A name can work wonders. If you have the right name, you can get in to elite places, meet the “right people,” the world is your oyster. The wrong name and the exact opposite can happen. In the world of film, a director’s or actor’s name brings with it certain expectations, either of excellence or drivel.

As a kid of the late 70’s and 80’s, the name “Jim Henson” carries a lot of weight. Growing up with The Muppet Show and Sesame Street made childhood a magical time. The creativity oozed off the screen, coupled with a wit and humor that is timeless. Granted, it’s been a few years since Henson prematurely left us, but the impact of his life is still felt, especially in this age of DVDs and their power of reviving old classics.

Unfortunately, none of Henson’s genius seems to have rubbed off on this DVD. You see, this isn’t just any Tortoise and Hare cartoon. This is “The Jim Henson Company Presents Unstable Fables: Tortoise Vs. Hare.” With that name, comes the expectation that this might be something good. Not even special or classic, but at least good. And it’s not. Not even close.

Beyond that, the cast of voice actors (including Danny Glover and Jay Leno) doesn’t do much to elevate the material…such as it is. Story-wise, the creators took the old tortoise vs. hare fable and revamped it. The old competitors are now parents, but still carrying the memories of that fateful race. They end up forcing their children to relive their battle in a parent/child race, the hare hoping to avenge his nemesis and the tortoise hoping to defend his crown.

Ultimately it’s a nice premise, but the execution is terrible. The computer animation is merely decent, which is not nearly enough in today’s Pixar-informed world. And the story veers into politically correct nonsense, as the new moral of the fable becomes “It doesn’t matter who wins or loses, just so long as we all get along.” Whatever happened to “Slow and steady wins the race”? I guess teaching kids a good lesson about endurance and steadfastness isn’t cool enough anymore.

At any rate, it’s sad that this is such a disappointment. There’s potential in re-imagining old fables, but this falls far short. Skip this unless you’ve got kids who are clamoring for it. And then surprise them with a season of The Muppet Show instead.