When people think about Disney in the 1980s, there are a few things that seem to almost instantly come to mind. The biggest might just be the start of the Disney Renaissance. While that wouldn’t fully take hold until the 1990s, the release of The Little Mermaid in 1989 started things off beautifully. People also think about iconic animated television, like 1987’s DuckTales and even the expansion of the Disney Channel. But there are some things about Disney in the 1980s that we’ve largely forgotten and that includes what might just be one of the scariest things to ever hit Disney Channel — and it’s all thanks to Tim Burton.
In 1983, the Disney Channel aired a television special, Hansel and Gretel. The live-action short film was remarkably faithful to the original Brothers Grimm story, but also had some vibrant, unique elements that took the short film from mere adaptation to something completely different. It’s a project that is simultaneously nothing that you would expect from Burton and exactly what you’d expect, but it only aired twice before largely disappearing — and it’s still one of the creepiest things that has ever hit television meant for children.
Most people know the story of Hansel and Gretel. They’re the young children of a poor toymaker (or woodcutter, depending on version) and when the toymaker remarries, his evil wife absolutely hates the children so the kids end up abandoned in the woods to fend for themselves. They end up happening upon a house in the woods that is built of delicious food and, hungry and exhausted, they start to eat. The house belongs to an elderly woman who turns out to be an evil witch and the house is a trap to lure the children in so she can cook and eat them. The kids end up outsmarting her and make it home safely. All’s well that ends well for everyone (except the witch.) It’s admittedly a dark story but one with a good ending.
Now, Burton’s special remains faithful to the story, but he make some serious creative changes. While Hansel and Gretel is a German fairy tale, Burton gave his take an entirely East Asian cast. He also included some wild elements in the story, including a kung fu fight between Hansel and Gretel and the evil witch (the evil witch uses candy canes as nun chucks, no I am not kidding, it’s great.) The short film also features an interesting musical moment where a character named Dan Dan the Gingerbread Man sings a cover of “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart. It is very weird. it is so weird, but really taking things next level is that Vincent Price is the host.
Now, while the Asian influences sound very cool — and they are, that kung fu fight is wild and unexpected — the whole thing is also the stuff of nightmare fuel. While there special has design and elements that fans of Burton’s later work will easily recognize as early versions of his distinctive style, the puppetry is downright creepy. The bird that leads them to the witch’s cabin is odd and robotic, the design of the witch’s cabin quite literally looks like a face with teeth (Hansel points that out, too) and then there’s Dan Dan. If you were thinking this gingerbread man was like, a tall, full-size creature you would be wrong. He’s small, has bug eyes, and creeps up on a captive Hansel and almost tries to seduce him into eating him. If you’re a kid in the 1980s, this is the stuff of nightmare fuel — and frankly, it’s still the stuff of nightmare fuel as an adult.
But for as unique and artistic, and in some regards absolutely delightful as Hansel and Gretel is, it seemingly just vanished for a long time. The special aired only twice on the Disney Channel — October 29th and October 31st the year it was released. It later got a screening as part of a Burton exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 2009 and then again in Paris in 2012 and a few other times around the world in 2016, 2017, and 2018. But in terms of easy availability, there’s never been a DVD release or a streaming release. It has surfaced on YouTube. It’s a wild watch that comes in at just under 35 minutes, the puppets will freak you out, and if you were an 80s kid who saw this broadcast back in the day you probably needed therapy after. But it’s also interesting to see how far Burton’s work has come over the years while also seeing some of the origins of his best ideas. Watch it, if you dare.
Did you see Burton’s Hansel and Gretel back in the day or did you find it on YouTube? How freaked out were you by Dan Dan? Let us know in the comments.
