How Did Gaston and Le Fou Meet? (Disney Enlists Kids To Create Stories Inspired by BatB, and Turns Them Into Short Films!)

Possibly our favorite things about the gigantic release and popularity of Disney live action Beauty and the Beast, is the creativity boom in so many areas as a result, a large focus of which is on reading and storytelling. (Yay!)

Disney themselves are participating in encouraging this as well, which makes it even better. Some of their publications are focused on 'what you can read' if you want to read like Belle, or mining the earliest written forms of Beauty and the Beast (Villeneuve and Beamont) and republishing in various ways, not to mention emphasizing storytelling and eco-conscious creation through fashion and foot ware. The best of the initiatives we've seen to date, however, is likely a writing and filmmaking collaboration with non-profit group, Young Storytellers, who aim to give a voice to low-income students by helping them write their own stories, through a one-on-one mentorship, and see them brought to life on stage and screen.

Partnering with Young Storytellers* and Tongal**, Disney enlisted the creativity of kids by giving them a pre-release showing of the movie on the Disney lot, then asking them to come up with stories, or 'spin-offs', based on their favorite characters. (* Young Storytellers is a non-profit organization in Los Angeles. "Every child has a story worth telling." **Tongal is an independent creative network with a global community of more than 120,000 writers, directors and animators) 

The title of the project was 'Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast'.

(T)hey were paired with their mentors to write scripts inspired by their favorite characters from the film. Tongal* then matched these Young Storytellers'** scripts with its network of creators who turned them into live-action and animated short films...The Young Storytellers got the added surprise of seeing their projects come to life on the big screen with a premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. After the screening, they were surprised by a video greeting with actors from the film, Luke Evans (Gaston) and Josh Gad (Le Fou). (Hollywood Reporter)

Four talented young people were chosen to have their stories made into short films. Here are three of them (we can't find Acacia's story and film, Cooking Catastrophe but have no doubt it's just as wonderful as the others and hope it will be available on the Young Storytellers' YouTube Channel to see soon!).

This one is by 12 year old, Robert Nelson, who imagined how Gaston and LeFou might have met.

“LeFouston” from “Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’"

The video was created in stop motion by Tongal creator Kevin Ulrich, with music by Trevor Gomes.

"Pug in a Cup" from “Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast"

Written by Hana Morshedi (age unknown) and directed by Tucker Barrie.

“Beauty and the Curse” from “Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’"

Written by Tamara Sims (based on her short story “Changing Ways”, age unknown) and directed by Maya Rudolph.

Many congrats to Tamara, Robert, Acacia, and Hana!

Here's a peek behind-the-scenes of these young people's storytelling adventure:

A brilliant and successful collaboration thanks in large part to the ongoing amazing work by Young Storytellers, along with Tongal and Disney. We only wish more kids got an opportunity like this, or are being encouraged to do this themselves with their own resources.

You can find out more about Young Storytellers and how to help with wonderful programs like this, by clicking the link HERE.

Theater: Prison Theater Arts Presents 'Sleeping Giants: A Dream Play' (Victoria, Canada)

Does the idea of going inside a prison to watch a play, even one based on fairy tales, unnerve you? We admit, we area little disconcerted, but we're also intrigued.

Opening yesterday (Friday, October 7th 2016), the minimum security prison William Head Institution is staging with the help and support of WHOs (William Head On Stage) and SNAFU Dance Theater, a new play titled Sleeping Giants. It uses metaphors from the tales of Sleeping Beauty, Rip Van Winkle and A Midsummer Night's Dream to reflect on real life experiences.

Description:

Sleeping Giants began inspired by such stories as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Rip Van Winkle, and soon grew and evolved into a wholly original piece with music, costumes, lighting, set and props--all designed and built by the inmate team.  We follow the story of five human dreamers and a family of dream spirits who act as guides through the subconscious landscape.  Dreams are scarce, and the dream spirits must find a way to make the humans dream again, or else fade away into oblivion.  

There's an interesting review about the play and it's development HERE. Here's an excerpt:

Sleeping Giants takes its cue from such tales as Rip Van Winkle, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sleeping Beauty. It tells five fictional tales based on the real-life experiences of inmates. Greenfield said one of the themes is the notion of “long sleeps.”

“There’s the idea of people going to sleep for a long, long time and waking up and the whole world’s changed around you. It’s kind of a metaphor for prison life,” she said.The chairman of William Head on Stage is one of 15 prisoners performing in Sleeping Giants. He said the play is also a critique of our technology-obsessed society. The inmates have a different take on the topic because this side of modern life is off-limits to them.“We have no direct access to the Internet, we have no iPhones or gadgets to play with while inside,” said the inmate, who cannot be identified due to prison regulations. 

            

 

Costumes created for the show by the inmates:

The Alchemist's cape, Dream Spirit costumes and the Woodland Sprite costume. 

Here's a little introduction from WHOs, introducing the play:

You can find out more information about the play, the facility and the process of visiting this 'unique' stage HERE.

We would suggest, if you're interested, to do your research. You will find many surprisingly great reviews of plays staged at the William Head Institution and the visit process is made very clear. Consider going in a group, for your peace of mind, and, at the suggestion of those working in theater to change lives: keep an open heart.

What: Sleeping GiantsWhere: William Head Institution, Metchosin, near Victoria in CanadaWhen: Oct. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, Nov. 3, 4, 5. Must be 19 or over to enter.

The Totoro Forest Project (in Honor of Earth Day)

Dug by Khang Le

Happy Earth Day!

As a late-in-the-day tribute honor to Planet Earth I thought I'd highlight a project inspired by a film, inspired by a forest. My Neighbor Totoro is a film I now see as synonymous with trees and forest wonders and is one of those films all children, in particular, should see regularly from about age four or five. It's a wonderful, beautiful, modern folk tale by Hayao Miyazaki about a little family (two young sisters in particular) and has fairy tale connections as well (more about that another time).

Dream by Paul Topolos

If you know Miyazaki's work, you know he is passionate about preserving childhood joy and the future of the planet. Ponyo was another fairy tale (with The Little Mermaid roots) that looked at the state of our oceans. My Neighbor Totoro looks at the importance of nature and the forest in our lives and healing. That's not to say they're focused on the ecological issues though. These films are delightful tales in and of themselves but they're told within the framework of folklore, wonder and imagination.

Totoro No by Richard Vander Wende

The Totoro Forest Project came about quite a few years ago now, in 2008, as part of an effort to help preserve a special stretch of natural forest.

The Resting Place by Luc Desmarchelier

In tribute to Miyazaki and to support this cause, artists from all over the globe created pieces to be auctioned to raise money for the forest's preservation.

When I Whisper Totoro's Name by Manuel Arenas

From the official site:

A fund raising exhibition/auction to support the national trust Totoro Forest Foundation that Oscar winning film maker Hayao Miyazaki has been helping over the years, featuring original art created by internationally acclaimed artists in the fields of animation, comic books, and illustration. 

Untitled by Rebecca Dautremer

Hayao Miyazaki has been actively supporting the preservation effort of Sayama Forest for more than ten years. This 8750 acre park in the outskirts of Tokyo is also known as Totoro Forest. It's in these woods in fact that the concept for the film "My Neighbor Totoro" was born. 

Untitled by Andrea Blasich

In the past few decades, the forest has been subject to urban development. Only continued support to the Totoro Trust Fund can help preserve this much needed island of green in the midst of Tokyo's urban sprawl. We intend to donate the entire proceeds of the project to this worthy cause. 

Tree Spirit with Bike by Scott Campbell

This event can also be a symbolic gesture, sending a strong message to the world in terms of environmental and social awareness.  Imagine artists from all over the world coming together to donate artwork to help conserve a forest they have never seen.

Kappa no Tabi - The Kappa Journey by Enrico Casarosa

You can find out more about the project HERE.

Untitled by Jillian Tamaki

In this post you can see a small (yes small!) selection of the pieces created and made available for purchase. Here are some more:

Tilden Totoro by Emanuela Cozzi

The Tree Man by Paul Conrad

The Keepers by Jony Chandra

Rescue by Noah Klocek

Intruder by Steve Pilcher

Guardian of Autumn by Eric Orchard

A Gift by Jackson Sze

Alive by Enrique Fernandez

Gatherer by James Jean

Come Out and Play by Charles Vess

I just love it when artists come together to help a cause! There was a limited print run of the artworks made for the auction, the cover of which you can see below. I know they've been looking into getting a reprint but apparently it's not a straightforward thing to do, so if you see one, don't let it disappear... (what an interesting parallel that makes!).