Rediscover the magic and romance of one of the best-loved fairy tales of all time! Charming, suspenseful and wonderfully moving, Red Riding Hood is filled with stirring songs, spectacular dance numbers and superb sets! In... more » a magical forest alive with wonderment, a little girl finds that not all is as it seems. Living alone with her mother (Rossellini), Linet (Shankley) spends her days exploring the woods with nothing to fear. But when she embarks on a perilous journey to visit her grandmother and discovers both an enchanted wolf and an evil lord in her path, it'll take a magical red cloak and a friendly woodcutter to save the day!« less
"I am 15 years old and I've only seen this movie 2...3...4...times? Something like that. We have a crumby tape recording of 4 songs of the movie. It doesn't matter to me how crumby the recording is; I've listened to it religiously for years. That's how good the songs are.
It has been noted here that "Never Talk to Strangers" is a favorite song of many. It's my favortie as well. It's absolutely incredible how the werewolf is developing his own personality. He is warning the girl, quite literally, of himself. He seems exasperated when she doesn't listen - of course the carefree Red Riding Hood doesn't take anything anyone says seriously. I have wondered whether he is honestly hoping in a hidden heart (unlike his truly heartless master) that the girl will be able to stay away from him, or only slyly winning her trust. That's only a tiny, twisted piece of how great the plot is.
All in all, it's very true what the other reviewers have said - this is nothing like the original story we all know. It's better. It's been expanded into a world of lifelike characters, the simple life of the harvest (Green in the Blue), Corrupt politics (Red's uncle, naturally), war (her father was fighting)... and everything else you could hope for in a fairy story. A wonderful tale to grow up on. I know that from experience.
One last thing I note, is that it does not portray the wild wolf, a natural animal quite as badly as the old tales because it is a summoned werewolf, not a natural wolf, who does the evil. This is a winning point in my book since I'm a majorly pro-wolf person. :)"
Simply the Best!
jlovehewittfan | 11/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been a fan of Movie Tales since I was a baby! Since I was 13 I have tried to collect all the Cannon Movie Tales (since all but three are out-of-print) and "Red Riding Hood" happens to be a favorite of mine! I love the song "Never Talk to Strangers!" The reason I love this film so much is how eerie it is and how much of a back-story they give! Trust me buy this and you will fall in love! Not to mention the songs and costumes are brilliant! They also have big stars in them!!! Also recommand highly is the other Cannon Movie Tales:
Snow White (Diana Rigg)
Sleeping Beauty (Rebecca Fairchild)
The Frog Prince (helen Hunt)
Puss N' Boots (Christopher Walkin)
Hansel and Gretel (Cloris Leachman)
Beauty and the Beast (Rebecca Demornay)
The Emperors New Clothes (Sid Ceasor)
Red Riding Hood (Craig T. Nelson)
and the newest Memeber:
Cinderella due out in late 2002!"
A Captivating Addition to your Fairy Tale Film Collection!
J. Fees | Port Carbon, PA United States | 05/28/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"We all know the story of Red Riding Hood. The girl who takes goodies to her grandmother and forgets she's not suppossed to speak to strangers ,right? Well, I am pleased to say that this film is the best adaptation of Red Riding Hood on film but it also delivers lots of wonderful surprises. The last film in the wonderful Cannon Movie Tale series is really one of the best in the collection. Amelia Shankley, Isabella Rosselini and Craig T. Nelson give captivating performances and the film is also very well directed. This film is not boring, it is actually very powerful. However, this is not a film for the very young ones as I found myself flinching at parts and somewhat taken aback by some events that happen in the film. The songs and dance sequences are wonderful. It's great that the original trailer is included with the DVD. The picture is crystal clear and the sound is also on-par. I highly recommend this film, as it delivers lots of surprises and although it is the story of Red Riding Hood that we all know and love, there is alot of original ideas that everyone will be delighted to see!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!"
Absolutely The BEST version out there....
Travis T. Black | Los Angeles, California | 04/29/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This live-action musical version of the beloved "Little Red Riding Hood" story by The Brothers Grimm is a must see/have. The songs are fun and absolutely addicting.
The movie elaborates on the original story by adding a bit more plot to spice the things up. It goes as follows: A baroness, whose husband vanished in a war years ago, lives in a nice house in the woods with her daughter Ninet (a.k.a. Red Riding Hood). Ninet's evil uncle has taken the throne in her fathers absence and now resides in the castle while the baroness chooses to live a simple life. Unfortunately the (quite literally) heartless uncle wants the Baroness to be his wife and does everything within his power to make it so.
When all of his attempts fail miserably, he employs the help of a werewolf named Dagger to get rid of Ninet so that she does not poison his name to her mother. It's really a good movie, and the DVD has crystal clear picture (not to mention surround sound) so that you get the complete theatrical experience. The original Cannon Movie Tales trailer makes a nice bonuse feature as well. The only downside is that the movie is in full-screen and there is no widescreen version for the choosing. A widescreen version exist because the German DVDs contain that version as well as the more recent Australian disc. However, I find this is forgivable because of the high quality picture and sound. I give this DVD five stars! Now, if only they would release the other Movie Tales in the series..."
An amazingly well-done video, that will delight all!
Travis T. Black | 08/24/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This movie is wonderfully done! (This review may be rather long, but please read anyway!) It really has a new take-off on the original "Little Red Riding Hood" fairy tale! Linet, (Red Riding Hood) is always getting into trouble, looking for faeries and eleves. She is always looking for them; and worrying her mother. Linet's father (Craig T. Nelson) dissapeared mysteriously in the wars. Ever since his dissapearece, his evil twin brother, Godfrey, has been trying to win the hand of Linet's fair mother (Isabella Rosselini). Little does she know, Godfrey sold his heart for the power of the demon wolf. This power allows him to own a powerful and evil wolf, who can become a dangerous and deadly man whenever Godfrey wishes him to be so. The wolf man does all of Godfrey's bidding. But when Godfrey learns that his niese Linet does not fear him, he get's angered. And when he learns that her Grandmother has magic antidotes that cured a man he wanted dead, he grows furious, and sends the wolf man after Linet, and her grandmother!! To top it all off, he kindnaps Linet's mother, demanding she take his hand! Luckily, Linet's father reapears, and Linet's grandmother escapes! But it's a race against time to save his wife from Godfrey, and his daughter from the clutches of evil! Then he realizes he's too late... Excellent movie...BUY IT TODAY! (It's A GREAT MUSICAL!!!)"