Every boy has a hero. For some they are sports figures. Mine, for the greater part of my young life was Jim Henson. The man behind “Sesame Street”, “The Muppet Show”, “The Dark Crystal”, “Labyrinth” and a myriad of other brilliant and magical creations. I longed for the day I might be able to work for him in some form or another. Unfortunately, it was not to be as Henson passed away in 1990, way too early, way too young. One of the lesser known of his creations was a short-lived series called “The Storyteller.” Originally dreamed up by his daughter, Lisa, Henson worked with her to turn the concept into a reality. The idea was to take ancient stories, that are not so well known and re-create them in a visually stunning format. They paid even more attention to keeping the original stories intact. Henson utilized Anthony Minghella talents as a writer to pen the episodes, and though only nine were produced, they stand as a testament to the brilliance that was Jim Henson.

Four episodes of the “The Storyteller ” aired on NBC in 1987, while the following five aired in 1989 as part of “The Jim Henson Hour ” (which is another show deeply in need of a DVD release). The episodes were each introduced by the Storyteller of the title, who was portrayed by John Hurt. Several of the shows went on to win numerous awards, and deservedly so.

One in particular, “Hans My Hedgehog”, won many awards including an Emmy. It is about a hedgehog-boy who runs away from his hometown. Twenty years later, he helps a lost king find his way back to his kingdom. He offers to reward his rescuer with the first thing he sees when he enters the kingdom. But when that first thing is the King’s own daughter, well… you can imagine how well that goes over. It is a beautiful and poignant tale.

My personal favorite is “The Soldier and Death.” In it a soldier happens upon a magical sack that makes anything enter it if it is summoned to do so. In an effort to save his lands, the soldier traps devils, and even Death. But he soon learns that trapping Death is not as great an idea as it seems. I really love the puppetry work in this episode. The devils are awesomely designed and Death, though small, is very eerie.

Sony / Columbia Tristar has released all nine episodes of “The Storyteller” on DVD, and I couldn’t be happier. Too many of Jim Henson’s works have gone by the wayside. The more that are released into the DVD market, the more people that can be introduced to works they might otherwise have missed. I’d like to see consumers buy this disc for two reasons. One, the stories are so good, so well created that they should be seen by as many people as possible. The other is that if enough of the DVDs are purchased, it might send a message to anyone holding the rights to Henson’s work that it does have an audience. Perhaps they will see fit to continue releasing other portions of his work so that they may all be enjoyed for generations to come.

Episodes:
Hans My Hedgehog
The Heartless Giant
The Three Ravens
The True Bride
The Soldier & Death
Fearnot
A Story Short
The Luck Child
Sapsorrow

Specifications: Full Screen (1.33:1), English Stereo
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 8/26/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The Storyteller an A.