Hansel and Gretel (film)
Encyclopedia
Hansel and Gretel is a 2002 film adaptation
of the Brothers Grimm
children's story
. It stars Jacob Smith
and Taylor Momsen
as the eponymous characters. It includes the Sandman, played by Howie Mandel
and Sinbad
as a raven.
) and Katie (Dakota Fanning
), about to go to bed during a thunderstorm
. They ask their father to read them a story to help them feel better about the storm. The father finds a dusty, old book and decides to read the story of Hansel and Gretel
.
Hansel and Gretel (Jacob Smith
and Taylor Momsen
) are living with their father (Gerald McRaney
) and stepmother (Delta Burke
) in a very tiny shack. The children know their stepmother is evil, but the father does not. Since they are very poor, the father decides to sell Hansel and Gretel's biological mother's necklace, but the stepmother substitutes a pebble. The next day the stepmother forces the children into taking a walk in the scary forest. Once they get far enough into the forest, the stepmother abandons them.
Afterward, Hansel and Gretel go looking for food and are tricked into going to a lazy troll's (Bobcat Goldthwait
) house. They get caught, but are then saved by the Sandman (Howie Mandel
), whom they befriend. They also let Wood Fairy (Alana Austin
) free, whom they also befriend. Throughout the story the Sandman and the fairy are always bickering which causes problems at times.
One night when the Sandman goes out to get some food for the kids, and the fairy goes out for one reason or another, Hansel and Gretel wander off to a house made of candy and chocolate. The lady (Lynn Redgrave
) that lives there invites them in and they eat some delicious food and then go to bed. They wake up the next morning and find the house is just an empty shack with an old lady in it. A raven (Sinbad
) comes to the window to tell them that the old lady is actually a witch. The witch walks into the room, locks Hansel in a box, and makes Gretel cook and Hansel eat. She does this because she is going to eat Hansel and wants him nice and fat. Because of certain principles, Gretel breaks a mirror and the witch becomes ugly. The Sandman and Wood Fairy walk in and help Hansel and Gretel get the witch into her cauldron. Then they put her in the oven, killing her. The father finds them and they do not worry about the stepmother who had gone to the troll's house who then abandoned her after she made him cook and clean for her.
The scene returns to the bedroom of the two kids and their father who say goodnight. The Sandman and the troll drop by, say hello to the children, and take the Hansel and Gretel book. They explain to the children that they are real, which is how the Brothers Grimm
were inspired to write the story. The Sandman sprinkles the children with his sleep dust, ending the film.
. The imdb site gives it a 2.8 out of a possible 10.
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
children's story
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
. It stars Jacob Smith
Jacob Smith (actor)
Jonathan Jacob Charles William Smith is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role in the film Cheaper by the Dozen and its 2005 sequel.-Life and career:...
and Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
as the eponymous characters. It includes the Sandman, played by Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel
Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on...
and Sinbad
Sinbad (entertainer)
David Adkins better known by his professional name of Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness, Houseguest, First Kid,...
as a raven.
Plot
The film begins in a modern home with two children, Andrew (Thomas CurtisThomas Curtis
Thomas Pelham "Tom" Curtis was an American athlete and the winner of the 110 metres hurdles at the 1896 Summer Olympics....
) and Katie (Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
), about to go to bed during a thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
. They ask their father to read them a story to help them feel better about the storm. The father finds a dusty, old book and decides to read the story of Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
.
Hansel and Gretel (Jacob Smith
Jacob Smith (actor)
Jonathan Jacob Charles William Smith is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role in the film Cheaper by the Dozen and its 2005 sequel.-Life and career:...
and Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
) are living with their father (Gerald McRaney
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee "Mac" McRaney is an American television and movie actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, and Promised Land. He was a series regular for the first season of Jericho.-Early life:McRaney was born in Collins, Mississippi, the son...
) and stepmother (Delta Burke
Delta Burke
Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
) in a very tiny shack. The children know their stepmother is evil, but the father does not. Since they are very poor, the father decides to sell Hansel and Gretel's biological mother's necklace, but the stepmother substitutes a pebble. The next day the stepmother forces the children into taking a walk in the scary forest. Once they get far enough into the forest, the stepmother abandons them.
Afterward, Hansel and Gretel go looking for food and are tricked into going to a lazy troll's (Bobcat Goldthwait
Bobcat Goldthwait
Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, ravenous stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice.- Early life :Goldthwait was born in Syracuse,...
) house. They get caught, but are then saved by the Sandman (Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel
Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on...
), whom they befriend. They also let Wood Fairy (Alana Austin
Alana Austin
Alana Austin is an American film and television actress. She played the role of Abby Logan in the sitcom Ink and starred in the Disney Channel Original film Motocrossed.-Career:Austin was born in Palm Springs, California...
) free, whom they also befriend. Throughout the story the Sandman and the fairy are always bickering which causes problems at times.
One night when the Sandman goes out to get some food for the kids, and the fairy goes out for one reason or another, Hansel and Gretel wander off to a house made of candy and chocolate. The lady (Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
) that lives there invites them in and they eat some delicious food and then go to bed. They wake up the next morning and find the house is just an empty shack with an old lady in it. A raven (Sinbad
Sinbad (entertainer)
David Adkins better known by his professional name of Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness, Houseguest, First Kid,...
) comes to the window to tell them that the old lady is actually a witch. The witch walks into the room, locks Hansel in a box, and makes Gretel cook and Hansel eat. She does this because she is going to eat Hansel and wants him nice and fat. Because of certain principles, Gretel breaks a mirror and the witch becomes ugly. The Sandman and Wood Fairy walk in and help Hansel and Gretel get the witch into her cauldron. Then they put her in the oven, killing her. The father finds them and they do not worry about the stepmother who had gone to the troll's house who then abandoned her after she made him cook and clean for her.
The scene returns to the bedroom of the two kids and their father who say goodnight. The Sandman and the troll drop by, say hello to the children, and take the Hansel and Gretel book. They explain to the children that they are real, which is how the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
were inspired to write the story. The Sandman sprinkles the children with his sleep dust, ending the film.
Cast
- Jacob SmithJacob Smith (actor)Jonathan Jacob Charles William Smith is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role in the film Cheaper by the Dozen and its 2005 sequel.-Life and career:...
as Hansel - Taylor MomsenTaylor MomsenTaylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
as Gretel - Thomas CurtisThomas CurtisThomas Pelham "Tom" Curtis was an American athlete and the winner of the 110 metres hurdles at the 1896 Summer Olympics....
as Andrew - Dakota FanningDakota FanningHannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
as Katie - Alana AustinAlana AustinAlana Austin is an American film and television actress. She played the role of Abby Logan in the sitcom Ink and starred in the Disney Channel Original film Motocrossed.-Career:Austin was born in Palm Springs, California...
as Wood Fairy - Gerald McRaneyGerald McRaneyGerald Lee "Mac" McRaney is an American television and movie actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, and Promised Land. He was a series regular for the first season of Jericho.-Early life:McRaney was born in Collins, Mississippi, the son...
as Father - Delta BurkeDelta BurkeDelta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
as Stepmother - Lynn RedgraveLynn RedgraveLynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
as Woman / Witch - Howie MandelHowie MandelHoward Michael "Howie" Mandel is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on...
as Sandman - SinbadSinbad (entertainer)David Adkins better known by his professional name of Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness, Houseguest, First Kid,...
as Raven - Bobcat GoldthwaitBobcat GoldthwaitRobert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, ravenous stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice.- Early life :Goldthwait was born in Syracuse,...
as Troll
Reception
The film was widely panned by critics, having a 0% "Rotten" score on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. The imdb site gives it a 2.8 out of a possible 10.