Eva Soula's "Fairytale" Comic

Russian artist Eva Soula is taking a different look at the characters of Red Riding Hood and their 'archetypical' roles.
From her artist's group website LAMP:

I’ve always liked folk and fairytales – not the tame sugary-sweet stories like the ones retold by Charles Perrault, but the original ones, which are often crueler, yet more truthful. “Little Red Riding Hood” is one of those fairytales that I nearly despised as a child – it seemed so fake and senseless to me – but grew to love at an older age, when I read the original French version and realized what the secret was. :) However my story doesn’t follow any known retelling. If you’re curious to see what else the archetypes of “Little Red Riding Hood” are capable of, this story is for you as well.

Here are three pages from her comic.

You can click on the images for a closer look & read (highly recommended):

PAGE 1 PAGE 2 PAGE 5:

More is available to see -of both the comic and her designs- HERE, though not, unfortunately the rest of this grorgeous comic (note: on her pages, the 'next' button is at the bottom of the image in faint grey). Her other personal comic project "Owls"- described as a series of stories set in the same world os a scientific mystery - appears to have magical elements too and is worth a look, even though it's only available to view in Russian at present.

She's also created other work on fairy tale themes such as "Wonderland" & "Alice and the Mad Hatter" )also known by the more sinister title "Come to Daddy") shown below:

I sincerely hope a publisher picks "Fairytale" up. I'd really like to know how she handled the characters. Her artwork is lovely too. this is one I'd be more than happy to add to my shelf. (hint, hint publishers!)

In addition to the LAMP artist's group she can also be found at the CG Society, deviantArt and LiveJournal

Old "Rapunzel" Title Teaser

I meant to add this to the previous post but forgot, so instead you get TWO posts on Disney's "Rapunzel" today!

This was released some time ago and, considering the changes made since then, is unlikely to be seen in the promos for the new movie.

It's essentially the title with long animating hair but works beautifully as a tease to make you want to see more. Maybe they'll add it on the 'making of' portion of the DVD...

Here 'tis:

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.