[box.fairytales] Märchenperlen / ZDF

The story of Beauty and the beast.

Sleeping Beauty - the fairy tale.

A king's harsh laws against trespass into the 'cursed forest' cause even his only son an heir, prince Johannes 'Hans', to be banished from court. The knave dwells I the forest, where he's taken under the wing of its magical protector, Eisenhans 'German 'iron Hans'). Having rendered strange services, he's sent off with a promise of help when he needs it and a prophecy all may end well if he once catches a golden ball, not unlike his favorite toy as a boy-prince. Grown up in poverty, self-reliant Hans reaches another king's castle and gets employed there, first as kitchen hand, after his 'gross' refusal to take off his cap (which hides his magically gold-covered hair) as gardener's assistant. As such he interests the headstrong princess, gets into trouble again, but returns as savior after the black knight, who already plagues his own royal family, threatens this realm with his armed band.

Friendly, ever-helpful simpleton Till is his carpenter brothers Paul and Peter's dogsbody and the town laughingstock. When he generously shares his lunch with an old beggar, the character is actually a sorcerer and rewards him with a living golden goose. Till wants to offer it to the ever-sad Princess Louise, whose aunt and strict governess Edeltraud want to marry her off to haughty Prince Amandus and dreams of succeeding king Eduard herself, to cheer her up. The greedy townsfolk, including the curate, find that anyone who attempt to steal the goose sticks to it, while the bully brothers get their comeuppance in--and from--the forest.

Adaptation of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale.

Leonie goes to her grandmother's house with her parents and her little brother Simon. Simon wants her to read Little Red Riding Hood to him. The family's car suddenly breaks down. While her mother and brother try in vain to light a fire, Leonie goes to the entrance of a cave. She ventures inside. At the exit of the cave, a fairy tale land opens up.

Michael, the young king of a small German realm, promised on his father's deathbed to marry, but instead of choosing any of the daughters of reigning princes his minister makes him visit, Michael looses his heart to Marie, the blond daughter of a simple miller. Worse, the chief minister, who learned her father's secret, hides Marie locked-up in a castle tower, pretending to the king she was killed by wolves in the forest, and threatens her family so she spins gold from straw; so Marie must accept the terms of the magical dwarf Rumpelstilzchen (Rumpelstiltskin in English), who appears when Marie pricks her finger to spin gold thrice for her, but each time demands a prized counterpart- first her beloved Peter's gift, a ring, then her late mother's necklace, finally her firstborn when she will be Michael's queen...

In order to be able to marry the princess, the miller boy Hans has to find his way to hell. If he fails to steal three golden hairs from the devil, all is lost.

Ten-year-old Jakob, a handsome, dreamy, sheltered boy, prefers to help his mother at her vegetable stall at the market instead of helping his father in the shoemaker's workshop. One day an ugly old woman appears there, whose behavior Jacob looks at both critically and fearfully. It is the fairy herb white who lures the boy away from his parents with a ruse - and into their house. This is where a seven-year hard apprenticeship begins for him, which leads him into the witch's kitchen in several stages. Under the strict guidance of the fairy, Jakob ultimately develops into a true master of the art of cooking.When he wakes up from his supposed dream and can finally escape, Jakob sees himself transformed into a misshapen dwarf with a long nose. Repelled in horror by his parents, who do not recognize him, and mocked by his fellow citizens because of his appearance, the unfortunate man finally arrives at Duke Alois' court. He was enthusiastic about Jacob's cooking skills and accepted him into his service. Henceforth he is called "dwarf nose" and for the first time since his transformation he has received professional recognition. As a person, however, he remains a lonely outsider. Only when he meets Mimi, a young girl who has been transformed into a goose, is there a being with whom he is can speak openly about his fate. New mischief brews when the demanding Countess Wilhelmine comes to visit. Duke Alois wants to persuade his beloved to marry and dwarf nose should seduce her with his culinary art. When the lady asks of all things a pie whose recipe Jakob does not know, the master chef's life is in danger. Fortunately, Mimi, who is also enchanted, has advice.

Brothers Grimms' fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel, brother and sister, who struggle against the witches.

This animated short follows the life of a poor, German coal miner, Peter Munk. Coal mining leaves Peter far from the riches he desires, yet when given the opportunity to have three wishes granted, things do not go as well as he had hoped.

Endres wants to be more than just a farmer's son. He wants to be able to read and write, wear clothes without holes and sleep in a proper bed. He goes to the court of the King, who is said to be the cleverest man in the land. Endres becomes his personal servant and every day after dinner brings him a mysterious golden bowl. No-one knows what the bowl contains, not even Princess Leonora. When the queen's ring goes missing, suspicion falls on Endres.

In a Nordic hamlet, Kay and Gerda are best friends, bonding over things like growing roses in a greenhouse. But the evil Snow Queen gets a hold on Kay, first from far, then kissing him to lure him to her ice palace, where her third kiss after fulfilling the tasks she sets him can turn him into an ice pillar. While roses keep rekindling Kay's memory, Gerda encounters weird creatures, from a flower fairy and a couple of engaged royals to a band of robbers, refusing to be distracted by any temptation from the search for her beloved Kay.

A servant girl falls in love with the god of the valley. The Baroness wants nothing but the gold of the god. A fight to win the lands he protects and his love.

A great famine threatens the country. Before people die of hunger, they turn into birds - as does little Ida. Therefore, her big sister Jola runs desperately into the deep forest to find some food for the family.

Zottel embarks on an epic journey to save her kidnapped sister Amalindis with her husband-to-be Prince Tanka.

Fee Kräuterweis transforms little Jakob into a hunchbacked dwarf. Nobody recognizes him now. But the courage to live does not leave the boy.

The brothers Gai and Teo, trickster robbers, hope to strike big when king Theoderich receives suitors for his firstborn tomcat daughter Griseldis. Gai masquerades as the heroic prince of a fictitious kingdom and doe sell in the tests against real princes Arne and Tassilo. However Gai falls for junior princess Matilda, who suspects their scam, and Teo chances the plan into robbing the enchanted golden ball Theorderich treasures above anything, being the sole souvenir of his beloved second wife, Matilda's mother. Matilda catches them, resulting in condemnation to banishment to the enchanted forest of shadows, created by a mighty sorcerer as punishment for his granddaughter, clumsy fairy Fee. her attempts to help the brothers transforms Gai into a frog, .whom a stork drops into the castle pond, so he can fulfill unsuspecting Matilda's promise and be admitted to her bedroom, needing a true lover's kiss to be returned to human form. Firstvthe full truth must become known.