Disney's "Rapunzel" - Still "Unbraided"?

OK - a confession. Unlike most of my posts you may find a teensy bit of an opinion being expressed in this post today... :D

In case you don't already know, Disney has another fairy tale scheduled for a late 2010 release: "Rapunzel" (sometimes referred to as "Rapunzel: Unbraided") and a little blog just told me they very recently (like, last week) had their production kick-off party. That means they're just starting the serious animation production phase 'now'! I feel for that crew. That's a very tight schedule to be working on, whether or not they've completed rigging and layout.

UPDATED AT 11:56AM:
2 OF THE DRAWINGS BELOW ARE NOT FROM DISNEY'S PRODUCTION BUT ARE 'FAN ART' BY TALENTED FRENCH ARTIST DAVID GILSON (who use to work for Disney). RATHER THAN REMOVE THE DRAWINGS I HAVE ADDED HIS CREDIT ABOVE THEM. You can see more of his 'fan art' (many of which are often mistaken for real Disney production images) in a previous post HERE and at his WEBSITE. Thank you to the anonymous commenter who pointed out my mistake this morning. :)

UPDATE 11:56AM:
The image below is not a production image but fan-art by DAVID GILSON

UPDATE AT 11:56AM:
The image below is not a production image but fan-art by DAVID GILSON

This particular feature film has a bit of a troubled history having been batted around in development for nearly ten years (at least since they announced it publicly) in story-hell, changing producers, directors and even approaches (you can see some of the old vs new artwork in this post). It was supposed to be the big 'all-CG-fairy-tale" film for Disney, proving they could do hand drawn and CG just as well. Now it's got even more pressure being the big number '50' full-length feature for Disney animation.By now, those of us who follow such things are feeling a little skeptical about it all, wondering if they can pull it together in time to meet the announced release. My guess is, if things are going well we'll see a sneak peek during the trailers shown before "Princess and the Frog". Still, just like everyone else, we can't help but be drawn to what they're doing.Apart from the whole "think of what we could do with all that hair! - and in CG!" angle being pitched to the execs, it started off with the interesting idea of basing the artwork on the famous painting 'The Swing" by French Rococo artist, Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Then we heard it was all about a modern girl who got switched with the real Rapunzel (who got turned into a squirrel) and... yikes! But all reports are that it's on a much better track now - more classic and true to the original (all you fairy tale scholars out there must be thinking that's a ballsy thing to do but what they mean by this remains to be seen).

From Wikipedia:

Doeri Welch-Greiner, the production manager for the movie, says that "The original version was that a girl got pulled from the modern world and replaced Rapunzel (Kristin Chenoweth), and Rapunzel got turned into a squirrel. But we’re on a clearer, more classic fairy-tale sort of track right now with Dean Wellins as co-director; he was one of the story guys on Iron Giant and a Disney animator for a long time. It really plays on the mystery of the girl in the tower, and I think it’s really going to be great with Dean’s story sense and sense of staging, and the artistry that Glen brings to it, we hope we can bring the artistry of the movie to a different place."

Keane also promises that he’s going back to Rapunzel’s literary origins to do a traditional, character-driven fairy tale that speaks to a modern audience. “It’s a story of the need for each person to become who they are supposed to be and for a parent to set them free so they can become that. It will be a musical and a comedy and have a lot of heart and sincerity. I think that’s what Disney needs to do right now. No one else can do it. We should not be embarrassed or make excuses for doing a fairy tale."

Of course, this was added to Wikipedia before Mr. Keane was removed from the project but John Lassiter (who is determined to return Feature Animation to its glory days of good films and great returns) assures us (via press releases) that Rapunzel is now a solid movie and one worth making (deletes comment about ridiculous numbers of dollars already spent and keeps blogging).

But there's hope. Here's an uncredited source (because the person who visited the studios and blogged about it, just quoted an artist and didn't mention their name):

"Rapunzel has really, really come together. Before it was a series of really nice moments, some really funny sequences. But now it has a real epic sweep to it. To me it has the feel of those early Disney features from the forties..."

Despite all this we'll be watching keenly and closely to see just what happens with this. We'll also be rooting for it to suceed (as a film, as well as at the box office), because, quite frankly, we want more fairy tales! Here's the most recent artwork I've scrounged from around the web which shows a little development art and one scene but doesn't give away a whole lot. You can be sure if I find anything else, I'll post it!

NPR Profiles "The Path" - a new video game based on fairy tales

While a couple of other fairy tale friendly blogs have posted on this I feel an obligation to as well (links at the bottom of the post) - when NPR takes notice, it's worth noting!

When you're told to stay on the path to grandmother's house do you listen and obey?

In this new game from Tale of Tales, called "The Path", if you do, you will have failed. Ultimately, this isn't about staying safe but about facing your wolves and using your wits. One person might say it's about growing up, another: survival.

This quote from Samyn, one of the game's creators, says it best:

"I think we've succeeded in making a game that's about the player. What's frightening about it is the confrontation with your own interpretation of things, and probably realizing that they're your own."

The NPR All Things Considered article title, "On 'The Path": Everything a Big Bad Wolf Could Want" should give you some clues as to what the characters have to face and this is where the term 'game' almost doesn't fit. It's not a competition, with ticking clock or shiny bonuses when tasks are completed. It's apparently a short game that can be completed in six hours but players are reported to say "once it's over it stays with you", even giving them a sense of empowerment and determination as they go about their days. This, obviously, is no ordinary game.

"I think we've succeeded in making a game that's about the player," says Samyn. "What's frightening about it is the confrontation with your own interpretation of things, and probably realizing that they're your own."

Here's a trailer for you. Please remember the 'mature content' warning and that, as a result, it's not for everyone:


I recommend reading the rest of the NPR article and listening to the podcast there before delving any further into the game. Based on early,dark version of Little Red Riding Hood, the game makers have labeled it 'horror' although no graphic violence or gore is shown. Mature and possibly disturbing themes are alluded to, however, and a 15+ warning is rightly given on the box.

But this is why I like fairy tales: they're reflections of ourselves and road maps for life. They not only tell you which roads to take but which roads not to. The path you then choose is up to you.NOTE: The Path is multi-platform ie. you can play it on a Mac or a PC.
You can read SurLaLune's post HERE and Little Red Riding Blog's post HERE.

Old-Style Digital Fairy Tale Collages

I recently found these sweet little digital collages on flickr, by Rowan Tree Design.

The theme for this set is myth and fairy tales and uses some lovely old illustrations as the base on which to design the rest. Here's a small selection for you:
You can find the rest HERE. You can see a lots of her other collage HERE with links to a limited selection at her Etsy shop under the profile tab.

Enjoy!

Winning Red Riding Hood T

Like your fairy tales dark? You'll like these.

Artist 'shantyshawn' has just won his 2nd design award for this Red Riding Hood t-shirt. His artwork tends toward the gory (think zombies - not the cute kind) and he's showing an interest in getting into the nitty-gritty of the old tales and presenting them for all to wear. No gore here but there's plenty of creepy. That splash of red is just right and in case you can't see it, the zoomed view will show you the wolf, looking delightedly on. (See the website where it's being sold - click the image to go there)
Says shantyshawn:

I think I’m going to be doing a series based on fairy tales. This one’s tame, the rest will be much darker. No more Mr. Nice Shanty.

We hope you do!

It's available HERE through Design By Humans for $25 (though at this writing a special was shown on the website for $18).

Shantyshawn's other winner is shown below. It's titled "Blackbirds Attacking in the Dead of Night" but my instant thought was the four-and-twenty blackbirds got loose for some good old fashioned fairy tale revenge.

I like it.

Fairy Tale Make-Up Competition w Prizes!

I discovered a different type of contest for the fashion and fairy tale inclined.

The Gloss Goss is holding a Brothers Grimm make-up contest with some lovely prizes. The idea is to create a look based on one of the Grimm's tales, with stipulation that you 'think on the dark side'. For inspiration, deviantART is a great source to get you thinking (see the pictures posted above and below).

The rules (which are fair and easy) are posted in THIS entry on her blog.

Competition ends July 23rd so hurry if you're interested!

I'm hoping Tali will post entrant pictures but if nothing else it's an interesting way to think about the heroines of the tales we love. Exactly how would you present the Princess and the Pea, with a nod to the darker themes in her story?

Good luck to all entering!

Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer

This is awesome! (Joins the "Why didn't I think of that idea?" club)

Coming in September is a new comic book written by Van Jensen in collaboration with artist and creator Dustin Higgins, titled "Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer".

It's the story of what happens after vampires kill Gepetto and the little wooden boy swears revenge. Armed with a pack of lies and his ever-growing nose, he ends up being humanity’s last hope against enslavement by the monsters.

In a very interesting interview with Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources Van discusses how Carlo Collodi's original story provided a lot of the fodder for the characters and situations.

From the interview:

Van: There’s very little [about the original Collodi story] that isn’t compelling. It starts out, “There was once upon a time a piece of wood…” It’s just such a strange, funny story. Like most fairy tales of that era, it was later stripped down and recast as a simple moral lesson, and it lost all of its weirdness and texture. And Collodi’s Pinocchio is kind of a rotten kid, which also is a lot of fun.

Van answering "Will we see other characters from Collodi in the book?": The fairy is a major character in the story, as magic plays a big role. No Monstro. I think he’s just a giant nameless fish in the original. And the cricket also plays a big role, though he also doesn’t have a name. His character is a great example of Disney’s changes. Collodi actually has Pinocchio smash the cricket and kill him, and then the cricket’s ghost later returns as a friend. And our version continues that, so we have a ghost cricket floating around and offering Pinocchio advice. To me, that’s way more interesting.

You can find the rest of the interview, which discusses Collodi's story, Van's research and process and how he found his way to SLG Publishing, HERE. And yes, if it sells well there are already plans for books two and three.

Below is a trailer to give you a taste, though the full page preview at the bottom of the page HERE gives you a better sense of how the story develops. I recommend you check it out.

The Water Babies - a retelling by Zena Holloway

Not many Americans seem to be familiar with Charles Kingsley's serial "The Water Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby" (written in 1862 and published in its entirety as a book in 1863*) but where I'm from it was part of the classic childhood cannon. You can read it and see the original illustrations through Google Books HERE.

Underwater photographer Zena Holloway, has retold the story, along with illustrator Heidi Taylor in a very magical way. The book follows the story of a young boy, a chimney sweep, named Tom, who has a series of underwater adventures. As per the subjects in the original story, Zena's photographs are mainly of children - underwater.
The project took her two years and is now available as a book. I've included a picture of Zena at work below, to give you some sense of her process (and patience!).

Even if you're not familiar with the story, you can see the fairy tale quality of the images captured so beautifully in the small selection I'm posting here.You can see many more at her website and at the book website (click on any image to enter).

Her additional underwater film and photography work including her 'Underwater Angels' (shown on her website) is well worth your time to browse.

NOTE: To give you a sense of the era The Water Babies was written in, Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" was published in 1865, also in England.

Leibovitz's Alice in Vogue

I previously iconic fashion photographer, Annie Leibovtiz's take on Disney versions of fairy tale characters (which you can find HERE). Prior to that, in 2003, she'd already tackled another fairy tale subject: Alice in Wonderland, for Vogue magazine.


While Alice in Wonderland isn't considered a true fairy tale there's no doubt it has fairy tale-like aspects and Leibovitz obviously had a lot of fun with those when she directed the spread, as you can see by the sampling I've included here.
Model Natalia Vodianova plays Alice with a wardrobe to be envied for, including such labels as Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, Dior, Versace and more.More images from the Alice shoot can be found HERE.