Mikhail Baryshnikov's Stories from My Childhood Season 1, Episode 2: The Wild Swans

The Snow Queen

Gerta's grandmother tells Gerta and Kai about the Snow Queen. Offended by Kai's bragging, the Snow Queen hardens his heart and then lures him to her snowy palace. Gerta tries to find the palace, but is waylaid at one place after another. As she continues to search for Kai, the Snow Queen uses winter to keep Gerta from reaching Kai before the first winter storm.

Alice and the Mystery of the Third Planet

22nd century Alice travels in space with her father and co-pilot to find rare animals for Earth preserves, and they stumble across the mystery of who has killed the repeater-birds.

Ivan and His Magic Pony

Pinocchio and the Golden Key

Cinderella & The House on Chicken Legs

A wicked old woman terrifies the forest animals into serving her. A lost girl is tricked into the woman's house but escapes.

The Twelve Months & The Snow Girl

The Twelve Months: On the last day of the old year, an old man tells orphan Christina about the unhappy girl queen. Spoiled by her power, she commands winter to leave and her subjects to bring her flowers. Christina's cruel guardian commands her to go to the cold forest in a snowstorm to find the flowers. She meets the Twelve Months in a forest, and April causes snowdrops to grow for her to pick, and gives her a ring so she can call for their help if needed. When she refuses to show the Queen the Twelve Months' hidden lake, the Queen casts away Christina's ring, and ...

The Last Petal

An old woman gives little Jenny a magic flower that will give her one wish for each of its seven petals. After she wastes six wishes on showing off and greediness, she wants something extra-special for her last wish.

When Wishes Come True

Woodcutter Antonio saves a forest fairy from a snake, and she rewards him by making any wish he speaks come true. He makes the Princess Elalie laugh and she falls in love with him, but the King cannot face having a lumberjack son-in-law and banishes them and the Chief Minister.

Beauty and the Beast (A Tale of the Crimson Flower)

A Russian folk version of "The Beauty and the Beast".

The Nutcracker

This version differs from the traditional story but still featuring Tchaikovsky's classic music as well as an original score. Marie is a servant girl, not one of the well-off children eagerly receiving gifts on Christmas Eve. She finds the broken nutcracker, Nathaniel, who comes to life when she kisses him and tells her how the wicked mouse queen enchanted him as a nutcracker. Marie is the heroine of the battle between the nutcracker prince and the mouse king. The triumphant prince is restored to his normal form and takes Marie to his magical kingdom.

The Prince and the Swan

Czar Saltan, following a haunting melody, finds three young women and married the pure-hearted youngest. While the czar is off at war, his queen gives birth to a son, but her jealous guardian and sisters fake a message ordering that they be killed at sea. The baby grows up overnight, and they land on a barren island that a swan turns into a city for the prince to rule. When the prince denounces his father, the swan turns him into an insect so he can travel to his country and see his father. As he hears of wonders at his father's court, he asks the swan for them to try...

The Golden Rooster

An aged ruler wants to end the attacks his kingdom is now suffering. A magician offers a golden rooster that will warn of attack, and the czar promises whatever the magician wants in return. After several true warnings, the czar sends his sons, one after another, to the next threat. When they do not return, the czar follows them and finds a beautiful princess who intends to take his kingdom. He brings her back to the capital to make her his bride. But when the magician returns and demands the princess as his bride, the czar refuses, ceasing to be a king who keeps his ...