10th Kingdom - The Epic Miniseries Event

When I first saw this on television, back in the Dark Ages when it was originally released, I was completely enchanted. I never had the opportunity to watch it again until I happened to find that it was available on DVD last year - either it hadn't been out previously or I had just somehow managed to miss it in past searches. My boyfriend is severely ADHD, so getting him to sit all the way through an hour-long televisionshow is usually difficult, and a 2 hour movie is so traumatic for him to be even relatively still for that I hadn't really pushed him that much toward watching all of the movies that I love, but that he has never seen before. This holds true particularly as our tastes vary so widely when it comes to the genres and types of things we each prefer to watch - it's difficult (not to mention unkind) to force someone to watch something you suspect they will probably hate, no matter how much you may love it. But when I got this, I was completely emphatic. He HAD to watch it. And I didn't give out my usual "if you're not interested in the first hour, we'll stop it" because I remembered that this is fairly slow to start (take note of this if you've never seen it before), and you have to really force yourself to pay attention thru the first couple of episodes (at least) before it gets to the point where you're involved in the story. He acquiesced and managed to sit still during all of the beginning stuff, which I tried to help make interesting with things like the "wolf scratch" (which has become a little code we use to one another in public now) and really playing up the entrance of the Trolls. I was frankly amazed by how much I remembered after only one viewing well over a decade ago, but this is a memorable movie, with memorable characters, and VERY memorable performances by a plethora of outstanding actors. My guy managed to make it thru the first 2 or 3 hours, and ended up loving it so much that I now never know when I may be told to "Go suck an elf!" or see a wolf scratch from across a crowded room. He's even mentioned wanting to watch it again sometime this year!I'm not going to try and review things like the quality of the DVD or whether the sound measures up to some particular standard. The only thing that I will say is that when you're ordering it, be careful and be sure that you're ordering the entire miniseries AS IT WAS FIRST AIRED IN 2000. It was released both on VHS and DVD in cut-down versions - cutting out a total of 2 hours from the whole 10 hour movie - that supposedly didn't contain anything that would change the plot, but which I've read elsewhere changes the entire experience significantly. After all, you can't easily cut out nearly a quarter of a film and not take out something important! The DVD that I'm reviewing also has a bonus feature by John Larroquette that takes you to all of the amazing places they took the cast and crew in order to give this film the true "fairy-tale" look that sets it apart from other movies. Aside from this one piece of practicality that I felt I needed to include as a "buyer beware", this movie, for me, is entirely about escaping our world and going far away into another. My only regret is that after the passing of so much time since this was created, the likelihood of the sequel that was alluded to (or at least the door left open for) in the final episode is fairly slim. Although you never know - one of our heroes here is currently doing a quite commendable stint as a very long-lived character from the land of King Arthur on a television series, so anything is possible. After all, if Trolls can still be Stayin' Alive, then I will cheerfully keep my fingers crossed that The 10th Kingdom may still be revisited, and even Cinderella might still put on her dancing slippers one more time!If you have never seen this, I hope that the above told you just enough to whet your interest without spoiling anything, and if you watched it long ago and are considering whether it might be worth giving it another try - do so. If you didn't care for it then remember that tastes and interests can change drastically over time, and if you did like it but had just sort of forgotten about it, you'll find it well worth a 2nd (and 3rd and maybe even 4th!) viewing.

Love this show, definitely watching it more than 5 time.

I've owned the original "10th Kingdom" DVD set for more than 10 years now and have watched it many times, so I mainly bought this newer 2013 edition as a back up (because at such a low cost, why not?). I've run through the discs to see if there are any differences in this new edition, and yes, there are some differences.The main thing that I noticed right away is the presentation of the episodes: in the original DVD set, there where 3 discs, with the opening titles at the beginning of the first disc only, and the mini-series was presented as one, very long movie. In this new set, there are still three discs, but the story is presented in the way they were aired - as 5 separate parts. I personally would have liked the mini-series to be presented the same way as the older DVDs, but at least this new set allows the viewer to enjoy the opening titles with each episode (and those titles are amazing, I doubt anyone'd get sick of it).The Special Features in the new set are fewer than the older set, but really, that won't matter much. The 20 minute making-of featurette is identical in both editions (it appears to have been a promo for the mini-series on NBC) and it's got some fun bloopers and such - It was the only special feature worth viewing on the old DVD set, so you really aren't missing out on anything here. The featurette is on the last disc instead of the first, but is not labeled at all.The menu screens are fairly simple, containing the chapter selections (there are surprisingly few - about 6 chapters per 1.5 hour episode) and the 2 episodes.The packaging is why I gave this item four stars. It is the most unusual DVD case I've seen. The case is the size of an average single DVD case, which is great, but the discs are held in separate paper sleeves, which are housed in a squarish plastic mold that holds the sleeve corners. You'll have to be pretty careful with the sleeve because if the corners get worn or flimsy, the plastic case will do no good. I really don't understand the logic here.Overall, I definitely recommend this DVD set. It's a great deal for a 7-and-a-half hour adventure with comedy, drama, a few scares, and a romance fit for a fairy tale. You can't beat the price, and the whole thing is pretty family appropriate (see other reviews for more details on content). It's presented in Full-Screen (it was made for TV, so there probably won't ever be a Wide-Screen release), and the picture is clear.The main plot is about a young woman and her dad after they magically travel to a land where the classic fairy tales actually happened. They try to find their way back home, but they've got a prince who was transformed into a dog as their companion, a half-wolf who's loyalties are complicated, and a mercenary hunter after them all. If you like modern storytelling with throwbacks to classic fairy and folk tales - complete with an evil stepmother! - you'll love this movie!UPDATE: I reviewed the picture quality of a certain scene to answer a question in the comments, and the picture quality seems to be pretty good for a DVD (I played it in my BluRay player on a high-def screen), but in doing so, I realized two things, both negative.First, the packaging is annoying! What I thought at first was just unusual has become frustrating and tedious. Switching discs is cumbersome, and without good lighting, good luck getting everything in/out of the sleeves and case.Second, I was trying to jump to a scene on disc one, Part Two, by using the scene selection feature, but it turns out that selecting any scene from Part Two would take you to the same scene number, but in Part One! I was trying to get to the Snow White Cottage scene, but would be taken to the prison scenes from the other episode... Seemed a bit of a sloppy mistake, but one that would probably never really hinder your enjoyment of the show.I have decided that I actually prefer the layout on the old set, where the whole miniseries is presented as one long movie, rather than this newer set's presentation of each episode separately. For newcomers to the series or the DVD, this won't matter at all, so if you're in doubt, the pros outnumber the cons - Buy it!

I saw this on TV YEARS ago! I loved it then. Bought it seven years ago but in moving lost it. So glad that I own it again. It’s such a fun story and a great take on the classical fairytales!

I cannot tell you how many times I rented this series from the library.My mom and I fell in love, then my younger sister did as well.The characters are filled with homes/dreams and flaws that are easy to connect with.The costume and set design is lovely, and you feel like if you find JUST the right mirror... you may be able to step through and go on a fantasy adventure yourself.

This is a long 10 hour movie. It’s a classic for my family though. I remember when I watched this with my mom when I was a kid, waiting each week for the next part to release. Good throwback.

Have been wanting to wAtch this for ages, kept missing it in TV. Having recently got multi region player so took opportunity. My kids loved it too. Easy storyline very entertaining . Delivery quicker then expected.

Fantastic series one of my favourites. This has such a great storyline and I just wish they had made another follow up series there is so much further they can go with this.

A lovely nostalgic and cheesy series. Loved this when it first come out and now I get to keep it :)

I am disappointed I cannot play this on any of my dvd players because of the region settings.It is a great series though

Thanks