Honeycrisp or Red Delicious? Jiminy Cricket or Jiminy Grasshopper?

Disclaimer:

Please know that despite these criticisms I am enjoying Once Upon A Time. Yes, I have issues with the series; of course I do. I care about the material very much. That doesn't mean I throw the baby out with the bathwater. By definition I am a fan and enjoy tuning in. I do, however, think that certain things are worth commenting on, especially considering this is a fairy tale blog. I hope all this is understood by other fans and any of the production that may come across this. It's all fantastic fodder for discussion - and about fairy tales, no less!

I know, I know. It's kinda picky but it's bothering me as now I've seen the second more obviously incorrect visual-vs-script I've seen in ABCs Once Upon A Time. (Please know, I'm not looking for these to be critical - they're jumping out at me.) *

My first "visual frowny" came when Regina-aka-Evil-Queen was picking apples from her personal orchard and offered what she called a Honeycrisp to Emma Swan. Except, it wasn't a Honeycrisp. It was a Red Delicious (the difference is obvious to anyone who buys apples regularly). Turns out I'm not the only one who's noticed either. I've seen a few "creased-forehead-posts" around the internet mentioning it, like this one HERE which fellow fairy tale blog readers may have seen).

Here's a visual for you with the comparison:

Source HERE

 See what I mean?

I'll come back to this one in a minute. For now, let's look at the most recent one that caught my eye.

Last week, we saw Archie Hopper (aka Jiminy Cricket) in fairy tale land, both in human form and transformed to... um... and insect. Being very familiar with Disney's Pinocchio, in which Jiminy does vaguely represent a cricket, I was surprised to see human-Jiminy become, what appears very much to be, a grasshopper.

Here's the design by talented artist  Jared Krichevsky for the ABC's series:

Design for Once Upon A Time's Jiminy Cricket-as-insect

It's a little harder to find a strong visual to give you for grasshopper vs cricket but there are many descriptions - like HERE - which outline the differences, including visual ones, clearly. Here's one, which, although is an illustration, shows you most clearly:

Source HERE.

 According to these, we have a nocturnal grasshopper as our Jiminy Cricket, although he does have large cricket eyes.

But back to the apples...

The Jiminy Cricket design aberration is niggly-annoying, I'll admit, as many people confuse crickets with grasshoppers but it's not nearly as annoying as getting food wrong. Why? Because food in fairy tales is very important. I appreciated THIS ARTICLE HERE, titled "Feeding Snow White", by insightful author Paula Young Lee, which also had issues with the Red Delicious-not-Honeycrips being offered Emma Swan, and have had it in my posting queue since before I decided to try blogging again.

Of course, I’m nitpicking—but with a purpose. The apple-breed mix-up is a handy symbol for a larger pattern: Food has always played a surprisingly important role in the Snow White tale, but the significance of that food has been erased over time—and, with it, much of what this seemingly familiar story once meant. Once upon a time, this tale was, in part, about the restoration of rightful royal authority. And you can see that more clearly if you know something about what people used to eat.

 Go on and read the rest of the article. It explains the apples gaff but goes on to talk about how illuminating the 'original' request of the Queen's is in asking for Snow White's organs. You'll be nodding your head and begin to understand why I just HAD to say something.

Oh, and if you like that, you'll like this too: I've had this article bookmarked for many years now but go back and read it often. Considering the dark side of fairy tales are coming to our screens with a vengeance at the moment, it's definitely time for another read through "Snow White," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Juniper Tree," "The Virgin Mary's Child": The Wicked Cannibal Queen.

Enjoy. :)


*One of the things that's annoying me most about this series is actually the lack of research but that's really a different topic and a different post - if that's worth writing at all, since really I'm just so pleased to be tuning into fairy tales twice a week at this point!

"Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters" Gearing Up For Release

First look image from Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters

I haven't seen much on the web about this film yet, there's not even an official movie poster* (Argh! Lack of official visuals to post!), though it's release date is quite near (March 2, 2012) but all that's about to change.

(You can see my original post about this movie from October 2009 HERE - the details on the film start about halfway down.)

We can expect a trailer on Thursday next week and since yesterday, we're getting our first looks at how Hansel and Gretel have grown up.

As Entertainment Weekly puts it: "What kind of adult does a kid become after surviving a trip to a cannibalistic witch’s gingerbread house?"According to Director Tommy Wirkola, that would be fairy tale meets Quentin Tarantino (think very dark), with a somewhat comic edge. Oh, and shotguns.

The (current) official synopsis:

“Fifteen years after their traumatic gingerbread-house incident, siblings Hansel and Gretel have become a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world.”

Gretel by Chris Rahn (thanks Roderick!)

The two lead actors are starting to take interviews on the film, explaining a little of what the film will be like and what drew them to the project:

Excerpts from an interview with Jeremy Renner (playing Hansel):

"It's in a wonderful fairy tale world that's a bit gritty, a bit fun. It should be a good ride... Unlike other films of its ilk, "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" takes place many years after the fairy tale look place. Let's just say having a witch almost eat them when they were children left the young candy-happy kids a bit emotionally scarred.

"Fairy tale endings. Doesn't it sound like they're supposed to be happy? Well it's not. So it takes Hansel and Gretel, we last left them killing a witch as children after they were left in the forest to die," Renner said, setting up the plot. "It's many years later and they have a grudge against witches so they decide to become bounty hunters and they kill witches for a living. Sounds actually kind of the right thing, I suppose."

 Excerpt from an Entertainment Weekly interview with Gemma Arteron (playing Gretel):

EW: How does this movie incorporate the original Brothers Grimm tale? Is that story kind of a prologue?
Gemma: Yes, it continues it. You see a series of flashbacks with their experience of killing that first witch, which is brilliant. I remember being on set for the final few days of that. The candy house, and the witches are really repulsive and quite frightening. The makeup is out of this world. It’s this bone-chilling scene. Very dark. The girl who plays my character is brilliant, with the horrified expression she has.

“You see a series of flashbacks with their experience of killing that first witch, which is brilliant,” the 25-year-old actress teased. “I remember being on set for the final few days of that. The candy house, and the witches are really repulsive and quite frightening,” she added. “The makeup is out of this world. It’s this bone-chilling scene.” (source for 2nd quote HERE.)

Gemma Arteron & Jeremy Renner on set of Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

I recommend reading this interview. Ms. Arteron provides quite a bit of insight into her understanding of fairy tales as well as the movie and her character.

So I'm thinking Buffy and her brother Van Helsing go on witch hunts - but on steroids. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but it may just be mine. ;) I'm looking forward to seeing the trailer next week.

*The one movie poster around is actually from a Michael Bay project (see it HERE) about which we haven't seen much of either. It's easy to see how the details get mixed up.

"Little Match Girl" in 3D from Vietnam

 

A new animation company in Vietnam, True-D, has just released a trailer for their first short film, "The Little Match Girl" and it's getting good reviews.

Why, you may ask, is a Vietnamese studio doing a western fairy tale when their own culture is so rich with stories? My guess is to appeal to the western world (ie. market).

Take a look (I've posted the trailer with subtitles and voiceover):



From the article:

True-D Animation’s representative said that “The Little Match Girl” is the first project in which the group’s members practiced their skills. The group now works on the second 3D animation project, based on a Vietnamese story. The company aims to make long 3D cartoons in the future.

True-D Animation is seeking the distributor of its first product this Christmas. If the cartoon cannot go to cinemas, the producer will post it on Youtube as the New Year gift.

 The studio currently has only a 10 or so person crew, so this achievement is additionally impressive. I wish them the best for finding representation.

Donkey Skin by Jason Levesque

Donkey Skin by Jason Levesque

This has been in my posting queue for quite a while and was originally drawn for a Fables and Follies art show in 2010 (warning - some macabre images at the link). While the rest of the show isn't really to my taste, I thought this was so beautiful. The artist, Jason Levesque, has a wide range of styles and doesn't seem to work much in this medium, which is a shame since there's a real "Golden Age of Illustration' feel to this work. Maybe our interest will encourage him to try some more fairy tale themes in this vein in the future. ;)

Wooden Bones by Scott William Carter

Cover Illustration by Edward Kinsella

There's a new Pinocchio book on the way and it's definitely on the dark side. The book is aimed at 9-12 year olds but, as author Scott William Carter says, he hopes adults will enjoy it as much as they did Coraline, which is of a similar ilk.

“The untold story of Pinocchio, with a dark twist. Pino, as he’s come to be known after he became a real boy, has discovered that he has the power to bring puppets to life himself...” 

Photo by Heidi Carter

 Although it's not out till August 2012, it's already available on amazon.com for pre-order. This author has been very prolific in the fantasy short story market. (You may have read his short story"Heart of Stone" from Hags, Sirens and Other Bad Girls of Fantasy.) Wooden Bones is his second novel sold to date and I'm looking forward to seeing what he's done with Pinocchio.

Grimm Confessions by Fans of the Series

It's no surprise there are fan websites and blogs popping up for NBC's Grimm, just like they have for ABC's Once Upon A Time.

This blog, which can be contributed to by anyone, is titled Grimm Confessions and not only highlights the thoughts - pros and cons - about the series by various fans but their wishes for where it might go too. The day after an episode airing is a good time to check the blog for new entries though they appear more often than that.

Here are some examples:

There are many gif captures and multiple gif "arrangements" (sees to be the new trend!) so you can check those out too. One of the most creative "gif groupings" adds lines from the song "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics (used throughout the pilot episode) and pairs the lyrics with key scenes to underline their gravity. You can see that on this page HERE (I've linked to the posters own page so it's easier to find). I wonder who thought up the connection of that song with Red Riding Hood? It works chillingly well.

Comic Book Stores Gear Up for the Holiday Season With Fairy Tales

With two popular TV series based on fairy tales and lots of buzz about fairy tale movies in the making, comic book stores are looking to grab a piece of the pie during this season-of-selling.

In this article - written for Black Friday sales - a number of comic book stores tell what - beside many, many copies of Fables - these stores are stocking up with and recommending for fairy tale fans.

See this article HERE and scroll down for the lists of recommendations. There may be a few ones here you haven't heard of.

Also - Fables Covers by James Jean is still on sale at Amazon.com.

Advertising: InterfaceFLOR's Once Upon A Tile

Cinderella

"Our latest collections are right on trend so it seemed only natural to promote and showcase them in a way that is equally of the moment.  Modern takes on fables and fairy tales are a major theme this year in movies, social events and design, so we decided to explore this mysterious world and delve into the darker side of some of the best-known children’s fairy tales. The result is a visually stunning, dramatic and edgy backdrop which shows off our new collections to spectacular effect.

Michele Iacovitti, Vice President of Marketing & Branding, InterfaceFLOR EMEAI"

Without doubt, the most intriguing thing about the floors would have to be this ad campaign using well known fairy tales (and their characters) to highlight the floor. 

 

Goldilocks

 

Beauty & the Beast

 The interesting thing is only one of these fairy tales is usually associated with floors (ie. Cinderella) but I thought they did a very nice job of integrating the idea of Goldilocks ending up on the floor and using Hansel & Gretel's forest path.

 

Rapunzel

 

Hansel & Gretel

And it actually works. You do find yourself looking at the floor!

Here's a videos from the campaign - also very nicely done.

Source: HERE.

Grimm Reality in Portland

We all know the evil things done in fairy tales have their counterparts in the real world and although awful it doesn't seem quite as chilling as when it's paralleled with the present day.

The NBC series Grimm is filming on location in Portland, Oregon - by all accounts a perfect locale for the subject matter of dark fairy tales with its terrain, forests and moody-weather atmosphere. As it turns out there's a much darker reason it works too.

This article, written by a local, shows both the excitement of having Grimm being filmed there but also how close to home the subject matter has already been for the town.

From the article, after a brief description of the crimes in the pilot episodes:

Kyron Horma

Why is this chilling?  This is where reality intersects with the TV show.  In the spring of 2010, a young boy named Kyron Horman went missing from our city of Portland.  The school he vanished from? Skyline Elementary. He has never been found and the mystery surrounding his disappearance still has the Portland police bureau following tips and leads.

I see Grimm has been picked up for another season on NBC. The Brothers Grimm wrote 209 dark tales back in the early 19th Century.  It seems we are in for a lot of these modern age fairy tales, too dark for children but just right for grown humans that like a little suspense. And I for one, will be looking for a little reality in each show.

 You can read the full article with its real life parallels with the series, HERE.

I Will Always Find You & Other Graphics of "Once Upon A Time"

This is a beautifully done comparison of Snow White's fairy tale coma versus the her Prince Charming's real-world coma. (Click on image to see full size.) Though the original graphics are from the show, of course, the way of seeing and presenting them is this photographer/journalist's own.

I do so love seeing what the concepts in Once Upon A Time are inspiring and hope the network has no problem with people manipulating these sorts of graphics. Seeing creations like this make me want to revisit the show even more and do a great job of creating further underground interest in the show. Kudos to the "jess"*, the artist for this one.

There are a few lovely blogs now dedicated to Once Upon A Time graphic tributes and gif collections: you can find one HERE and another HERE. I particularly like all the parallel images -the 'mirror concepts, if you will. :)

Here are some random images and gifs that caught my eye:

   

It appears the gifs are not always appearing in their correct formatting so please click HERE and HERE to see how they were originally placed.

* This artist's blog has quite a number of artfully arranged image captures for different shows. The colors are tweaked and the images cropped according to taste and it all works so beautifully. If you enjoy graphic design this blog is definitely worth a browse. The other two blogs are dedicated to Once Upon A Time and Snow White/Charming - they highlight some of the lovely graphics and photography that's so easy to miss when you're watching the actual show.