- season ▁episode ▁" The ▁Winter ' s ▁T ale " ▁also ▁won ▁the ▁" Out standing ▁Ind ividual ▁Ach iev ement ▁in ▁An imation " ▁at ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁Em mys . ▁The ▁episodes ▁continue ▁to ▁be ▁used ▁in ▁schools ▁as ▁teaching ▁a ids , ▁especially ▁when ▁introdu cing ▁children ▁to ▁Shakespeare ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁time . ▁However , ▁the ▁series ▁has ▁been ▁crit iqu ed ▁for ▁the ▁large ▁number ▁of ▁scenes ▁cut ▁to ▁make ▁the ▁episodes ▁shorter ▁in ▁length . ▁▁ ▁In ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁the ▁series ▁a ired ▁on ▁H BO ▁and ▁featured ▁live - action ▁introdu ctions ▁by ▁Robin ▁Williams . ▁ ▁Development ▁ ▁Cre ation ▁The ▁series ▁was ▁conce ived ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 9 ▁by ▁Christopher ▁Grace , ▁head ▁of ▁animation ▁at ▁S 4 C . ▁Grace ▁had ▁previously ▁worked ▁with ▁So y uz mult film ▁on ▁an ▁animated ▁version ▁of ▁the ▁Wel sh ▁fol kt ale ▁cycle , ▁the ▁M ab in og ion , ▁and ▁he ▁turned ▁to ▁them ▁again ▁for ▁the ▁Shakespeare ▁project , ▁feeling ▁" if ▁we ▁were ▁going ▁to ▁animate ▁Shakespeare ▁in ▁a ▁thirty - min ute ▁format , ▁then ▁we ▁had ▁to ▁go ▁to ▁a ▁country ▁that ▁we ▁knew ▁cre atively ▁and ▁artist ically ▁could ▁actually ▁deliver . ▁And ▁in ▁my ▁view , ▁fran k ly , ▁there ▁was ▁only ▁one ▁country ▁that ▁could ▁do ▁it ▁in ▁the ▁style ▁that ▁we ▁wanted , ▁that ▁came ▁at ▁it ▁from ▁a ▁different ▁angle , ▁a ▁country ▁to ▁whom