Absolutely love the Rabbit Ears Productions adaptations. They are so well made and scored, with great choices of narrators perfectly cast and chosen for their talent than just star power or box office draw (the adaptations are not that kind of productions though). They are also very faithful adaptations on the most part, without being too faithful, and do incredibly well at making the stories accessible for children and adults alike with no over simplifying or complicating.
One of my favourites of theirs as a child was 'Peachboy', based on one of Japan's most popular folktale heroes. It still is one of my favourite Rabbit Ears Productions adaptations, is one of the best of the "We All Have Tales" series and the best Rabbit Ears Productions adaptation perhaps since 'The Fool and the Flying Ship'. High praise indeed and not easy to live up to, as that is something quite special. So is 'Peachboy' and a vast majority of the adaptations in the preceeding "Storybook Classics" series.
'Peachboy' visually is quite mesmerising, tying with 'The Fool and the Flying Ship' as the best looking adaptation of the "We All Have Tales" series if not quite as creative as that. The rich colours stay in one's mind for a while after and the attention to detail in the backgrounds is quite something. Momotaro and the intimidating ogres particularly stand out visually of the characters.
What also stands out is the music, courtesy of Ryuichi Sakamoto. It is very hypnotic and so pleasant to listen to, its stylistic authenticity working wholly in its favour and it's sympathetic and in harmony with what's going on. Did appreciate too that it didn't try to have too much going on at once which let the atmosphere speak.
Sigourney Weaver's narration joins the long line of other flawless narrations for the series (with other narrators that made a huge impression in their respective adaptations including Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams). She has such a soothing quality to her voice here and says her sincerely written lines with tenderness, she alone provides a lot of 'Peachboy's' emotional impact. The narration itself writing wise also helps, it is very sincere and flows beautifully.
The storytelling is incredibly charming, exciting and also at times very moving. The friendship, courage and being committed lessons are relevant and sincerely handled with the right amount of force (without coming at you like a hammer of course). The hero is a likeable one and it will be said that the ogres are still by young adult standards very scary.
Concluding, brilliant and one of the series' best. 10/10.
