1987 film

Rumpelstiltskin (1987): The Movie Everyone Is Looking For

Rumpelstiltskin (1987) is a G-rated musical from Cannon’s Movie Tales series, directed by David Irving and starring Billy Barty and Amy Irving. It is getting a second life because people think the viral AI tiptoe clip came from it. It did not, but the film is worth knowing.

A blank vintage video cassette beside a fairy-tale book, crown and gold thread (AI-generated illustration)

At a glance

Director and screenplay: David Irving. Producers: Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
Billy Barty plays Rumpelstiltskin, in his only lead role; Amy Irving plays Katie, the miller’s daughter.
Released in 1987 (Los Angeles opening April 10), 84 minutes, rated G. Filmed in Tel Aviv and Jaffa, Israel.
It is a musical, with songs by Max Robert. The viral AI tiptoe dance is not a scene from it.

What the film is

Cannon Group made a run of live-action fairy-tale musicals in the late 1980s, released as Cannon Movie Tales. Rumpelstiltskin was one of them: a faithful, family-friendly telling of the Grimm story with songs, filmed on a budget of about $2 million in Israel. It opened in Los Angeles in April 1987 and screened at Cannes that May.

The story on screen

Katie, a miller’s daughter, is boasted about by her father until the greedy king locks her in a room of straw and orders her to spin it into gold. A tiny man appears and does it for her, three nights in a row, and the price rises each time until he asks for her firstborn child. Later, as queen, she can only keep her baby by guessing his name.

Read the original Grimm story

A family production

The film is a small Irving family affair: David Irving directed and wrote it, his sister Amy Irving stars as Katie, and their mother Priscilla Pointer plays the Queen. Steven Spielberg, then married to Amy Irving, visited the set.

Full cast and crew

Why it is trending now

In autumn 2026 an AI-generated clip of a tiny Rumpelstiltskin tiptoe dancing, styled like an 80s fantasy film, went viral. Many viewers assumed it was a scene from the 1987 movie and searched for “1987 Rumpelstiltskin”. The clip is AI-made; the film has no such scene.

The meme, explained

Other Rumpelstiltskin films people mix up

Faerie Tale Theatre’s 1982 episode with Hervé Villechaize and Shelley Duvall; a 1985 Canadian animated special narrated by Christopher Plummer; the 1995 horror film with Max Grodénchik; Rumplestiltskin in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, played by Robert Carlyle; the villain of Shrek Forever After (2010); and a 2025 UK horror film directed by Andy Edwards.

Quick facts

Title: Rumpelstiltskin (Cannon Movie Tales)
Year: 1987 (Cannes, May 1987; Los Angeles opening April 10, 1987; New York June 12, 1987)
Director / writer: David Irving
Producers: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus
Music and lyrics: Max Robert
Runtime / rating: 84 minutes, G
Filmed in: Tel Aviv and Jaffa, Israel (from March 1986)
Studio: Cannon International; distributed by Cannon Releasing

FAQ

Rumpelstiltskin (1987 movie) FAQ

Is the tiptoe dance in the 1987 Rumpelstiltskin?

No. The viral tiptoe clip is AI-generated in 2026. It imitates an 80s fantasy-film look but is not a scene from the 1987 movie.

Who plays Rumpelstiltskin in the 1987 film?

Billy Barty. Amy Irving plays Katie, Clive Revill the King and John Moulder-Brown the Prince.

Is Rumpelstiltskin (1987) a musical?

Yes. It has songs by Max Robert, including “My Name Is Rumpelstiltskin” and “I’m Greedy”.

Where can I watch it?

Availability changes often. See our where-to-watch page for the legal options listed in October 2026.

Want to be the one tiptoeing?

Two photos, one button, about four minutes. Credits are returned automatically when a render fails.

Make my tiptoe video