This movie, directed by Richard Oswald, is based on the operetta "Les contes de Hoffmann" by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), which is a genial musical potpourri from various short stories and novels by the Prussian writer, composer, painter, lawyer and judge E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822). While Hoffmann's literary work was longtime considered to be merely fantastical, it was finally researched, in the last years, according to its metaphysical background. Characteristic for Hoffmann's work is his life-long fight against rationalism and for the revelation of nature morte, culminating mostly in carnival-like scenes anticipating literary techniques only described in the works of Bachtin and Bachelard.
When Bo mistakenly thinks that her friends don't like her gifts, she heads to the North Pole to ask Santa for help making better presents. She learns along the way that Christmas is about far more than just the toys.
A young mexican smuggler and a little girl travel illegally on top of a cargo train, called La Bestia, to get to the USA. An injury transforms his perception of the journey.
Cinderella discovers a secret that could shake their world: an evil witch turned the prince into a mouse and replaced him with a look-alike. Cinderella and her friends must save the real prince and help him defeat the evil witch.
The Psammead is an 'it', an ancient, ill-tempered sand-fairy with a spider-shaped body, bat-like ears, and snail-like eyes. It is grumpy but has the power to grant one wish a day, which must be made before sunset. Five siblings—Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and infant Hilary—encounter It and experience the highs and lows of frivolous wish-making.
An ancient legend tells of Lamia a beautiful queen and adulteress.... Her lover was put to death and she was transformed into a snake, roaming the earth on her belly, she murders and enslaves the innocent until the gods turn her to into a stone statue... She now waits for her time to return...
The poor shepherd boy Michal signs up for service at the royal castle as a gardener's apprentice. He soon learns his trade well, but he also learns the secret of Duke Rosemary's curse, which forces the three royal daughters to spend every night dancing and debauchery against their will. Everyone from the entire kingdom tries in vain to unravel the mystery of the worn-out slippers that the princesses have in their rooms every morning. So Michal sets out to fight the mystery.
Neo-Venezia has reached a long winter. Ai, Azusa and Anya, who were practicing jointly in the cold weather, visit the Undine Museum, led by Akira who seems not her usual self. At the museum, the trio meet its director, Asuka who is Akira's senior known as Himeya's legendary undine. The two of them are the successors to a gondola that has been carefully passed down since the founding of Himeya Company. However, Akira reveals that Aika, who is expected to inherit the gondola, has no intention of doing so. Azusa, who is not convinced, tries to find out why.
Louis II de Barrière has been petrified in the ice since the dawn of time. We find him in a forest, luckily he is alive ! Three witch sisters try to defrost it and unravel its musical mystery. We are propelled with them in a colorful and surreal fairy tale.
Tristan, the son of Meliodas and Elizabeth, inherits the power of the Goddess Clan and can heal people’s wounds and injuries, but he often ends up hurting others due to his inability to control his Demon Clan power. To protect his family, Tristan heads to Edinburgh Castle and meets a host of new friends along the way.
A guy is excited to meet his girlfriend tonight. His friends persuade the man, who does not want to go out until the meeting time, to take him out. However, the night does not progress as expected and dreams and reality are mixed with each other.
When Santa goes missing Christmas Eve, his wife Margie Claus has to assemble a rag-tag team of long-retired reindeer to rescue Santa and save Christmas