The Grimm Variations

The series reimagines six Grimm fairy tales through unsettling and modern angles.

Rather than retelling the familiar stories straight, it asks what might happen if the “happy” versions were hiding stranger truths.

The featured tales are Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Bremen Town Musicians, and The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Each episode has a different director, giving every story its own mood and visual personality.

The result is an omnibus-style series where fairy-tale logic meets psychological unease and social satire.

The framing story follows Jacob and Wilhelm, who are compiling folktales collected from across the land.

Their younger sister Charlotte listens to these stories and begins questioning the versions her brothers accept.

What if Cinderella was not simply a victim of cruelty?

What if there were many wolves, and Little Red Riding Hood was not an ordinary girl?

What if Gretel was actually Hansel’s imaginary friend?

What if borrowing the help of tiny shoemakers did not guarantee happiness?

What happens to a band of animals after they unite to defeat a common enemy?

And what became of the children taken away by the Pied Piper?

Through Charlotte’s imagination, each tale is twisted into a darker variation.

The series uses these new interpretations to explore desire, fear, conflict, and the uncomfortable sides of human nature.

The project was first announced on June 15, 2021, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival under the working title “Grimm” Project.

At that time, Netflix revealed that CLAMP would provide character concept art, Michiko Yokote would write the scripts, and WIT Studio would handle animation production.

The official title, The Grimm Variations, and its Netflix release date were announced on March 22, 2024.

A key visual, trailer, main staff, and cast information followed on March 23, 2024.

The series premiered exclusively on Netflix on April 17, 2024.

It consists of six episodes.

Original platform and production: Netflix.

Animation production: WIT Studio.

Screenplay: Michiko Yokote.

Character concept designs: CLAMP.

Music: Akira Miyagawa.

Sound director: Norisuke Koizumi.

Producers: George Wada and Daiki Sakurai.

The series also features different directors and design teams for individual episodes.

Prologue and Epilogue: Yutaro Kubo and Satomi Maiya.

These segments frame the anthology through Jacob, Wilhelm, and Charlotte.

Episode 1, “Cinderella”: directed by Yoko Kanamori.

This version turns the well-known tale into something more suspicious and emotionally sharp.

Episode 2, “Little Red Riding Hood”: directed by Yasuhiro Akamatsu.

It reworks the predator-and-prey setup with a more dangerous psychological edge.

Episode 3, “Hansel and Gretel”: directed by Junichiro Hashiguchi.

The episode questions memory, companionship, and the boundary between reality and imagination.

Episode 4, “The Elves and the Shoemaker”: directed by Yumi Kamakura.

It explores whether help from mysterious forces is truly a blessing.

Episode 5, “The Bremen Town Musicians”: directed by Masato Takeuchi.

The story looks at what comes after a group wins a shared struggle.

Episode 6, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”: directed by Shintaro Nakazawa.

It follows the lingering mystery of the children taken away by the piper.

Episode 1: Cinderella

This episode is based on Cinderella.

It is directed and storyboarded by Yoko Kanamori.

The animation direction includes work by Ayumi Nishihata, Kumiko Numata, Miya Takaku, Yuko Yamamoto, Kyohei Tezuka, and Naoko Takahashi.

Naohiro Osugi serves as chief animation director.

Episode 2: Little Red Riding Hood

This episode is based on Little Red Riding Hood.

It is directed and storyboarded by Yasuhiro Akamatsu.

Animation direction is credited to Kumiko Numata, Yuko Yamamoto, Miya Takaku, Marc Galang, and Zhang Shaowei.

Naohiro Osugi serves as chief animation director.

Episode 3: Hansel and Gretel

This episode is based on Hansel and Gretel.

Junichiro Hashiguchi handles the storyboard, with Hashiguchi and Tomohiro Matsukawa directing the episode.

Animation direction is credited to Aiko Minowa, Marc Galang, Yuko Yamamoto, Miya Takaku, Kumiko Numata, and Taku Hoshino.

Naohiro Osugi serves as chief animation director.

Episode 4: The Elves and the Shoemaker

This episode is based on The Elves and the Shoemaker.

Yumi Kamakura and Shinsaku Sasaki are credited for the storyboard, while Kamakura directs the episode.

Animation direction is credited to Mariko Ishikawa, Mai Yonekawa, Kazumasa Orii, Satoshi Nagura, and Takahiro Katagiri.

Production I.G is credited for production cooperation.

Episode 5: The Bremen Town Musicians

This episode is based on The Bremen Town Musicians.

Masato Takeuchi and Nobuhiko Obito are credited for the visual storyboard.

The episode is directed by Shinya Kawabe, Aya Mikami, Yasuhiro Akamatsu, and Junichiro Hashiguchi.

Animation direction is credited to Naohiro Osugi, Aiko Minowa, Kumiko Numata, Miya Takaku, and Taku Hoshino.

Episode 6: The Pied Piper of Hamelin

This episode is based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

It is directed and storyboarded by Shintaro Nakazawa.

Animation direction is credited to Satoshi Nagura.

Production I.G is credited for production cooperation.

A manga adaptation of The Grimm Variations was serialized on Magazine Pocket from April 17 to May 29, 2024.

The original work is credited to Netflix, and the manga is illustrated by Hiroshi Megumi.

The manga was published by Kodansha under the KC Deluxe label.

It was completed in two volumes, collecting all six stories.

Volumes

Upper Volume: released on May 9, 2024.

It includes “Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” and “Hansel and Gretel.”

Lower Volume: released on July 9, 2024.

It includes “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” “The Bremen Town Musicians,” and “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.”

Netflix: The Grimm Variations.

IMDb: The Grimm Variations.

WIT Studio: official work page.

Magazine Pocket: manga page.