Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater is a Japanese-American co-produced animated series. It was produced by DIC Enterprises, animated by Toei Animation, and distributed by MGM/UA Television. The series involved Hello Kitty and her friends doing their own version of popular fairy tales and stories. Each of the 13 half-hour episodes consisted of two 11-minute cartoons, for a total of 26 "shows"; each show was a spoof of a well-known fairy tale or movie.
Characters
- Hello Kitty
- My Melody
- Chip
- Tuxedo J. Orville Samuel
- Catnip
- Grinder
- Grandma
- Grandpa
- Fangora
- Mama
- Papa
- Mowzer
Format
Each episode opens with a big huge modern theater located in the big city of London, England filling up with patrons, and usually a look at some comical goings-on backstage. The play then begins (with Hello Kitty or Tuxedo Sam saying "Once upon a meow") and the stage transforms into whatever setting the story calls for, like outer space, the American Old West, the Great Depression or the Middle Ages. Each show is a light-hearted takeoff of a children's story or a popular movie. Catnip and Grinder were usually typecast as the villains.
At the end, the stage returns to normal, and the actors take their bow.
One exception to this format is the cartoon The Phantom of the Theater, which begins after the actors have finished a show (specifically Robin Penguin); all the action in this story takes place backstage.
Episodes
See the Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater Episodes category
Videos
Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater Intro
Opening theme for Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater
Cast and Crew
Voice Actors
- Tara Charendoff as Hello Kitty
- Elizabeth Hanna as Mama
- Len Carlson as Papa
- Elizabeth Hanna as Grandma
- Carl Banas as Grandpa
- Sean Roberge as Tuxedo J. Orville Samuel
- Mairon Bennett as My Melody
- Noam Zylberman as Chip
- Cree Summer Francks as Catnip
- Denise Pidgeon as Fangora
- Greg Morton as Grinder
- Fred Savage as Mowzer
- Brian Cummings as Additional voices (uncredited)
Developers
- Phil Harnage
Directors
- Michael Maliani
Theme Music Composer
- David Pomeranz
Opening Theme
- Main Title Theme Written & Performed By David Pomeranz
Composers
- Haim Saban
- Shuki Levy
Executive Producers
- Andy Heyward
Producers
- Michael Maliani
Writers
- Ben Hurst
- Eleanor Burian-Mohr
- Jack Hanrahan
- Jack Olesker
- Jim Lenahan
- Martha Moran
- Matt Uitz
- Pat Allee
- Phil Harnage
- Temple Matthews
- Tony Marino
Release
Region 1
On March 24, 1998, MGM Home Entertainment released two VHS videocassettes each containing four cartoon shorts, as well as the opening and closing sequences.
- Hello Kitty: Kitty and the Beast (also includes "Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp," "Hello Mother Goose," and "Little Red Bunny Hood")
- Hello Kitty: Wizard of Paws (also includes "Snow White Kitty," "Sleeping Kitty," and "Peter Penguin")
In 2003-2004, MGM Home Entertainment under their MGM Kids label released 5 DVD's each containing five cartoon shorts; the only one of the 26 not to be included was The Year Scroogenip Swiped Christmas. The opening and closing sequences are not included.
- Hello Kitty Becomes a Princess (February 4, 2003), (Cinderkitty, Kittylocks and the Three Bears, Sleeping Kitty, Kitty and the Beast, Snow White Kitty and the One Dwarf)
- Hello Kitty Goes to the Movies (February 4, 2003), (K.T. The Kitty Terrestrial, The Wizard of Paws, Kitty and the Kong, Cat Wars, Paws: The Great White Dog Shark)
- Hello Kitty Saves the Day (February 4, 2003), (Peter Penguin, Tar-Sam of the Jungle, Paws of the Round Table, Crocodile Penguin, Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp)
- Hello Kitty Plays Pretend (February 17, 2004), (The Phantom of the Theater, Frankencat, Catula, The Pawed Piper, Rumpeldogskin)
- Hello Kitty Tells Fairy Tales (February 17, 2004), (Robin Penguin, Hello Mother Goose, The Ugly Quackling, Pinocchio Penguin, Little Red Bunny Hood)
Region 2
The same DVDs that were released in the United States were released in Region 2 by MGM Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (and then, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). Becomes a Princess, Goes to the Movies and Saves the Day were all released in September 2004, using the same prints as the US versions without the opening and closing sequences.
Plays Pretend and Tells Fairy Tales were not released in the United Kingdom until October 2012. These prints are not the same as the US versions, and do include the opening and closing sequences. Another DVD titled Hello Kitty Has Fun at Halloween was also released in the same year, featuring 3 episodes from Plays Pretend and an episode from Goes to the Movies. A boxset was also released, featuring all 5 of the original DVDs.
