TV Reviews : HBO’s ‘Fairy Tales’ a Kick of Diversity

Fairy tales take a new and unexpectedly entertaining twist in HBO’s family series, “Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child,” beginning Sunday night with a sneak peek at three half-hour episodes.

It’s not the pedestrian character animation that gives these fairy-tale favorites--retold from a multicultural point of view--their kick, although the background art (vivid watercolor washes and ink line drawing) is worthy of note.

It’s Harry Belafonte’s velvety voice as Magic Man, trading magic beans for Jack’s cow in “Jack and the Beanstalk.” It’s Rosie Perez’s unmistakable nasal whine as the Wicked Witch in “Hansel and Gretel” and B.D. Wong’s interpretation of the Wolf as sly confidence man in “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Above all, it’s rapper Tone Loc as a riotous Giant in the African American version of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” written by Gordon Lewis. If this were a live performance, Loc’s rendition of the Giant’s self-congratulatory theme song, “Livin’ Large,” would bring down the house.

“Jack” is the highlight among Sunday’s triple-bill sampler, although the other two have their moments, particularly “Hanselito and Gretelita’s” rumba number, “Los Ninos Deliciosos,” composed and performed by Tito Larriva and Charlie Midnight, and the Chinese touches in “Little Red Happy Coat”: tai chi, herbalism, a tea house and a basket of won-ton.

“Rumpelstiltskin,” “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella” are among other familiar tales that will receive an ethnically diverse treatment in future episodes.

* “Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child” premieres at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.