The Red Shoes is a 1983 TV movie where Hans Christian Andersen tells his titular original story to his young friend, Karen Sorensen. The tale is told through the actors being dressed up as Karen's dolls with the tone getting darker and darker as the film goes on.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: Don't let material things get in the way of more important things. Especially when said things are your loved ones.
- Historical Domain Character: Hans Christian Andersen, the famous fairy-tale writer, is a character in the movie.
- Jerk With A Heartof Gold: Karen starts off as an unpleasant brat but at the movie goes on, she shoes to be a nice girl who regrets her bad actions.
- Let Me Tell You a Story: Hans tells a story to Karen to make her change her selfish ways.
- Proper Lady: Story Karen's adopted mother, called the Rich Lady, is a Grande Dame who teaches Story Karen how to be a proper lady, feminine, demure etc.
- Spoiled Brat: Karen Sorensen is a spoiled little girl from the start as she tricks her mother into giving her money to buy candy and other frivolous things. Not only that but she plays sick to get out of school. Yet, she does have traits of getting better when she feels guilty for her behavior and tells her mother the truth. She also genuinely felt sorry for Story Karen when her mother died.
- Story Within a Story: Hans Christian Andersen comes to the Sorensen's house to tell Karen a story to "cure" her.
- Vanity Is Feminine:
- In the beginning, Karen tells her doll, Rag-Face, that her reason for existence is to be beautiful.
- Story Karen who keeps on wearing the gorgeous red shoes even after it began possessing her feet.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Karen calls Hans out for his harsh story when he has the angel to not forgive Story Karen's sins.
