Dismissed from the war and with no place in the world, a soldier accepts a dangerous bargain: seven years without washing, combing, or praying. In those hard years, he will discover who can see beyond appearances.

In a castle wrapped in briars, a princess sleeps a hundred-year sleep, and the whole kingdom sleeps with her, waiting for the right day to wake.

By her mother's grave, Cinderella plants a little hazel twig, and it grows into a tree full of secrets. When the king proclaims a three-day festival, the little birds of the tree come to her aid in ways no one expects.

A poor father, with his thirteenth child in his arms, sets out on the highway to find the boy a godfather. The godfather he chooses will make his son a famous physician — but every gift comes with a warning.

Left deep in the forest, Hansel and Grethel come upon a little house built of bread, with a roof of cake and windows of clear sugar. Getting in is easy; finding the way home again will take all the wits and trust they have.

A princess who mocks every suitor finds herself married to a poor fiddler, and far from the palace she slowly discovers that a good heart is worth more than appearances.

With a piece of cake and a bottle of wine in her apron, a little girl in a red velvet cap sets off through the forest to visit her sick grandmother. On the way she meets a smooth-talking wolf, and the woods hold more surprises than she knows.

A girl with skin as white as snow must flee the castle, and finds shelter in the little house of seven dwarfs, high in the mountains. But the envious queen owns a looking-glass that knows everything, and this girl's story is far from over.

When she falls down a well, a hardworking girl finds herself in an enchanted meadow and meets Mother Holle, an old woman with big teeth and a kind heart, who knows how to reward those who do their work well.

Shut away in a high tower deep in the forest, a girl with long golden braids sings to keep loneliness at bay, until one day someone hears her voice.

A donkey, a hound, a cat, and a rooster, all grown old and turned out of their homes, set off together for Bremen, where they dream of becoming town-musicians. Along the way, they discover that together nothing can stop them.

A proud princess challenges her suitors with riddles no one can solve. Then along comes a little tailor whom nobody takes seriously — but who has the sharpest head in the kingdom.

A princess drops her golden ball into a deep well, and the one who offers to fetch it is a frog, asking in return for a promise she never imagines will matter so much.

Dummling, the youngest of three brothers, shares his simple meal with a little grey-haired old man in the forest. In return he is given a goose with feathers of pure gold — and wherever that goose goes, a very funny procession begins to grow.

One winter morning, beneath a juniper tree, a mother makes a wish from the depths of her heart. From that wish grows an old, old tale of sorrow, hope, and a bird whose song no one can forget.

Six brothers are turned into swans by an enchantment, and their youngest sister takes on a long, silent task to bring them home, carried by love and faith.

On washing day, a young princess finds twelve shirts that cannot be her father's, and learns she has twelve brothers she has never met. To find them — and later to save them — she will need a courage that is quiet and patient.

After striking down seven flies at one blow, a little tailor embroiders the feat on his belt and sets out into the world. Giants, a unicorn, a wild boar: to a quick mind, no challenge seems too great.

Before leaving for the forest, the mother goat warns her seven little kids to beware of the wolf. But the wolf is cunning and knows how to disguise himself, and the little ones will need sharp eyes and ears.

A poor couple wish for a child, and their wish comes true in the most unexpected way: a boy no bigger than a thumb, clever and brave, who sets out into the wide world on surprising adventures.