"The Bear & The Hare" - A Christmas Fairy Tale

I don't know what it is about this year but so many Christmas marketing campaigns are more fairy tale-like than not and are very much working to help me see the magical side of the season (which, usually, to be honest, is rather a struggle). This isn't strictly a fairy tale in the sense we usually talk about here, but it qualifies with regard to how many were told and eventually, written down.

Indulge me and let me tell you this story (you won't regret it, I promise):

There once was an animal who had never seen Christmas. As autumn winds turn to winter snow, the bear begins his annual retreat into hibernation to sleep his way through the best part of the year. The festive spirit is strong though, and his friend the hare is determined to give him a gift he has never received before – Christmas.

It's another ad, but it could be a children's short. Apart from being pretty much spot-on charming and magical in an animal fairy tale way, it's unusual in that most of the elements of the scene are real - as in they were created as miniatures - including the drawings which were done in a very different form of stop motion.

For the John Lewis Christmas advert Hornet/Blinkink directors Elliot Dear and Yves Geleyn took the two most traditional and time-honored animation processes – stop-motion and traditional hand-drawn 2D animation – and combined them to create something innovative and unique. 

Their aim was to do almost everything in camera, using real lighting, lens and film craft to build a world where the audience can see and feel the painstaking work behind it. The 2D animation’s physical interaction with the set and the human imperfections inherent in the process create a hand-crafted piece full of heart and integrity.

I'm including the making-of video here because it's almost more beautiful than the ad itself, and shows magic-under-construction of a different kind. Although it's unlikely production was as harmonious and smooth as this video makes it appear, it's clear everyone is delighted to be part of the project and believes it to be something very special. Magic. It's real. It's just generally a lot of work...

(Hm - I detect a theme for the season emerging in my posts!)

My son loves this - especially "the making of" - and wants the set to play with at home. That sounds perfect to me. In the meantime, we'll grab some cardboard boxes and make our own magic. ;)

Next In Line For A Disney Live Action Reboot: "The Jungle Book"

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (image by Nenad Pantic)

 Wow. This is definitely a huge trend at Disney right now, that is, beloved animation classics getting rebooted as live action movies.

Next on the list is The Jungle Book and it's already in development with a writer attached.

From THR:

Justin Marks has been hired to pen the script.Disney famously adapted the stories in a 1967 animated film (it was the last film to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during production). The stories also have been adapted into numerous live-action and cartoon forms.The Jungle Book stories are in the public domain and are so popular that Warner Bros. is developing its own Mowgli adventure. Steve Kloves, who wrote the majority of the Harry Potter movies, is writing that script. A stage production of the book debuted July 1 at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. (Edit FTNH: link added)Disney’s take is in the early stages, and the project has no producers attached. A search for a director is underway.

Wait. We're going to have dueling Jungle Books too? Or am I reading this press release incorrectly?
✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ (click the "Read more" link below this line) ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ 

Wolf Women, Deer Girls & Other Animal Spirits Brought to... Hair

What if Goldilocks and the bears weren't as far apart as we first thought?

Being that Rapunzel is so the 'fairy tale girl of the moment' I thought it'd be interesting to look up some art people have made with hair. I found one stunning picture of an 'animal hair hat' that instantly brought to mind tales and legends of women in animal form: fox women (some of my favorite dangerous fairy tale creatures), deer girls, were women of all types, shapeshifters and other 'Beastly Brides'.
It also provoked other questions like the one I wrote above: we know about shapeshifting in tales, they're prolific and we have many wonderful resources available discussing shapeshifting tales, BUT what if the traditional fairy tales (and legends) with animals and people interacting were also viewed through a shapeshifting lens? (A reminder that the new Datlow & Windling anthology The Beastly Bride: Tales of the Animal People was released just a few months ago*. The Fairy Tale Cupboard has a lovely post HERE.)

I did a little investigating to find a) the 'hair hat' was created by well known Japanese artist (and Art Director) Nagi Noda and b) she'd actually created fifteen of them. Sadly, she died in 2008 from surgical complications (initial injuries were from a traffic accident the previous year) at the age of 35 but she left behind a very interesting body of work.
From the archives at CMYKaboom:

Let me tell you a little bit about Nagi Noda. Nagi is a Japanese designer, and dominating nominee for "Person I Would Most Care to be When I Grow Up." An art director who became known for her cutting-edge work in print design, Noda was soon drafted by the big boys, specifically, Nike and the famed Laforet. More recently, Noda has moved into video, where she has proceeded to sweep awards with her music videos and commercials.

Nagi Noda's work is simply stunning: based deeply in surrealism, she makes whimsical works that are as beautiful as they are mind-bending; whether it's costume bags or poodle aerobics or carnivorous flower bunnies. She is also so prolific with these new ideas it is liable to make ones head spin. (FTNH Please note: I had some difficulty with the links but am keeping them in the quote in case they work for you.)

While fashion shoots often get flack for 'artistically bared skin' this is one of those cases in which it makes sense (though it's rarely more than a bared shoulder or two in this case). I also like that some of the models' features match/blend subtly with their animals - beauty in all forms.

The official Nagi Noda website is HERE and you can see some more of her work HERE (and make sure to scroll down to the underground house and the animal shadows).

One more for fun (also a Nagi Noda creation):I like this one for its storytelling. Are we surpressing our inner natures too much? Or is it just as well we try to keep a grip on our wild sides? This is one of the conundrums fairy tales do a great job of exploring and a reason I adore shapeshifter tales.

*You can read the preface to The Beastly Bride anthology HERE.

Sources for images at CMYKaboom and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE. Gorilla hands also found HERE (link also shows a couple of other wild hair sculptures)

Grand Ole Bestiary - Classically Photographed 'Anthropomorphs'

Perhaps Beatrix Potter wasn't seeing things!

These anthropomorphic animals are so prim and proper, they could have stepped out of a classic tale. Or perhaps they'll inspire some new tails, I mean, tales.

From the Grand Ole Bestiary Etsy shop:

The Grand Ole Bestiary is a collection of faux-antique, anthropomorphic, mythological curios that were recovered from an ancient archival vault found buried deep inside the core of a metaphysical holy mountain.

These are actual, bona-fide, photographs exposed with light on a digital enlarger and developed on archival quality, Kodak archival photographic paper.

A brief description of the character/s is included (if such details were 'unearthed' along with the photographs discovered).

Adelaide Gazelling

The genteel and worried wife of Rufus Gazelling, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Hortence J Pacadorf

Founder and proprietor of Pacadorf Industries, introduced many useful household products including a sticky-paper mouse trap made from peanut butter.

Madame Bella Van Lioness
Proprietor of Madame Lioness' Den of Debauchery and Spirits, was under an ongoing investigation for the disappearance of Rufus Gazelling, a frequent customer of hers.

Brotherhood of the Ram
Founded by The Three Grand Elder Rams, was an exclusive gentleman's club for the co-mingling of ideas, general merriment and occasional butting of heads.You can see many more 'Manimal' characters here.