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Original Hansel and Gretel
Collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm from German descent, Hansel and Gretel are the children of a poor woodcutter and an evil mother who tricks them into leaving them in the woods to fend for themselves so that the husband and wife don't of starve to death. The children are lured in by a cannibalistic witch and they use their wits to defeat the witch by shoving her into her oven. This story promotes the message of not trusting strangers and using the resources around you. -
Hansel and Gretel Opera
The Hansel and Gretel Opera was composed by Engelbert Humperdinck and was first performed in 1893 and still continues to be performed to this day. Hansel and Gretel are sent into the Dark Woods to go fetch strawberries, until they get lost and are met by The Sandman and The Dew Fairy who help them along their way until they are met by Rosina Tastymuzzle, the evil witch. The children defeat the witch and learn that like the original story, the dangers of strangers. -
Looney Tunes: "Bewitched Bunny"
Bugs Bunny sees Witch Hazel luring 2 children into her house to cook and eat. Posing as a police officer, Bugs saves the day but outwits him by putting him into a deep sleep to eat him. Oddly, Prince Charming walks in and wakes him up with a kiss. Thankfully, Bugs uses a potion to turn her in a beautiful, yet evil bunny. During the end of the episode, Bugs says "but aren't they all witches on the inside?" which sparks the message that beauty is only skin deep. -
The True Story of Hansel and Gretel
In this novel by Louise Murphy, two children are sent into the woods for safety by their father and step mother during the last few months of the Nazi occupation in Poland. In the woods, they meet an old women named Magda who is often referred to as a "witch" by the nearby villagers. Magda is determined to protect them from the evil and teaches the children to not judge a book by its cover. -
Grimm: "Organ Grinder"
As Portland's homeless youth start to go missing, Nick (a cop) uncovers a deadly black market supplying the supernatural world with human organs for all types of potions. As the investigation heightens, Nick and his girlfriend befriend a pair of homeless siblings, Hanson and Gracie whose friends have gone missing who later on also get kidnapped by their clinic nurse. Gracie, using her necklace beads as a trail, leads the police force to save them. This episode proves that people can deceive you. -
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Years later, orphans Hansel and Gretel have become famous witch hunters after their defeat of the Evil Witch as children. When eleven children go missing in a small village, the Mayor summons Hansel and Gretel to rescue them. Along the way the siblings discovery secrets about themselves like Gretel is a White Witch, her mother was a Grand White Witch and their parents left them in the woods to protect them from evil. In the end of the battle, they learned that revenge doesn't change the past.
