Now Streaming: FUTURE FOLKTALES, Retelling Arabian Stories For All Ages

The Middle-East, from a future perspective.

Future Folktales
Now streaming on HiDive and VRV. New episodes are scheduled to be available in the U.S. every Friday evening.

Telling a story from Arabian folklore, the first episode is compact and energetic, though it's perhaps best appreciated by very young audiences. Here's the synopsis, per streaming service HiDive:

"In 2050 Riyadh, a grandmother named Asma takes her cherished grandchildren on a whirlwind journey to the past, showcasing the heritage and history of the Arabian Peninsula through retellings of the region's most beloved folktales.

"With the help of their robotic cat, Anis, the children learn that their modern-day dilemmas are no match for the words of wisdom passed from generation to generation through their grandmother's fascinating stories."

The animation is not overly polished, but I was caught up in the story, which is framed with the grandmother telling the ancient story of a young woman who is mistrusted by the new-ish ruler. I haven't been able to locate an official trailer or clip, which would communicate the visuals more effectively than I can describe them, but if you already have the HiDive service, it's worth checking out.

And if you don't have HiDive, they offer a 30 day free trial. Personally, I am subscribed to VRV, which bundles a variety of (mostly) animated streaming services together, including HiDive; they tend toward more mature sensibilities, as far as I've seen in my sampling so far, but, again, it's 30 days of free streaming as a trial, if that sounds appealing.

Now Streaming covers international and indie genre films and TV shows that are available on legal streaming services.