Nutcracker Heading For An Action Movie Makeover

The Nutcracker

Poster design for Jefferson Performing Arts Society
by Lisa K. Weber

This could be a lot of fun - "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" is heading for a family action film in the vein of "The Chronicles of Narnia".

There aren't a lot of details yet. The pitch was just accepted by New Line Cinema from the writer behind Jack the Giant Killer (Darren Lemke), currently in production under the direction of Bryan Singer, making news today.

It would seem the film will be going back to the original E.T.A. Hoffman story which is rather more complex than the tale is portrayed as being in the popular Christmas ballet.From Reuters & ABC:

The story centers on a 12-year-old girl, her brother and sister, who receive gifts from their clockmaker-inventor godfather on Christmas Eve, one of which is a Nutcracker doll. That night, the girl embarks on an adventure that includes a war involving a seven-headed Mouse King and his army of mice.

The story, with its themes of ugliness and beauty, has been adapted into various forms of animation, and the ballet version has found itself on screens many times.

... Lemke has worked often with folk and fairy tales; in addition to writing "Giant," he worked on DreamWorks Animation's fairy tale-skewing "Shrek Forever After." He also worked with Temple Hill on an update of "The Wizard of Oz."

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

There seems to be some skepticism about the concept but then I'm guessing those people haven't read the original story. There are some insights HERE on the kind of man and writer Hoffman was. I also found a very interesting article on the illustrator of the pieces shown in this post (bar the illustrations at the head and tail), Jan Pienkowski. Mr. Pienkowski purposely explored the darker side of the Hoffman story in his illustrations and discusses that in this interesting article HERE.Here's an excerpt:

Pienkowski realised the story of The Nutcracker could be drawn in a way that was not as we have come to know it - all sugary sweet like the Tchaikovsky ballet. It became clear that his portrayal could be dark and magical, reflecting the much scarier tale first written in German in 1816 by ETA Hoffmann. And so, in Nut Cracker, a new version of the story translated by David Walser (Pienkowski's lifelong partner) and published in time for Christmas, a gothic Godfather Drossel­meier has been born, complete with spiked hair and biker boots...

... In Hoffmann's - and Pienkowski's - version the tale takes place over several nights and is far more complicated and menacing. The story of the war of the mice is told by Drosselmeier himself, perched on top of a clock with his cloak spread out behind him like wings. The tale he tells is of a time when he was clockmaker to the royal palace. In an act of revenge on the King and Queen for the murder of her seven sons, the Mouse Queen turns the royal baby, Princess Pirlipat, into a shrivelled creature with piercing eyes and a mouth 'like a gash from ear to ear'. The only way of lifting the spell on the Princess is to find a boy capable of cracking a Krakatuk nut. The boy who can crack the nut turns out to be Drosselmeier's nephew, but as he lifts the curse on the Princess it falls on him, and he in turn is changed into a shrivelled creature with a wide mouth - a nutcracker. The only way for Drossel­meier's nephew to be restored is to kill the Mouse Queen's seven-headed son, born after the deaths of her other sons. The battle that ensues is the beginning of the ballet as we know it.

'There was a bit at the end of the German original when the nutcracker becomes a real man, introduced to Clara and her family, and then suddenly starts walking around the drawing-room cracking nuts with his teeth,' Walser says. 'I thought this rather far-fetched and sinister so I cut it out. But when I told a seven-year-old girl I'd cut it, she was so disappointed. Children like that kind of dark complexity, you see.'

You can read the whole of the long article HERE.

Drosselmeyer's workshop...
by Steering For North/Cate

If the movie makers do their research we could be in for a very interesting movie.

The SurLaLune blog just had a week dedicated to Nutcracker so be sure to go and check those entries for more Nutcracker goodness (HERE).

SyFy Presents "Alice"

The SyFy Channel is airing a much anticipated version of Alice in Wonderland for two nights, starting this evening. With Tim Burton's fantastical vision on it's way in early next year, it'll be an interesting contrast to see this modernized version, which, while it has fantastic aspects is definitely not a family film.Cast includes:

• Caterina Scorsone (Crash TV Series) as Alice
• Kathy Bates (Misery) as The Queen of Hearts
  
• Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show) as Dodo,
• Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as the King of Hearts,
• Philip Winchester (Crusoe) as Jack Chase,
• Matt Frewer (Watchmen) as the White Knight,
• Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval) as Hatter,
• Harry Dean Stanton (Big Love) as the Caterpillar,
• Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica) as 9 of Clubs,
• Timothy Webber (Taken) as Carpenter,
• Alex Diakun (Sanctuary) as Ratcatcher,
• Zak Santiago (Kingdom Hospital) as 10 of Clubs, and
• Eugene Lipinski (Animorphs) as Doctors Dee and Dum.

The official site is HERE and there's an interesting article, which talks a little bit about how this version is different, HERE.As you can see from the images here this is very much a contemporary take with a sci-fi slant and this Alice is a little different from the usual heroine. There's an all-star cast and award winning creators, definitely worth a looksee.

Here's a trailer for a little more:

"Alice" is airing on SyFy at 9/8pm central standard time in the US.

12 Days: Bento Boxes

Continuing the 12 Days of [Gifts Before] Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yule fairy tale themed things for gifting with something far more affordable this time!

Sweet, cute and original designs of Snow White and Alice in Wonderland for two-tiered bento boxes.

Available HERE for $34.95 each from Monkeytail & Wellington.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)

Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!

Entries close December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

12 Days: East o' the Sun West O' the Moon Weathervane

I never thought of a weathervane inspired by East O' the Sun, West O' the Moon before, but it makes perfect sense - of course! This piece is out of the range of most of our wallets but perhaps it can help inspire some other gift ideas along the same line.

Forged brass and bronze, this one is very pricey but oh so lovely I had to share. You can find it (and other weathervanes) HERE.

[Please note: as per my fine print in the sidebar, I am not affiliated with any company or product mentioned or linked to in this blog. I do not receive any benefit from any purchase or visit to any site. If you wish to support people working with fairy tales, however, I would like to suggest Heidi Anne Heiner's SurLaLune SITE and BLOG. Any purchase made through her links helps support the awesome work she has done - and continues to do - in providing us all with one of the best fairy tale resources on the web.]

Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!

Entries close December 20th, so be sure to mails me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

12 Days of [Gifts Before] Christmas & "The Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway

Although the 12 Days of Christmas really starts on December 25th (or in some places the 26th) I thought I'd do something a little different.

Today is the 6th and in exactly one month it's Epiphany (the traditional time when the Wise Men were thought to have brought their kingly gifts to the Baby Jesus). We tend to concentrate on giving gifts on Christmas Day so I thought I'd sort of combine the two. During the next 12 days I'll be showing you a very different range of gifts with very specific people in mind - fairy tale enthusiasts. And there's something special for you too.

Thanks to the generosity of the lovely people at London Particulars, I'm also having a giveaway!
In order to participate you need to know about Professor Aubrey Aubrey Thistlequick and his pursuit of Happiness:

Professor Aubrey Thistlequick was so excited with the fruits of his new experiment (concerning moonlight, earwigs and ale), that he quite forget to keep an eye on Happiness, his beloved cat (who for mutual convenience accompanied him on his journeys securely tied to balloons) and a sudden gust of wind took her up and off and away; floating over Primrose Hill.

In hot pursuit, the Professor sprung up a nearby ladder and was on the rooftops in a trice, but his nimbleness and quick thinking wasn’t enough to secure dear Happiness, who mewed angrily as she sailed across London town.

With his lightning-quick mind, a ball of string and a handful of seeds (which he kept about his person at all times), Professor Thistlequick took to the skies, in pursuit of Happiness, in a race through the clouds that was to last for much longer than he should have hoped…

Had Professor Aubrey Thistlequick known that morning that he would be in such close proximity to the moon, he might have dressed in more suitable clothes and he certainly would have bought along four knitted gloves and a small coat for Happiness...

What happened next? Where did they go?
That's what you need to find out!
WHAT TO DO:

1) Go visit London Particulars (the website is HERE) for more of the story and to see where the Professor and Happiness have been sighted so far.
2) Email me directly at fairytalenews AT gmail DOT com and tell me one of the locations they were seen (in the body of the email) - country and landmark's name please. Make sure you put "Happiness" in the subject of the email so it gets counted.
3) Email me with your answer (1 entry per person) before midnight on December 20th, PST USA - which is when the contest closes.

THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS:

3) Correct entries (on which I will check with the Professor to be certain they are accurate) will be given a number then entered into an independent number generator, which will choose a winner at random.
4) I will contact the winner (before December 25th) and ask them for shipping details and for their choice of a lovely poster or a print collection of the Professor in his pursuit of Happiness.
5) I'll announce the winner on the blog AND link to their blog or website too (if they wish).

EASY, ISN'T IT?

There's lots to see and many wonderful gift ideas at London Particulars (some of which I'm showing in this entry) so be sure to have a browse while you're there. I recommend checking out the particulars of the 1888 Fair poster (that may, or may not have happened).

PSST!
Anyone who also tells me exactly what Professor Thistlequick's invention was
that he displayed at the fair, gets an additional entry in the contest!
(Hint: a portion of the poster that has the details is shown in this post,
but you'll have to visit the website for the answer...)

London Particulars can be found on Facebook HERE and you can get all the latest updates on Twitter HERE and at their blog HERE.

I look forward to your mails. Happy gift hunting!

Baba Yaga & Her Baby Chicken Leg Shacks

I adore these!

Not only has Melissa Sue Stanley been creating Chicken Leg Shacks (see my previous post on these adorable plush chicken legged houses HERE) but she's created a Baba Yaga and story to go with them... AND, if you live close by, you can go see them in person at the Stuff This! - the 3rd Annual Plush Show in Columbus, Ohio. It opens today (December 5th) and runs till the 30th. You can also get a chicken leg shack - or a strawberry monster - of your own from the exhibition through HERE (other fibre/plush artist's work available here too). If you're interested in buying, be quick. They're selling out fast!I should probably have saved this for my "12 Days of [Gifts Before] Christmas" series which starts tomorrow (with giveaway!) but I just couldn't wait... consider it an early bonus!

I simply have to share Melissa Sue's Baba Yaga story (per her various blogs):

Baba Yaga and her chicken shacks:
Where did you think chicken shacks come from?She raises them in her garden.They frolic around the blue roses and valerian, and eat healthy amounts of bug legs and children's fingers.In the morning she puts on that old dusty coat and big black boots, and stomps into the chilly yard where they greet her, chirping, and chomping the tiny sharp teeth in their keyholes.The world needs more Baba Yaga.

Isn't that the most adorable bit of creepy ever?

Here's a sketch of her ideas for this great piece - you can see her attention to detail and story very clearly in her notes. I really appreciate that she's been able to handle detail and story without over-complicating the design. Very nice!You can see her blogs HERE and HERE which showcase a lot more of her work and her process and visit her website HERE. She also has an Etsy shop HERE though her chicken shacks aren't listed here yet.

Sci-Fi Fairy Tale Competition at Super Punch

The fabulous all-things-eclectic blog, SuperPunch, is having a December giveaway any artist can enter, and the art theme is Sci-Fi Fairy Tales.

Here's the announcement and details (from HERE):

The art theme for December is SciFi Fairy Tales - - give a fairy tale, fable, or myth a scifi update, like the one James Jean gave to the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf (Edit FTNH: shown at head of post). To enter, simply email me your illustration by 12:00 p.m. California time on January 1, 2010. The best design will win a $100 Threadless store credit. And I will also give a $25 store credit to one randomly chosen participant. You may send as many entries as you'd like, and this contest is open regardless of where you live. No nudity, please.

You can find more details about John Struan, who runs Super Punch, HERE in the sidebar, including his email address.

Giveaway Coming! + Folktale-ish T-Shirts

"Prevailing Dragon Winds"

I have exciting news: Once Upon A Blog will be having a giveaway for the first time ever! Thanks to the generosity of the lovely folk at London Particulars (who have wonderful steampunk and fantasy themed jewelry and prints) I'll be holding a contest starting on the 6th of December during my "12 Days of (Gifts Before) Christmas" post series, so watch this space!

I've been collecting t-shirts with fairy tale themes for a while now and will be showing you a bunch of them during the "12 Days" posts but these few don't quite fit. They are, however, very reminiscient of folktales so I thought I'd show them to you today as Threadless - the creative and fun t-shirt company - is currently having a sale with all t-shirt $12 and free shipping for any purchase over $50 (US - $75 minimum for International).

This one is called "The Cloud Menagerie"...

... and this one is called "Autumn Chameleons".

You can find more information on these design and the designers HERE and HERE. ("Prevailing Dragon Winds" at the head of the post is also by these designers.)

This lovely chameleon one is called "The Midnight Forest"...

... and you can find more information on the design and a link to the designer HERE. This particular designer has a lot of nature-themed tees with a fantastical slant to them so you may enjoy browsing his extensive design gallery too.

Marc Schömann's Match Girl

I found this set of story photos on the Behance Network and it does a brilliant job of telling the story of The Little Match Girl in a modern context, without needing a single word.

The creator is young German photographer and artist Marc Schömann. Click HERE to see his portfolio and, if you like his Match Girl, you can click below the photo set (on its dedicated page) to show your appreciation anonymously.

Hans Christian Andersen set his tale in a snowy, Christmas-time context and both the tale and this photo story remind us to count our blessings and think of others during the season.

Better Watch Out

A little fairy tale humor for the approaching crazy season... :)
NOTE: According to the stamp, the illustration is by Thomas Artner, though his work is actually very modern and abstract. I can't find this piece (or anything else like this style) anywhere on his site! You can view his portfolio HERE.