or strange casting here.
Overall, very good start and well worth the watch. 8/10 Bethany Cox
