Into the Forest discussion

Does anybody recall the TV mini-series "The 10th Kingdom?" If so, does anyone recommend it? Looking back at when it aired (2000), it was far ahead of the fairy tale retelling fad in cinema and television that didn't really kick in until maybe a decade later.

One of our group members, Leah. really likes it and recommended it to me, and I watched the first couple of episodes and thought they were fun! The only reason I didn't continue is that I tend to get lost in a book instead of watch TV.

Thanks Margaret!

You're welcome! I wish I'd watched it when it came out. It does feel like a show made in the early 2000s in terms of visuals, but it also seems better than all the things I watched then. Admittedly, I lived in the rural South then and we only picked up 2 channels, ha.

Margaret, I remember the days of only three or four channels (five, if you count PBS, which wasn't always the most exciting for a kid once you got past the morning programming; six if you wanted to move the clothespin looking clip to the screws on the back of the TV to connect to UHF, and you had a good 'rotor antenna.' - LOL! My brother was known to have been up on the roof physically moving the antenna before we had that!). But, you know, even if the visuals are far below Industrial Light and Magic, I'd rather have a show with character and charm, even w/ cheaper production values (the '60s "Dark Shadows" and classic Dr. Who, for example). So, it sounds like The 10th Kingdom might just deliver! Thanks again.

Ha, we used potatoes and aluminum foil on the antenna to try and get better reception!

I completely agree with you. I've watched lots and lots of classic Dr. Who, and while I enjoy the new Star Trek Discovery, I still prefer the slower pacing of the older ones best.

If you searched the discussions in this group, you would find multiple instances of me gushing over The 10th Kingdom. 🤓

It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite mini-series/ movies. I watched it when it aired live on TV and I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve re-watched it since. True it’s not aging well as far as visual fx, but I don’t even notice because I’m so wrapped up in the story.

You may also want to check out The Storyteller if you haven’t seen it already. It’s from The Jim Henson Company and another one I rewatch often. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092383/

Second The Storyteller :)

Margaret wrote: "Ha, we used potatoes and aluminum foil on the antenna to try and get better reception!

I completely agree with you. I've watched lots and lots of classic Dr. Who, and while I enjoy the new Star T..." Margaret, some things weren't meant for high definition, that's for sure! There are cases where I'd rather have a DVD instead of blu-ray, which gives you a better image than the original, but doesn't reveal, shall we say, the string holding up the flying saucer that wasn't visible on a tube TV in 1969. LOL!

Leah wrote: "If you searched the discussions in this group, you would find multiple instances of me gushing over The 10th Kingdom. 🤓

It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite mini-series/ movies. I watched it..." Leah, thanks so much for this solid recommendation of The 10th Kingdom! I'm getting pumped now! Your praise of the engrossing story is what's really got me interested!

Margaret wrote: "Second The Storyteller :)" Thanks Margaret!

And what do you know...I must have a fairy godmother...The 10th Kingdom is available on Amazon Prime!

Micah wrote: "And what do you know...I must have a fairy godmother...The 10th Kingdom is available on Amazon Prime!"

:) That's how I was watching it too.

It actually holds up very well indeed visually on my large screen high def TV for a show made almost 20 years ago! I was impressed. Actually, any dated visual effects, in this case, can be argued to add to the show's storybook charm, since great children's book illustration has a surreal quality to it anyway. The effects in the late '70s BBC Dracula are much cruder...and all the more effective for the nightmare atmosphere it creates.

Leah, I'm in episode two of The 10th Kingdom and enjoying it a lot! I'm breaking out laughing at times at the wit in the dialogue. And the prison lunchroom scene...very Monty Python! I'm glad this is as "old" as it is if for no other reason they didn't have the option of so much green screen and CGI backgrounds, and we're getting a lot of beautiful live locations (which I prefer). Do you know where the exteriors were filmed? And is the prison "castle" as real as it looks? My jaw drops on how great that looks in HD on my big screen with the mountain behind it. Just gorgeous! Thanx for recommending this so highly!

I finished The 10th Kingdom and enjoyed it very much. There were several laugh-out-loud moments, and delightful whimsy, but that was balanced by some really disturbing and heavy drama in the mother/daughter relationship -- a mix which, of course, makes it solid fairy tale. The mother, in the real-world flashback sequences, was an edgy characterization in its pure bleakness. Kimberly Williams-Paisley had an incredible range that worked throughout the various scenarios she was put through And Wolf -- wonderful! What a great leading man...were-man...I dunno... anyway, he was fantastic. All the leads were excellent. I personally found the dated effects work to have more charm looking as it did than modern CGI...it seemed more appropriately for fantasy. And the live locations grounded it all in reality just like Tolkien said a good fairy tale must be. Thanks Leah and Margaret for recommending it. I had fun!

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

They were clearly intending a sequel at the end. Apparently, even as late as two years ago, they were trying to get fan support to make it happen. Here's a link with an older Wolf encouraging people to sign the petition. It would have been interesting to see the cast aged in real time pick up the story almost twenty years later. (He even does a little Wolf head scratch gesticulation at the end -- pretty cute.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=331h4...

Micah wrote: "They were clearly intending a sequel at the end. Apparently, even as late as two years ago, they were trying to get fan support to make it happen."

Yeah, I kinda lost hope after the 15th anniversary and nothing. But maybe next year I can get my hopes up again since it'll be 20 years since the original.

My biggest gripe is, with the popularity of the Once TV series and Grimm TV series, and the increased (mainstream) popularity of fairy-tale retellings and reboots, etc. I think producers/show creators are missing the boat by not getting a sequel out for The 10th Kingdom. But I will continue to hope... even if my hopes lay dormant for decades. ;)

Micah wrote: "Here's a link with an older Wolf encouraging people to sign the petition."

Thanks for sharing this link!

You're welcome! Yeah, it is strange that when we culturally went through that fairy tale retelling pop culture phase on T.V. and at the movies (I remember two retellings of Snow White that seemed to be playing at the same time at my local multi-plex - LOL!), that The 10th Kingdom wasn't revived. It was way ahead of the curve...and remains a very high mark for this genre.