The Storybook Review (Mother Goose Stories)

Mother Goose Stories

““Mother Goose Stories,” or “The Storybook Review” depending on where you’ve learned the title, is a ten minute short film encompassing four nursery rhymes, complete and unabridged. It’s also just absolutely bizarre to watch given that stop-motion animation was nowhere near as fluid as it is now, so the characters frequently have faces that melt from one expression into another. It’s not just this strange misty-faced emotive performing of the dolls that’s unnerving, but the maniacal glee that Ray Harryhausen exudes in animating the more violent and hallucinatory parts of these rhymes.   It starts off innocently enough with a storybook opening to reveal a kindly Mother Goose, and a pet goose that follow her around. This Mother Goose looks less like an Old Timey librarian a” read more