'Mary and The Witch's Flower' Opens in Japan to Great Acclaim & Thumbs Up by Miyazaki

You may not have heard of this new film that has a serious Studio Ghibli vibe, but take a look at why you want this one on your radar!

We've included the three trailers so you can see a range of the goodies awaiting - all three are worth watching for a different perspective on the film:

'Mary and The Witch's Flower' is based on the 1971 English children's novel by Mary Stewart (yes, that Mary Stewart!), 'The Little Broomstick' and is considered a simple 'proto-Harry Potter' type of story. The movie itself shows a lot of Ghibli-like magic, style and Miyazaki-ish imagination, even as it pays close attention to it's source material.

The story is based off a very short novel. The greatest strength of the original story was its vivid and lyrical descriptions, making the world it takes place in feel very tangible despite the brevity of its plot. This same quality is on display in the film, too, which succeeds more because of its attention to detail than anything else. Even brief asides in the novel like “The little broomstick gave a leap, a violent twist, a kick like the kick of a pony” are faithfully recreated in visual form. (Animenewsnetwork)

Here's a brief introduction to the novel, taken from a non-spoilery review:

‘Nothing, thought Mary, nothing could ever happen here’ ‘Everywhere was damp, and decay, and the end of summer’; but then a small black green-eyed cat appears, and adventure and magic begin.
The cat leads Mary to a clump of unusual purple flowers that she shows to Zebedee the gardener at Red Manor, who names both the cat (Tib) and the blooms (fly-by-night). Zebedee also tells Mary of the folklore surrounding the flower , including: ‘And ’tis said that in the olden days the witches sought her [the flower] from the corners of the Black Mountains, and from the place where the old city was and there’s now naught but a pool o’ water’. 

...While sweeping up leaves with a small broom, Mary accidentally smears the broom in the juice of a fly-by-night flower. Immediately, ‘the little broomstick gave a leap, a violent twist, a kick like the kick of a pony’ and Mary and Tib are transported by flying broomstick to Endor College, school of witchcraft. Endor is no Hogwarts: Madam Mumblechook believes that Mary has come to enrol at the school to learn skills such as ‘Turning milk sour, blighting turnips, making the cows go dry’. The ill-wishing of the spells is underlined by the sourness of the rhymes used in the spells: nursery-rhymes that ‘slipped somehow, so that the result was not ordinary, or even nice at all.’ But then Mary makes a sinister discovery about animals that have been ‘transformed’ and begins to wonder if she will be allowed to leave Endor. She does manage to return to Red Manor, only to find that the cat Tib has been kept captive at the College. 

True to the spirit of a Mary Stewart heroine, Mary decides to go back to rescue Tib, which leads to further adventure and dangers as Mary releases all of the animals, breaks the transformation spell and flees Endor College. (extracted from a review at MaryStewartReading)

We recommend reading the whole review for a good overview of the book and it's themes in context of today. What Studio Ponoc does with those themes and ideas, we've yet to see, of course, but it's intriguing to have this as background.

The new studio producing 'Mary and The Witch's Flower', Studio Ponoc, is being considered "the new Studio Ghibli" - or, more accurately "Studio Ghibli 2.0". 

As Miyazaki slips out of retirement (for the sixth?? time) to finish another short film, 'Boro the Caterpillar' for the exclusive Ghibli Museum theater presentations, it's clear that even with blessed longevity, he can't keep un-retiring forever, and speculation mounts as to 'who will be the new Miyazaki?'. (Answer: no one!)

Director of 'Mary and The Witch's Flower', Hiromasa Yonebayashi (director of 'Arriety' and 'When Marnie Was There') is considered a protegé of Miyazaki with this being his third feature film (and his first since leaving Studio Ghibli). Miyazaki - a notoriously critical director - has officially given it his thumbs-up, which is a huge deal. While no one will ever 'do Miyazaki like Miyazaki', Yonebayashi is certain to do his legacy proud at the very least and we can look forward to more of this unique type of storytelling and animation magic in the future.

Distribution update from Crunchyroll on July 13, 2017:

After a modest opening in theaters in Japan on July 08, 2017, Mary and the Witch's Flower will be casting its spell with an expanded theatrical release that will include some 155 territories worldwide, including the United States, England, France, Australia, China, and South Korea. The film will also see distribution in South America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Yes! We are doubly-excited now!

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 

Google Translate Sings 'Aesthetic & the Animals' (aka B&tB) aka the importance of good translation!

Ah Google Translate! Where would researchers and far flung friends and colleagues be without you? Performer Malinda Kathleen Reese gave us a glimpse of what non-English speaking folks, trying to translate tales and lyrics via Google Translate, might be 'hearing' instead...

This is a bit of (very well done) fun, of course, but it illustrates wonderfully why, when studying tales translated to English from other languages, you should be aware of the translator and how accurate they're considered to be, or (if you're lucky and have their notes) why they chose to use certain words and phrases instead of the more obvious ones... for instance the ones the Google Translate might suggest. ;)
             
One of the difficulties in translating to English is that it's a very imprecise language and definitions are constantly evolving, because social and popular meaning changes. And that's only half of the equation. The other is the original language and its quirks. If you've ever dabbled in languages with even minor translation endeavors, you quickly learned that there is rarely a 'correct' way to translate  - except that the guaranteed 'wrong way' is to try the word-for-word method - and that it's more of an art form than a science of substituting equal meanings.

You have to take into account:

• the words and what they specifically mean (and their equivalent in the language you're translating too)
• what the words also imply (the subtext of using that specific word instead of similar ones), which is influenced by...
• the context at the time - and place - of writing
• all of which usually has a 'tone' and style

(A very small selection of recommended books of translated tales with lots of great notes!)

And that doesn't include:

• storytelling style - which is very important in translating tales
• cultural expressions, idioms, similes and metaphors
• those words that have no English equivalent

(And there are more factors too that a qualified folklorist or professional translator could discuss at length, but you get the idea.)

When you take these into account, even retelling old tales originally written in English can prove tricky..!

Speaking of untranslatable words, can you imagine a retelling of Rapunzel, in which these words - wonderfully illustrated  by Marija Tiurina - are used? (Click on the images to see full size.)

And what about this one for Riquet of the Tuft?

You can find a lovely bunch of many more 'untranslatable words', that have been wonderfully illustrated HERE.

It's a pretty fascinating subject and we're a little in awe of people who translate tales and other creative and social works (not to mention those who facilitate United Nations negotiations!). Be prepared for a fun ride down a rabbit hole if you decide to look into this subject further!

(Note: our suggestion, if you don't want a world of instant-overwhelm, would be to start with annotated tales, and tale collections in which the translators include their notes on the story origins, collection and translation process, sometimes summarized in a foreword on each of the stories. Be prepared to never read anything quite the same way again!)

And just because these are a lot of fun, here's Malinda's latest Google Translate Sings video with a compilation of Mary Poppins songs. Enjoy!

Want more? Malinda has a bunch of princess songs too, in which she sings the original and has a 'sing-off' with the google translate version. Funny stuff!

Multiple Studios Vying for New 'Swan Lake' Movie with 'Rogue One's Felicity Jones Attached

It's Hollywood's 'hot pitch' of the (very hot, Fourth of July) week, and, even at this very early stage has multiple studios, including Universal, Paramount and TriStar among other known names, vying for the chance to be the ones to make it happen. The movie is said to be inspired by the classic ballet fairy tale Swan Lake but won't be a ballet or dance movie. This will be a story (dare we say fairy tale?) movie - and Felicity Jones is attached (the Star Wars film franchise's most recent star in Rogue One).

From The Hollywood Reporter:

The pitch, from Kristina Lauren Anderson (who wrote 'Catherine the Great'), is inspired by the classic ballet story Swan Lake. 

The project has Jones attached to star and 'Call Me by Your Name' helmer Luca Guadagnino attached to direct. 

Swan Lake, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is one of the most popular ballets of all time. The story follows Odette, a princess that is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. Darren Aronofsky's 2010 thriller Black Swan used the play as inspiration for its story, but did not follow the storyline of the classic ballet. This new retelling would not be a ballet but would be a tentpole film based on the story told in the ballet. (Ed: emphasis in bold is by OUABlog.)

FYI the term 'tentpole' is Hollywood-speak for 'expensive to make' and 'expect lots of merchandise to be made for this film'.

We are very interested in this!

In the meantime, we can see Felicity Jones as SNL's Cursed Princess from February 2017 (mild adult humor):

Timeless Tales Magazine: Arthurian Legends LIVE!

Greetings, fairy tale fans! This is Tahlia, editor of Timeless Tales Magazine, letting you know that our latest issue is ready for your eyeballs' gentle caress 😉. It is chock full of surprising and inspiring retellings of Arthurian Legends. 

We've really tried to capture both the drama and the absurdities of life in King Arthur's court. We promise that you've never seen Camelot like this before! 

• What if the Sword in the Stone took place among the Aztecs?

• What if Lancelot met Guinevere in a Starbucks?

• What if Sir Galahad was actually a woman?

• What if Merlin was an outlaw in the Wild West? 

• What if Morgan Le Fay never died, but was reborn over the centuries?

Plus, this issue has two poignant poems written by award-winning author Jane Yolen. You do not want to miss them! Read the entire collection here: www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/arthurian-legends 

Here's an excerpt from "Galahad & the Trickster" by Andy Scott:

“Hail,” Galahad called. “P-pardon me, good sir. Pray, tell me, is this still the North Road?”

“This?” the man crooned. He turned and stretched like a cat, his lithe body lounging perilously on the old rickety post. The sign's letters danced and transformed into letters, but were still gibberish.

Galahad gasped. “Demon! B-Be gone, wr-wretch of the infernal abyss.” His voice echoed into the empty forest.

The man leaned back and closed his eyes. “Wuddifahcud, pup … buddahcan’t. All-Father, in his one-eyed wisdom told me I couldn’t leave this hole until the prophecy was fulfilled.”

“Wh-what prophecy, demon? And speak true!” Galahad almost believed his own courage.

The man sighed.

“Odin’s prophecy, dolt. Can’t get around that.” Swinging his legs he sang, “Never shall you see Asgard again, Loki, until a virgin ploughs Yggdrasil’s key from his consummated bed.”

Loki? Galahad’s insides squirmed. He had heard of the ‘gods’ of the North Men. Cruel, pagan demons with brutal rites. He whispered a prayer under his breath, sword still trembling towards at Loki’s neck.

“Y-you said ‘consummated’” Galahad croaked, “but if the bed was consummated the giver couldn’t be a virgin?” 

“You said it, kid.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“That’s gods, for you.”...

READ THE REST OF THE STORY AT TIMELESSTALESMAGAZINE.COM

The Summer Program of 'Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic' Illustrates Why Fairy Tale Scholars Study Legends (And Now You Can Too!)

Carterhaugh is where it's at for Summer folklore and fairy tale studies this year! (Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic, that is.) And time is running out to sign up!

Did you just need a little reminder of the awesome awaiting you to complete that registration?

Go directly HERE to sign up BEFORE MIDNIGHT this FRIDAY.

Need some more background before you commit? Happy to help.

We highly recommend CarterhaughSchool's courses but why do we love Caterhaugh's founders and professors, Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto (and their sometimes-guest-lecturer Shveta Thakrar) here at Once Upon A Blog? It's not just because these ladies are passionate about all aspects of fairy tales, combining formidable scholarly-chops and research with accessibly-lovely whimsy and humor (because they most definitely do!), but because they make their courses appeal to a wide range of folks. They're inclusive and lay-friendly, while remaining challenging and engaging for the experienced scholar as well. Their materials combine the best of old world research and resources, with the tech-savvy and visual eye candy that appeals to critical, yet hungry contemporary fairy tale folk. They're fresh yet grounded, and have helpings aplenty of brains and beauty in the presentation and the content. Best of all, they specifically encourage personal development along an individual's chosen 'path' (scholar, writer or artist) for the final assignment so you can make your study relevant to your personal life and journey. Like folklorists tend to do, the study becomes part of the student's actual life and experience.

Here are Sara and Brittany doing some 'field research' for the Legends course about to begin (which they turned into a fun commercial):

These ladies are a hoot! We love that they're prepared to jump into fairy rings!

Image by Comfreak at Pixbay

And may we just say: don't be fooled by all the prettiness coming your way via Caterhaugh. While they admittedly love (and are in favor of) beautiful fairy tale things, these ladies are the real deal and fully qualified to give your brain a good work out too. (They just have also been blessed with good aesthetic taste as well!)

To give you a sense of where it's possible to go with them in discussions and study, we recommend listening to their awesome interview and discussion on inclusivity in fairy tales with the for Hugo Finalist SF/F podcast The Skiffy and Fanty Show. You might be surprised at the depth they go to in the hour long show - which we recommend making time to listen to, even if you have to do it in sections. It's too good to miss and inclusivity is something we need to be especially aware of at this point in time.

But back to Caterhaugh's current offerings - WHICH ARE STARTING UBER-SOON.

This time around these fairy godmothers of folklore and fairy tale studies are bringing us a long course (ten lessons over ten weeks) on LEGENDS. But wait: why are fairy tale mavens teaching a whole course on legends? Legends aren't fairy tales, right?

Ah - but they have so many delectably overlapping features, you'd be hard pressed to find a fairy tale scholar who doesn't also do their fair share of reading and study on legends simply because they can't help themselves! Brittany and Sara wrote a short and delightful article to explain. It's titled:

Scary Fairies, Sexy Vampires, and Techno-Ghosts: Or, 5 Reasons Fairy-Tale Scholars Study Legends Too

And we also highly recommend their 10 Reasons to Study Folklore - (two words: 'ceiling cat') which should provide a good bridge into the upcoming course on Legends as well.

We'll wait while you check it out... *whistling, rocking back and forth on toes, more whistling...*

Arthur Rackham

You're back? Great!

Here's a taste of what's to come:

"We’ll look at supernatural legends, urban legends, and historical legends, leading you through the woods beyond King Arthur’s court and into a fairy’s grotto and out again into the haunted synapses of the internet. "

Now that you're convinced, here's a peek at the (tentative) course schedule, broken into three awesome units:

July 1st – Introduction to Legends

Supernatural Legends UnitJuly 8th – Fairy Legends
July 15th – Vampire Legends
July 22nd – Cryptozoology Legends
July 29th – Sea Legends

Urban Legends Unit
August 5th – Ghost Legends
August 12th – House Legends
August 19th – Internet Legends

Historical Legends Unit
August 26th – British Legends
September 2nd – American Legends & Wrap Up

Do you feel your eyes getting bigger with each section? We do! 

But then we read 'Cryptozoology'. Gah. That settles it. The FT Newsroom Little Leaguers are going to be mighty upset with us if we don't get on board this train! (And if Gravity Falls is mentioned and they're not allowed to participate, there might just be a mutiny!) We'll have to triple check we can do this course on the road. (Brittany tells us: as long as you have regular access to the internet, you can!)

So guess what we've just added to our Summer program?

Just like with the fairy tale long course, you can read a summary of how it works around your personal schedule HERE, with a list of the dates of each set of materials being sent and the lectures and additional teaching material becoming available, as well as your unique Carterhaugh keepsakes (in the form of beautifully designed Grimoire pages for you to build your own magical book of knowledge). 

You can register HERE but it must be by midnight, June 30th 2017, EST - THAT'S THIS FRIDAY MIDNIGHT EST FOLKS!

Here's the info on The Legend long course from the website:

The course will be conducted through video lectures that will be accessible on the dates listed below, but all the materials will be yours to download and interact with whenever you choose (so don’t worry if you can’t play on those specific dates!) The price for this 10 lesson class will be $200, payable in one, two, or four installments. Full payment must be complete by the time registration closes on June 30th at midnight. Aside from the videos you will also receive the PowerPoint presentations featured in the video lectures, a beautifully made PDF “grimoire page” summary of each lesson, and any supplementary reading. This material is yours to keep and download for personal use! 

There will be a final assignment prompt for which you may choose the path of the scholar, the path of the writer, or the path of the artist. Personal feedback on completed final assignments is available upon request – we would love to see what you come up with! 

Dates: July 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, August 5th, 12th, 19th, September 2nd – note that these are simply the dates that materials will be posted! You will be able to download everything and watch whenever is most convenient to you. 

Total Number of Lessons: 10 

What’s Included: Welcome Letter, 10 Video Lectures, 10 PowerPoint Presentations, 10 Beautiful PDF “Grimoire Page” Lesson Summaries, PDFs or Links to Any Supplementary Reading, Personal Feedback on Completed Final Assignment if Desired 

Any Additional Materials Needed: No 

Registration Closes: June 30th at Midnight 

Price: $200 – you can pay in one, two, or four installments! Full payment must be complete by the time registration closes on June 30th.

Disney's New Short 'Olaf's Frozen Adventure' Brings the Holiday Folklore in Spades

In fact, it brings so many different traditions and holiday folklore to the table it might be considered 'edutainment'. (Not that we're complaining - because we're not. In case that's not clear... okay? Actually, more of these sorts of shorts for the various seasonal celebrations would be ultra awesome. Please!)

Take a look at the trailer and see how many different references you can find, just in this teaser. (We were thrilled to see yule goats included!) And you know there will be more in the full short. Our only query is whether they stuck to Euro traditions or went around the world.

'Olaf's Frozen Adventure' will play in theaters before Pixar's 'Coco', starting November 22nd.

Advertising: 2018 Toyota CH-R Respins Fairy Tales to Inspire Sales

Some of these are fresher than others, but what's most interesting is that Toyota are using fairy tales at all in this social climate. It's another example of the two extremes that people are being drawn toward right now: either cynicism and reframing everything through the eyes of a 'false fairy tale', or wishing for magic and dreaming for a 'real one'.

 Here's Cinderella: 

Rapunzel (in Spanish):

Red Riding Hood:

 The Gingerbread Man (our favorite): 

The Tortoise and the Hare:

And then there are all these 'bad lip reading of a commercial' spin-offs which take some of the same situations (particularly the gingerbread man ad) and insert largely nonsensical phrases just to keep you watching. Although they don't seem to have anything to do with the fairy tale re-spins, they're enough for any fairy tale writer to pause and wonder if they just might... (you can find all those at the official YouTube channel for Toyota HERE.)

Article: 'Fairy Tales for Resistance #RRR' by Gypsy Thornton

"We are all Red" (unofficial title) by Cuban artist ARES

Our Fairy Tale News Hound has a special article up on Enchanted Conversation today. It's all about the importance of fairy tales when it comes to resistance.

Here's the opening paragraph:

In fairy tales, wolves show their insides are the same as their outsides (despite their silver tongues), beanstalks prove to their climbers that greed is the true giant (though other big troubles may appear on the way) and flowers speak up to protest their plucking (even as they sink in their thorns). When impossible things happen, you begin to question reality. It's one of the reasons fairy tales are so very needed. Sometimes that Wonder, that impossibility, is the very thing that wakes us up and invites us to challenge the norm.

You can keep reading at Enchanted Conversation HERE.

We hope you will be inspired to keep use, telling and retelling fairy tales, and find solidarity with many others as you do. The hashtag/label, #RRR, that we're using on our Once Upon A Blog website, is searchable and by clicking it, you can find lots of inspiring reading, viewing and more. New posts are being tagged regularly and the recommendations are growing all the time.

While you're over at Enchanted Conversation, don't forget that:

• You can sign up for the Fairy Tale Round Up Newsletter (which OUABlog and Timeless Tales contribute to). The first newsletter went out some time ago and the next will very shortly (within the week). You can find the sign-up in the side bar HERE or learn more about it before signing up HERE.

• Enchanted Conversation is about to release their Donkeyskin issue, and Kate Wolford has just announced the writers for it HERE. The recent Diamonds and Toads issue was superb and we're really looking forward to this one too.

As We Wished... Princess Buttercup Grows Up, Becomes Warrior Queen

Possibly the biggest fairy tale news trend this week is: it turns out Princess Buttercup grew up train Wonder Woman (as the Amazon warrior General Antiope)

Robin Wright, who played Buttercup in 1987, also plays the Amazon warrior General Antiope in the new Wonder Woman movie, and it's resonating with people everywhere, especially those who grew up with The Princess Bride.

It wasn't predictable, yet it seems... 'right'. For the generations that were inspired by Robin Wright's feisty farm girl-turned princess in The Princess Bride (a genre-defying treatment of fairy tales at the time), to see that heroine 'grow up' and become more of what she naturally seems to have been, developed fully through to a resistant warrior general, who still manages to hope and believe in love, seems a continuation of Buttercup's fairy tale - and one that fits the fairy tale heroine we always saw her to be, and now can be inspired by - in a fresh way - again.

For our Fairy Tale News Room folks, who are extremely happy about the Wonder Woman movie, that the movie is as good as we hoped it would be, and that generations of girls - and boys - will grow up with Diana as a relevant and respected role model (rather than being 'genre-d' to a corner with the comic books geeks, like she often so sadly has been), it's this depiction of an already strong fairy tale princess coming into her own that inspires us most.

After recently seeing another role model princess, Leia, become a general and have that resonate louder and stronger than Disney and filmmakers expected, Buttercup's 'fairy tale part II', is the groundwork of more of the same to come: princess power of a different sort. The kind of princess power where it's clear it isn't just the sword* that makes the warrior but the spirit.

We've had a lot of those fairy tale princesses appear in novels for some years now, but it speaks volumes to have the general public instantly recognize - and resonate with - a fairy tale heroine, become whom she was meant to be, and that her fairy tale representation is part of that. This is now in pop culture, recognized by society, rather than just by a select group who have been tracking strong fairy tale females all along.

Best of all, for those women especially, who have had this revelation and are thirsty for more fairy tale heroines to 'own it', we have already accumulated a whole lot of stories, books, collections and more to share.

Here's a great excerpt from Tor.com's article that appeared not long after we began our own, titled "Princess Buttercup Became the Warrior General Who Trained Wonder Woman, All Dreams Are Now Viable":

Antiope is the whispered possibility that many of us never dared to dream. What if (Buttercup) had grown in strength and stubbornness and power until she could train one of the greatest warriors of all time? What if Buttercup, who believed so desperately in love, had passed that wisdom on to a young girl who would hold that belief in trust for every person she met? What if that line between a princess bride and Princess Diana is as thin as a page in a storybook?
...Of all the outcomes, we somehow received the reality where Buttercup moved on to master archery and serve an Amazon queen and command legions. ...This progression seems not just plausible, but essential. It is an epilogue of a different kind.

We recommend reading the whole article. It's very uplifting and celebrates strong fairy tale females who have inspired generations, as well as new and timely role models for girls and women who could use a little inspiration again. It also doesn't downgrade the importance of fairy tales in this process of 'becoming'. If anything, the article underlines the importance of fairy tales in the process, and that, even when empowerment is achieved, it's in our best interest to continue holding them close.

We don't outgrow fairy tales. They can become part of us, even as they enable us to get there. Buttercup doesn't need to become Dread Pirate Roberts to 'fulfill her destiny'. The point is that, if she wanted to, she totally could.

* And yes, we don't mind swords - or arrows - either!