A Look Inside "The Art of the Disney Princess"

I mentioned in a previous post HERE about an unusual art book coming from Disney, titled "The Art of the Disney Princess". It features different artist's interpretations (in their medium of choice) of different Disney princesses. From illustration to photography the pictures range from playing with realism to metaphoric interpretations and more.

It's just been released in the last week (or so) and some artists have shared their artistic contributions on their blogs.

From the official blurb:

Every little girl has a favorite Disney Princess--and for that matter, every grown-up girl, too! In The Art of the Disney Princess, Disney artists, designers, illustrators, and animators from around the world have re-imagined their favorite princesses and portrayed them in a variety of mediums. Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, and Cinderella are newly incarnated in water color, pastel, oil paint, colored pencil, mixed media, and computer graphics pieces that range from the traditional to the unconventional. This artwork has been created especially for this museum-quality book, which is sure to delight art lovers, Disney collectors, and any prince or princess who ever believed that fairytales do come true.

Photographic interpretation of Disney Princesses Snow White & Jasmine
by Ryan Astamendi
(click for a larger view - recommended)

Pictured above (along with the front of the book) is a photographic interpretation by Ryan Astamendi (whose blog you can find HERE).

Jasmine & the Magic Lamp
(I love this one too)
by Stacey Aoyama

Belle
by Stacey Aoyama
(you can see Stacey's blog HERE)

Here's a number of signed prints I found for sale on EBay during the Disney Expo (close-ups are available to see HERE):
Nice to see Tiger Lily there! Here's a close-up, simply because I rarely see art with her as the subject, plus, it's lovely:

Princess of Never Land
by Cathy Clark

The Little Mermaid 'Movie Poster'
by Eric Tan.

I particularly like his Sleeping Beauty interpretation below.
Sleeping Beauty 'Movie Poster'
by Eric Tan

From Eric Tan's BLOG about the project:

Ever since I started designing posters, I've always had this goal of creating my very own versions for all the animated Disney films. Those classics have had such an impact on my art and my career, that I wanted to do it almost as a tribute to the importance they had on me as a kid. Disney Consumer Products had a cool idea going when they decided to ask a bunch of internal artists to put their artistic spin on the Princesses for a book that was just released, The Art of Disney Princess. You can almost guess immediately what I wanted to do with my pieces. Yup, MOVIE POSTERS!!!

There was an event held, also called "The Art of the Disney Princess", to support the book launch and NERDLIKE.COM had a representative there to report on the show and take some photos to post. From the blog:

The Art of the Disney Princess is exactly what it sounds like, a celebration of the animated empire’s fair ladies. Disney commissioned 10 artists from Disney Global Consumer Products to re-imagine the Disney princesses. The results were dope to say the least. The event, hosted at the Zune LA house/building, was set up like an art gallery. The front room housed a collection of art pieces accompanied by its Disney Couture clothing counterpart. Each piece represented a different princess in the artists own unique styling....

...The second room upstairs was more like an art museum with pieces on the wall. From the abstract to a little weird, each piece retained the essence of the original princess, but somehow set it apart in a way that they felt authentic and real. Gone were the traditional aesthetics of the Disney cookie cutter princess. These artists had introduced the princesses to a whole new world (no pun intended). In addition to the transformation of the princesses, you could see each artists individual style and inspiration. Several pieces even escaped the realm of Disney and looked like pieces anyone would hang on their wall.

You can read the rest of the news about the show and see many more pictures HERE.

It's a real shame the event was limited to a select group and isn't on display for the public. The Disney Couture princess collection from the show will be on display at Kitson LA in February 2010 but this doesn't include all the pieces, of course. Even those who aren't fans of Disney (or who cringe when they hear the word 'princess' like I do) could enjoy a gallery showing like this! At least some of it has been put into a book for us.

You can find the book on Amazon.com - currently at 34% off - and see a lot of page samples HERE.

"Grimm Fairytale Ball" in LA on October 30th

Celebrating Halloween Grimm-style in Los Angeles this year is The Grimm Fairytale Ball - open to everyone over 21 (and costumes are encouraged).From their ad:

Once Upon A Midnight Dreary...

Little boys and little girls stepped onto pages seeped with shadowy ink and maddening dreams, passed through contorted reflections of reflecting brass, gripped breathlessly to groundshards or towering fauna surpassing clouds, titans, and perhaps even gods. Once upon a time, little boys and little girls were haunted, desired, fooled, fought, danced, puzzled, poisened, hunted, lost, and eaten in parables far different than the happy tales with happy endings for happy children today...

Entry is $10 with an RSVP or $20 without. This is one Halloween option for those who prefer the dark side of fairy tales. Complimentary candid club photography provided by Violet Photography - no personal cameras allowed (!).

You can find the details HERE.

PS The LA Weekly is booked to do a write-up on the event so be prepared for at least one reporter and a possibly a newspaper camera too.

Fairy Tale Bridge on 'Terror Trail' in China

Sometimes you have to risk a little for a worthwhile thing. On this incredibly scary-looking trail (which is certainly not for the faint-of-heart tourist), the rewards are the incredible views and a gorgeous bridge while the risk is... real. Everything could be straight out of a classic tale, leaving you breathless - both from wonder and terror. I find the juxtaposition perfect for a fairy tale.

The location: Yellow Mountain, China - a World Heritage Site since 1990.

The Fairy Tale Bridge

A few of the 76 peaks in the mountain range
& part of the trail

The famous "Sea of Clouds"

If you've never seen photos of this location before yet it seems familiar it's probably because the mountain range has been a popular subject for painters for centuries. It's not hard to see why.

The article on the trail, which shows and describes what the experience is like for those brave enough to try, is HERE.

Alice J. Rose's Fairy Tales

Stumbled across this on Flickr the other day - a bit of a different Snow White series - and not a fashion shoot this time.Snow White doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve but carries it around nevertheless. Thinking that may not be the best strategy..The collection of photos can be found HERE.

In the same series is a Hansel & Gretel set (here are a couple of shots)
...and a Red Riding Hood set (links are below).

Done for a solo show called "Fairytales" in 2007/2008, though I couldn't find it at the link she provides.

There are more fairy tale photo sets by Alice J. Rose. I've listed them below with the links:
Fairytales: Snow White - The Seven Deadly Drag Queen Sins
Fairytales: Snow White - The Poisoning
Fairytales: Hansel & Gretel
Fairytales: Little Red Riding Hood

You can see more of Alice J Rose's work HERE on Flickr and HERE at her website.

Le Véritable Histoire du Chat Botté (The True Story of Puss in Boots): 2009 CG Animated Film

I just found this French animated full length feature film version of Puss in Boots that was released to theaters (in Belgium and France) in April this year.

Here's the website (which announces December 2008 in theaters, though I can't find evidence that it actually was released anywhere at that date) HERE. It features artwork, a brief story synopsis, Director's notes, music previews (a warning - this starts automatically once you click on the site!) and more.

Yes, there is a monkey in this movie - that's Puss in the foreground.

Here's the synopsis from All Movie:

For generations, children around the world have enjoyed the classic fairy tale of Puss 'n' Boots (or, in France, Le Chat botté), the endlessly clever granary cat who uses a wealth of clever ploys (and a magic spell or two) to help his master gain fame, riches and true love with a princess. The story receives a new interpretation in this French-language animated feature from co-directors Jerome Deschamps, Pascal Hérold and Macha Makeïeff, with vocal work by Deschamps (as the feline}, Yolande Moreau (as The Queen), Louise Wallon (as The Princess)., and Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat (as Chambellan, the cat's master). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Despite the website, a few different trailers in various languages (including English) and even a coloring book page site HERE I can't find release dates for any theatrical showings in English speaking countries or for release to DVD. Perhaps it's just early days for a foreign film to make the transition (here's hoping anyway).

Here's the English trailer:

And here's the French which shows MUCH more of what the movie is like, the various characters and the cat in action. Although it's in French you still get a good idea of what's happening:


You can find more information about the film HERE (French) and HERE (English).

Fairy Tale Names

Rumpelstiltskin by Jiri Trnka

In the land of Faery names are very important - to know a person or creatures name is to have power over it and so true names are closely guarded. This sensibility is reflected to varying degrees in many cultures too and so we end up with nicknames, honorifics, and even substitute names for infants to mislead mischievous gnomes, fairies or demons from stealing their souls.

But what about fairy tales? Names aren't usually given to all the characters in a fairy tale. Sometimes only one name is used and sometimes that name is really a representation of the character in focus and not their real name at all. Names still have a certain importance in fairy tales, though not having quite the same weight as the concept does in faery myths and legends but the choosing of an infants name is often given great weight and one tale in particular makes it clear that one's name is very important indeed.

Rumpelstiltskin by Kay Nielsen

I'm talking of Rumpelstiltskin of course. This is the tale with the most names mentioned in any fairy tale ever (that I'm aware of) and is part of the whole point of the story. What I find interesting is that in many of the versions I've read, the Queen (who is unnamed in most versions), when trying to guess the little man's name, starts with exotic sounding names, moves to whimsical/nonsensical names then ends up listing common ones before announcing the true name - which is completely unique - and getting herself, and her firstborn, out of a sticky situation. (You can read the story and the names the Queen recites at the awesome SurLaLune site HERE.)

Rumpelstiltskin by Anne Anderson

Rumpelstiltskin is one of those names that, once you know it, sticks in your memory but it's interesting to see the other fairy tale names that have also 'stuck' through the ages and across cultural boundaries.

This page HERE has an interesting list of names - male and female - in fairy tales for people to consider for their children. While a good portion of them are, unsurprisingly, from Disney retellings, there are quite a few unexpected ones too. (Rumpelstiltskin isn't on the list, presumably because no parent would ever inflict such a curse on their child.. here's hoping that assumption is correct!)

Here's a sampling of some unusual ones on that page:

BABETTE — Beauty and the Beast

FINETTE — Finette Cendron

JORINDE — Jorinde and Joringel

TALIA — Sun, Moon and Talia

WINNIFRED — The Princess and the Pea

It's by no means a comprehensive list but it does get the gray matter working a little! It's certainly a baby name category you don't very often, though I think it would be a very interesting little volume to put together - especially if it were multi-cultural.

Fairy Story (Rumpelstiltskin) by Jesus Blasco

Many of the names for the heroes and heroines are 'everyman' names. For example Ivan is extremely common in Russia, just like Jack is in English. The same goes for Hansel and Gretel which, to English speaking countries sounds exotic but to Germanic people is essentially Jack and Jill. When I was researching Jorinde and Joringel for my recent retelling I found reference to the fact that their names were the equivalent of 'George', in both the feminine and the masculine (which makes you think of the tale a whole different way again).

Sometimes, though, the names are special and unique. I'd be very interested to see a collection put together. Anyone up for the job? ;)

NOTE: I should point out that fairy tale character names were discussed on the SurLaLune discussion board quite a few years ago HERE. It mainly discusses the issue of lead character names but has other interesting points too.

Kate Bernheimer Interview on "The Complete Tales of Merry Gold"

I came across this interview with Kate Bernheimer last week, discussing fairy tales and her book "The Complete Tales of Merry Gold" and thought I'd share.

Ms. Bernheimer shares some of her thoughts on fairy tales as well as gives some interesting insights to the characters from her 'trilogy' of Gold sister books - things I don't think I've read anywhere else.

Here's an excerpt from her response to the question "Why is Merry [the main character] so sadistic? She seems more like the villain of a fairy tale than the main character [who tends to be innocent]?":

..meanness is a very important trope in many of the fairy tales that fascinate me. It’s true that while American popular culture has canonized female fairy-tale characters with hearts of gold, in fact the “main characters” of fairy tales are extremely varied: as many stupid, clumsy, boring, mean, ugly, plain, deficient, weird, pathetic, and sad characters as there are “good” ones. So actually, the “main characters” of many fairy tales are cruel. One example, easy to find on the shelves, is Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Girl Who Trod on A Loaf” where the young hero’s hobby is to pull wings off of flies. She suffers in the end, but she is still the story’s beautiful, troubled cold center. She is the bright star in a terrifying and sublime drama. Countless examples of mean girls at the center of story exist in fairy tales from around the world, just as they do in the junior high classroom or [fill in the blank], but in fairy tales they are a lot more interesting to know. I would entreat readers to look at the many, many available translated collections of tales from around the world, to see the existential variety in them.

You can find the whole interview HERE.

As always, Ms. Bernheimer's comments are thought provoking and interesting for anyone who loves fairy tales.

You can find another interview which gives further insight to her style of writing and how and why she prefers to use fairy tales that aren't well known, HERE.

The books mentioned are:
The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold
The Complete Tales of Merry Gold
The Complete Tales of Lucy Gold (yet to be published)All three make use of German, Yiddish and Russian tales that are not well known but those who read a lot of fairy tales will at least recognize some of the tropes, if not some of the inspirations.

You can see a previous post on Ms. Bernheimer's journal Fairy Tale Review HERE.

I should mention also that the two collections she put together and edited ("Mirror, Mirror On the Wall: Women Writers Explore Their Favorite Fairy Tales" and "Brothers and Beasts: An Anthology of Men On Fairy Tales") remain two books of my favorites. I return to read them often and get something new out of them every time.

NEWSFLASH: Great Fairytales Series from The Guardian - A Must Read!

Note: I came across this series completely at random and was already into doing this blog post when I realized both SurLaLune and The Fairy Tale Cupboard have reported on it so rather than bore you with lots of repetitious information in case you're reading their blogs [which are both excellent sources of fairy tale information and news, so you should be :) ], I'll just point you to their entries and repeat how wonderful a thing this is and that you should avail yourself of the read and lovely pictures either in person or online. :)

For those who haven't yet heard, The (UK) Guardian and Observer, are including seven wonderful supplements over the next week titled "Great Fairytales". The series includes an essay by a notable fairy tale writer on a theme and then a collection of tales on that theme for each part, with special illustrations for each section by wonderful artists.Here's the blurb on the series from The Guardian online:

Starting this weekend in the Guardian and the Observer, Great fairytales brings you the finest stories of morality, justice, triumph and enchantment from around the world, collected in seven themes: Wicked parents, Rags to riches, Love, Quests and riddles, Wisdom and folly, Justice and punishment and Beastly tales.

The stories are all nominated by a panel of critics, writers and experts on children's literature: Anthony Browne, AS Byatt, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Robert Irwin, Alison Lurie, Adam Phillips, Philip Pullman, Salman Rushdie and Marina Warner.

Each collection is beautifully illustrated and includes an afterword from a range of leading writers exploring each theme.

This is such a treat! And I love the discussions on theme, meaning and fairy tales in comparison to history which you don't see often outside of academic works. For those of us unable to go buy the paper (and that includes any readers outside the UK) we can:

1) read the series online for free every day (START HERE - the link should have ALL the Guardian's fairy tale related posts for you to browse - this particular series starts October 10th, 2009 & consists of one essay and approximately three tales with illustrations - in separate posts - per day)

2) buy the booklets online HERE (shown at bottom of post).

Heidi of SurLaLune has included a brief excerpt of the first essay as well as other interesting tidbits and you can see some more of the lovely silhouette work by Laura Barrett, all of which you can find HERE.

Claire Massey of The Fairy Tale Cupboard has done a wonderful job of taking us through the first two supplements, complete with excellent links. I highly recommend reading her write-ups this week as she looks at the writers, the tales and the artists involved with each part of the series. To go straight to The Fairy Tale Cupboard click HERE.
NOTE: All silhouette illustrations (2 for Hansel & Gretel and 2 for Snow White) are by the amazing Laura Barrett who's work was commissioned for Part 1 of the series. You can find more of her work at her website HERE or by clicking on the illustrations - I highly recommend checking this link out. Her website is lovely and her work gorgeous!

The Castles That Inspired Perrault's Fairy Tales

I recently came across an ARTICLE that highlighted the "architectural inspirations" for some of Charles Perrault's stories. Apparently there are two castles - that you're still able to see and tour today - that fueled Charles Perrault's inspiration for his versions of two fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty and Puss In Boots.

The Chateau d'Usse is reputedly the castle that inspired "La Belle au Bois Dormant" or "The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods" and even stages scenes throughout the castle from aspects of the story. This castle is also one of the ones that inspired Walt Disney when he was designing the castle for Disneyland.

Here's an excerpt from a glowing review which calls the castle the most beautiful in all of France.:

The most beautiful castle in France is first glimpsed as you approach the Château d'Ussé and an astonishing array of blue-slate roofs, dormer windows, delicate towers, and Gothic turrets greets you against the flank of the Forest of Chinon. Literature describes this château, overlooking the banks of the river Indre, as the original Sleeping Beauty castle; Charles Perrault—author of this beloved 17th-century tale—spent time here as a guest of the Count of Saumur, and legend has it that Ussé inspired him to write the famous story. Though parts of the castle are from the 1400s, most of it was completed two centuries later. By the 17th century, the region was so secure that one fortified wing of the castle was demolished to allow for grand vistas over the valley and the castle gardens, newly designed in the style Le Nôtre had made so fashionable at Versailles. Only Disney could have outdone this white-tufa marvel: the château is a flamboyant mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles—romantic and built for fun, not for fighting. Its history supports this playful image: it endured no bloodbaths—no political conquests or conflicts—while a tablet in the chapel indicates that even the French Revolution passed it by. Inside, a tour leads you through several sumptuous period salons, a 19th-century French fashion exhibit, and the Salle de Roi bedchamber built for a visit by King Louis XV (who never arrived—his loss, as the red-silk, canopied four-poster bed here is the stuff of dreams). At the end of the house tour, you can go up the fun spiral staircases to the chemin de ronde of the lofty towers; there are pleasant views of the Indre River from the battlements, and you can also find rooms filled with waxwork effigies detailing the fable of Sleeping Beauty herself.

You can find the rest of that review HERE and more about the castle in general HERE.

"Le Maistre Chat, ou le Chat Botté" ("The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots") was apparently inspired by the sprawling mansion-like castle estate Chateau d'Oiron and, I must admit, it's the sort of location I usually picture when I hear this story (probably because whichever illustrations I first saw, the artist had done their research!).

This castle/estate, built in the 16th century, now has amazing painted ceilings and numerous rooms dedicated to contemporary art. It seems to be more art museum than historical tourist attraction but still considered stunning on both counts. I couldn't find any pictures that connected it with Puss in Boots but it is well known as the inspiration for the setting of the story.

Here's Puss from Le Monument Ā Charles Perrault in the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, France.

I have no trouble imagining an ogre living here, or a Marquis - or a fake Marquis for that matter.

You can read more about Chateau d'Oiron HERE.

Guess that's three more locations (Perrault's monument included) to add to my itinerary when I eventually take that fairy tale dream trip!

Award Winning Tanglewood Marionettes Touring With Fairy Tales

The award winning Tanglewood Marionettes company will be traveling to a number of different US states with their fairy tale marionettes over the next few months.

The first offering will be at the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, where they will be performing their newest production, Hansel and Gretel" on Monday October 12, 2009.

From the Tangelwood Marionettes WEBSITE:

Founded in 1993 by Anne Ware and Peter Schaefer, Tanglewood Marionettes is a nationally touring marionette theater based in New England. Our repertoire consists primarily of classic tales performed by skilled puppeteers who have spent many years perfecting their art.

Each of our productions runs approximately 45 minutes, which may include a lively puppetry demonstration prior to the show and an optional question-and-answer period following the performance. The program is presented with the marionettes in full view, so that the audience can witness firsthand the mechanics of puppet manipulation.

Upcoming public performance details in various states over the next few months can be found HERE. Their current repertoire includes "Hansel and Gretel", "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", "An Arabian Adventure", "The Fairy Circus" and the award winning "The Dragon King".

Here's a movie showing some wonderful excerpts from their production of The Dragon King:


You can see some more of their lovely puppets and get information on their performance set-up HERE.