Classic fairytales, many of which are originally German, are retold in this animated series narrated by comedian and actor Bastian Pastewka.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Comedian Bastian Pastewka narrates this charming animated version of the classic tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves."
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Another delightful animated fairytale, this time Hans Christian Andersen's beloved "The Ugly Duckling," again featuring narrator Bastian Pastewka. Enjoy!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
One of Hans Christian Andersen's saddest tales, "The Little Match Girl" tells of a homeless girl who is left starving on the icy streets one Christmas Eve. Was Andersen making an early attempt in the 19th century to raise social awareness? Watch this and decide for yourself...
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Enjoy this classic Grimm Brothers Fairy tale "The Brave Little Tailor," and remember the moral of the story: Think big!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
The xenophobic sayings "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" as well as "Never look a gift horse in the mouth" have their origins in the Homeric tale of the Trojan Horse and the fall of the city of Troy. This story should read well in German, as the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the true location of ancient Troy!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Check out this animated version of the classic Grimm Brothers' fairytale "The Frog Prince," with a lively narration by Bastian Pastewka.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Germany
This very funny and very fast animated version of "Puss in Boots" is both fun and educational to watch. NOTE: This video uses antiquated forms of German such as Eure Majestät which are roughly equivalent to "Thy Majesty" in Shakespearean-Era English, but have been translated for ease of understanding into modern English. Viel Spaß beim Lernen!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
See the tale of the Little Thumbling (sometimes called "Tom Thumb"), who wants to see the world, but discovers he doesn't like all that he finds. Based on the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Germany
Yet another grim fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm with an ambiguous moral: Pay your bills or your children will be taken away from you? Brilliantly narrated by Bastian Pastewka, from the series Legendary: Tales from Around the World.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Yet another classic Hans Christian Andersen tale with an ambivalent moral. If you love, you will always lose? Jealousy destroys even the things you love? Don't trust a goblin twice or you're a sucker? You decide!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Bastian Pastewka narrates the tale of the magician's apprentice, based on a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. See for yourself if there is a lesson to be learned in this classic story!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
This very entertaining animated version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" has a moral that is applicable in society and politics to this very day. And though looking good is important, that is most definitely not the moral of this story!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany High German North German
This is the classic tale of rural musicians who go to the city to "make it big," only to frighten off some robbers and settle in the country instead. Okay, it is not that story, but this tale has become a symbol of the city of Bremen, despite the fact that they never actually made it there! Viel Spaß beim Lernen!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
This animated version of the classic Greek mythological tale "Pandora's Box" is narrated in a wondrous array of voices by German actor and comedian Bastian Pastewka.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
The old folk tale "The Three Brothers" is about the meaning of work and family, as well as the treasures that are to be found in the soil. From the series Legendary: Tales from Around the World.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
The classic tale of the "Three Little Pigs" has been rendered wonderfully in cartoon form by Colorland Animation with narration by Bastian Pastewka.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Poor, poor Little Mermaid! Most fairytales have happy endings, but Hans Christian Andersen decided to dash this fishy princess on the rocks... wonderfully animated and narrated by Bastian Pastewka, enjoy!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
This classic tale of "The Princess and the Pea," based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, has just one weak point in the plot: wouldn't a real princess have avoided complaining to her host about an uncomfortable bed? Enjoy this wonderfully animated video narrated by Bastian Pastewka.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Bastian Pastewka narrates the French folktale Beauty and the Beast. If only all stories had such a lovely ending!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Based upon a legend in medieval Baden-Württemberg, "The Women of Weinsberg" tells the tale of a group of women who, through their cunning and guile, saved the lives of all their male kindred from certain death. Viel Spaß!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
"Die Wichtelmänner" ("The Elves and the Shoemaker") is a classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm about a poor cobbler who gets a much-needed economic boost from a most unexpected source. Voodoo economics indeed! Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
The story of Sleeping Beauty is called "Dornröschen" [literally "Little Thorn-Rose"] in German. As with most fairy tales, this one too has a happy ending, unless you happen to be a wicked fairy!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
This is the very nicely told and animated Irish folk tale of poor Niall O'Leary and the leprechaun's pot of gold. Just when you think it's all up with Niall, he manages to... well, see for yourself! Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
The classic tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is presented with style in animated form and narrated by Bastian Pastewka. Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen!
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Germany
Another twisted tale in the canon of the Brothers Grimm. This time, the "wicked stepmother" (in the original, it was their real mother) convinces the "loving father" to abandon their children in the winter woods. And the moral of the tale: "Abandon your children to starve and they will return with treasures"? Enjoy the wonderful animation and narration by actor Bastian Pastewka.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Germany
Hans, half hedgehog and half boy, is searching for his place in the world. After a chance encounter with the king, he finds himself in a predicament that leads to a very surprising ending!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
This is the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm of the young couple who take a walk into the woods, and the young woman winds up being transformed into a bird by a witch and abandoned by her lover. Another classic tale of fear, abandonment and redemption...
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Germany
"King Thrushbeard," one of the Grimm brothers' fairytales, tells the story a haughty princess who mistreats her subjects. But in the end - at the hand of a wise and forgiving suitor - she learns an important lesson in life. Viel Spaß!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Another curious tale from the Brothers Grimm about a young couple who steal food from an elderly widow and as punishment lose custody of their daughter, who later becomes royalty by marriage. Good luck figuring out the moral of this story!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Another grim fairy tale from the twisted minds of a 17th century European. Not satisfied with merely cutting the wolf open, they fill him with stones so that he can drag himself to a horrible death. (No endangered species were harmed in the making of this cartoon!)
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
This wonderful animated version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin" features the many guises of narrator Bastian Pastewka. "Rumpelstiltskin" seems to have some very ambiguous morals: Lying to the powerful about your daughter is good? Marrying a powerful man is good, even if he is a swine? Never give a rich woman with a baby a second chance? See if you can figure it out!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Another psychological marvel from the Brothers Grimm, in which (spoiler alert!) two sisters cuddle up to a bear, who, instead of eating them, turns into a prince and marries one of them, kindly matching up the other with his brother. Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
Sagenhaft reinterprets the classic tale of Snow White from the Brothers Grimm.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Germany
On one of his ocean adventures, Sinbad the Sailor learns what true riches are. A tale from One Thousand and One Nights, the definitive collection of stories from the Islamic Golden Age.
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