TV Reviews : ‘Red Shoes’ an Update of the Andersen Classic

Michael Sporn consistently produces some of the most charming animation for children seen in America, and “The Red Shoes,” which airs tonight at 7:30 on HBO, maintains his standard of quality. With its bright watercolor backgrounds, appealing voices and gently didactic tone, “The Red Shoes” offers children and parents a chance to spend a rewarding half-hour together.

Maxine Fisher’s screenplay softens Hans Christian Andersen’s harsh parable of vanity (this heroine doesn’t have her feet cut off to escape the enchanted dancing shoes), and moves the story to a lower-middle class black neighborhood in modern New York.

When her parents win a fortune in the lottery, the once pleasant Lisa becomes a greedy brat who snubs her best friend, Jenny. To console the heartbroken Jenny, Alphonse, a gentle cobbler, makes her a pair of red ballet slippers. Lisa steals the slippers, which dance her back to her old neighborhood, where she learns humility and the value of friendship.

As the voice of Alphonse, Ossie Davis makes a kindly, avuncular narrator. The use of children’s voices for Lisa and Jenny and the simple designs of the characters recall the films of John and Faith Hubley. The result is a warm, understated program that makes a point but doesn’t belabor it.

Although the animation in “The Red Shoes” is as limited as anything on Saturday morning, Sporn’s shrewd direction makes it look richer and fuller. More importantly, he uses all the elements in the show--color, motion, voices and music--to advance the story. Instead of inflicting yet another formula “Garfield” special on viewers, network executives should consider giving Sporn’s work the wider exposure it deserves.

“The Red Shoes” also airs on Feb. 9, 12, 16, 24 and 28.