What If Snow White Went To College? (New Web Series)

There's a new fairy tale based "mockumentary" web series in the making, University Ever After* (not to be confused with the toy line Ever After High by Mattel).

Creator, Julia Seales, talked a little about the show on InsideVandy:

“Ever After” follows the college adventures (and sometimes misadventures) of six princesses at the fictional Walt University: Cinderella (also known as Ella), the narrator; Rapunzel, a homeschooled freshman; Belle, a bookish nerd; Ari, a swimmer who dreams of becoming a singer; Snow White, a member of an indie-rock band; and Rose Red, a philanthropist who loves helping the elderly.  

“The concept is that these princesses are living in a living-learning community where they have to film their lives and talk about life at their school for prospective students,” Seales said. “So, they’re speaking directly to the camera.” 

The show has a mockumetary style similar to that of NBC’s “The Office” and the web series “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” In fact, Seales said that humor is a defining element of the show, and the cast even features several members from Tongue ‘n’ Cheek, Vanderbilt’s premier improvisational comedy group. 

“We definitely have a parody spin to it and a sarcastic edge ... (so) it will appeal to both guys and girls,” Seales said. 

Music will also play a key role in the series. Inspired by Joss Whedon's incredibly successful indie-made Doctor Horrible, there are eight songs set for inclusion in the 30 episode series to date.

Episodes of “Ever After” are two to five minutes long and will air twice a week on campus television’s Channel 6. They will also be posted on YouTube and VTV’s official website for streaming, with the first episode set for release on Tuesday, Sept. 17. 

“It’s easier to build an audience when they’re already familiar with the concept,” she said. “I think there’s a great humor to be found in taking a concept (like fairy tales) that people have already heard of before and twisting it into something new.”

This definitely has potential, especially if it's well produced and in the same vein as Doctor Horrible. Thirty episodes seems pretty ambitious for a new series though, even if they are only 2-5 minutes long. I hope they've struck the right combination of concept, talent, writing and production. I wish them every success.

You can read more about the creator, the cast and concept/approach HERE and the series and cast are on Facebook HERE.

*It actually makes me think of Grim Reapers but maybe that's just all the emphasis on zombies and undead at the moment.