Freeform's Weekend Fairy Tale Programming To Celebrate Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings Premiere (on May 7)

Press release:

In anticipation of the premiere of "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings," FreeForm (part of the Disney/ABC Television Group) invites you to relive all of your favorite love stories during the network's weekend programming event starting SATURDAY, MAY 6 and continuing through SUNDAY, MAY 7. Follow along as Tiana kisses a few frogs to find her prince while Snow White patiently waits for true love's kiss, then cheer on Cinderella as she gets ready for the ball.

The highlights are:

Saturday, May 6

(8:00 - 10:00a.m. EDT) A CINDERELLA STORY: IF THE SHOE FITS (live action movie with Sofia Carson)

(10:00a.m. - 12:35p.m. EDT) THE PRINCE & ME (live action movie with Julia Stiles)

(12:35 - 2:40p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (feature animation)

(2:40 - 4:45p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 9:05a.m. EDT.

(4:45 - 6:50 p.m. EDT) DISNEY/PIXAR'S BRAVE (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 11:10 a.m. EDT.

(6:50 - 9:00 p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S TANGLED (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 3:20p.m. EDT.

(9:00 - 11:30 p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S FROZEN (feature animation) -  repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 5:30p.m. EDT.

(11:30p.m. - 1:30 a.m. EDT) DISNEY'S ALADDIN (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 1:15 p.m. EDT.

Sunday, May 7

(8:00 - 9:30 p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S FAIRY TALE WEDDINGS - FreeForm PREMIERE

Getting married is one of the most special days of your life and one you will never forget. For three exceptional couples, their weddings will include some Disney magic and elegance, as well as a few surprises thrown in, to give them the wedding they always dreamed of and more. And while three couples are entering wedded bliss, one lucky couple is just about to start their wedding journey with a proposal of a lifetime. Hosted by "The Bachelor" alums Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings" will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the one-of-a-kind weddings, including a surprise performance by the multiplatinum-selling a cappella group Pentatonix and magical engagements that take place at Disney Destinations around the globe.

* All dresses pictured are from Disney Bridal

Note: we're not sure why Frozen is being featured - there's no wedding in that movie!

Dance Theater: Grimm Brothers Get Transported To Age of Social Media To Save Their Literary Legacy in 'Tales of Grimm'

Contemporary parables are woven together with tales of the Brothers Grimm

This unique twist on Grimm’s Fairy Tales places these literary brothers of the 1800s smack into the middle of modern day society. Perplexed by the antics of our 21st century lifestyle, the brothers’ vivid and iconic text literally dances off the page to pull inhabitants of our screen-obsessed, social-media age back into the world of books—and into the stories they thought they knew so well…

When you hear about 'tales of Grimm' you don' usually expect the brothers to make an appearance, let alone watch them in their tale telling and editing. The beauty of this concept shows exactly why and how fairy tales still have something to say.

This production sounds very unique, and if we were local, we'd definitely make time to go see this! Everything we've read about the character and concept development sounds interesting and well thought out - both as an homage to the work of the Grimms in their time (it was much more complex than collecting a bunch of tales and publishing them!), and showing how fairy tales are still as relevant today as they ever were - even taking into account people's obsession with selfies... The production, choreography and dancing too, are getting good critical reviews.

Here's the concept, from toledocitypaper:

Broken into vignettes, each classic tale has been contemporized to cope with modern issues and connected through a fun fourth wall-breaking narrative that invokes an awareness of the audience. The characters themselves emerge from the stories to exist in the real world. And at the forefront of the modern issues being faced is this sort of disconnect between society and another endangered classic art: books. “In a haste to not lose this idea of books, [the Grimm Brothers] rush back to this huge book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales that they have, and they start to rewrite all their stories to fit modern society,” (Director Michael) Lang explained, showing off a few of the props for the forthcoming performance. 

Included in the mix was an ornate gazebo, strung up with braided locks of rope, representing Rapunzel actress Semira Warrick’s lengthy hair and a conference table that will serve as the set piece for Rumpelstiltskin’s impassioned performance. “There’s a very percussive number, and he just pounds away at the table,” said Lang of Rumpelstiltskin actor Phillipe Taylor. “When I read Rumpelstiltskin, I thought, ‘You can say what you want about Rumpelstiltskin, but he did do the work.’”

“This show is such a twist on these tales and will not be what anyone is expecting,” Lang said. “The retold stories have a unique connection to the originals, and yet, are profoundly relative and anchored in today.”  (this last quote from The Blade)

The Toledo Ballet calls this piece more 'dance theater', which implies it's more theatrical in terms of presentation and story, as opposed to pure dance, and there's certainly a lot to be communicated in this one. On their Facebook page, for teaser purposes, the company posted a picture representing a section or character of the ballet, along with a neat summary.

We really like how they looked at different aspects of the fairy tales and found the human and still relevant thread in them, to explore. How the Grimm brothers, navigating modern society for the first time, help do this, is to be revealed and part of the fun.

Oh - and you might be surprised at some of the tale inclusions as well... Kudos to the director and writers who chose to boldly include How Some Children Played At Slaughtering, along with nods to other lesser known Grimm tales.

Take a look at some of the teasers below:

Opening the Book - As our book opens, the Brothers Grimm are mysteriously transported to an altered world of obliviousness and folly. While navigating through this unfamiliar sea of electronic glow, they struggle to find purpose and anxiously watch their literary “ship” sail off in the distance. Determined to save it, they revisit their tales and laboriously search for compromise.Little Red Cap - In an electronically obsessed world where all are accessible to many, our Modern-Day Red is warned to stay on the path. Ignoring parental admonitions, she quickly discovers that one can never be certain who the predators are or where they await!

Briar Rose - Bearing witness to the malice of his daughter’s childhood journey, a father’s love and desperate desire to protect provokes him to close her eyes from uncertainty, heartache, and pain. In time, he recognizes that by obsessively closing her eyes from the world she ends up with no world at all!


“Hansel” & Gretel - Overwhelmed by the endless tasks of motherhood, and frustrated by her sluggish husband, “Hansel” & Gretel’s modern-day mom fantasizes of taking her young offspring deep into the woods … and leaving them there! Her dream of freedom and self-indulgence is suddenly interrupted by Gretel’s cry for rescue from a tyrant old teacher. Her maternal instincts quickly remind her that, in reality, she would assiduously fight any battle for the family she loves.

Rapunzel - From the expectations constructed by society’s “tower”, Modern-day Rapunzel contemplates her “braids” of doubt, fear, guilt, and hope. Releasing the grips of entanglement, she reflects and ponders upon her place in a world yet to come.

How Some Children Played at Slaughtering - Each generation cries, “The world has gone mad,” though a journey through history reveals a far more reprehensible past! Exposed to a constant barrage of violence, our unattended children create a “game” of their own.

Rumpelstiltskin - Discouraged by nepotism and a bias environment, our modern-day Rumpel strives for a beat of his own. He industriously follows the rules of his daily grind until a bombardment of injustice forces him to his breaking point.

The Little Glowing Hand - Torn from the pages of her literary existence, Storybook Red struggles to make out her peculiar new surrounds. Her curiosities are intrigued by the illumined hands that appear to guide the bizarre ways of her unacquainted peers. Feeling scared and alone she studies a Modern-Day Teen in search of familiarity, understanding, and home.

The Displacement of Red - Feeling anxious and muddled, Storybook Red endures her bewildering journey. Alarmed by the tatters of her rapidly fading pages, she clings to the mast of her fairy-tale “ship”. She discovers the book that may provide resolution; but her efforts are blocked by her uneasy source. 

It's billed as a family friendly production and the company has had some wonderful promos during April at the Toldeo Lucas County Public Library. Check out some of those pics below:


As you may have gathered from the summaries above, however, this production, while being family friendly is not 'kiddie' - something some colleagues of ours have been discussing recently: quality theater for young audiences. Parents in particular may want the heads-up that the production doesn't shy away from some pretty harsh realities: bullying, oppression, murder and even genocide are all alluded to at least, if not represented, but then, if you will recall, it's in the Grimm texts as well. It all depends on how these are handled. We haven't seen this ourselves to be able to assess how all these issues are portrayed, but between the promos and this lively 9 minute interview you can listen to online  HERE that talks about this exact issue of bringing children to the show, hopefully you can make a good assessment for any children you're wanting to take. (Note: the link worked at the time of posting but we don't know how long it will be available to listen to.) Here's what the director Michael Lang said to the Toledo City Paper:

... while Tales of Grimm is ultimately a family-friendly performance, the stories contained within hew closely to the original tales put forth by the occasionally macabre Grimm Bros. These aren’t the Disneyfied translations one might otherwise expect from the former dancer-turned-director who was one of the original cast members of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. “I don’t save [Red Riding Hood] in the end. I feel like with this message, it needs to be a message. This doesn’t always end well. I’ve got a lot of lighthearted moments as well, but there are a lot of moments that make people sit back and go, ‘Oh wow.’”

“I’m on this kind of quest, and I think that’s why the theme of this show has turned out like it has, to get people to put their phones down for a little bit and get back to theater and art,” said (Director Michael) Lang. “ Dance is always a tough sell, but this is for everybody, not just the people that love ballet.” 

You only have tonight and tomorrow to go catch this show! Quick! Go grab a ticket! (And then tell us all about it, would you?)

'The Handmaid's Tale' Proves More & More Relevant As Trailer Released & Air Date Approaches

The Handmaid's Tale will be premiering on Hulu this month and a lot of people are very excited for it. Or perhaps 'excited' is the wrong word. Since November 9, 2016 (and again January 20th 2017), The Handmaid's Tale has once again become a best-seller. The timing of this is perfect for the new series, though even the Atwood (who wrote the award winning book) and the Producers, aren't thrilled about the circumstances that make it so.

During the recent convention SXSW (South By South West) in Austin, Texas, dozens of 'handmaidens' walking around the city in costume made for very effective series promotion, perhaps with even more impact than was originally intended. Some called it 'effective street theater'. Some call it an eerie glimpse into an 'all-too-possible future'. (Even the 1990 film adaptation didn't have the same impact this series is already having, due to the current political and social climate in the US.) See some pics below:

The Handmaid's Tale deals with a lot of issues, the most obvious of which are the contemporary possibilities and parallels with real life current affairs and political news. But this is not a new thing and, this being a fairy tale blog, you may have been clued into the fact that it's firmly connected to fairy tales as well. The Handmaid's Tale is today's Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, albeit in a form most wouldn't recognize, though Atwood inserts some lines in her narrative to make it clear the parallel is intentional. (The red clothing probably gave you the biggest clue.)

• In chapter 2 Offred sees herself as ‘some fairytale figure in a red cloak, descending towards a moment of carelessness that is the same as danger.'
• In chapter 17 she imagines herself as a figure, ‘In the wood at midnight,' seeking, ‘a magic flower'. (Garden tales and legends are regularly referenced.)
• In chapter 8 Offred comments on the barren wife she's assigned to as, ‘She's like my own reflection, in a mirror from which I am moving away.' (The fairy tale doppelganger.)
• And the red and blue comparison between the fertile and barren women, have always reminded us of Bluebeard, which doesn't feel like too much of a stretch!

What this means,of course, is that this (essential situation) is not a new problem. We will be telling our newer variations of these fairy tales now, even as we try to find our way through to surviving these old ones.

Here's the official new trailer. Be warned, although it's not explicit, it certainly hits close to home. Previous trailers have shown the barren versus fertile women and the form of control. With the emphasis in the new trailer on the changing state of the world (pre to mid tale) we have to wonder if it was created specifically to reflect the possibilities of the western world in 2017. It's certainly effective. Take a look:

The series not only has Atwood's seal of approval as the originator (and yes, she is also Consulting Producer) but her enthusiasm and praise, something you don't often hear, whether they hold a credit or not.

In a Reddit AMA*, Atwood had high praise for the first three episodes of the TV adaptation, the only ones she’s seen so far. “Based on what I’ve seen it’s a 10. My criteria: puddle of goo on the floor [by the] end of Episode 3. Gasp. Shriek. It goes farther than I did in the book…” (FTNH Edit: YIKES!) Personally, this has me even more excited for the premiere. 

Atwood herself will have a cameo in the show, as she revealed in a piece for The New York Times. In that same piece, she also reflected on all the historical events she drew inspiration from, her mindset when writing the book, and the way Offred’s narration work as a “literature of witness.” 

“Having been born in 1939 and come to consciousness during World War II, I knew that established orders could vanish overnight,” wrote Atwood, reflecting on the novel’s inception. “Change could also be as fast as lightning. ‘It can’t happen here’ could not be depended on: Anything could happen anywhere, given the circumstances.” (TheMarySue) *AMA is Ask Me Anything

One of the 'redeeming factors' of this show - that is, considering the current circumstances in which watching such possibilities brought to life are not only deeply disturbing but have the danger of pushing folks to real despair - is that the show's overall emphasis isn't on losing hope but about keeping it, despite what may come.

"It's unquestionably a dark world, says executive producer Bruce Miller, "but it's not a dark show. The show is about perspective and not losing the hope of getting your life back."

The show is, as The Mary Sue reminds us "an example of how powerful art has served as not only comfort but as a manual for resistance. In a new featurette, the team and cast of the Hulu adaptation talk about how the show is ultimately one that wants to foster hope." Take a look behind the scenes to see how the cast and crew are viewing the show, and how they see this as an effort to remind us we are never without choices.

The Handmaid’s Tale premieres on Hulu on April 26, 2017.

For those feeling the need for a morale boost, here's an excellent article on how not to lose hope, and how to resist when you feel it's hopeless and you're exhausted. How, even if you're small and quiet, you can still effectively resist. Click HERE.

#RRR

'Tangled' The Series Revisits Mother Gothel

Nice to see the series dealing with the (some of) the reality that you can't wish away your previous life and bad care givers (understatement!). We know it's been a huge wish of folks who've identified with Rapunzel, to see that her experience of being raised by Gothel, wouldn't get conveniently swept under the rug. Getting you 'happily ever after' doesn't erase the trauma of a horrible upbringing and at some point, it has to be dealt with - more than likely continuously over a lifetime.

While we don't know how this is ultimately handled, or if this is an issue that will recur/be touched on over time, we're glad to see there is an attempt at addressing this enormous issue in the first place.

See the official clip, with proper resolution on YouTube HERE.

We particularly like how there's indication of a headache and mental strain, that is, turmoil from inside Rapunzel (as opposed to her getting zapped from the outside, as if your bad-parent is only an external problem), not to mention the physically manifest messy aftermath of this encounter. We know there are more than a few folks who will appreciate the not-so-subtle symbolism and will feel validated that even though that problem-person is (possibly) in the past, it doesn't mean you've completely escaped your internal prisons.

The episode aired last week (March 24th we believe) so there's a good chance it will repeat again this week for those wanting to catch up.

Kudos to the Tangled: The Series team for addressing this important issue!

Note: For some reason, the embedding function has been disabled on the original clip, which is unusual so the one above is (obviously) someone's at-home recording of the sequence. If you can't see the one embedded above, you can watch the official clip on YouTube HERE.

'Tangled: Before Ever After' Series Kicks Off with Original Movie (& Life Gets Hairier)

The world, universe and adventures of Tangled have been begging for exploration ever since its theatrical success and the follow-up short, Tangled: Ever After, wasn't quite what fans were looking for. The fan market has remained strong, almost a decade later, but apart from a wedding only being good for so many laughs for kids, once the 'hairy adventures'  aspect was over, with Rapunzel's hair being bobbed and not quite as potentially weaponized, what was there to watch that could be quite as magical and exciting?

Slight trivia aside: the first thing Rapunzel paints in her new room is the (fairy) tale of what happened in the 2010 movie. Neat huh?

The creators were stumped for a while until they decided to look at the themes of Tangled and, essentially, reboot them in series form. The trick was, to do that without redoing the movie's story and all that mythos and hard-earned happy ending, and they found an interesting way to do just that: turns out, in some ways, Rapunzel traded one prison for another. OK. Maybe that's a bit strong, since nothing quite adds up to being stuck in a doorless tower for most of your life, but it turns out Rapunzel is indeed chafing under the weight and stifling responsibility of her new position, not to mention the duties and the expectations everyone has of her.

Rapunzel sets out to fight that stifling...

[Here's a clip in which Eugene discovers she's slipped out of the castle, defying her father's orders. It illustrates the sense of fun we can expect to see in the coming series as well.]

... and is magically 'helped' along the way by getting back the means by which she was able to explore her freedom before: her magically long hair. (It's not her choice, to get back her 70 feet of blonde-ness, but it's one she embraces pretty quickly.)

Here's the scene in which Eugene tries desperately not to freak out when he discovers The Hair is back:

The series was introduced this weekend, with a special Disney Channel Original Movie, which fills in the gap between the end of Tangled, the movie, and Tangled Before Ever After (which is the new series showing what happens between Tangled and the Tangled Ever After short aka the wedding, got it?)

Confusing, yes. Here it is in story-chronological order:

1. Tangled - feature film 2010
2. Tangled Before Ever After Disney Channel Original Movie - just aired this weekend
3. Tangled Before Ever After series - first episode to air March 24, 2017
4. Tangled Ever After - short (2012)

The movie’s official description reads:

“It’s just the beginning of happily ever after for Rapunzel and Eugene. As Rapunzel reacquaints herself with her parents, her kingdom and the people of Corona, she comes to realize that there is so much more she needs to learn about the world and herself before she becomes Princess of Corona. With the help of her handmaiden and friend, Cassandra, and Eugene, she begins to find the adventure she desires right outside her door. Life is about to get a little hairier!” 

In addition to Moore and Levi, the cast includes Ashley Judd, who plays Rapunzel’s mother Queen Arianna, and Broadway actress Eden Espinosa as Rapunzel’s handmaiden and close friend Cassandra.

As you can see from the promotional artwork and clips, the movie and series are no longer CG but very stylized traditional animation, returning to more of a storybook quality. Turns out fans are really happy about this, feeling like they'll be getting fairy tales again. (Nice to know!) In fact, the response has been so positive, the series has been confirmed as renewed for a second season, even before the first has aired. That's fairly unusual, so you know what that means: people want their fairy tales!

Here's a little more behind-the-scenes info, giving you an idea of how this developed and what they'll be doing with the series.

It's clearly adorable, has a very fun sense of humor and is wonderfully artistic. Though we'll have to see how the individual episodes pan out story-wise, the series looks very promising and is delighting fans of Disney fairy tales everywhere already. Looks like something we should be checking in with regularly when it gets rolling.

Note: The Tangled Before Ever After Original Movie will be available on DVD April 11th, 2017.
It will include four 'Tangled Short Cuts': 
Checkmate
Prison Bake
Make Me Smile
Hare Peace

Hulu Adapting Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale'

Anna and Elena Balbusso for the Folio Society

If you're familiar with Margaret Atwood, you're also familiar with her use of fairy tales in her work. The Handmaid's Tale, while more obviously referencing Red Riding Hood in key phrases in the book, the often used motif of the isolated woman, or Rapunzel syndrome, is also part of the it too. There are other subtle fairy tale references throughout, such as to Cinderella, The Red Shoes and The Girl Without Hands, a constant, underlying presence in Atwood's work. There are nursery rhyme references too, (eg. The Spider and the Fly), all of which blend together, seemingly naturally, in Atwood's hands.

Now that Hulu is working on a 10 episode series, we're curious to see if any of those references and allusions are included. With Atwood as consulting producer and reportedly very happy with how the script and production are developing, we are optimistic there will be:

"I am thrilled that MGM and Hulu are developing The Handmaid's Tale as a series, and extra thrilled that the very talented Elisabeth Moss will be playing the central character.  The Handmaid's Tale is more relevant now than when it was written, and I am sure the series will be watched with great interest.  I have read the first two scripts and they are excellent; I can hardly wait to see the finished episodes,” said Atwood. (source)

Here's Hulu's press description of the production from a few months ago:

Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s influential and acclaimed novel, THE HANDMAID’S TALE is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted religious fundamentalism that treats women as property of the state. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world. In this terrifying society where one wrong word could end her life, Offred navigates between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead — all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.

Golden Globe winner, Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) will play the lead and title role of Offred, the 'handmaid', and in August, Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) was confirmed to play the role of Commander Fred Waterford.

Fiennes will play Commander Fred Waterford, a founding father of the totalitarian society of Gilead. A powerful, high-ranking official, Commander Waterford rules the household where Offred (Moss) is a handmaid. This marks a returned to scripted television following his role in the second season of “American Horror Story” in 2013. 

... Reed Morano will direct and executive produce the first three episodes. The cast also includes “Orange Is the New Black” alumna Samira Wiley; “The Leftovers” star Ann Dowd; “The Mindy Project’s” Max Minghella and “Hemlock Grove’s” Madeline Brewer. 

The series is scheduled to begin production in Toronto this fall for a 10-episode order, slated to premiere in 2017. (source)

While on the subject of Atwood, we wanted to highlight this book which sounds intriguing as it combines all creative aspects of Atwood's expressions - from art to writing. We haven't yet had the chance to read it, and it has mixed reviews, are curious all the same. The title is Margaret Atwood's Fairy Tale Sexual Politics by Sharon Rose Wilson.

Here's the description:

An intriguing investigation of fairy-tale images in Margaret Atwood's haunting fiction, poetry, and artwork 

Sharon Rose Wilson's analysis of Margaret Atwood's sexual politics through a study of fairy-tale patterns offers a new reading of Atwood and a fresh appreciation of the traditional fairy tale's ability to illuminate modern literature. 

Not only is this the first study to explore systematically Atwood's fiction and poetry through fairy-tale images, but also it occasions the first time Atwood has allowed examples of her artwork to be published in a book. 

In relating Atwood's fragile, mysterious paintings, collages, linocuts, drawings, and cartoons to her writing, this study shows how such fairy-tale images-along with myths, the Bible, history, film, art, and popular literature-reveal archetypes in her work. The engaging writing and the eerie visual art of Margaret Atwood braid together fairy-tale themes from Grimm and Andersen with the feminist concerns for which this internationally acclaimed Canadian author is well known.  

In The Handmaid's Tale, for example, she presents her version of Little Red Riding Hood facing patriarchy's wolf. In almost all her novels she explores the "Rapunzel Syndrome," in which women experience internalized isolation. In joining Atwood's literature and her artwork, Wilson challenges feminist assumptions that fairy tales limit gender roles. To the contrary, fairy-tale motifs in Atwood's works are a liberating force. Indeed, Wilson discloses how the genius of this fascinating writer perceives the fairy tale to be a means of transforming the constricting images that tradition has placed upon sexual identity. 

Sharon Rose Wilson is a professor of English and women's studies at the University of Northern Colorado.

You can get a really good preview via Google Books HERE and the book is available for purchase HERE and HERE.

Breaking News: Disney's 'Tangled' TV Series Trailer Released

The hair is back! And the first question you will ask - if you think the way we do in the newsroom - is: how??

And we're not just curious (aka baffled, slightly perturbed) at just the how, but also the "why": why does she get her very blonde mile-long, assassin-worthy, hair back? Apparently the series is set to answer that question - and it's an important one, since we know, from the movie, that Rapunzel is really an un-magical, though royal, brunette, and, frankly, we thought that was a good thing.

Flynn, er, Eugene looks a little shocked here too, though Pascal looks pretty happy about. He has his jungle gym back, we're guessing.

The series, featuring Rapunzel, Flynn/Eugene, Pascal and many of the other characters, is set to take place between the events of the movie (2010) and the short Tangled Ever After (2012), aka the wedding short.

According to TVLine:

The series will follow Rapunzel as she “acquaints herself with her parents, her kingdom and the people of Corona.”

Many Moore returns to voice Rapunzel and Zach Levi as Flynn. (Or shall we be calling him Eugene?)

It's beautifully done, recalling some of the concept and development art for the original movie, especially that created by Claire Keane.

Without further ado, take a look:

We just hope Maximus gets to do more sword fighting.

Tangled: The Series, is set to air in 2017.

It's Almost Fairy Tale Ring Time Down Under! (Tale of the Month: Rapunzel)

Each month the AFTS (Australian Fairy Tale Society) gathers together fairy tale aficionados in each state* to discuss a particular fairy tale and it's impact on society, with special emphasis on its use, effect, and how it's perceived (past and present) in Australia. Headed by the amazing Jo Henwood, the rings bring together people from all backgrounds and disciplines and cover everything from art to academic studies, history to advertising, books to music and much, much more... (all while having yummy munchies, delicious teas and coffees and sharing laughs and awesome conversations with like-minded people!)

A lovely Rapunzel by Aussie artist Deann Cumner

A recommended reading list is put together (and wrangled) by Jo each month and with Rapunzel being the theme for July, you wouldn't immediately think Australians would have much to say...

Well it appears there is no lack of things to discuss when is comes to Rapunzel! 

The list has continued to grow daily with suggestions from all quarters (of the world!) and Jo is busy spinning it all together it all into a handy reference for research, inspiration and discussion gold. 

Although the emphasis is on Australian involvement and impact, it's a fascinating list for anyone interested in fairy tales and especially in Rapunzel. We should be posting it in the next day or so over on the AFTS website as well as the Facebook page so if you're interested… stay tuned!

Australian illustrator & artist Shaun Tan's
sculpture of Rapunzel

For those interested in attending a ring, please contact Jo Henwood for details of time and place in your area: jo7hanna AT tpg DOT com DOT au

*ANNOUNCEMENT for ALL FAIRY TALE FOLK WORLDWIDE: 

We know there are both Aussie fairy tale folk and AFTS members abroad, (I'm one of them) as well as other fairy tale interested folks who would be interested in participating in our discussion no matter where they call home, so we're just beginning to discuss ideas on how to make the rings accessible to far flung Oz folk (like our people in the far West of Australia in Perth), the more rural areas around Down Under and also for members and other interested people overseas. We hope to be trying out some different ways on bringing far-flung fairy tale folk together in the months to come!

Fairy Tale Bonus of the Day:

Art book of Rapunzel created by Australian artist Jac Balmer for the BookArtObject exchange project a few years back. (Also see her Twelve Dancing Princesses book at the link on her name!)

"'Rapunzel' is a digitally printed concertina book from original artwork by Jac... It comes wrapped in a lovely simply wrap around cover. Which you open to see the front cover of the book - enticing tracery of thorns and brambles? The book opens with visually stunning artwork of Rapunzel, the forest, the castle window, so many things to discover in here... It is a small but sumptuous book, filled with imagery and meaning that requires time to be spent with it, to wander back and forth through the images, discovering nuggets anew each time."

(from Paperwork Ponderings, recipient of this lovely work! Check the link for more photos of the book.)