Rumpelstiltskin movie: which one are you looking for?
There is no single Rumpelstiltskin movie. The best known are the 1987 Cannon musical with Billy Barty, the 1995 horror comedy with Max Grodénchik and Shrek Forever After (2010), where he is the villain. The viral tiptoe dance is from none of them.
Last updated
- Family musical
- Rumpelstiltskin (1987), Billy Barty
- Horror comedy
- Rumpelstiltskin (1995), Max Grodénchik
- Animated villain
- Shrek Forever After (2010), voiced by Walt Dohrn
- TV series
- Once Upon a Time, Robert Carlyle
- The dancing meme
- Not from a film; AI-generated in 2026
Every Version, Year by Year
The Grimm tale has been filmed since the silent era. Here is every dated screen version Wikipedia lists, plus the two that people mean most often today: Shrek’s villain and the AI meme.
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Billy Barty
- Director
- David Irving
The one with the songs. Not the one in the meme.
Full details ↓Tap a year, use the arrows, or swipe the card. Bold dots have a full entry below.
Which One Are You Thinking Of?
Most searches for “Rumpelstiltskin movie” start from a half-remembered scene. Tap what you remember and we will point at the right one.
Tap what you remember and the right Rumpelstiltskin pops up here. No idea? Roll the dice.
1955FamilyGerman fantasy filmRumpelstilzchen
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Werner Krüger
- Director
- Herbert B. Fredersdorf
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Made by
- West Germany; English dub released in the US in 1965
A straight retelling of the Grimm tale. The English-dubbed version was released in the US by K. Gordon Murray in 1965 and re-released by Paramount in 1974.
Poster: US release poster by K. Gordon Murray, via TMDB.
Full cast on IMDb (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
1982FamilyTV episode (Showtime)Faerie Tale Theatre: “Rumpelstiltskin”
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Hervé Villechaize
- Director
- Emile Ardolino
- Made by
- Showtime, first aired October 16, 1982
Episode 2 of the fairy-tale anthology series, with Shelley Duvall as the miller’s daughter and Ned Beatty as the King.
Poster: Faerie Tale Theatre home-video cover, via TMDB.
Full cast on IMDb (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
1985FamilyAnimated TV specialRumpelstiltskin
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Robert Bockstael (voice)
- Director
- Pino van Lamsweerde
- Runtime
- 25 min
- Made by
- Canada (Atkinson Film-Arts), aired on CTV
A short Canadian cartoon narrated by Christopher Plummer. Released on VHS in 1986 and on DVD in 2007.
Poster: Family Home Entertainment VHS cover, via TMDB.
Full cast on IMDb (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
1987FamilyLive-action musical fantasyRumpelstiltskin
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Billy Barty
- Director
- David Irving
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Made by
- The Cannon Group (US and Israel)
The first of Cannon’s Movie Tales in the US, with Amy Irving as Katie, the miller’s daughter. The film most often confused with the viral meme.
Poster: The Cannon Group, via Wikipedia.
Full cast on IMDb (opens in a new tab)Rumpelstiltskin 1987 and Billy BartyWikipedia (opens in a new tab)
1995Horror fansFantasy horror comedyRumpelstiltskin
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Max Grodénchik
- Director
- Mark Jones
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Made by
- United States (Republic Pictures)
Rumpelstiltskin, freed from a stone curse, stalks a widow and her baby in present-day Los Angeles. A limited release in November 1995.
Poster: Republic Pictures, via Wikipedia.
Trailer from Terror Vision, the film’s Blu-ray label, played from YouTube when you press play.
Full cast on IMDb (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
2010EveryoneAnimated comedy (Rumpelstiltskin is the villain)Shrek Forever After
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Walt Dohrn (voice)
- Director
- Mike Mitchell
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Made by
- United States (Paramount)
The fourth Shrek film, where Rumpelstiltskin tricks Shrek into a deal. This Rumpelstiltskin is behind an older, separate set of memes.
Poster: DreamWorks Animation / Paramount, via Wikipedia.
Trailer from DreamWorks (Universal Kids channel), played from YouTube when you press play.
Full cast on IMDb (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
TVTeens and upTV series (ABC)Once Upon a Time
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Robert Carlyle
- Made by
- ABC
Not a film, but a frequent answer: Carlyle plays Rumplestiltskin, who in the modern-day town is Mr. Gold.
Poster: ABC, via TMDB.
Official clip from ABC, played from YouTube when you press play.
Full cast on IMDb (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
- 2026AI-generated short clip, not a film
The tiptoe dance meme
The viral clip of Rumpelstiltskin tiptoeing in a barn was made with AI in 2026. It is not a scene from any version on this page.
The real clip, embedded from Tenor. Open on Tenor (opens in a new tab)
The Rumpelstiltskin meme explainedKnow Your Meme (opens in a new tab)
The cartoon stickers are our own illustrations of a generic imp, not stills from any of these films. Posters and covers are shown small, only to identify each film, and belong to their studios and distributors; a rights holder who wants one removed can write to contact@rumpelstiltskinmemes.com. Trailers play only from the studios’ or distributors’ own YouTube uploads.
Rumpelstiltskin 1987 vs 1995
These two share a title and a decade, which is why they get mixed up. They could hardly be more different.
| 1987 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Live-action musical fantasy | Fantasy horror comedy |
| Rumpelstiltskin | Billy Barty | Max Grodénchik |
| Lead | Amy Irving as Katie, the miller’s daughter | Kim Johnston Ulrich as Shelly, a widow in Los Angeles |
| Director | David Irving | Mark Jones |
| Studio | The Cannon Group | Republic Pictures |
| Released | April 1987 (US) | November 24, 1995 (limited) |
| Runtime | 84 minutes | 87 minutes |
| Budget | $2 million | $3 million |
| Setting | A fairy-tale kingdom | Present-day Los Angeles |
| Who it is for | Families | Horror fans |
The 1987 film has its own page, with the full cast and why it gets tied to the meme: Rumpelstiltskin 1987 and Billy Barty.
The 1995 Horror Version
In the 1995 film, a witch in 15th-century Europe turns Rumpelstiltskin into a stone figure. In present-day Los Angeles a widowed mother, Shelly, buys the stone and wishes that her late husband could meet their son. The wish frees Rumpelstiltskin, and he comes for the baby.
It was made for about $3 million and played in no more than 54 theaters, taking $306,494. Its director, Mark Jones, had started pre-production on Leprechaun 2 and chose to make this film instead.
Older and Lesser-Known Versions
Four more films appear on Wikipedia’s list of adaptations. They are rarely what people mean by “the Rumpelstiltskin movie”, and some are hard to find today.
1915 An American silent film directed by Raymond B. West.Image: a still from the film, via TMDB.
1940 A German fantasy film directed by Alf Zengerling.Image: German DVD cover, via TMDB.
1973 A Dutch film (Repelsteeltje) directed by Harry Kümel, with Rutger Hauer.Image: title card, via IMDb. IMDb (opens in a new tab)
2009 A German TV film with Gottfried John and Julie Engelbrecht.Image: TV film poster, via TMDB. IMDb (opens in a new tab)
Where to Watch
Which service carries an older film changes from month to month and country to country, so we do not list one here. JustWatch’s Rumpelstiltskin search (opens in a new tab) shows where each version streams, rents or sells where you are today.
On disc, the 1987 film came out on DVD from MGM in 2005; the 1995 film on DVD in 2001 and again in 2004; the 1985 animated special on VHS in 1986 and on DVD in 2007.
Is the Dancing Meme From a Movie?
No. The clip of Rumpelstiltskin tiptoeing through a barn was generated with AI and first posted in August 2026; it only looks like an old film. Posts that captioned it with the 1987 title are why so many people go looking for a movie. The full story is in the Rumpelstiltskin meme explained, how it spread is in the Rumpelstiltskin meme timeline, and the loops are on the Rumpelstiltskin GIF page.
Questions People Ask
How many Rumpelstiltskin movies are there?
Wikipedia lists eight films titled Rumpelstiltskin (or the German Rumpelstilzchen): 1915, 1940, 1955, 1973, 1985, 1987, 1995 and a 2009 German TV film. Add the 1982 Faerie Tale Theatre episode, Shrek Forever After (2010) and the Once Upon a Time series, and the character has been on screen at least eleven times.
Who played Rumpelstiltskin in the 1995 movie?
Max Grodénchik. The 1995 film was directed by Mark Jones, with Kim Johnston Ulrich as Shelly, the widow whose baby Rumpelstiltskin is after, and Tommy Blaze as Max.
Is the 1995 Rumpelstiltskin movie a horror movie?
Yes. It is an American fantasy horror comedy set in present-day Los Angeles, not a fairy-tale retelling for children. Republic Pictures gave it a limited release on November 24, 1995.
Is Rumpelstiltskin (1995) related to Leprechaun?
Not as a sequel. Mark Jones and producer Michael Prescott had started pre-production on Leprechaun 2 and chose to make Rumpelstiltskin instead.
Who voices Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek Forever After?
Walt Dohrn. Shrek Forever After came out in the US on May 21, 2010, directed by Mike Mitchell.
Which Rumpelstiltskin movies are made for children?
The 1987 Cannon musical with Billy Barty, the 1985 animated special narrated by Christopher Plummer, the 1982 Faerie Tale Theatre episode and the 1955 German film are all family retellings, and Shrek Forever After is an animated comedy. The 1995 version is a horror comedy.
Where can I watch the Rumpelstiltskin movie?
Streaming rights for older films change often, so check JustWatch for your country. On disc, the 1987 film came out on DVD from MGM in 2005, and the 1995 film on DVD in 2001 (Republic) and 2004 (Lionsgate).
Sources
- Rumpelstiltskin (disambiguation) (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- Rumpelstiltskin (1987 film) (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- Rumpelstiltskin (1995 film) (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- Rumpelstiltskin (1955 film) (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- Rumpelstiltskin (1985 film) (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- List of Faerie Tale Theatre episodes (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- Shrek Forever After (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- List of Once Upon a Time characters: Rumplestiltskin (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia
- Rumpelstiltskin: where to stream, rent or buy (opens in a new tab), JustWatch
- AI Rumpelstiltskin “Tip Toein’ In My Jordans” (opens in a new tab), Know Your Meme
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