World Fairy Tale Series

World Fairy Tale Series (世界名作童話シリーズ・ワ～ォ！メルヘン王国) is an Italian-Japanese anime anthology series based on fairy tales and classic stories, produced by Toei Animation, Fuji Eight and Reteitalia in 1993.

Premise
It consists of 26 episodes, each one adapting a popular fairy tale or a literature classic written by a famous author such as: the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, Carlo Collodi, Lewis Carroll, Alexandre Dumas, Howard Pyle, Jonathan Swift, Johanna Spyri, L. Frank Baum, E. T. A. Hoffmann, James Halliwell-Phillipps and Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Most of the episodes follow quite closely the original source material, with some changes made to alter unhappy endings or to suit the half-hour episode run. Between 1975 and 1983 Toei had already produced a similar series: World Famous Fairy Tale Series. Some of these fairy tales had also been adapted by Toei into feature length films (Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad, The World of Hans Christian Andersen, The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina and Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp).

A variety of different artists from other Toei's popular series worked on the episodes, such as Sailor Moons director Junichi Sato and character designer Ikuko Itoh, or Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Saint Seyas composer Seiji Yokoyama.

The series premiered in France in October 1994 in a collection of VHS, and it later aired in December on France 3 (Les Contes les plus célèbres). It aired in Italy on Italia 1 from February 4 to March 1, 1995 (Le fiabe più belle), and in Japan on Fuji TV and other networks from April 7 to September 29 of the same year. However, only 21 episodes were broadcast in Japan, with the last 5 episodes being released on home video. An 8 DVD box containing 24 episodes was released in Japan by Toei Video under the title Sekai Meisaku Mukashi Banashi (世界名作昔ばなし), skipping episodes 10 and 26.

The Italian dub featured different incidental music composed by Enzo Draghi, and it served as a basis for the French, Spanish, Polish, Romanian and Greek dubs as well. The series was also popular in the Middle East, airing on Spacetoon.

Cast
• Mami Koyama as the Narrator (all episodes)

• Aya Hisakawa as Beauty (ep. 3), Morgiana (ep. 15)

• Bin Shimada as The Talking Cricket (ep. 7), The White Rabbit (ep. 14), Scarecrow (ep. 21)

• Chie Satō as Stepsister (ep. 2), 3rd Kid (ep. 13)

• Chiyoko Kawashima as Queen (ep. 11)

• Daisuke Gōri as Lamp Genie (ep. 1), Head Thief (ep. 15), M. de Treville (ep. 19)

• Daisuke Sakaguchi as Much (ep. 10), Fritz (ep. 20)

• Eiko Masuyama as Evil Queen (ep. 8)

• Hikaru Midorikawa as Prince (ep. 2), Robin Hood, Swallow (ep. 16), Prince (ep. 24)

• Hirohiko Kakegawa as Beauty's Father (ep. 3), Santa Claus (ep. 5), Friar Tuck (ep. 10), Porthos (ep. 19)

• Hiroko Emori as the Blue Fairy (ep. 7), the Duchess, the Good Witch of the North (ep. 21)

• Hisako Kyōda as Grandma (ep. 17)

• Hisao Egawa as Farmer (ep. 4), Dwarf C (ep. 8), Guy of Gisborne (ep. 10), Thief B (ep. 15)

• Ikuya Sawaki as Ogre (ep. 4), King (ep. 11), Emperor of Lilliput (ep. 18)

• Joji Yanami as Geppetto (ep. 7), Donkey (ep. 23)

• Jun'ichi Kanemaru as Prince (ep. 11)

• Junko Hagimori as Lampwick (ep. 7), Good Fairy (ep. 11), Constance (ep. 19)

• Kazue Komiya as the Queen of Hearts (ep. 14)

• Kazumi Tanaka as Father (ep. 5), Dwarf A (ep. 8), Skinny Man (ep. 12), Locksmith (ep. 15), The Tin Man (ep. 21)

• Kazunari Tanaka as Prince John (ep. 10), Cheshire Cat (ep. 14), Athos (ep. 19)

• Keiko Yamamoto as First Pig (ep. 9), Cat (ep. 23)

• Ken Yamaguchi as Cassim (ep. 15)

• Kohei Miyauchi as Drosselmeyer (ep. 20)

• Koji Totani as Magician (ep. 1), Wolf (ep. 13)

• Konami Yoshida as 7th Kid (ep. 13)

• Kōzō Shioya as King (ep. 4), Little John (ep. 10), Mouse King (ep. 20)

• Kyoko Terase as Milady de Winter (ep. 19)

• Mariko Kouda as Gretel

• Masaharu Satō as Sultan (ep. 1), King (ep. 12), King of Hearts (ep. 14), Finance Minister (ep. 18), Louis XIII (ep. 19)

• Masako Katsuki as the Wicked Witch of the West (ep. 21)

• Masato Hirano as Owner (ep. 7), Secretary (ep. 10), Prime Minister (ep. 18), Jussac (ep. 19)

• Minami Takayama as Pinocchio

• Naoki Tatsuta as Cat (ep. 7), Mad Hatter (ep. 14)

• Nobutoshi Canna as Prince (ep. 8), Aramis (ep. 19)

• Osamu Saka as Admiral (ep. 18)

• Rumi Kasahara as Alice

• Ryōtarō Okiayu as Aladdin

• Shigeru Nakahara as the March Hare

• Shinichiro Ohta as Servant A (ep. 11), Ali Baba, Rooster (ep. 23)

• Takaya Hashi as Gulliver

• Takeshi Aono as Cardinal Richelieu (ep. 19), Dog (ep. 23)

• Tesshō Genda as Wolf (ep. 17)

• Tomiko Suzuki as Hansel

• Tomoko Maruo as Miller's Son (ep. 4), 1st Kid (ep. 13), Cassim's Wife (ep. 15)

• Toshihiko Seki as D'Artagnan (ep. 19)

• Tsutomu Kashiwakura as 2nd Son (ep. 12), Nutcracker (ep. 20)

• Wakana Yamazaki as Beauty's Sister (ep. 3), Thumbelina, Princess Annabella (ep. 24)

• Yasuhiko Kawazu as Servant (ep. 2), Dwarf D (ep. 8), Big Bad Wolf (ep. 9), Hunter (ep. 17)

• Yasuhiro Takato as Puss in Boots

• Yoku Shioya as 3rd Son (ep. 12)

• Yūji Machi as Ring Genie (ep. 1), Magic Mirror (ep. 14)

• Yuka Koyama as Princess (ep. 1), Dorothy (ep. 21), Princess Lina (ep. 24)

• Yūko Minaguchi as Cinderella

• Yumi Tōma as The Little Match Girl

• Yuri Amano as Snow White

• Yuri Shiratori as Sleeping Beauty

• Yusaku Yara as the Beast (ep. 3), The Wizard (ep. 21)