User reviews

As I recall from childhood, this movie was about a spoiled girl who pretends to be sick all the time. Her mother asks Hans Christian Andersen to come over and tell her a story. Hans tells her about the Red Shoes and his "puppet show" turns into a show we as an audience can see. The girl gets very attached to the characters and in the end learns an important lesson. I thought the dancing was good and the real life puppet show was well done. The costuming of the characters was nice as they resembled the dolls Hans used in the puppet theater. I also remember my little sister watching it all the time and me getting sick of it.

It's been a long time since I have seen this movie, so if the summary is jumbled that's why. From what I gather, this girl desperately wants a pair of red shoes she saw on a rich girl's feet. But alas! She lives with her miserly grandmother. She runs away with the help of some red-headed man but she pays dearly for her decision. She must dance the rest of her life, cold, alone, and no one to help her but the red-headed man who seems to get a little too much enjoyment at her discomfort.

This movie frightened me a lot as a kid, but it was quite addicting. I think I watched probably three times a week. I never quite understood it, though I might now, but it's been a long time since I have seen it. The man with the red hair though, I think he's the one that made me afraid of clowns for the rest of my life, very creepy.

This production is a stage adaptation at the world famous Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There are two Karen characters in the play. One Karen is a rich girl who might be sick herself or feigning it. Her mother contacts Hans Christian Anderson who comes over and tells a story about Karen and red shoes. It's a play within a play. The costumes and masks are dated by today's standards. Wendy Lehr is a veteran actress of the twin cities. She is hidden by the mask and makeup as the mean old grandmother who raises Karen. The cast and crew do an admirable job in telling a story. Julee Cruise is hidden behind a mask as an old bag character who gives the raggedy red shoes. Too bad, we didn't see more of her character.