The Problem With Disney Princesses

Warning: "Disney meets social issues" topic ahead!

It's almost Princess day for little girls everywhere (better known as Halloween) and I find it interesting that this image is currently circulating the web right before multitudes of princess-ified trick-or-treat-ers arrive at the door. It's enough to give even the most pixie-dusted, pro-princess-patrons pause (Argh! Alliteration! You know it's going to be bad...)

From Cinematical:

... It's the classic Disney princesses roster -- Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, Jasmine, Ariel, Belle, and Cinderella. Above their smiling faces, however, are their basic characteristics and plot lines. When you boil it down to the basics, the story is enough to make anyone queasy. Snow White's hormones almost kill her, Aurora is married off in the crib for politics and saved years later with a kiss (or sex and slavery when Anne Rice has her say), Jasmine is a pretty girl saved by a street rat, Ariel gets to look pretty and say nothing, Belle works her sexuality, and Cinderella is saved because of her beauty.

Yikes.

And when you click on the picture for a full size to read the text it's even more blatant.

I don't happen to agree that the princesses are a completely lost cause but when you put things like this, it's easy to see why some begin to sound downright anti-(Disney)Princess.

To be fair, it's a little simplistic to summarize the ladies the way they have been in the image above, but nevertheless it's food for thought. But we can't blame it all on Disney. It's not like they haven't drawn daring darlings in the past (more alliteration - I can't help myself!). It IS, though, far harder to get a Mulan costume for Halloween than a Cinderella one.

Disney's Forgotten Princesses
by Mimi-Na

Speaking of Disney's Mulan, that's one lady I'd like on my team and there are other Disney heroines I wouldn't mind sharing the room with either but we rarely see them. Clearly Disney CAN drawn females of substance. Could it be they just don't know how to market them (at least for substantial profit)? Is it the WDC marketing moguls that force these few and their faults/flaws into regular view, or is it we, the people (a.k.a. consumers), that don't know how to embody dreams and happy endings without the puffy skirts and got-my-prince smiles? Will the much touted character of "Disney's Newest Princess" Tiana, break the trend?

What's more, will there ever be a politically-correct-yet-still-romantic way for those actively searching for their Prince Charmings and aiming for happily ever after, to get PC validation and reach this goal without being seen as a sell out?

The Non-Princess Club
by Mimi-Na
(which includes some actual princesses)
Caption reads: "Can I join? They said I wasn't pretty enough..."

I don't have a good answer. I'll admit I'm one of those who now has a negative reaction to the word 'princess' but I also think we're quick to point fingers (from both sides of the fence) and not sincerely consider our part in it all.

The only thing I can say with any certainty is that Mimi-Na from deviantArt titled her pieces well.
(Check her comments on her deviantArt pages - clicking on each image will send you there - for a full roster of names in each piece.)

*Puts away soap box and returns to her regularly scheduled blogging*

Snow White Advertises Pizza (But Not Very Well)

Found this odd advertisement for Pizzetta pizza HERE.The text is: "Snow White and the Six Dwarfs - Think twice before you take the last slice."

Soooo... did the seventh dwarf run off with the pizza and abandon his duties or did the others eat him instead? You see the confusion. (You can click on the image for a larger view.. and for any clues...)

The other ads in the series are just as ambiguous. They can also be seen HERE (click on the back-arrow at the bottom of the image).

Disney's First Russian Film is a Fairy Tale

Note the 2nd: This entry was supposed to post yesterday and I only just realized I had saved but not published - sorry! I'm updating the time references so it makes sense when you read it today (Wednesday).

Note: I see SurLaLune has posted on this topic yesterday too with lots of great links so I'm adjusting my content to minimize the overlap. Be sure to check out Heidi's entry HERE for more information about the film.

After dealing with ongoing Russian resistance to Disney show 'products', The Walt Disney Company have smartly opted for producing an all-Russian cast-and-crew (including some of their most famous and popular actors) family fairy tale film to help smooth the way into the market. With the Russian penchant for home-grown over Hollywood, (as they should - they have an incredibly rich and diverse culture, folklore and history, not to mention volumes of amazing fairy tales), this seems like a good way to help Disney find even more acceptance than they've had to date.Their first piece of Russian film-making will be released tomorrow in Russia (October 29th) and is a fantasy film based on Russian fairy tales and folklore. The title is Книга мастеров (Kniga Masterov) and is translated as The Book of Masters. Unfortunately, the English title translation doesn't appear to capture the spirit of the film at all. Instead of letting the title mar your impression, it may help to remember that a lot of Russian tales tend toward the epic or grand scale when it comes to characters and events. From Russia Info Center:

The Book of Masters is a sort of a potpourri, where characters from Russian folklore, and Pushkin’s and Bazhov’s fairy tales are brought together.

Just take a look at some of these photos here to see what I mean. There's also been one preview scene released that people are calling 'very Lord of the Rings' where the Stone Queen creates an army of stone golems. (You can see that scene HERE.)I've also included some traditional Russian folk art in this post, in amongst the movie scenes from their lovely old fairy tale Ivan and the Firebird, so you can see where some of the inspiration for the characters, designs and ideas come from (there's a note on the influence of Ivan Bilibin further down the post).The posters (and title) are, without doubt, typical live-action Disney in style but there may be more Russian artistic influence than appears in the marketing.

For instance, this trailer here, while still looking a little 'Disney-esque' to me, makes lovely use of illustrative art (echoing the fabulous work of famous Russian illustrator Ivan Bilibin - you can see an illustrated biography HERE which shows you his style), to fade into the scenes. The other trailers I've seen don't seem to use this technique, but if the film includes any transitions or storytelling techniques like this, it makes me all the more interested in seeing it.


Sources: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE (interesting info on the Director at this link) and HERE (quotes from the Russian filmmakers as they started production at this link).

R.I.P. Dear Little Mermaid

I bring you sad news today.

Shiloh Pepin, the brave little girl born with Mermaid Syndrome and known the world over as 'the real-life little mermaid', passed on away on Friday, October 23rd at age 10, from complications of a cold and resulting pneumonia.

Rather than go into details about her condition I will just celebrate her bravery against incredibly odds and mourn her passing. She was courageous and happy and touched many people in her short life, encouraging others to live well and enjoy life. Many other children with life threatening illnesses and great disabilities reached out to her and thanked her for her example and joy. She will be greatly missed.

Her funeral is set for tomorrow (Wednesday) and she will rest next to the stillborn sister she never knew.

For those who haven't heard Shiloh's story or understand the complications of sirenomelia here are some links HERE, HERE and HERE. Here's her FACEBOOK PAGE and one of many tribute VIDEOS.

Rest in peace little one. The world is a better place for you having been here.

Red October: Russian Fairy Tale Fashion A Theme on 2009 Fall/Winter Runways

I'm going to call today 'odds 'n' ends Monday' with this being the first post (see note below) in a number of random little fairy tale related things I found in the last week.

(NOTE: RE-POSTED DUE TO LARGE CONTENT UPDATE)

To kick things off, here's some lovely fairy tale-type fashion from Russia which reminds me of some Vasilissa illustrations I've seen (the clothing, not the model attitude).

Apparently, Russian fairy tale style fashion influence was a recurring theme on the premier runways for the 2009 Fall/ Winter season. (Found at the UK Telegraph. You can find descriptions of the clothing HERE.)

I also found an article and a video on the fashion series for you. This article talks about the influences and approach of the fashion creator and stylist (which included a matriochka doll as he was starting his Russian style showings this past year). Here's an excerpt:

But fashion would not be the weird and wonderful world it most certainly is without some fairytale element to delight, astound or even just amuse us. This winter the fantasy revolves around a romanticised Russia; land of the firebird, the sugarplum fairy, Zara, Dr Zhivago and Anastacia. Not since Yves Saint Laurent based a collection upon the Ballets Russes more than thirty years ago, has fashion so fallen under the Soviet spell.

You can read more HERE.

Here's the video, which is a beautiful little piece to watch, even if fashion isn't of huge interest to you:


Some lovely inspiration. I'm ready to write a Russian fairy tale now. :)

Saturday Night Live's Version of Beauty & the Beast

A different twist on Disney's Beauty and the Beast by the Saturday Night Live team, aired October 17th. Please note, this version is for grown-ups.

WARNING: Mild language and adult content. May not be considered safe for work (or kids).

Snow White's Make-up

Just in time for Halloween (and because I find this a little creepy), here's a make-up tutorial for how to do your face and hair as close as possible to Disney's cartoon Snow White.

Here's an excerpt from what the make-up artist, kandee, posted on her process of creating the look:

I researched the art and painting of Disney...they mixed and created their own colors! The look of the original Snow White: And the Seven Dwarfs, was soft with, bright lips and grey-brown eyeshadow...I tried to replicate it exactly as the art from the movie.

Here's the original:And here's the make-up:Transforming a person into a cartoon (which was one of her aims) will always result in some kind of de-humanization (for want of a better word). Definitely suitable for Halloween.

Go HERE for more pics, tutorial video (which is excellent if you're interested in make-up) aaaand sing-a-long. (Consider yourself warned).

Steampunk Hansel & Gretel by Donglu Yu

Last Hansel & Gretel post of the week...
I (almost) guarantee it!

I found this steampunk Hansel and Gretel by Montreal artist Donglu Yu a while back when I was researching 'the best steampunk fairy tale illustrations on the web' (see HERE for the last of three posts, which also links to the previous ones) and didn't include it because it didn't really catch my eye as representing Hansel and Gretel very well at the time.

I've since found the artist's overview of her painting from concept to final and I can appreciate the art - and her interpretation of the tale - far more now. I missed some important ones on my first few viewings. I didn't even see the witch up in her lofty room stirring the pot at first.

I'm hoping by showing you some of the development you'll come to appreciate her vision of the story as I have.When you realize what's in the details, this piece becomes very interesting and it's clear why Donglu's work has been recognized by an elite group of digital artists.She and her artist fiancé were featured in the prestigious digital art publication Exposé (7) this year in June (see article HERE), along with a very nice print of Donglu Yu's steampunk Hansel and Gretel (it has better contrast than most copies of this piece I've seen on the web, so the details are more noticeable).From introduction to the artist's project overview:

This is my great pleasure to discuss about the creation process for my latest work “Hansel and Gretel”. This image is originally created for the Steampunk Challenge hosted by CG Society. Right from the beginning, I had the intention of making a whimsical image which can remind us certain magic moments that the old folklores and fairy tales have brought us during our childhood. Hansel and Gretel has been one of my favorite bedtime stories: I can still remember how I was imagining those two little kids walking through the forest to arrive at the witch’s house which is deliciously decorated with all kind of confections. I want to recreate that feel of wonder that I have experienced longtime ago with the proper visual language.

Here's the final image, which I've saved till after the other details so hopefully you'll be able to appreciate it as I do now. (Click to enlarge)You can see a MUCH larger version HERE, which will zoom you in on all the details but you'll probably need to scroll up and down to see the whole piece, so you don't the impression of the story as you do from the smaller version shown above from the Exposé 7 article.

You can see many more development pictures and read about her process on this project HERE. The project is shown step by step, almost as a tutorial, though not quite. I'm so glad the artist decided to share!You can see a lot more of her work HERE at her online portfolio with the CG Society and in this excellent interview, in which she talks about her process HERE. I look forward to seeing more of Donglu Yu's work in future.

Hansel and Gretel:The Graphic Novel & Other Retold Fairy Tales by Graphic Spin (Stone Arch Books)

I found this graphic novel reviewed at The Graphic Classroom and though it came out last year it's very appropriate for the end of Hansel & Gretel week.

Here are a couple of excerpts from the review, which is aimed particularly at teachers and parents:

I always wondered: (as a child reading/or being told the story of Hansel & Gretel) could this happen to me, too? How would I survive if I were left alone to my own devices? Which brings me to this graphic novel version of the classic tale and I can say that this Stone Arch version, adapted by Donald Lemke and illustrated by Sean Dietrich, is strange and odd and creepy in every way you would want the story to be. HANSEL AND GRETEL make good use of the graphic novel format as we see the fragility of the situation etched on the faces of the kids.

...One huge bonus to the Stone Arch fairy tale collection is that in the back of the book, there is a nice overview of where and how the story originated (in this case, the Grimm Brothers may have heard the story of Hansel and Gretel from a woman named Henriette Dorothea Wild, Germany, in the 1800s). The book also features three discussion questions, three writing prompts and then urges readers to explore more about the story on their own. These additions are a nice touch for teachers and students using graphic novels in the classroom.

You can read the rest of the review which looks at the content, the artwork and the suitability for children and for use in the classroom HERE.

The book is by Stone Arch Books graphic novel arm, Graphic Spin, and is one of a series of retold fairy tales. (You can find out more about Graphic Spin and their Fall 2009 releases HERE.) Below are all the fairy tale covers I could find. You can find the amazon list - which includes the Spanish versions - HERE. There is also a complete set available through Stone Arch Books and Amazon.Personally, I love the range of illustrative styles and non-traditional (or non-Disney-esque) representations of the characters and stories. I'm putting a couple on my wishlist to check out the writing and interior .

Hansel and Gretel: The Graphic Novel is available at Amazon HERE.

Aesop and the 'Invention' of the Fable

Aesop's Fables Poster (Found at AllPosters.com)
Artist Unknown

Of course there were fables before Aesop - in fact, according to THIS article fables are thought to be the second oldest source of stories known (myths coming before then) but apparently many think fables were all Aesop's idea.

It seems funny it should even need addressing but this article I found is a nice read with a lot of interesting things about ancient stories and when they were written down so I thought I would share.

Aesop: Fox and a Sick Lion Color Woodcut
by Joseph Low

Please note: this article does not make mention of ancient forms of story recording by Mayans, Egyptians and Australian Aboriginies among other ancient peoples. From time to time a new way of looking at these surviving 'art-writings' or 'visual stories' (in murals, cave paintings, pictographs, pottery etc) reveals our 'translation' of these artforms has been incomplete or crude. The beginnings of writing and recording stories is one of those topics that get academics a little steamed so I don't presume to present the complete historical fact for you here. Just thought I'd mention the omission.

Aesop's Lion & the Mouse
by Paned Expressions

In addition, there's a little bit of information about Aesop himself too. Here's an excerpt:

As nothing in that era was written down (except the exploits of a King or warrior), it is impossible to know exactly whether Aesop thought of the fables himself, or whether he was a wandering storyteller who collected fables. In the days of such widespread illiteracy, it is likely Aesop could not even read or write. Some have suggested he may have been blind, as Homer is suggested to be. The earliest reference to written fables we have is from the Greek historian Herodotus from around 300 BC. Unfortunately, Herodotus seemed to think everyone knew Aesop and his fables so well that he did not need to give any details of Aesop or his work.

You can read the whole article HERE.

The Gnat and the Bull
(from The Classic Treasury of Aesop's Fables)
by Don Daily

For more information on Aesop himself, WIKIPEDIA is a good place to start.