NBCs "Grimm Season 2" Blu-ray Release Set For Sep 17th [& Why I Like "Grimm"]

Yes. I like NBC's Grimm! I've heard a lot of fairy tale people didn't continue watching the second season because they gave up on the series but I'm so very happy I stuck with it. And here's why: Since Nick "got his Grimm on" (ie gave up being wussy and got a little bad-ass), the show has just gotten better and better. 


Monroe continues with his brilliant deliveries, quotable one-liners and subtle-but-hilarious (and sometimes mute) commentary on whichever scene he's in. Nick's partner, Hank, gets more than an inkling of what he's up against (I can't "un-see that!") and the banter has gotten wittier and makes for some great cops-with-a-difference comedy moments and now slants action scenes very differently to the usual procedurals (yay!). Monroe's almost-girlfriend-and-fellow-Wesen Rosalee holds her own and provides a strong (and much needed) feminine balance to the show, while Nick's girlfriend, Juliette, has a whole other-yet-parallel storyline happening with a modern struggling-and-fighting Sleeping Beauty theme running through this season (don't worry - she's quite awake, she's just juggling worlds in a very unique-to-Juliette way)...

We've gone from a tentative and inconsistent monster-of-the week show to one where the tales, the Grimm and the ensemble balance, have grown in strength and are solidly set on very interesting arcs. In fact we've almost got a Scooby gang now (complete with library, er, I mean spice-shop and Aunt Marie's trailer) and we likes it!*

"But what about the fairy tale element?" I hear you say. Actually I find a quite consistent fairy tale base running through each show. If you catch the on-screen quote at the very beginning of every episode (which are sometimes from less-well-known, some-might-even-say-obscure tales and classics) and keep them in mind while watching, you get a good sense of how the tale and its motifs have been used as a springboard and what scene elements and plot points are important throughout.

I actually find it quite a fairy tale puzzle-challenge at times because unless I've pinned the tale down that the quote came from, I find I miss a lot of the subtleties from aspects like the set dressing, creature design, or seeming throw-away lines, to why they have this scene at all (etc). If I'm thinking "tales" while watching I findGrimm more solidly based on the "olde" tales than anything else out there right now**.


The other thing I noticed is that it's not shying away from using myth and folktale archetypes and/or tales and urban legends either. While it's not like there are Trojan horses and Medusas appearing in the middle of fairy tales (thank goodness), there's definitely a strong tap into world folklore. For me, it blends very well. For others it must feel like it's straying from the fairy tale aspect but it should be noted that NBCs Grimm has, from the start, aimed at the old dark fairy tales and never the shiny, pretty ones. (See ** note at end of post.)

It's not for everyone, for sure. I can't recommend it outright simply because of the genre and occasional gore factor, and it's definitely told through the lens of the police procedural with a good dose of creature-fun, but why not? We haven't seen anything quite like this done as a weekly series, with larger arcs incorporating the dark side of fairy tales - and occasionally myth and urban legends - overall.

I only have one (personal and extremely shallow) gripe about the show and that's this: I can't easily make lots of pretty pics out of screencaps! (Wah! - At least, not without some serious fiddle time.) Unlike ABCs Once Upon A Time, which lends itself really well to fantasy fan art (a couple of screengrabs overlaid with a little quote and you've got yourself a nice little fairy tale image), Grimm just doesn't. It's, well, gritty. And I actually think this might be one of the turn-offs for fairy tale fans. There is very little "fairy tale pretty" in Grimm***. Although it's wonderfully shot and there are beautiful stills that can be pulled from every episode, they don't have that "fairy tale feel" that we've come to expect. Even dark fairy tale images have a certain romance in them for us to call them "fairy tale". But that's because they're not setting themselves up as Gothic tales with Poe-like visions or echoes of Pan's Labyrinth as, for instance, a film version of this might do. Instead, it's filmed incredibly well to do the job - and tell the story - it sets out to, which is a dark supernatural procedural using grimm (including Grimm's) fairy tales.

Although Season 2 will also be released on DVD it's the Blu-ray set that will have all the extra features (of course). Five discs and a whole lot of bonus, including:

• Grimm: Myths, Monsters & Legends: Learn about the ever-expanding mythology of Grimm as producers and cast discuss the richness of the show's storylines, covering this season's terrifying Wesen, the Seven Royal Families, and the mysteries of Aunt Marie's trailer
• Blu-ray Exclusive - Grimm Guide: An interactive book that provides insight into the various creatures
• Blu-ray Exclusive - Extended Episode: "Over My Dead Body"
• Grimm: Creatures and Chaos: Watch as the creatures of Grimm morph and wreak havoc
• Bad Hair Day Webisodes: A fellow Wesen visits Rosalee's spice shop
• Monroe's Best Moments: Revisit the quips and quibbles that makes Monroe our favorite Wesen
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel 

The only thing is: Season 2 finishes on a doozy of a cliffhanger ("Nooooooo!") and Fall seems like a long way away...

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Today's fairy tale bonus: Dark Horse Deluxe (the toy "arm" of Dark Horse Comics) is releasing Grimm collectibles in September.

From the Press Release:Dark Horse Deluxe is launching the "Grimm" line with an assortment of products. The centerpieces of this first wave are sculpted, wearable pin replicas of Nick’s key (see <<<) and one of the coins of Zakynthos.

Nick is bequeathed the key as his dying Aunt Marie introduces him to his destiny as a Grimm, warning him to guard it with his life. The key is revealed to have a map carved on the outside, which is etched into the replica pin’s surface. Two small loops on the key allow the wearer to easily convert it from a pin to a hanging pendant. 

The mysterious, ancient coin of Zakynthos has a long history of bringing a bad end to its possessors, although the Grimms seem strangely immune. While its purpose remains a mystery, various dark forces are seeking it and will kill to attain ownership of it. 

An embossed, heavy-gauge, litho-printed, classic tin lunchbox, a sixteen-ounce pint glass, a deluxe coffee mug, and an embroidered skull-design patch round out the initial range of collectibles. 

Dark Horse will continue to offer more "Grimm" products, including busts, journals, and playing cards, and some very cool lenticular items.  

"The production team has been most accommodating, inviting us to visit the sets, examine the props, and meet with the key design and VFX staffers to help inform our line. This kind of cooperation is rare, and it has ensured a great accuracy down to the smallest details."

Accuracy on the key? So you can ink your own fairy tale map? Tempting... Journal? With all the Wesen illustrations and stories?! Yes please. Lunchbox? Mebbe not.

* I think series incorporating multiple myths and/or tales do best in a true ensemble format (like Buffy). Grimm didn't begin this way but now that it is, a much-needed balance of personalities and energies goes a long way to handling stories (tales) and issues in a way we can enjoy in different ways and have more interest in following over the long term.

**While ABCs "Once Upon A Time" is also based on tales, it's really the more commercial impressions of tales that are the launching pad (or straight up Disney version of tales) rather than the ones that were passed down. Or even ones that were written down! Not that there's anything wrong with that. Grimm just hails from a different sensibility of what fairy tales are and I like it for that. Once has a very different appeal. To compare the shows properly is actually very difficult because they don't come from the same place at all.

***The pretty thing, yes. I must admit I am not a "soap" person so Once Upon A Time gets hard for me to tolerate at times. OK a lot. BUT, apart from feeling like I need to keep up with what's happening to fairy tales in pop-culture, I have to admit to some curiosity as to what it's going to look like: eg What will  Neverland look like? How will this part in Snow's story get staged? What will Sleeping Beauty wear when we (finally get a flashback) and see her pre-sleep phase? etc And then seeing how fans use the images in the coming days and weeks to tell their own versions/impressions of the story is wonderful to me too. That just doesn't happen on Grimm. The Hansel & Gretel episode - though quite amazing in the retelling - didn't have the type of candy house you'd find in a book. It had the sort of bad candy you'd find in life (or a nightmare). While that's brilliant, it's not pretty. OUAT, however, has that fantasy world we cut to every now and then. It's also the sort of fantasy world we read about in books too - it's not all singing furniture and pixie dust, it has a little more of a King Arthur tone that that. Despite the world usually falling short of my imagination via cheesy FX etc, (which I'm dreading for OUATinWonderland) it is fun to see, and occasionally I AM delighted in something (eg the Darling family & Shadow Man business was quite wonderful) so, despite the previous episode thoroughly frustrating me, I watch the next one. Because the OUAT writers and directors follow much of the pop-culture/Disney ideas of what the popular fairy tales should have (eg. you knew Snow White was going to come across a bad apple at some point!), I know there's a good chance that an expected moment might, in fact  be "magic". But I have to admit, I'm usually multitasking and need to rewind when that happens... 

Maleficent: Behind-the-Scenes First Look

Behind-the-scene shot, filming Maleficent in the UK

You've probably all seen the image of Angelina Jolie in her Maleficent horns that's sweeping around the internet, right?

 Just in case you haven't, here she is:

Well there's more, including a couple of tidbits I find interesting:

1) looking at the behind-the-scenes photos it's not actually clear that the horns are part of the outfit Maleficent has styled to intimidate and amp her evil presence. instead they actually look as if they're part of her. If it turns out they are "hers" I must admit I have LOTS of sympathy kicking in for the character already. (And for Jolie as she fields the bazillion "horny" headlines about to explode in the media.)


Since Ms. Jolie told EW a few months back to liken the plot treatment of Maleficent to that of  Wicked (in having sympathy for the traditional villain as you learn her story and see how she got to the place we know her best), now knowing there's a possibility the horns are supposed to be as real on her as they are on the cattle, my mind immediately goes to Greek myth. She may just be the most gorgeous minotaur the world has ever seen.


You must admit, when we saw Maleficent in the Disney movie we immediately thought "demon" (despite that the horned headdress was perfectly in fashion back in the day that particular film was [vaguely] set). Even for this film you'd think "demon" (or the intention to appear rather more demonic and therefore ultra scary) would be more obvious but with the cattle at her back she gives far more of the "tragic figure" air than of the initial "must-be-put-down evil spawn" vibe.




2) These behind-the-scene shots from Dread Central show her in the British countryside in full dress, surrounded by a herd of cattle. They look like Highland Cattle specifically (a very beautiful breed with serious looking horns). Anyone up on their ancient tales should be sitting up a little straighter with the appearance of a whole herd of cows backing Maleficent as she gets her magic on.



I have to wonder at the role of the herd and what part they play in her magic. (She looks like she's busy doing something magically intimidating in the shot at the head of the post, don't you think?)


I admit I am partial to fairy tales like The Black Bull of Norroway and I never quite forgave Jack for selling Milky White for some magic beans. When you see how cattle were revered in ancient times it's no surprise they can be magical in the correct context. It's all wishful thinking that this aspect is even hinted at in the film I'm sure, but script writer Linda Woolverton can surprise with her layering and she won't have chosen the cattle by accident or whim. I'm curious to see what the significance is.

Note the Maleficent stunt double in the background

Maleficent is set for release in theaters on March 14, 2014. (2014! I'm guessing they have a lot of special effects work to do.)

Note: If you've never hugged a cow, you're missing out on an amazing life experience. Put it on your bucket list. I highly recommend it.

The Mythic, Magical and Endearing Art of Andy Kehoe

All Turns to Brilliance - Andy Kehoe

Artwork made before the world ends. Paintings also double as radiation protection for the nuclear winter and some can be eaten like beef jerky.

Onward Again My Friend by Andy Kehoe

Roamer of Reverie by Andy Kehoe

This is the introduction to Andy Kehoe's work for 2012 on his website.

For 2011 it was this:

Paintings best enjoyed with smile on face and bourbon in non-mouse hand. When possible, fill room with the smell of burnt gun powder and bacon. At least four gas lanterns recommended for lighting. Legs can either be crossed or uncrossed. Remove Shoes.Thank you.Management 

Affinity to Unfamiliar Worlds by Andy Kehoe

With such introductions to his art, along with a blog titled: Tall Tales of Depravity - The place to be for Kehoe matters and whisky fist fights, it's clear this Pittsburgh artist doesn't take himself too seriously (we approve!), despite that his work is beautiful, mythic, simply stunning and yes endearing (or should that be en-deer-ing?). I think the title of the work at the head of the post says it well: "All Turns To Brilliance".

Together at the Threshold by Andy Kehoe (created 2012 for his fiancé)

It does seem that there is something very special about Mr. Kehoe's work. Even in his earlier pieces you can see a particular style and sensibility that suggests we live with fantasy, if only we had the eyes to see it (as he apparently does).  In 2011 that sensibility blossomed even further with a richness in colors and what seemed to be additional dimensional depth in his paintings.

A Fading Farewell by Andy Kehoe

I've noticed certain trends on Pinterest among fans of fairy tales and one of those are men, women, children, creatures and other beings with antlers. Fairy tale images of woodland beings with horns and antlers of various sizes populate fairy tale themed boards consistently, as do forest with sentient looking deer. I don't think this is coincidence.

On the Banks of Broken Worlds by Andy Kehoe

There is something royal yet wild, gentle yet dangerous, commanding yet connected, natural yet "other" about deer. Fawns, doe, stags, hinds with antlers, golden-antlers, white harts, brother deer and horned gods as well as those of the Wild Hunt and all their half-breed fae brethren easily capture our attention in fairy tales and often appear in fairy tale illustrations, even when there is no specific reference to one in the corresponding text. A stag doesn't need to transform into a man to have a sense of magic, he carries it with him.

In Marie-Luise von Franz's book, The Interpretation of Fairy Tales she discusses the primal reaction we have to the image of deer in tales and the importance of the majestic stags being able to shed their antler crowns, so as to grow new horns. She says: "The shedding of the antlers is probably the natural basis for all the mythological transformation attributes of the deer. In medieval medicine, the bone in the heart of the deer was thought to be beneficial for heart trouble."

A Moment of Respite by Andy Kehoe

Here's a larger quote from the same chapter, Shadow, Anima and Animus:

Whether or not it was his intention, these aspects - both the fascination and the dread - are definitely communicated in Mr. Kehoe's work.

When I see so many people across the web and in Pinterest - especially those who have an interest in myth and fairy tale - gathering images of deer and antlered beings it's clear this sense of wonder with such is just as strong today as it ever was. In fact there are so many comments, from very different people and many different backgrounds, that say the same thing: "I wish I had a pair of antlers!"*

Grief and Glory by Andy Kehoe

The antlered and horned creatures in Mr. Kehoe's work bring a sense of connecting us personally to something of Wonder. I don't know how he captures it but the blend of wild and familiar, of both the playful and the melancholy, of a personal magic and at the same time a vast world of wonder; all these qualities pervade his paintings.

Under the Gaze of the Glorious by Andy Kehoe

I'm glad he's sharing the pictures in his mind. Some of them look familiar, but only because I'm sure I've seen some of these beings in my dreams.

Lord of Ghouls - Arise Feral Night, Roq La Rue by Andy Kehoe

Go, enjoy, support and tell him "More, more! The end of the world gets closer every day!" ;)

Andy Kehoe's website and portfolio are HERE, his blog is HERE, he's on Twitter HERE and he also has an Etsy store HERE, where you can purchase a little magic to keep for yourself (and perhaps help fund one of his numerous wedding ideas such as having "a small rowboat full of explosives and fireworks floating in the middle of the pond to be ignited with a fiery arrow the moment we both say, "I do." I have zero clues as to why that idea was shot down... ;)

*One very interesting image collection doing the rounds on Pinterest shows a wedding party taking fun photos as they're holding antlers to their heads. Despite the fun, there is something that elicits an "Ooh!" or "Awesome!" response from so many people, including, I must admit, myself. Perhaps it's just that, for all it's simplicity it's still rather Wonder-ful.

"The Hunger Games" and Myth and Fairy Tale

Maria Tatar put up a link on her blog yesterday to an LA Times article discussing the too dark/not-dark-enough movie The Hunger Games.

Having just read the books this past month I finally have some sense of why they are so popular, though any talk of "teams" or fan-squee-ing has me scratching my head since they're just not those sorts of books. It's taken me a long while to get on board (since having wasted time and money on previously highly popular YA books) but I can gladly say these are well written and well worth the investment. I wouldn't be surprised if they became required reading for high school at some point.

Note: If you managed to avoid all sense of the books as I did before reading, for the purposes of this post you should know (don't worry - this is premise - no spoilers) that it's set in a near post-war (aka post apocalyptic) future in which people are divided into districts and controlled by a wealthy Capitol. In order to keep the districts under control each year the districts are forced to send two children, aged between 12 and 18, to "The Hunger Games", to fight each other to the death - while everyone watches (viewing is mandatory)  via an exploitive media and "entertainment-fest". The heroine, Katniss Everdeen, steps up to take the place of her younger sister during the reaping/choosing.

 I have since been very concerned that any movie will not do justice to the book, the characters, the story or the issues in the series and sadly foresee many people not even bothering to pick up the books after dismissing the sensationalized (by the media and of the issues) movie. Despite that the story is riveting and there is plenty of fodder that should make for an amazing film, I think the subject matter (think Lord of the Flies + 1984 + Gladiators and more), juggled with trying to keep it accessible to an under-18 audience, is a task beyond most filmmakers today. (You may have heard about the removal of 7 seconds of blood spatter to allow the film a PG rating. The result is that the direness of Katniss' situation is severely diluted from an audience perspective - exactly what the books aim NOT to do, though Ms. Collins manages to keep the peril very present without concentration on the gore, thanks to excellent writing.) From the reviews, it's suffering from just that problem, even having the author on board as writer ad consultant for the script. It's a weird feeling: wishing the film would do very well and simultaneously wishing it would pass quickly by so the books would retain their popularity and intrigue, causing more people to read them. If you at all interested in seeing the movie, please pick up the book first and give it a read before you do. It's a very quick read and you won't be sorry.

That said, I was very interested to read how the author, Suzanne Collins, was inspired by the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in particular. As a  result, it's not to much of a stretch to find parallels in fairy tales either.

Here are a couple of excerpts from the article:

Collins has said she found inspiration for her story, which is set in the future, in the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, in which the Cypriots demand Athens send seven boys and girls each year as food for the half-man, half-bull, until Theseus slays the beast. In "The Hunger Games," Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old tomboy handy with a bow and arrow, is a Theseus-type character, a young savior fighting on behalf of all the other children. 

...The brutality of "The Hunger Games," which results in the deaths of more than 20 youths, follows in the gory footsteps of many of the Grimms' fairy tales, which were first published in 1812. In "Hansel and Gretel," a pair of abandoned siblings escape from a cannibalistic witch by stuffing her into the oven; in "The Juniper Tree," a woman slams the lid of a trunk on her stepson and decapitates him; and in the axiomatically titled "How Some Children Play at Slaughtering," a little boy stands in for a pig in a child's game of butchering.

I highly recommend reading all Ms. Tatar's comments (she is quote in the article) on why we are so compelled by this subject and why Katniss is such an appealing heroine for both adults and children. You can read the whole article HERE.

While at first glance The Hunger Games doesn't appear to have much in common with fairy tales at all it isn't hard to think of connections once you start. I'm reminded of stories about Koschei the Deathless, to the Little Match Girl to Deals with the Devil to tales in which girls, all striving to appear perfect as suitors to a prince fail in their conformity and lose their heads. (It's the girl who breaks most of the rules that gets chosen in the end, though why she would want to marry someone who would have cut off her head a few minutes before is disturbing. I'm guessing, like the Miller's Daughter, you will do things you never would have considered to save not just your life but the lives of those you love.) I wish I could remember which tale this last one was! I think it had an Asian origin, although there are a few Russian ones that have similar tropes as well, not to mention Scheherezade's predicament, though she wasn't having to kill other women at the same time.

The story of the Hunger Games is told mainly through the heroine, Katniss' eyes so the stakes are very immediate and real for the reader. Fairy tales are often set in a nebulous time and are somewhat removed from us via the matter-of-fact story telling so that one tends to adjust to the story, implications and messages in it as one is emotionally and mentally ready. Not so The Hunger Games. Although the story of death, slaughter, risk and sacrifice isn't a new idea, as fairy tales from many cultures attest to, having the setting and characters be so specific in their voice and set in a time we can see as a possibility in our own futures, brings home the chill of how little mankind has changed since our gruesome, gory and bloody (recent) past. But will it be the wake-up call, the Prometheus, if you will, that society needs? Sadly, our own media machines and the tendency to rev up fandom as a response to extreme ideas results in diluting the very issues that caught out attention in the first place (we already have parodies of the books widely available and Hunger Games cookbooks and badges for "teams". Even the Twitter feed of Lions Gate Films announcing the cast is almost an exact echo of the how the children chosen for slaughter are "introduced" to the public... *shudder*). The very fact that we have a movie - and marketing - like this may just be a dark mirror of its source (though many won't even realize it).

It's a reminder (to me) that we should be familiar with our fairy tales and holding their lessons close. History has a tendency to repeat itself and we can't say we haven't been warned.

At the time of this writing The Hunger Games books are available at a discounted price almost everywhere (pharmacies, Targets, Kmarts and Walmarts etc), with the first book in paperback being available for around the $6 mark (except in bookstores like Barnes & Noble, though Amazon's price is currently low too). Online you can get the first book, which the movie is based on, HERE.

Music Video: Of Monsters and Men's "Little Talks"

Here's a video I recently saw for the first time that I thought would appeal to fans of myth and fairy tale. It's by Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men and their music definitely has folk roots while this particular video delves into myth and folklore and has a lot of fun doing so. The song is titled "Little Talks".

What's it about? Opinions vary. You can see the lyrics HERE and draw your own conclusions or scroll down below the lyrics and see people's interpretations...

500 Rediscovered Fairy Tales & a Hollywood Article: Hollywood Fairy Tale Feeding Frenzy

There's not a whole lot of new information in the Hollywood article regarding the fairy tale films being made or what's happening on the small screen BUT there are some interesting theories on why we're having a fairy tale zeitgeist and it pays homage to the fairy tale's most exciting news this year - the discovery of 500 "lost"* fairy tales in Germany:

A quick aside: if you have not read Heidi's post on this great piece of fairy tale news:

       Five hundred new fairytales discovered in Germany: Collection of fairytales gathered by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth had been locked away in an archive in Regensburg for over 150 years

-  and the Guardian article she's referring to, you should.

You can find it HERE.

I also like this neat and easy to read summary of the news from paperblog HERE.

King Golden Hair (from von Schönwerth's rediscovered tales) by Barbara Stefan

From Artinfo.com's article Hollywood Fairy Tale Feeding Frenzy: “Mirror Mirror,” “Snow White and the Huntsman”:

The discovery in Regensberg of 500 long-hidden German fairy tales assembled by Franz Xaver Schbnwerth (1810 – 86), which was  reported in The Guardian on Monday, is potentially excellent news for Hollywood. At the current rate with which the studios are racing to reformulate the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and other writers and collectors into modish, mostly live-action films, they will exhaust the familiar canon in two years tops.

[FTNH edit: May I just quickly interrupt to point out that one of the coolest things about these rediscovered tales is their rawness. Unlike the Grimm's who edited, revised, polished and essentially turned told tales into literary ones, these 'rediscovered' tales were faithfully recorded in their incomplete inaccuracies as retold by common folk, almost complete with "um's and ah's". While I would hope - would be excited to know - that there are directors, writers and creators in Hollywood who would happily be inspired and/or mine a story for a movie or series out of such stories, it's a lot harder than finding a book of tales [which is conveniently out of copyright] and remaking a version of those and so quite unlikely we're going to see these tales spawn Hollywood-happy material. I would love to be proven wrong on this.  

After summarizing what's coming to the screen Reporter Graham Fuller goes on to mention the two Little Mermaid projects that I haven't seen anything on for quite some time and speculates what else may be coming:]

Joe Wright (“Atonement”) will direct a live-action film of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” Shana Feste (“Country Strong”) is prepping the film of Carolyn Turgeon’s comparatively dark 2011 novel “Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale.” 

Thirty-six years after the flowery British musical “The Slipper and the Rose” and 14 after the limp “Ever After,” a new “Cinderella” can’t be far behind, whether it’s based on the Greek version recorded in the first century B.C., the ninth-century Chinese one, the 1634 Neapolitan one, Perrault’s, the Grimms’, or Turgeon’s 2009 “Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story.”

[FTNH edit: I greatly appreciate that there was quite a bit of research that went into this article but I especially like what he has to say toward the end as it's a point of view I haven't seen put forward before. :]

The fairy-tale craze – which TV, too, has exploited with ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” -- was triggered by the massive success and prestige of Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” and the three films adapted so far from C.S. Lewis’s “Narnia Chronicles.” After  a wave of bland but violent period adventure films in the nineties, “LOTR” and then “Narnia” opened the doors to “romance” cinema – by which I mean medieval or medievally inflected stories and their ilk, as opposed to stories of romantic love. They depicted great deeds of heroism, invoked mysticism, deployed state-of-the-art special effects, and, crucially for grabbing the attention of female tweens and teens, had women or girl warriors. “King Arthur” (2004), with Keira Knightley as an aggressive proto-feminist Guinevere, extended this idea less convincingly, though the film was a global hit.

He's particularly referring to Snow White and the Huntsman here but I think this may play a part in the reason fairy tales are so popular right now. I don't think it's the reason it was "triggered" as he says  but I think it certainly may have helped it along.

You can read the entire Hollywood Fairy Tale Frenzy article HERE.

While we're on the subject of the re-found tales, what Hollywood people MAY find interesting is the unvarnished versions of familiar tales reported to be in the collection. From The Guardian (emphasis in bold is mine):

While sifting through Von Schönwerth's work, Eichenseer found 500 fairytales, many of which do not appear in other European fairytale collections. ... However, the collection also includes local versions of the tales children all over the world have grown up with including Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin, and which appear in many different versions across Europe.

While I'm excited to see the new tales, I'm very interested to read unedited, raw versions of tales we already know - the popular culture versions of the time. My wish list now includes: a fully translated-to-English version of the whole collection, a book in which the raw tales are printed alongside the literary ones and a children's illustrated book of raw pop-culture tales from the mid-1800s (yes - like a children's storybook, only using those tales and having the artists use those as the source of inspiration). That would make for a fascinating reflection of society among the common people (like you and me) both then and now. (You know I'm not the only one wanting new illustrations!) The last on the list is a book in which a modern day "recorder" goes around and writes down familiar and not-so-familiar tales of the common/average people of today and contrasts it with the source (with illustrations please - children's stories today must have illustrations if they are to reflect how things are at present). I think we could learn a lot about ourselves, about our past and about fairy tales. Anyone up for it?

Mr. & Mrs. Vinegar at Home by Arthur Rackham

And for those that read Heidi's post and the Guardian article but not the comments posted on the Guardian article, I suggest giving them a read too, HERE. Among some superior comments and silly ones there are some useful insights, some great links and other useful notes. I'm including one that caught my eye by "Mercurey":

There is some interesting work being done my anthropologists on the cultural life of street people. And there, the oral tradition is very much alive. As a source of entertainment and as an education to those entering that world.
Very much like fairy tales once did for children.
Theater company called Cardboard Citizens well worth looking out for.

The 'homeless children' aka Hansel & Gretel, of ABC's Once Upon A Time

It reminded me of the myths told by homeless children in Miami, discussed years ago in the SurLaLune site boards HERE. The original article, Myths Over Miami, can now be found archived  HERE. It's an amazing read but I have to wonder, did anybody ever go and write them all down - as a collection of tales, I mean - or was it just recorded for study purposes only and eventually summarized for an article? If this BIG NEWS on rediscovering 500 fairy tales tells us anything, it's that we should be careful not to lose the treasures we already have. I would suggest that this very thing is happening too easily right now. It's the age of information overload but somewhere, somehow we need to distinguish what's important and find a way to record it - in a way that won't be lost - for future generations and history to grow upon.

Note: I have, of course, added Franz Xaver von Schönwerth to the board of Influential Fairy Tale People I have on Pinterest. I now have 73 pins of fairy tale people you should be aware of and be thankful for but and know I'm still missing some key people. While I don't have a picture of von Schönwerth I found his signature, which will have to do for now. :)

*There's some speculation about the "lost" thing. It appears they weren't really out of complete circulation (there are German texts available of some of the work online). They just weren't widely available or known. There's also no known English translation of the full collection but once that changes - go Dan Szabo! (this Munich based translator is working on it right now)- they won't likely fall out of circulation again. 

Article: How "Lost" Influenced the Creators of "Once Upon A Time"

Source

Just in time for tonight's next episodic installment of Once Upon A Time, TV Guide has released an interview with the creators, who also wrote for Lost.

Once Upon a Time Bosses on How Lost Influenced Their Fairytale World:

The duo began the groundwork for Once eight years ago, but it took working on Lost to really hone their idea. "We were really young and we didn't understand how to execute the idea we had. We called it our eight-year writer's block," Kitsis says with a laugh.

...Though the series is ripe with mythos springing from the original fairytales and what the Once writers have also created, the producers believe the real strength and appeal of the series lies elsewhere. "We never thought about Lost or Once really as mythology shows, even though mythology obviously is a part of [both]," Horowitz says. "They are character shows to us. That was the greatest lesson on Lost: Really learning how to approach the story through character."

Prince Charming & Snow White in Fairy Tale Land (ABC's Once Upon A Time)

 ...Horowitz and Kitsis have also pieced together their own "bible" to keep track of the Once timelines and character histories, not unlike the one used by the Lost writers. "It's just to keep ourselves straight as to what we're doing," Horowitz says. "But we're allowing ourselves freedom. It's not like we said, 'Here's what all three seasons would be, or five seasons.' We've got some goal posts, but we're allowing ourselves to create a freedom to change our minds."

 I don't know if fairy tale enthusiasts were/are fans of Lost in general but it definitely has a Lost (show) feel to it. I'm hoping having writers and experienced producers like Jane Espenson* of successful myth-based shows on board will keep that mythology strong and, as a result, use the best aspects of Lost and combine them with something truly fantastic.

Not having a solid myth-base was one of the things about Lost that, well, lost me. During the first season it seemed to me that the writers weren't solid on the rules of the world, it's mythology or where the stories were ultimately going (something that the writers have apparently now admitted was the case, since the series finished). As a result it just felt like a prime time soap set in an unusual location (at least to me and others I know). I have much higher hopes for Once Upon A Time and hope it will ultimately resonate with more people than those just wanting character drama (ie. soap) without losing that audience either.

One fun thing to expect for fans of Lost are inside references and jokes in the set and script of Once (I hear there have already been a couple) and for Lost cast members to appear in very difference roles. Eg one very buzzed about appearance is that of Emilie de Ravin as Belle in episode 12. (Yes - it's Disney's Beauty that's being referenced here).

 Details of her role are scarce, but we hear Once's Belle will have a connection to Rumplestiltskin. No word on whether the titular Beast will appear, but Gaston is slated to pop up as well. Source.

I just have to mention a separate little niggle here (yes another one): I really don't like how they're casting and dressing the actors for their various dual life roles. (I could write a whole post on this but it feels too early in the series to do more than mention right now.) Despite trying to echo the "Disney look" the results don't 'feel' like the characters to me but more like a trip to Disneyland gone sideways. For example, I think this look HERE for Emilie de Ravin looks far more like the character of Belle from the fairy tale (albeit a little too sexily dressed) than the above production photo. Then again, her fair hair and skin, although completely gorgeous, don't say "Beauty" (of Beauty and the Beast) to me at all. If I was matching her to a fairy tale I'd go with Sleeping Beauty. But maybe that's just me. :D

 
You can read the whole article with executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis HERE (it includes hints on what they know they have to achieve over the series and what areas are open to "evolving storylines") .

*Ms. Espenson dealt wonderfully with the many complicated worlds and mythologies created by Joss Whedon. She also wrote the Jiminy Cricket episode "Still Small Voice", which aired last week. To my mind, despite still having criticisms, it seemed more solid than the past fairy tale character-focused episodes.

Adventure Time's Snow Golem & Fire Wolves

I'm ashamed to say it has taken me A VERY LONG TIME to give the cartoon series Adventure Time a go. Initially I thought the designs were ugly*** and expected crude/cruel humor, awful/hard-to-watch animation and a high cringe factor of subject matter but I was completely wrong.  Not only was I wrong but the mythic and creative aspects have made sure Adventure Time is now being DVR'd in our house as often as possible. I now completely understand how this independent show built a strong underground following and is getting more and more popular over time.

Although Adventure Time will not be to everyone's taste I was happily surprised by the high degree of both creativity and continuous myth-based references throughout. Finn the Human and his magical dog Jake are not only decent and sweet characters but incredibly heroic and venture into all kinds of different worlds (eg. Candy Kingdom, the Underworld etc) rescuing those in need while figuring out what is good and what is not. They're also incredibly funny*. :)

Another nice surprise was seeing how the designs actually made sense when animated (commercials don't give you the correct impression at all) and how whimsical it all became.

The Thanksgiving special, titled "Thank You", shows just how sweet and mythic this show can be. (It has a snow golem and fire wolves for goodness sake! There's a summary of the episode HERE in case I can't convince you to watch and be surprised. PS. I dearly want a fire wolf pup now.) My son, along with me, has watched the episode 4 times again today and still isn't sick of it. The episode is making waves around the internet with how touching it's proven to be.

Just watch**. You'll thank me. :)

* You can expect a degree of boy humor (because that's who the main character is) and the episodes, as with all shows, differ in their appeal but personally, I have enjoyed more of them  - and found a lot of fresh mythic references throughout - than not. I think a key element in tolerating these aspects is that in this show, they are not mean spirited at all. the characters are clearly have hearts of gold. Very much like the naive yet pure-hearted Jacks of fairy tales.
** I don't know if this will be available online for very long so take advantage of the freebie viewing while you can.  
*** The design work on the show is actually top notch! The commercial-editing just doesn't do justice to the look. The pace and spirit of the show backs up the wonderfully naive-like approach to the character looks and it actually works so well, by the time you've watched an episode like "Thank You" you find yourself looking up Adventure Time Art sources on the web for hours!

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)