Since I posted about writing fairy tale based fantasy this week, I thought I'd draw your attention to a fun little book of writing advice that uses fairy tales to impart writing anecdotes and insights: "Fairy Tales For Writers" by Lawrence Schimel.
It's actually a small book of thirteen, often funny, poems (don't worry - you don't need to love poetry to enjoy this one - it's very accessible for all types of readers). If you like metaphors, imagery and fairy tale archetypes you'll really enjoy it. The tales are used very cleverly to illustrate issues in writing.
One note: when I ordered this book a couple of years ago I was surprised to see how small it was when it arrived. The small size was deceptive. This is a very enjoyable (and useful) book and well worth its price.
Here's a review from amazon.com that says it all:
This small, slender, imaginative, hilarious, and all-to-true 30-page collection of poetry by Lawrence Schimel wonderfully and artfully reflects the almost archetypal hopes, ambitions, frustrations, passions, and processes of writing for publication. Here in a kind of poetic folklore format are 'the new writer who encounters a wolf along the path to publication'; the writing workshop member who must always be 'the fairest of them all'; the writer who for the sake of love gives up her own special voice; the shy, anonymous author who slips away before the end of the reading only to be remorselessly tracked down by the editor wanting to publisher her work. Everyone who has ever put pen to paper, and the tried to submit that paper to a publisher, will recognize the poetically expressed truths in Lawrence Schimel's superb little book, "Fairy Tales For Writers". As the last line on the last page of this marvelous little gem has it: "Sometimes there is a happy ending, even in publishing."
You can read a SF Site review HERE. Click HERE to see more details and order.
Illustrator Pedro Bascon is busy painting his own versions of some fairy and folktales for a 2010 calendar.
I haven't seen a collection quite like this on a fairy tale theme and find that the strong design approach brings a new perspective and emphasis to aspects of the tale/s one may not normally think of.
I love the simple but strong designs. It's not as easy to achieve as one might think. Pedro's work in using a forced 'canvas size' for the design is very pleasing to the eye and communicates the tales instantly - yet there's more to see if you look closely too. It's always interesting to see what results when you put restrictions on a creative work.
You can view some close ups of the pieces by going to his sample page HERE.
You can also find out more about Pedro HERE and contact him directly to ask how to purchase a calendar if you're interested (he's very nice and approachable!).
He is currently investigating how to make his calendar available in the US (his contact details are all on his home page HERE).
Did you know there was a Group for International Fairy Tale Studies? (GIFTS)
They're having a fairy tales conference at the University of Southern Mississippi on October 1st and 2nd. The theme for this year (this is the 4th one) is "Fairy Tale Economies" but before you groan at the title, take a look at some of the topics being discussed:
Conference topics include the cultural and material history of fairy tales and the oral adaptation of stories and folklore across cultures. Internationally renowned faculty will present from a variety of fields on a wide range of subjects, such as literature, print culture and anthropology. Events will include a workshop on how to teach a fairy tale, a reception at the Saenger Theatre and presentations by fairy tale scholars from around the world.
I don't see Dr. Tehrani, who recently announced the results of his studies into the origins of fairy tales, on the speakers list but hopefully he makes an appearance.
And here are a couple of other highlights:
Ellen Ruffin, curator of the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at Southern Miss, has developed an exhibit of fairy tale artwork titled "The Alphabet of Fairy Tales" for viewing during the reception, which Hillard said will be a "feast for the senses."
Keynote speaker Dr. Jennifer Schacker, author of National Dreams: The Remaking of Fairy Tales in Nineteenth Century England, will deliver a highly visual presentation about Victorian fairy tale pantomime theatre. Schacker is an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph in Ontario.
Yay! I'm so please when a visual element is presented with fairy tales as I don't think anyone who grew up with a fairy tale book can completely divorce them from images of one kind or another. Illustrations are part of what makes fairy tales so impacting and resonant with people (I think) for so many reason (I'm sure someone's done a thesis on this topic somewhere!).
The first Panto production of Cinderella was at Drury Lane in 1804.
And you can find out more about fairy tales and pantomime HERE (complete with old posters, movie clips and historical tidbits).
You can read the rest of the details for the conference, including a program, HERE.
The best part about this conference? Anyone can attend- for free! Now if only I were in Mississippi at the beginning of October...
Golden Books routinely releases the Disney movie storybooks, complete with reproductions of scenes from the movies but did you know they often also release (usually for a limited time) a completely different version? One that's often drawn/created by the current hot talents of character design and visual development for animation?
For "The Princess and the frog" that artist is the very talented CalArts graduate Lorelay Bove. (She also did the Toy Story picture book that came out on September 1st.) She's currently working at Disney in visual development.
She just got the first print copies of her work for golden book and kindly gave us a sneak peek on her blog. (Thanks to Cartoon Brew for the alert!)The book goes on sale (for the very affordable price of $3.99 - hooray!) on October 13th, 2009.
You can see larger views of the work above and a whole lot more of Lorelay's work on her blog HERE.
This time the display is inside the Feature Animation Studios in Burbank, CA. The pictures were kindly taken and shared by stitchkingdom.com for those of us who don't have the opportunity to go see them in person.
Being a sucker for maquettes I'm showing you those as well as some other unique things that caught my eye but there's much more to look at HERE.
I can't think of another Disney fairy tale film that references an actual fairy tale, let alone the fairy tale the film itself is based on, (the prince, in frog form, points to a fairy tale book - shown below - with a lovely illustrated version of the traditional story of the frog prince) so I believe this is a first. (Disney's Beauty and the Beast has Belle reading a fairy tale by the village fountain as she sings to the sheep but it's not "Beauty and the Beast".) The maquettes (three dimensional models created specifically for - and used by - animators during the animation process, so they can see what the model looks like from any angle they need to). Glaring omissions from this display are the frog maquettes for both Naveen and Tiana. The little guy Tiana-in-princess-mode is holding below, isn't a very useful model, as far as I can tell. Dr. Facilier's lair. And a frog prince puppet.(Although having a maquette would be really nice, I'd be more than happy with this little guy.)
Want to see more? Click HERE to go to the photo gallery at stitchkingdom.com.
Hans Christian Andersen's "The Flying Trunk"* by Dan Froejlund
Occasionally, the question comes up as to whether or not it's a good idea to write fairy tale-based fantasy works.
One writer recently shared an agents rejection of the idea with a writing website called "Writer Unboxed". (This website discusses the craft of genre writing and has a lot of well respected authors weighing in on their discussions.)
To answer this, they called on authors Sophie Masson and Juliet Marillier; two writers who've built their career on writing fairy tale based fiction. Apparently both are quite passionate about the subject so the post has a second part coming with Ms. Marillier's response.
In the meantime, go see what Sophie Masson, author of several retellings such as Carabas (published as Serafin in the US) and Cold Iron (published as Malkin in the US), as well as many other fairy tale based works, has to say on the subject. Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite:
What makes fairy tales particularly suitable in fact as a basis for modern fantasy is that in themselves they mix both enchantment and pragmatism, the world of the everyday and a realm of pure magic. And it’s all done in such a matter of fact yet also profound way. You can never get to the end of the meanings of fairytale; and the fairytales of a people reveal their essence, their soul, if you like, in a moving yet also funny and beautiful way. They reveal our similarities and our differences...
You can read the rest of the post, Ms. Masson's response and readers comments HERE."The Flying Trunk" by Erik Bagge
About his modern interpretation Erik says:
The idea behind this wonderful fairy-tale is fabulous, as H.C. Andersen anticipates the "flying age" that we live in today. When he wrote the fairy-tale in 1839 nobody would have imagined, that the "flying age" would become a reality some centuries later... I did not change the motif that much when I modernized it. I turned the trunk into a car turned upsite down. I didn't want to turn the trunk into an airplane, as I wanted to express the preposterous idea that things can have other functions than they were meant to have.
* I thought illustrations from The Flying Trunk to be appropriate as the main character in the tale, after losing his enchanted means of seeing a Sultan's Daughter (by way of the flying trunk of the title) ends up wandering the world telling stories. See more about the HCA tale (which draws from many older tales around the world) HERE.
Starting September 27th, 2009 (tomorrow), the Museum of Texas Tech University is having an exhibition of original fairy tale art and I sincerely wish I could be there to see it!
Original paintings, drawings and illustrations will be on display by such favorites as Trina Schart Hyman (one of my all-time faves) and Kinuko Y. Craft (how can you not love her work?) among others.
From the press release:
Fairy Tale Art offers a magic journey to a timeless, enchanted, dream-like world. The exhibit will feature 59 original illustrations from well-loved classic fairy tales as well as modern variations on traditional tales such as “The Firebird,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” The exhibition will also feature modern versions such as “Cinderella’s Dress,” “Child of the Faerie: Child of the Earth” and “The Hungry Coat.”
The artworks reflect a variety of mediums such as watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil and mixed media. The magical settings for the stories are created by award winning artists including Kinuko Y. Craft, DEMI, Jane Dyer, Marilee Heyer, Trina Schart Hyman, Jim LaMarche, Barry Moser and Susan Paradis.
The exhibit will be on display until November 22nd, 2009 and you can find more information HERE.I so wish I could see Ms. Hyman's work in person!
Set to debut this autumn for younger grade school kids, is Sandra: The Fairytale Detective.
The show is done with very stylized animation, emphasis on 'cute' (think 'toyable'!), and with deals for distribution worldwide through Disney Channel backing it, Fairytale Detective has a good chance at a decent run.Here's an excerpt from an article at Animation Insider, explaining the premise:
Sandra: The Fairytale Detective is... about a little girl, Sandra, who is the lone descendent from a line of fairytale detectives -- a perilous but necessary occupation. Although very few, if any people are aware of The Land of Once Upon a Time (where all of the fairytale characters live), even fewer are aware of the fairytale detective (who solves all sorts of mysteries therein). Roughly targeted toward children aged four through eight-years-old, Sandra: The Fairytale Detective uses a clever and inspiring color palette combined with a klutzy sense of humor to bring young viewers into the familiar realm of fantasy, but with a detective twist.
Like many kids her age, Sandra gets into arguments with her classmates, doesn't clean her room very often, and enjoys taking on a good challenge. But when her assistant and friend Fo, a 500-year-old elf with the guise and spirit of a child, arrives to say that there's a problem over in The Land of Once Upon a Time, the girl dons her overcoat and jumps into action. Maybe the adorable puppet-boy Pinocchio is kidnapped, or maybe Cinderella loses her glass slipper… for real, or maybe Snow White's evil stepmother's mirror mysteriously goes missing. Sandra is on the case; the kid detective lives for the challenge of the mystery, often using some convenient and humorous blend of magic and deductive reasoning to solve each riddle.
You can read the rest of the article HERE.Imira Entertainment (the developers/creators) have already planned to use 52 different fairy tales (that's a loose term as there are some legends on the list such as King Arthur). Here's the rundown of what appear to be 'case' titles (ie. episodes) and the tales they're from:
BAD WOLFE - Three Little Pigs. BUBBLES - The Little Mermaid. THE GOLDEN KEY - Hansel & Gretel. A PRODIGIOUS NOSE - Pinocchio. THE MISSING SLIPPER - Cinderella. PESKY RODENTS - Pied Piper. INVENCIBLE DRAGON - Saint George´s Legend. FRUITS OF THE FOREST - Little Red Riding Hood. THE OUTLAWED CAT - Puss In Boots. THE CURSED APPLE - Snow White. THE ROYAL EGG - Ugly Duckling. KING OF MORTADELA - Pinocchio Case 2. EVEN MORE DIFFICULT - Beauty And The Beast. A QUESTION OF SMELL - Jack And The Beanstalk. ASSAF THE SORCERER - Aladdin. THE WILD PARTY - Tom Thumb. THE MISTERIOUS CRYSTAL BALL - The Princess And The Pea. FROGS - Frog Prince SHOW US YOUR PAWS - The Wolf And The 7 Little Kids. FOREST WITHOUT MAGIC - Rapunzel. THE THREE ANCHORS - Cinderella Case 2. THE WATER OF LIFE - The Shoemaker And The Elves. TOY ROOM - The Steadfast Tin Soldier. DIE LAUGHING - Emperor´s New Clothes. THE 22.30 EXPRESS - Little Red Riding Hood Case 2. HONEY SHAMPOO - Goldilocks & 3 Little Bears. ACORNS - Little Red Riding Hood Case 3. GREEN MONKEY - The One Thousand And One Nights AVALON ISLAND - King Arthur. THE REPEATING GHOST - Fearless John. THE FAT WORM - Thumbelina. THE RIDDLE CHAMPION - Rumpelstiltskin. MAKILAKISKI - Makilakiski. THE GUIDE´S SERVANT - Ali Baba. THE SECRET BOOK - Sleeping Beauty Case 2. THE MAGIC FACTORY - Hansel & Gretel Case 2. THE GREAT MANDFREDI - The Bremen Town Musicians. THE FORBIDDEN ROOM - Bluebeard. THE PRINCE OF THE POOL - The Frog Prince Case 2. SIMPLETON - The Queen Bee. GIANT LOVE - The Brave Little Tailor. CAPTAIN BLACKBEARD - The Little Mermaid Case 2. THE SUPREME LAW - Sinbad. THE CUP FINAL - The Snow Queen. BROTHER OGRE - Puss In Boots Case 2. SCHOOL FOR PRINCESSES - Snow White Case 2. THE PRINCESS OF THE LAKE - Swan Lake. AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY - Three Little Pigs Case 2. THE MAGIC HARP - The 12 Dancing Princesses. SCOLYMUS - The Sorcerer´s Apprentice. PETUNIAS - Snow White Case 3.
Did you notice BLUEBEARD is on the list? I'm very curious to see how that's presented by and for kids beyond a blue-bearded dude!
The website HERE has a LOT of information about premise, characters and episodes. You can see some artwork of both characters and locations (although the cutesy look isn't really to my personal taste I do like the landscapes I've seen - very interesting design work!) and there's even an episode to watch.
Here are the Spanish titles (you can see an English version at the website) - they give you a good idea of how the cartoon will work.
It'll be interesting to see how this affects how fairy tales are thought of. If the series does well, becoming part of the standard viewing component for children, we should see some interesting developments regarding fairy tales in the years to come.
I couldn't let a post on a fairy tale detective go by without mention the recent hit novel series for kids called The Sisters Grimm. It's one of those "why didn't I think of that?!" ideas that's obviously striking a chord with kids (and older readers) everywhere.The series was created (and is being written) by Michael Buckley and follows apparent orphans (their parents were kidnapped) Sabrina, 11, and her sister Daphne, 7, who are adopted by their eccentric granny. The granny has some odd secrets she shares with the girls, clueing them in on their heritage, involving them in her detective work among the fairy tale inhabitants of a small town.
You can see an image of the first book above (there are seven so far). If you're not familiar with the series but are interested, I recommend finding the lovely cloth bound hard covers. With old-fashioned rough cut pages and wonderful illustrations every so often, they're the sort of books I think of when people say 'book'.
I recently discovered another fairy tale detective: "Jack Milton: Fairy Tale Detective"
Apparently this 18 minute short film won awards on the film festivals circuit! And don't let the funny animal costumes put you off - it's not really for kids.
From the YouTube description:
In a dark and morally corrupt fairy tale world, Detective Jack Milton and his trusty sidekick, Tom Thumb, strive to solve the murders of the world's most famous storybook characters.
Filmaker Tod Norwood created the film a few years ago in collaboration with 7 Fluid Oz. Productions. Says Todd (from his BLOG):
It was a fun film to shoot and it was a blast to travel the festival circuit with it. The cast is great in this and I met many long time collaborators who I’ve worked with many times later..
I sometimes get asked if there are any continuing adventures of Detective Milton and Tom Thumb. And the immediate answer is “yes.” I wrote a feature script about them. It follows our two intrepid heroes as they join forces with his estranged girlfriend, Snow White, and a new character, Freddy the Frog, (really the Frog Prince) as they uncover a worldwide conspiracy affecting all of Fairy Tale land.
The script uses select scenes from the short and spins it off into new directions. It’s very much a mystery/road trip flick, and introduces a lot of other famous characters in strange situations.
The film looks like a lot of fun so I'm really interested to see what a feature film would be like. In the meantime, hopefully Todd will release this little one on DVD.
He uploaded the short film to YouTube in July so everyone could see it but had to break it into four chapters to fit (which he says was an interesting experience - tends to give one a case of itchy-editors-fingers!) but he promises he didn't 'pull a Star Wars" and has kept the film intact (he did hint there may be an extra digital sheep or two in there though!)
Since I posted about writing fairy tale based fantasy this week, I thought I'd draw your attention to a fun little book of writing advice that uses fairy tales to impart writing anecdotes and insights: "Fairy Tales For Writers" by Lawrence Schimel.
