The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) Ballerina: Part 1 (1966) User Reviews

This should be available to buy!

[Colin Roth · 10/10 · 10 September 2000]

I haven't seen this film since seeing it in a shabby little cinema in London in 1965, as the second feature to Lady & the Tramp! But its wonderful, sentimental portrayal of a child's longing to be a great dancer has remained in my memory all these years. What's far more important, though, is that it captured fragments of dancing by the Royal Danish Ballet, one of the world's greatest companies, at one of their moments of glory (they're having another one now, in 2000!). Kirsten Simone, for example, was a little girl when the film was made and is now one of the company's greatest character dancers, still entrancing on stage as well as a dancer of the most impressive technical command. This film should be available to buy - ideally as a dvd, with a documentary, please. Disney, are you listening?

Disney - Please put this on DVD or video!

[jenkinsm-1 · 11 December 2002]

Perhaps Disney hasn't looked at this item for a while, but given the rarity of ballet films and the caliber of the performers in this production, they need to think about putting this one on tape or DVD and giving the public a chance to enjoy it. First broadcast 35 years ago, Ballerina is the story of a young girl who wants to dance but is urged by her family to have a "real life" outside the world of ballet. Although some of the plot twists are improbable, this tension between the artistic and the pragmatic choices still exists. Ask any family where a child has performance ambitions and the parents are concerned about the difficulties of a competitive artistic life. The film uses real dancers in the dancing roles, including Henning Kronstam, Kirsten Simone and Mette Honnigen of the Royal Danish Ballet, and those three were in their prime. Although the choreographic excerpts are unexceptional, the dancers themselves need to be seen by the current ballet-going audience. Please, Disney - properly remastered and advertised, this material will find a market!

Wonderful Movie,Impossible To See Now!!!!

[mrsmel · 10/10 · 11 January 2006]

Great movie ,suitable for adults and young people,back from the days when Disney credited both with some intelligence. Mette Honnigen as the ballet student whose mother opposes her desire to be a ballerina,and a fiancé who'd rather she married him. Features some lovely ballet performances from the Royal Danish Ballet in its heyday. Also starring Kirsten Simone as the prima ballerina,who becomes Mette's mentor. Filmed In Denmark,with beautiful sets(love Mette's home),and picture-postcard scenery. It's too bad that Disney changed its TV programming to vacuous cookie-cutter "tween" shows and assembly-line "stars"-and gives its narrowly-targeted current audience credit for the IQ and attention span of a gnat. Because that means that they stashed away movies like this one that had a universal appeal to all ages. If you can find it,see it,and if not,"thank" Disney and good luck getting them to release it.

Please put this on DVD...WONDERFUL

[jfergy · 10/10 · 29 May 2009]

This is such an amazing film. I first saw this when I was about 2 or 3 years old (it's a great film for children and adults). My mom recorded it off the TV one night back in the early 80's. I literally watched it everyday growing up. I couldn't get enough of it. It's what started me dancing and I ended up pursue dance as a career. I still have the VHS recording but it so old. This would be so wonderful to have available to the public! The music is so brilliant (Swan Lake, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty), the dancing is just lovely, and the story is so sweet. It's where I first learned all of the music to the classic ballets. It's truly wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Delightful and charming family movie!

[alicebee · 21 July 2002]

I first saw "Ballerina" as a young girl who, like most eight-year olds, wanted to be a ballerina or a nurse or a fairy princess. It was showing several times and after seeing it once I was so hooked I begged my mother to record it the next time it came on (twenty years later I still have that video tape). As a child I was entranced by the ballet scenes and the music throughout the production. As an adult, I'm enchanted by the storyline and the deeper themes of hard work and accomplishment. Mette is a young girl whose heart belongs to ballet, but whose loyalties are torn between her commitment to the Royal Danish Ballet, and her parents. Her mother wants Mette to leave the ballet company and live her life the way a young girl should, fun and fancy free. Mette seeks advice and wisdom from her mentor, Kirsten Holmes, an internationally famous ballerina who sees that Mette has the potential to follow in her footsteps. At the same time, Mette is being pestered by a younger student, Ingrid, who believes that Mette is the greatest dancer in the company and wants Mette to tutor her. On top of it all, Mette's love interest, Sven, is also vying for some of her attention. Mette is perfectly happy being part of the woodwork and doesn't want to stand out, but is offered the lead role in a very big production and is honored to accept, but afraid of the amount of hard work it will require. With the gentle encouragement of Kirsten, and the infectious hopefulness of Ingrid, Mette is able to realize her dreams and finds that her success was well worth the effort. The basic plot is simple: you can achieve anything you set your mind to. The dance scenes, performed by the Royal Danish Ballet, are superb and the plot is entrancing. This movie has a special place in my heart because I'm Danish and I love to see any footage of Danmark, but I also enjoy the theme of the film. I was enchanted with this movie as a child and am still under its spell. Viewers of every age are sure to share these same feelings about this delightful and charming family movie!