The screenplay, as well as all featured songs, are based and adapted from Engelbert Humperdinck's well-known opera of the same name. Other film adaptations also arose from the same piece.
Plot
Hansel (Hugh Pollard) and Gretel (Nicola Stapelton) are the offspring of an impoverished woodcutter (David Warner) and his wife (Emily Richard). After being told to leave their home by their mother, Hansel and Gretel wrongly walk into the 'North woods' where they discover a delicious gingerbread house. Unbeknown to them it's a witch named Griselda (Cloris Leachman) that lives there.
Cast
David Warner as Stefan, Hansel and Gretel's father and Maria's husband
Hugh Pollard as Hansel, Gretel's brother and Maria and Stefan's son
Nicola Stapleton as Gretel, Hansel's sister and Maria and Stefan's daughter
Emily Richard as Maria, Hansel and Gretel's mother and Stefan's wife
To save money, the Cannon Movie Tales films were shot two or three at a time. Hansel and Gretel was shot simultaneously with Sleeping Beauty (1987). This wasn't the best of situations in that often the two crews would be competing for the limited equipment, costumes, and sets. The limitations of the budget also often made the production values appear less refined compared to major studio films of the time.
There was, allegedly, a lot of debate as to how to destroy the witch's house at the end of the movie. Some wanted to blow it up, but the director Len Talan wanted to take it apart in stop-action, to have it turn to ruins, which was too time-consuming. Finally the construction supervisor, Aria Ben-Yishay, came up with an idea. He contacted the local fire department near the woods where the witch's house had been built and got them to assist the crew by pumping fire-fighting foam through the back of the set and out the windows and roof. Large quantities of food coloring were added, and with a couple of fireballs and colored smoke bombs, they had their scene.
The movie, like all others in the series, were shot on-location in Israel.[1]
Reception
Hansel and Gretel and the Cannon Movie Tales series, in general, received mixed reviews upon release. Critics noted the series’ lower production quality, and some reviews were critical of the campy or theatrical acting styles. Renee Longstreet of Common Sense Media awarded the film two stars out of five.[2]
However, despite the film's commercial failure, the Cannon Movie Tales, including "Hansel and Gretel", gained a large cult following among families and young audiences after Disney Channel began airing them as "Storybook Cinema" in 1988, with "Hansel and Gretel" starting airing in 1990. Over the years, it became a cult classic, beloved by those who appreciated the Cannon Group's unique style and the film's nostalgic appeal. The audiences now particularly praise Leachman's performance as Griselda the Witch.
