Stop-Motion Animation: A Creaky Artist's Studio and a Little Clay Girl "On the Other Side of the Woods"

A small clay girl is lost in a creaky artist's studio, meets a wolf... and it's exactly as "fairy tale" as it sounds.

Gypsy shared this on Twitter the other day and we realized we had never posted it on OUABlog, which we should have. It's possibly our favorite stop-motion animated fairy tale short film.

"On the Other Side of the Woods" is "a beautifully realized stop-motion fairy tale about a small clay girl lost in a creaky painter’s studio."* It's a tale of art retelling a folktale, using the fourth-wall of an artist's space, commenting on itself & its story. Created, shot and directed by Estonian director Anu-Laura Tuttelberg (with animator Olga Bulgakova), it's the sort of film that stays with you and continues to delight, long after seeing it. It's not only beautifully done but it comments so well on the art of storytelling, on fairy tales, and on those who tell them & the resulting new tale variations.

It's short, sweet and beautifully shot.

Take a look:

One of the beautiful things about this film is that the deceptively simple presentation gives the viewer lots of room to consider different things it could be commenting on: the confusion, naïveté, and vulnerability of childhood; the artist's process and the life the creation has separate from its maker; the monsters of wolves and also of time; the nostalgia and inevitable passing of childhood; seeing our stories in our creations; the wilds of the creative process and the struggle to make a work that survives it; the contrast versus the interconnectedness of fantasy and reality; the different paths retelling an old tale can take...

“I didn't want to separate the two worlds,” says Tuttleberg, “but to make them fit together instead. I wanted to unify them all into one world and atmosphere. The black and white photography is very graphic and I like that kind of character of a visual, plus I started my studies in art with photography, with black and white analog photography and I find it beautiful and intriguing.” (source)

The description - and appreciation - below of the film, while focusing on the materials used, shows yet another aspect of this lovely film. This is from the Dragonframe website (Dragonframe is the industry-standard software used for stop-motion film):

Directed by Anu-Laura Tuttleberg, “On the Other Side of the Woods” is the story of a little girl made of clay who awakens and brings everything she touches to life. The films aesthetic is special because of its unique use of materials for its sets and puppets. The textures are extremely satisfying to watch. Wet clay becomes hardened, pools of water evaporate and replenish, and light slides across every scene . Shot using only natural lighting, both time and the animators touch are very present throughout the piece. “On the Other Side of the Woods” is a great example of what is so special about stop motion. It is a true labor of love and an enchanting and thoughtful film.

We love how the materials for each set and character are very specific and form part of the commentary on, not just the characters but the story itself, as well as being a commentary on the artistic process. Director Anu-Laura Tuttelberg writes:

"“Teisel pool metsa” / On the Other Side of the Woods is a poetic fairytale shot in an old house in the centre of my hometown Tallinn. The atelier where the story takes place used to be the working space for a famous Estonian painter Ants Laikmaa and is now giving inspiration for my works. The film studies different materials for puppet making and sets using such contrasting materials as wood and clay to bring out the differences in the film characters.  

The materials for puppets were chosen to express their characteristics. The girl for example is made of moist clay to express her dynamic and free personality. She is always flowing along with any event that she comes across in life. I used real clay for making her, and asked the animator to move the surface of her body in every frame so that it is visible that she is made of soft wet clay. The technique was quite time consuming as the clay deforms easily while animating and I had to make a new puppet for each shot.

The film is shot with natural light which makes the viewer aware of the stop motion technique and also shows the passing of time in the film."

If you think about the character of Little Red Riding Hood as you read the above description. doesn't it feel like subtext for this classic fairy tale character?

There's so much contained in this little gem!

And now, ever since seeing this film, we fully expect to stumble across other little characters living out their artistically-fairy tale lives in other busy ateliers, don't you?

* Quoted from a review by This Is Colossal
- Additional source: Anu-Laura Tuttleberg portfolio -https://anulaura.com/on-the-others-side-of-the-woods/

If Picasso & Other Modernist Painters Retold Red Riding Hood

Jean Ache, (born Jean Huet 1923-1985) was greatly admired in France (and beyond) for his wide ranging cartoonist and animation work, as well as his 'one off' cartoons, published in the periodical Pilote. While generally realist in his comic style some of these 'one-offs' took unusual and unexpected forms.

One of these was Huet's wonderful Little Red Riding Hood series, created in 1974. It included seven re-imaginings of the tale, in the style of seven modernist painters.

It's best just to look, appreciate and enjoy. We suspect you're familiar enough with the tale that the few untranslated French words won't be a problem...

Click on the images to view them full size.

After Georgio de Chirico:

After Joan Miró:

After Henri Rousseau:

After Pablo Picasso:

After Bernard Buffet:

After Fernand Léger:

After Piet Mondrian:

What a brilliant way to combine tale telling, narrative form, art elements and art history and to inspire a new generation of artists and storytellers!

Sources: Lambick Comiclopedia, ExistYesterday, Dangerous Minds 

D23 News: Live Action "Beauty and the Beast" Update

"Love Blooms in Winter" - Beauty and the Beast
by Heather Theurer

The image above doesn't strictly have anything to do with the upcoming movie, or the movie news, BUT it is a fairly new print, created this year, inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast, by the amazing oil painter Heather Theurer.  She does the most incredible interpretations of Disney characters I my have ever seen (we have a few of her other paintings you can see HERE). The reason I love these so much is not just because of the gorgeous and classical technique, but that they send you right back to the original stories. How perfect is that? It's one of the reasons I couldn't resist showing you full since since it almost fits in the blog. (!)

Anyway - onto the news most people want to learn, an update on the live action version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast:

Unfortunately, there really isn't much to see (image wise on the web) and the information is more gleanings and teasers than anything else, possibly because principal filming isn't quite done yet, and this is a movie that even then will need a LOT of CGI and special effects to pull off that "Disney magic". However, here's the little we have to share:

Fans of Emma Watson and the Disney Classic, “Beauty and the Beast”, will be delighted to learn that the first look of the movie has been revealed.  (Edit FTNH: Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the rest of us will get to see what D23 attendees did anytime soon but I'm sure we'll be getting a poster teaser at least in the near future.) At Disney’s D3 held on August 15, fans received a sneak-preview of Watson leaving her mark as the book-lover, Belle, on-screen. As reported by MTV, the clip from the movie showed Belle gracefully walking down the stairs in her trademark yellow gown. (source: HERE)

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Though nearly done filming, there wasn't any complete footage shown from this one -- save for a shot of Emma Watson as Belle in her now infamous gold dress, coming down the stairs to dance with the Beast. Let us just say that she looked GORGEOUS and seeing that moment brought to life brings chills.

In some behind-the-scenes footage shown, we got a look at the village set, which looks almost exactly like it did in the animated film. Belle is seen in her blue and white dress as well, while Gaston (Luke Evans) can be seen singing and dancing around a bar in his famous red costume and long ponytail. Sorry, nothing with the Beast in it just yet.

The crowd was told that the final film will include two new songs from Alan Menken.

"Beauty and the Beast" won't roar into theaters until 2017. (source: HERE)

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BWW message board poster jacobsnchz14 shared:

I'm here at the expo and everything I've seen from BATB looks stunning, including Emma in the dress. They also showed the title treatment artwork which reminds me of Into The Woods' mixed with the original one with the Beauty in nice type with an eroded Beast. The crowds went wild for it. The set, visuals, costumes, etc. were beautiful. No footage of the objects or the beast.Can't wait for everyone to see the footage we saw! Plus, we were treated to a video of Luke Evans and Josh Gad singing a few bars of "Gaston". (source: HERE)

There is also part of the video message from Emma Watson to D23 fans, which you can see HERE. Unfortunately, the video finished before we get a look at anything we really want to see...

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Art shown at D23
with prints available for purchase

Cyclops Print Works Print #8: She Really is a Funny Girl by Mark Englert
Size: 12”x36”
Technique: Serigraph | 9 Colors
Edition size: Limited Edition of 275
Features: Hand-Numbered | Varnish Finish |Authenticity Seal
Price: $60
Printed by: Eclipse Workshop
Officially Licensed by Disney

FULL DESCRIPTION (of the sizzle reel) by (D23 attendee) ahundredteas:

Belle in the forest

• Quick shot of Belle in the forest before she ends up at the Beast’s castle
• It’s dark and blue (reminded me a lot of “Into the Woods”) and you can see snow on the ground.

• Belle is in a cloak so we can’t see what her outfit is. I’m 95% sure that the cloak is navy blue but with how blue the shot was I can’t be 100% sure.
• She looks FREAKED OUT but not hysterical.

Belle on the stairs in the Iconic Yellow Dress

• Quick shot of Belle stepping down the stairs.
• Staircase is gold and whimsical, very similar to Cinderella’s carriage from the latest “Cinderella” movie.

• The yellow dress is more of a sheer fabric than the heavy material in the cartoon version. The skirt is less full. Still stunning. Top looks similar to “Once Upon A Time” Belle’s yellow dress but not as poofy.

Belle looking up

• Last shot is Belle in the yellow dress looking up at (I’m assuming) the Beast.
• She looks like she’s kneeling or in a deep curtsy.

(Source: HERE)

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And that's about all we've gleaned to date. But it is exciting. It would appear that the live action movie is going to follow the look of the animated film fairly closely from random reports here and there about the glimpses given from the "infamous gold dress" to the village and castle so that should keep Disney Beauty and the Beast fans pretty happy.

So that's about it for now, though you might be seeing an image or two floating around the internet saying "this is the first looks!" It's not. They're excellently done fan made images and we've had the main one on OUABlog before but I hadn't seen this fan made poster below, which is wonderfully creative and shows Emma Watson in more of a designer-type gown than the animated movie princess dress, which is very tasteful.

Fairy tale bonus of the day:

At D23, ABCs Once Upon A Time also did a Beauty and the Beast reveal, featuring the famous enchanted (Disney) rose in the very first episode of the upcoming season.

You can see the teaser screen grabs below:

Victo Ngai's Gorgeous Illustrations for Folio Society's "Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies"

I'm not sure why this is coming up in searches as it's been out for a while now, but I've seen more than one mention of the Folio Society's beautiful edition of Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies recently.

Since it is still fairly new (mid 2014 release) and there are probably a bunch of you who haven't seen Victo Ngai's stunning work, I thought I'd share some of the illustrations. (She's a fairly prolific artist and quite generous in sharing her process and sketches around social media so do a search and you should find her easily. I suggest starting with her Tumblr HERE.By the way,"Victo", is short for Victoria - a British colonization leftover nickname in Hong Kong.)

From the Epoch Times:

In the volume are eight full-color illustrations by Hong Kong artist Victo Ngai, whose delicate lines and otherwise concise figures are accentuated by her powerful use of color and contrast—the result is a welcome sense of dreamlike, otherworldly fascination.      

Contrasting abruptly with the visions encountered in the legends and fables is the preface, written by award-winning writer Yiyun Li. Raised in Beijing, her words, reflecting the contemporary materialism of the Chinese regime’s Marxist education, express a sort of uncanny bewilderment at the deep spiritual and mystical nature of the legends and folktales. What results is a clash of two identities: one Marxist, empirical, official; the other Chinese, cyclical, traditional.

This edition from the Folio Society (which you can find HERE) currently retails for about $75.00 - not cheap! The volume is designed to be a treasure for a lifetime bookshelf though, and I wouldn't say no to owning one (who am I kidding, I'd pretty much say "yes" to Folio version of almost anything but any fairy tale volumes - "yes please!")

I definitely recommend going to the Folio link and reading the introduction by Moss Roberts - fascinating stuff! It gives a wonderful summary of the uniqueness of Chinese fairy tales and why there is a proliferation of ghosts in their tales, as well as the types of tales that are common (as opposed to different emphasis in other cultures). It also explains why Chinese fairy tales tend to 'resolve' the way they do. As I said, fascinating stuff!

Making Wolves Out Of Blown Down Houses

Olav the Wolf

I just HAD to share!

There is a Danish artist who is busy making amazing sculptures out of scrap wood and other discarded construction material and this wolf, posted just a couple of weeks ago, is obviously some part of the Three Little Pigs story we just haven't seen before.

Danish artist Thomas Dambo, creates gorgeous, hulking and humorous sculptures that are all made from reclaimed scrap wood and other discarded construction materials. The sculptures can be found in such cities as Copenhagen, Mors, Aarhus, and Horsens in Denmark and Culebra Es Ley in Puerto Rico. 

"Thomas and his team have made many different sculptures from recycled materials/trash. They have specialized in making wooden sculptures from scrapwood, such as Hector Protector and Troels The Troll but they also have great experience with making sculptures from other materials such as plastic, and even cardboard."

Olav the Wolf at night

Here's a quick little video of "Olav's" construction:

Pretty neat, right?

You can see more sculptures HERE and see other artwork by Dambo via his Instagram HERE.

Source: HERE

Forest Rogers Wins Gold Spectrum Award!

Venetian Harpy  by Forest Rogers

The 22nd Spectrum Awards (for science fiction and fantasy art in all mediums) were recently held and one of my favorite fairy tale illustrators and sculptors, Forest Rogers, won a gold award in the Dimensional category, for her stunning and amazing Venetian Harpy (see above).

Congratulations Forest!!

Note: I should also mention that Scott Gustafson, who has illustrated many a fairy tale picture book, received the Grand Master Award!

Though Forest Rogers doesn't exclusively work on fairy tale subjects she has made, and continues to create, many memorable fairy tale-based pieces, and from little bits I pick up around social media, she's looking at continuing/completing the Vasilissa illustrations she began many years ago (before she got into sculpting) and, off and on, has been researching The Crane Wife, as she'd apparently like to create a sculpture based on the Japanese fairy tale as well. (!!)

Below are some of her other fairy tale works to date, and perhaps you can see why I love her work so.

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga's Hut

Vasilissa with her mother's doll

Baba Yaga (still being dressed) & Vasilissa

Baba Yaga, Vasilissa and the Chicken-Legged Hut together

Snow Maiden as she melts

Banshee

Yuki Ona - snow spirit

East of the Sun (inspired by Kay Neilsen's illustration)

East of the Sun (2nd sculpt)

Swan child in progress

Hans Andersen's Little Mermaid

Silvershod (aka Silver Hoof) & his friend Cat (Russian tale)

Red Riding Hood in progress

Red Riding Hood & Wolf
(Something about this evokes Perrault and Dore and other early illustrated versions of LRRH to me.)

Vasiliss'a Mother gives her a doll before she passes away

Vaslissa enters Baba Yaga's forest

Baba Yaga tasks Vasilissa with impossible tasks

Vaslissa talks to her doll (and the doll talks back)

Baba Yaga in a rage

One of the horsemen Vasilissa sees on her journey

 You can see much more of Forest Roger's work on her website HERE and follow her on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE. She also has a great set of boards on Pinterest HERE.