Once Upon A Time A Little Girl...

Once upon a time, many years ago (on today's date), a little girl was born who loved fairy tales... and yes, that little girl was me. :)

Today, I leave you with a reminder of the awesome Lotte Reiniger (1899 - 1981) who loved two things I do - fairy tales and animation.

This amazing German woman directed the first full length feature animation in 1926, long before Walt Disney brought us Snow White. The film, titled "The Adventures of Prince Achmed", can most definitely be classed as an Arabian Nights fairy tale and is full of her beautiful silhouette work.Late last year the British Film Institute released a two-DVD set of her animated fairy tale films, spanning 1922 to 1961.

Here's the list of tales and when they were released:

* Cinderella (1922)
* The Death Feigning Chinaman (1928)
* The Golden Goose (1944)
* Aladdin and his Magic Lamp (1954)
* The Frog Prince (1954)
* The Gallant Little Tailor (1954)
* Sleeping Beauty (1954)
* Snow White and Rose Red (1954)
* Cinderella (1954)
* Puss in Boots (1954)
* The Magic Horse (1954)
* The Grasshopper and the Ant (1954)
* The Three Wishes (1954)
* Thumbelina (1954)
* The Caliph Stork (1954)
* Hansel and Gretel (1954)
* Jack and the Beanstalk (1955)
* The Little Chimney Sweep (1956)
* The Frog Prince (1961)

It's available HERE through the BFI website and through Amazon.co.uk (hint, hint Mudsock dearest!)

I'll bring you more of her gorgeous art another day but for now have some cake. :)

Grimm and Other Folk Tales by Corey Godbey

Artist Corey Godbey recently had an exhibition of his work for a new book called "Grimm and Other Folk Tales".

Grimm and Other Folk Tales is a collection of several classic and lesser known fairy tales and folk stories, illustrated.

He also just went to Comic Con to show and sell some of his work there. If this is what they're like on the screen I can only imagine how gorgeous they are in real life!

You can see a whole lot more of his work, including more final and lots of working drawings for "Grimm and Other Folk Tales" at his BLOG.

This is a guy to watch!

Steampunk Retelling of Grimm's Jorinde & Joringel - short series podcast

There's a new special short series podcast dropping today - August 1st - at "Supernatural Fairy Tales" - and it's a Steampunk retelling of a Grimm's fairy tale - by me!

Dorlana Vann was kind enough to invite me to write a short story for her site and it's turned into an exciting mini-production, being presented in five weekly parts during the month of August in both text and as a podcast.

The title of the story is:

"Cages: A Steampunk Retelling of Grimm's Jorinde & Joringel in V Parts with Epilogue"

(gotta love those old-fashioned lengthy titles!)

and has a definite Neo-Victorian feel.

You can go listen (and/or read)
HERE.

In case you're not familiar with the fairy tale you can read it HERE (and thank you to Heidi at SurLaLune for making this a readily available online reference for me to check when I didn't have my complete Grimm's handy!)

I also managed to secure permission from Steampunk band Abney Park to use some of their music in the podcast, one song in particular being perfect thematically. Many thanks to them for their generosity in sharing their fabulous music. You can check out their website HERE.I'll also be making a PDF of the complete story available for free download and distribution at the end of the series, so watch out for that.

Lots of steampunk fairy tale goodness coming your way!

Enjoy.

Free Fairytale Castles Photoshop Brushes

These just became available and I thought I'd share for anyone else addicted to Photoshop brushes (for Photoshop 6, 7 and CS).

You can download them from HERE.

(Note: the page it takes you to, to download is very ad heavy but you don't need to click on anything except the download. You don't even need to sign up.)

New Rapunzel Concept Art Released

DisneyAnimation.com has just released five new concept art images from the new version of Rapunzel.
From Film: Blogging the Reel World (slashfilm.com):

Previous director Glen Keane (now Executive Producer) developed a new look for this computer animated film, which is said to look and feel more like a traditional hand-drawn Disney Classic, but in 3D. Apparently the film uses a non-photorealistic rendering technique which will make the surface look like it is painted but still containing depth and dimensions. The movie's visual style is (still) being based on French Rococo artist Jean-Honore Fragonard’s painting “The Swing” (this is most apparent in the fifth and last image below).

NOTE: words in parentheses and italics are my additions

Rather than try to rephrase this sentiment, I'll just quote Peter Sciretta (from Film: Blogging the Reel World):

"Hopefully the new non-photorealistic rendering technique employed on this production will help capture some of the painting-like beauty of these pieces."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

The Supernatural Fairy Tales of Dorlana Vann - Interview!

One of the regular blogs I visit (and link to in my sidebar) is "Supernatural Fairy Tales", hosted by author and writer Dorlana Vann.

Dorlana's interest in fairy tales is obvious to anyone who visits her sites or interacts with her on Twitter. She's written a number of short stories based on fairy tales and added a paranormal element for a different twist. Her stories are fresh, modern and not for little kids but there's definitely a sense of fun about them. Dorlana kindly agreed to a short interview for Once Upon A Blog...

Fairy Tale News Hound: Thank you, Dorlana, for being available to answer some questions for Once Upon A Blog today. In previous interviews people have asked about you as a writer, your books and your interest in the supernatural. I thought I would focus on your interest in fairy tales and the resulting wonderful blog, "Supernatural Fairy Tales".

When do you first remember being influenced by fairy tales and how are you influenced now?

D: I wrote my first fairy tale inspired short story, Phone Calls and Dwarfs, about 15 years ago. The more I learn about them, the more I respect them, and today they are my main source of inspiration.

FTNH: What is/are your favorite fairy tale/s (or types of tales) and fairy tale characters? Why?

D: I guess I’m still a little girl at heart, because my favorite is Cinderella—the one with the happily ever after. I avoided writing a Cinderella inspired short story for a long time because there are a ton of adaptations already out there. And, since it’s my favorite, I wanted to do it justice. I did finally write a short story, Midnight, where I had fun creating a modern Cinderella who was a bit feisty; I threw her into a paranormal situation with an old-fashioned Prince, who turned out to be not so charming.

FTNH: You've written a lovely collection of fairy tale inspired short stories which are available to read at "Supernatural Fairy Tales". Personally, I love "Blueberry Eyes", "The Tower" and the latest piece you've posted, "Forbidden Beach". Do you remember the genesis of any of your fairy tale inspired short stories?

D: Thank you.

Except for my earlier pieces that weren’t paranormal, they all started out pretty much the same. I read the fairy tale and either retold it, using a supernatural element, or more likely, used what I thought was the theme/moral or sometimes just the character, to write a paranormal short story. My favorite stories are the ones where, on the surface, you can’t tell which fairy tale I used, the reader has to really dig; but when the fairy tale is discovered, it’s like “ohhh…”

Also, a lot of personal experiences influence my thought process in the unfolding of a story. Right before I wrote Silverweed Muffins my mom was reminiscing about how my grandfather was so superstitious. I used some of these memories in my story—like when he saw the devil in the woods, and the fact that he thought he killed his mom when he was 5-years-old by shooing the black birds off of their front porch—and they also set the entire mood of the story. And in one of my more recent stories, If You Feed a Wolf, I pulled out my dream journal and took actual segments of my dreams, from years ago, and used them in the story—because the feel of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (the inspiration story) reminded me of my dreams and made me believe that Lewis Carroll was a lucid dreamer, too.

FTNH: When did you decide that combining a fairy tale and a supernatural element (or two) made a good short story? Do you remember how you arrived at that combination?

D: It took me a while to find my genre, but when I did, (around 5 years ago) combining my two interests just kind of made sense. Now it is almost like a fun addiction. I crave that spark of inspiration from the fairy tale to get my imagination flowing. And because I choose the fairy tale and the supernatural element first, it also provides a disciplined writing challenge.

FTNH: I see you're having more and more guests involved in your website. Are you expanding what you're doing with the short stories and fairy tale articles?

D: I’ve had my blog for about two years, and I feel like I have just barely scraped the surface of the fairy tale world. Every day I learn something new and find new artists and writers who are extremely passionate about fairy tales. The blog, like me, has changed and grown from this exploration of fairy tales through other people’s eyes, voices and imaginations.

FTNH: Do you have any plans to collect your fairy tale inspired short stories into an anthology or perhaps write a novel length story based on a fairy tale?

D: I do plan on having an anthology one day, but right now the short stories that were inspired by fairy tales are now inspiring longer pieces. It sounds crazy, but I use the fairy tale to inspire the short story which in turn inspires the novel. I’m using my short stories, The Tower (inspired by Rapunzel) and Silverweed Muffins (inspired by Little Red Riding Hood) for my YA novels in progress. My plan is to have both novels finished by the end of the year. I’m really having a blast writing them.

Thank you again for making yourself available today, Dorlana! We wish you every success with your YA novels and can't wait to see what you have lined up for "Supernatural fairy Tales" in the coming months.

Dorlana's newly released book "Death" combines her two paranormal romance novels in one volume (available HERE). She is also one of the contributing authors to the anthology "Split" (available HERE).

You can learn more about Dorlana's "Death" HERE and read some of her excellent fairy tale inspired short stories HERE. Two recent stories are "Forbidden Beach", based, not on The Little Mermaid as you might think, but on Thumbelina, and "Cyberstock", based on Jack and the Beanstalk.

"Supernatural Fairy Tales" also has fairy tale articles, book reviews and profiles fairy tale-inspired artists of all kinds. If you haven't already, I encourage you to subscribe to Dorlana's site. You'll be very glad you did.

Fairy Tale Courtroom

Here's something I wish I could witness:

The Wicked Witch and the Big Bad Wolf - both regular villains in many fairy tales - are being hauled to court at the Palace Theater on July 31st, August 1st and August 2nd 2009 in Seguin, Guadalupe County in Texas, and being forced to answer for their crimes.

From the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise:

The victims of fairy tale violence are finally getting their day in court.

Both defendants have a pretty long list of accusations — ranging from ridiculous to serious — that they are up against in the courtroom, Mitchell said.

“The audience members are the ones who get to decided who is guilty and who is innocent, they are the jury,” said Lauren Wieding, Pig No. 1 from the straw house. “We get to interact with them and tell them how they (the wolf and the witch) have been reeking havoc, trying to kill people and blowing down houses”

You can find the rest of the article, in which the Director Karen Mitchell explains how the trial will run and some of the character actors are interviewed, HERE. While this is essentially a children's and family friendly play there's a lot of adult humor and play on words that adults will appreciate.

Ticket prices and more information are available at the Seguin Art Center HERE.

This show/trial has become increasingly popular over the past few years (note the fun poster below from last year's production at Genesee Community College) with more and more local theater companies taking on the challenge. If you get a chance, go along and cast your vote!

If you're interested in a similar resource for grade-aged children, here's something from Hickory Grove Press:

This engaging and popular resource teaches children to analyze values and character in the lives of others as well as in their own lives through the framework of the judicial process. Simulations develop teamwork and the creative process while encouraging critical thinking. Students read fairy tales, assess the behaviors of the characters, and determine whether or not a character should be charged and tried for a crime. Students prepare for the trial, develop arguments, opening and closing statements, questions for witnesses, and present the case to another class who serves as the jury. Specific tales are suggested for each grade level from 3rd. through 9th.

Silhouette MasterpieceTheater

Silhouette Masterpiece Theater is a delightfully fresh and funny collection of old fashioned, hand-cut silhouettes.

The wonderfully eccentric artist, Wilhelm Staehle (you'll know what I mean if you read his tweets), places his paper-cuts over traditional, painted landscapes - giving the viewer a different perspective - then tops off his scene by adding a little phrase, just to give your thinking a bit of a jolt.

Here are some fairy tale themed ones.I just love these!

There's much more at his website, including these below - yes, I couldn't resist, even though they're not exactly fairy tale related... :From his Twitter bio:

Wilhelm is a horribly disfigured gentleman who often frightens small children when passing. In his free time he hand-cuts silhouettes.

You can see his gallery HERE and follow him on TWITTER. He'll also be at Comic Con this year, which I hope means we'll be seeing a lot more from this creative artist very soon. Good luck at Comic Con Wilhelm!

"The Frog Prince's Daughters" - new eBook

Australian author Wendy Palmer has just written and published (through a small e-books publisher*) a fairy tale novel, based on, you guessed it, "The Frog Prince". It's currently available in multiple eBook formats for $1 until August 14th through distributor 'eBooks Just Published' (when the price goes to $3.99).

It will also be available at that time in print through Amazon.com.*

The lovely cover is by artist Andreas Reh (cover design by Karen Leabo*. Unfortunately, I'm unable to find a website for her.

Summary of "The Frog Prince's Daughters", from the author's website:

Anura is a fairytale princess whose prince won’t come. When a wizard shows up instead and tries to kill her, her stubborn cousin Rana decides it’s time to make the tardy prince show up, any way she can. With Anura and her stepmother, Amaryths, Rana sets out on a fairytale quest. But the wizard hasn’t given up…

It's received some good reviews including the one below:

Author Wendy Palmer has fun playing with the structure and internal rules of the fairy tale, while introducing clever plot twists, developing a growing romance between Rana and the wizard, and delivering a solid adventure. The fairy tale is a well-established source of inspiration for fantasy authors, and Wendy Palmer definitely rivals the very best of them. Highly entertaining.

You can read the Prologue HERE.

We need more authors making their fairy tales so available to us!

CORRECTIONS ADDED 7-31-09: This book is NOT self-published as I originally understood. She published with a small e-books publisher 'Books for a Buck' instead.

The cover DESIGN is by Karen Leabo but the artist is Andreas Reh (www.andreasreh.com.de was the URL given but the address does not seem correct)

Thank you to Ms. Palmer for clarifying these points in her comment!

"Once Upon A Mattress" Comes to Utah

The Empress Theater in Magna, Utah is just about to start performances of the much loved musical comedy "Once Upon A Mattress" (an hilarious retelling of "The Princess and the Pea").

They're even offering a 'Queen's Feast' (chicken dinner) before the show on the Friday and Saturday.

The lovely little poster, shown here, was illustrated by the very talented Manelle Oliphant - an artist who's blog, HERE, is worth revisiting often to see her latest creations.

For those lucky enough to be able to see the show, hurry and get your tickets! The show starts July 31st. You can get more details by visiting the theater website HERE.

If you haven't seen the musical "Once Upon A Mattress" yet and can't get to this (or any other) show - because nothing beats a good live performance - the next best thing is watching Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman in the 2005 production, available HERE.