This reviewer has a lot of fondness for 'Timeless Tales from Hallmark'. They do so well with adapting well-loved stories with respect if not complete faithfulness, and do it with charm and heart with nothing juvenile and nothing convoluted.
As far as other episodes go, "The Elves and the Shoemaker" is not quite among my favourites like "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Thumbelina" and "The Ugly Duckling" are, but it is still very nicely done. The cat didn't strike me as a particularly necessary character and the dog didn't have much to do other than bark, but everything else is done really well.
With the animation, as always with the 'Timeless Tales from Hallmark', There's plenty of vibrant colour, the backgrounds have a great amount of detail and it's smoothly drawn. The music is whimsical and poignant, though it is one of the few episodes of 'Timeless Tales from Hallmark' to not have songs.
Scripting is never convoluted or juvenile, instead it is very sweet without being cloying and sometimes amusing. The live-action bookend scenes are beautifully done, with a sincere host in Olivia Newton-John and endearing children. The characters do a great job carrying the story, with charming and not bland leads, and the elves are adorable. The voice is well done, especially from Ed Begley Jnr and JoBeth Williams.
In summary, very nicely done though there is better in the series. 9/10 Bethany Cox
As far as other episodes go, "The Elves and the Shoemaker" is not quite among my favourites like "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Thumbelina" and "The Ugly Duckling" are, but it is still very nicely done. The cat didn't strike me as a particularly necessary character and the dog didn't have much to do other than bark, but everything else is done really well.
With the animation, as always with the 'Timeless Tales from Hallmark', There's plenty of vibrant colour, the backgrounds have a great amount of detail and it's smoothly drawn. The music is whimsical and poignant, though it is one of the few episodes of 'Timeless Tales from Hallmark' to not have songs.
Scripting is never convoluted or juvenile, instead it is very sweet without being cloying and sometimes amusing. The live-action bookend scenes are beautifully done, with a sincere host in Olivia Newton-John and endearing children. The characters do a great job carrying the story, with charming and not bland leads, and the elves are adorable. The voice is well done, especially from Ed Begley Jnr and JoBeth Williams.
In summary, very nicely done though there is better in the series. 9/10 Bethany Cox
