If you ever find yourself longing for what fantasy used to be then do yourself a favor and watch the Ash Lad series. Unlike a lot of the fantasy today that emphasizes the dark and the horrific this series is fun, wholesome, adventurous and clean. The special effects well done and traditional in the vein of movies such as labyrinth and the never ending story. The settings are quite beautiful and in some instances breathtaking and I am sure account for a majority of whatever budget they have to make these films as they do not cut corners with the beautiful locations they film in. But the best thing about the series by far are the main characters Espen and Kristin. In one of my favorite scenes Kristen ask Espen why he is always so optimistic and he simply smiles and says because I have faith - you should try it sometimes. In this particular film they both set out to find a golden castle and a fountain containing the water of life in order to revive Kristin's parents, the king and queen, who have been poisoned and to save Espen's brothers who have been falsely accused. Along the way they are both helped and hindered by many fantastic characters and creatures of lore and fairytale. Not to mention a few useful items that Espen has a tendency of just picking up!
