Rabbit Ears: The Fool and the Flying Ship

This short film has more nostalgia for me than anything else. I remember Saturday mornings when my family would go to the library, and every time we went I would want to rent out this tape. Not sure what my fascination with it was, but either way it got me hooked to watch it over and over. Looking back on it, it is definitely not your average children's movie, but it's fun and adventurous. Also as a child I had no idea Robin Williams did the voices for this! I only thought of his as the Genie from Aladdin. Of course he is known for much more than that (insert his IMDb page), but it's nice that he participated on a lower key project like The Fool and the Flying Ship. All in all I would give this film a shot because it's quirky characters and music just make you want to smile.

After a consistently good to outstanding series of adaptations adapted from popular children's literature, the series titled "Storybook Classics" lasting from 1984 to 1991 (starting with a series high-point 'The Velveteen Rabbit'), Rabbit Ears Productions continued with another series of family friendly animated adaptations. This time titled "We All Have Tales" made up of tales from around the world lasting from 1991 to 1994, and like the previous series it was mostly very high quality.

'The Fool and the Flying Ship', set in Russia and based on one of Russia's classic folktales, is one of the adaptations from Rabbit Ears Productions' "We All Have Tales". Not only is it a contender for the best adaptation of this particular series, it is also to me one of the high-points of Rabbit Ears Productions' entire output. Certainly one of my favourites of theirs and a favourite of many fans of Rabbit Ears Productions' work. A fine example of why this production company and their literary adaptations should be better known. This is not nostalgia talking, actually came across a lot of them beyond childhood.

So many brilliant qualities with 'The Fool and the Flying Ship'. The illustration is some of the series' most colourful with beautifully detailed backgrounds, and the character designs have some of the most creative features of all the Rabbit Ears Productions adaptations. Have seldom seen long limbs being used so imaginatively while not looking cheap or too strange.

One of the near-consistently good to brilliant aspects of the Rabbit Ears Productions adaptations is the music. 'The Fool and the Flying Ship' is no exception, of the company's "We All Have Tales" series it is one of the most charming, most energetically characterful and most inventively used. It is very beautifully orchestrated, has a lovely jazz vibe at times that matches perfectly with the adaptation's wacky tone and a Russian folksy sound at other times that helps give a sense of time and place.

Robin Williams proves once again that he was simply born to do voice-work and his narration is even better here than his narration in 'Pecos Bill' and he was outstanding in that too. Once again he is immensely engaging and very funny, a good deal of his delivery is hilarious and enhances the already wildly entertaining material.

Moreover, 'The Fool and the Flying Ship' goes by at a fast clip without feeling rushed, which is an achievement for a story that has quite a lot going on. The story is deliciously over the top without going into too much overdrive while providing some genuine heart too. There are many witty and hilarious moments, adults are probably going to understand the humour than younger audiences more and be more amused by it (speaking from personal experience) but children will still find a good deal to laugh at as the wacky visuals and Williams' vocal delivery boast plenty of funny moments by themselves.

Concluding, brilliant and a series high point. 10/10.

The bizarre demand of a foolish Tsar is met in a most surprising way by THE FOOL AND THE FLYING SHIP - and five very peculiar friends.

This old Russian folk tale is given a most lively interpretation by the folks at Rabbit Ears. Full of sound, color & good humor, it is sure to engage the imagination.

Robin Williams provides a hectic, hilarious narration in dialect, perfectly underscored by the Klezmer Conservatory Band. Henrik Drescher's highly individualistic illustrations will delight or depress, depending on the mood of the viewer.

This movie was viewed by a group of ESL elementary students (ages 9-12). We liked the flying ship because it was a magical thing. It was a good example of a folktale because it stokes the imagination. It also gives many details about how they travel. It was a little bit difficult to understand Robin Williams at times, but he did a good job overall with the story. The students thought it was boring at times because the pictures did not move too much. We also thought that it was interesting because we like to learn about folktales from other countries. The students' favorite part is when the fool kisses the princess. Overall, we enjoyed the magic and the music very much.

Funny, interesting, and imaginative are the qualities of

this movie!!! This version of the Russian Folktale is extremely funny as it is also very touching. Robin Williams does a great job of making the characters extremely creative.

Henrik Drescher's illustrations are so full of life and bizarreness that it gives the movie an edgy but exciting and touching mood on the story. The story is an instant classic to the children as well as the adults.

The adults will laugh at some of the humor this movie has while the children will enjoy the drawings and the light-humored tone of this story. This is a story that will remain in the hearts of everyone who sees this new version of the famous Russian Folktale.