A New Journey Into Fairy Tale Films From Fandor

Traditions of folklore and fairy tale inspired the earliest of filmmakers and it didn’t take them long to discover how to visualize the miraculous via trick photography and special effects.

Yet who could have predicted just how “special” those effects would eventually become in the present day, when CGI-engorged new versions of old favorites like Snow White emerge yearly? Fairy tale-derived titles do, however, stray from the well-beaten commercial path and the best delight and terrify with their quirky imaginative breadth...

(continue reading on the Journey into Fairy Tale Films HERE)

Attention: fairy tale fans, film buffs, special effects people

and cultural history detectives! 

Welcome to a new online fairy tale film collection from Fandor: Journey Into Film (The Fairy Tales Edition), curated by longtime film critic (Variety & San Francisco Bay Guardian) Dennis Harvey!

I wasn't quite able to get the blog up and running again in time for the launch (so sorry!) but this is a not-to-be-missed, brand new and  extremely cool resource for fans of fairy tale and film. We are so fortunate to live in a time when resources like this are made available to us (where before we had to have special access to film archives and more) so please go take a look, let Fandor know we are truly excited to see this and that it was worth the effort (and that we'd love to see even more!).

Journey Into Fairy Tale Film, isn't your average, random, (or dry) collection either. The films within  are carefully chosen to be shown together. They're related via theme (and other insights the curator reveals as you go "on the journey"), go from the older films to the very recent and the presentation is designed specifically to help you "connect the dots" between them. 

 

Mr. Harvey*, was kind enough to give Once Upon A Blog an additional statement regarding curating the collection:

"Choosing films for this particular "Journey" was especially easy because fairy tales surface in many types of film that Fandor offers, particularly silent cinema and animation. 

Dennis Harvey - Film critic for Variety & SF Bay Guardian

Some of the later films in this "Journey" tap Fandor's sizable collection of camp and exploitation movies. "Cinderella 2000" is one of many erotic films from the 1970s that send up (and sexed up) childhood fables, while the completely nuts Hong Kong kung-fu fantasy "Deadly Snail vs. Kung Fu Killer" draws on their  Chinese equivalents.

The most recent films in the series illustrate the popular trend in recent years of taking legendary tales and figures (not least 20th-century ones like Batman and Superman) into "darker," more adult directions. The 2008 Korean "Hansel and Gretel" plumbs the macabre and disturbing qualities of a "children's story" the way Angela Carter or Gregory Maguire have in the literary realm. Then there's "Sita Sings the Blues," which puts a very modern and playful spin on primary piece of epic Indian mythology."

- Dennis Harvey (on curating Fandor's Journey Into Film - Fairy Tales collection)

 It's online, accessible to everyone (even without a Fandor "online cinema subscription") and just very cool to look at and move around in (no special skills required).

 

It's also interactive so you can choose to read a quick overview (with big beautiful pics), view clips or even view whole films.

Excerpted from the announcement in my mail:

Today (May 30, 2013), Fandor.com — the streaming source for indie film — launched a new series called Journey Into Film.  Each Journey Into Film theme is curated by a respected film critic or Fandor film buff, and offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at specific films and genres through interactive visuals and expert insight.

...This collection of folklore and fairytale favorites utilizes trick photography and special effects  to bring fantasy to reality. 

OK - no more online time here. Instead, go to Fandor's Fairy Tale Journey and check it out. I hope the collection stays available in the long term but even if it doesn't, they have lots of fairy tale (and fairy tale influenced) films to browse through - especially if you're a real film buff. 

Take advantage and enjoy!

 

* To read more about Variety film critic Dennis Harvey and his work, click on the link to read an interview in which he speaks about his time at the University of Michigan (of which is an alum) and the changing nature of film criticism. You can also click HERE.

Henson Facts For Fairy Tale People

Making the rounds on Facebook and other social media sites is this recent - and lovely - article about the late and much beloved man behind the Muppets: 35 Things You Didn't Known About Jim Henson.

With a Henson-devoted gallery in the works (expected to open in Winter of 2014-2015) and the Muppets coming back to the theater again next year, lots of people are once again curious about the behind-the-scenes of one of the biggest creative forces of our lifetime.

I expect we will see more books like Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal (yes please!) and more articles around the web but for now, here are some interesting tidbits about the man behind the Muppets that will interest fairy tale people:

 

• The Wizard of Oz was the first movie Henson ever watched and remained his favorite until his death. (References to the classic film appeared in several Muppets projects.)

• Rumor has it that Henson wanted to direct a film based on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, with Tom Cruise playing the prince afflicted by a curse that turns him into a monster. Unfortunately Disney was planning their version of the story for a 1991 release, so Henson backed down from the idea. The fairy tale inspired several Muppets sketches, including one with Lesley Ann Warren.
  
  
  

• In the 1960s, Henson — along with Sesame Street writer and producer Jon Stone and TV screenwriter Tom Whedon (Joss Whedon’s father) — created a Cinderella television pilot that never aired. It eventually became the 1969 hour-long TV special Hey, Cinderella!.

• Henson loved to read. His favorite children’s books were Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne and The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber. 

 In case you haven't read it, The Thirteen Clocks is a wonderful little fantasy book that contains a lot of fairy tale motifs and is a must read for students of folk and fairy tales.



What this article doesn't say is that fairy tales were a huge influence on Henson and inspired much of his creativity, whether directly or indirectly. Not only does much of his work have that fairy tale spirit of fantasy, down-to-earth, Jack-like fun and solid truth core, but time and time again he returned to telling his own versions of well-known tales and quite a few forgotten ones too. (I count The Storyteller series as being one of his great achievements for so many reasons!)

Henson's influence is obvious in the Sesame Street News Flash segments - not just in the use of muppets but in the way humor is used to freshen a familiar story and twist the tropes a little so you viewers actually think about what they're watching. Sesame Street's fairy tale news mix-ups and flash-fables were my first exposure to fractured fairy tales, teaching me a lot about elements of story, fairy tale motifs and fairy tale logic (not to mention giving me that bug to go find out more!).

That The Muppets - with that signature Henson humor - keep popping up as fairy tale characters in film, comics, TV sketches and books, even after their creator has passed on, is taken as par for the course but it wouldn't have happened without Jim's insistence on returning to the tales.

The way he worked with, told and used fairy tales is very much in keeping with their nature. True fairy tales can't be pinned down to a single text in a book somewhere. They are alive and mutable and as a community of fairy tale students, researchers, writers and aficionados, we have much to thank Jim Henson for in keeping fairy tales alive and well today. The Muppets, their creator and fairy tales will be forever linked.

We will always miss you Jim.

Thank you for helping keep our tales alive and well.

(You can read the whole article HERE.)

Fifty Shades of... Little Mermaid?

Breaking news from ComingSoon.net:

Fifty Shades of Grey and Saving Mr. Banks screenwriter Kelly Marcel has signed on to adapt the (FTNH edit: first English language live action feature film version of) Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Little Mermaid, Deadline reports. The Working Title Films production will be directed by Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Hanna, Jane Eyre).

The project was announced back in 2010 with Abi Morgan the screenwriter attached at the time. Apparently things are back on track for the fairy tale film and this time around Ms. Marcel will be retooling the script.

As much of the information appears the same, I'll quote from the July 2010 announcement on Collider.com:

Per Variety, the pic has been adapted by British writer Abi Morgan [FTNH edit: Now Ms. Marcel and the notorious Fifty Shades of Grey connection] and was inspired by a puppet-production... of the tale by The Little Angel Theatre Company based in London. While Andersen’s tale has been adapted numerous times around the world and across different media platforms (including a 1976 Russian live-action film and a 2005 Danish ballet), Wright’s take will be the first live-action adaptation of the story to be made in English.   

While I can't find mention of how true to Andersen's tale the Little Angel Theater's production was, to give us any indication of what sort of film this will be (although the image above is of some of their puppets and looks rather Little Mermaid-ish to me), all seem to be in agreement that even if it is kid-friendly, it's still going to be  darker than Disney's version (and very unlikely to have singing sea life). I just wonder how much pressure there will be to give an already dark story (if you're looking at Andersen's original) an even darker edge, now that the Fifty Shades screenwriter is attached? 

Either way, we're likely to see lots of tail puns in the coming headlines (and that necktie on the Fifty Shades cover looks an awful lot like grey scales if you tilt it just right... O.o). 

At least it will help this fairy tale adaptation get lots of attention!

Once Upon A More-Than-Just-A-Blog!

Gypsy Thornton aka InkGypsy aka Fairy Tale Newhound updating everything!

That's right.

There's more going on here than just blog posts! 

OUAB on Facebook

(And I've been doing a little updating/cleaning house here too as you may have noticed if you look around the tabs on the menu above.)

I also have accounts on Facebook (both a page for Once Upon A Blog on which I post fairy tale news headlines and more, and my personal one, Gypsy Thornton). There's also a Twitter account (@inkgypsy) which sends out fairy tale news headlines and links too. 

OUAB on Twitter

What I'm most excited to share with you is that I have a very active (and super shiny!) Pinterest account, set up as an extension of Once Upon A Blog, with LOTS of fairy tale goodies to discover. (At the time of posting I have 227 separate boards and over 21, 000 images pinned!! *faints*) I already have a separate and permanent page here at the blog site (see menu bar at the top of the blog) to link you to all the fairy tale art boards by tale name and will update it as I add new ones.

227 boards to browse on Pinterest so far!

I am a visual thinker and Pinterest has been a wonderful way for me to explore myth, fairy tale and other related things I love, do research and to generally fill up my "creative juices jar".

I have many (many!) different boards that are fairy tale, folklore and/or myth based, either by story, aspect or theme, so there's a lot (a lot!) to explore. Think of it as a labyrinth of wonders that includes an "exit" button you can use at any time... should you really wish to leave... ;)


I've been creating boards for specific fairy tales for a while now, the purpose being to collect a variety of art styles (photo, illustration and more) and various/unusual representations of a tale. Seeing different ways a story or story moment has been captured (by artist, photographer and/or writers) helps me think about the tales in a fresh way. It's a good way to make unusual connections and get inspired to go make my own art or stories and I hope it will do the same for you.

A few of the OUAB Fairy Tale Mood Boards on Pinterest

The list of tale specific boards is very long (and only going to get longer!) so I'm going to just leave it all on the dedicated page for you to browse there.

With so many tales to choose from this will be a work in progress for, possibly, ever. No board is ever really "complete" and there are always more tales to explore. I tend to add fairy tale images almost every time I'm on Pinterest, either to existing boards or to new ones, so there will be new things to find every week (pretty much!).

Go check the page OUAB Fairy Tale Boards on Pinterest on the menu at the top of the blog for a list of all the tales I have created boards for so far, as well as other fairy tale related goodness. There is a LOT to explore!

Go! Explore! Enjoy!

"Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" on DVD/Blu-ray Today (& a sequel on the way)

Today is DVD & Blu-ray release day for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Sad to say, I don't know anyone who went and saw this film. There was a lot of buzz, then it disappeared for 10 months (10!) to accommodate other films (among other things) and when it finally premiered the shine had pretty much gone for a lot of people.

Movie critics called it gratuitous, "a weak story" and violent. Interestingly, horror critics were far more positive (and these guys can be pretty harsh), declaring it to be "unpretentiously entertaining". It went on to become a commercial success overseas and there is now a sequel in development.

Preview of The Witching Hour featurette (behind-the-scenes)

I know a few adults who admit this is either their favorite fairy tale as a child or the most memorable. It's clear it resonates a lot with kids (and the memories stay strong as they grow up too). I completely understand why. This is a dark, dark fairy tale - even a very sanitized version (like the Disney one in which it's clear the witch is pushed into a COLD over and is taken out and sent to jail later - ugh!) makes little eyebrows rise. I recently read one of my favorite illustrated* versions, The Diary of Hansel and Gretel ("by Gretel" and Proved to be Authentic and Real by the Authority of Kees Moerbeek) to my son's Kindergarten class. We always have question and comment time after each book and boy were there a LOT of questions! This version doesn't shy away from some hideous parenting, how dangerous the oven was and or that this witch ended up dead. Or as we said in class "dead-dead-not-pretend-dead-and-will-not-become-a-zombie-dead". They were reassured that there was no chance of this particular nasty person ever making a reappearance. (They also all - boys and girls - adored the little picture of the dead mother in the locket tucked onto the first page and completely approved of Gretel drawing a hideous scary-looking portrait to represent the awful stepmother.)

But back to the movie.

If you (like me) missed a few of the fairy tale related things about this film along the way, here are a few things you may not know:

• Norwegian filmmaker, Tommy Wirkola (who co-wrote and directed) said: "I have a strong memory from my childhood of just how dark and gruesome their tale was and I wondered what would have happened to the two of them when they grew up? They had this dark past and this intense hatred of witches. So as I thought about it, it made sense to me that of course they would be fated to become great witch hunters..."

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters - preview of "Reinventing Hansel and Gretel"

• In Wirkola's original treatment, Gretel developed an eating disorder, but that idea was dropped.

• They made some effort to not use stereotypical witch designs, instead trying to communicate the idea that they were "the spawn of the dark places of nature" and tried to have them feel "animalistic". Concept art by Ulrich Zeidler was released around the time the movie premiered. You can see that HERE - worth a look if you're writing or working with witch characters, to see some of the concepts explored here. Some of these actually DO feel they're from fairy tales from different parts of the world. (Others are just a bit ridiculous.)

I honestly wish I had more to share but clearly this film isn't meant to be anything more than an fast-paced and somewhat silly B movie (which is perfectly valid entertainment for people who like that stuff).

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters - Making of Edward Troll

The Blu-ray contains the theatrical release version, an uncut-unrated version and three featurettes: Reinventing Hansel and Gretel,  The Witching Hours and Meet Edward the Troll.

I still surprised there's going to be a sequel.

* My favorite retelling remains Donna Jo Napoli's The Magic Circle. I haven't been able to think of the tale the same way since I first read it.

Wicked Lovely Film Back On Track

From faerie and fantasy YA author Melissa Marr on Facebook this morning:

I'm told I can finally share: the Wicked Lovely film is back on track thanks to the ongoing work by my producers (Vince Vaughn's Wild West Picture Show Productions) & the addition of IM Global. (For those following YA film updates, you'll recognize IM Global as the company also behind Richelle Mead's fab Vampire Academy film.)

I can say that we are getting near an announcement of a director for the Wicked Lovely film. I'll share THAT news as soon as I can.

In 2011 the Director was set to be Mary Harron (best known for American Psycho) and before that it was going to be Kimberley Pierce (Boys Don't Cry) so I'm very curious to see who's taking the helm now, being that things are the most solid they've ever been to start shooting. 

Here's a link to Melissa Marr's dream cast - the real one still being a big unknown at this point.

Of Keys & Bluebeards

Bluebeard by Benjamin Lacombe

Why Society Still Needs Feminism
"Because to men, a key is a device to open something. For women, it’s a weapon we hold between our fingers when we’re walking alone at night...

(from a list meme circulating Tumblr, Pinterst & Facebook)

I know. The quote doesn't seem like a Bluebeard reference at all, but bear with me. It has more in common with the tale than it first appears.

Fantasy writer and fairy tale lecturer Theodora Goss published a very interesting post, titled On Bluebeard, on her blog on Saturday (June 8, 2013) about the difference in the way men and women can perceive things and how it relates to Bluebeard.

Bluebeard by Alessandra Cimatoribus

The topic of how men and women view compliments, for example, has come up repeatedly in the media and in various social media circles. Although it's been an issue for feminists for some time, when President Obama complimented the Attorney General (to many minds, inappropriately) in early April, it became the hot topic of the nation (well, at least for a week, but the ensuing conversation ripples are still happening). The weirdest thing about it all, though, is this:

Unfortunately, in the aftermath... it appears that certain men are mega-befuddled about "the rules" of "when" they're "allowed" to compliment women. (from Jezebel Magazine)

As Ms. Goss explains:

Scenario: A woman passes a man on the street. He says, “Hello, beautiful.”
How the man perceives this: “I paid her a compliment.”
How the woman perceives this: “Is he going to attack me?”

Jezebel Magazine did everyone a giant favor and explained "the rules" on when men can compliment a woman, in clear and very entertaining detail. You can read it HERE.(Recommended!)

Because there's this thing: remember Joey? From the TV show Friends? He could make ANYTHING sound dirty...

And this is why it's so easy to get confused. For safety's sake, women will often err on the side of responding with "Back off Creep!", which, if there actually WAS anything irksome in the works, is probably the smartest response to have.

And here's a little bit of information that might help both sides understand all this a little better:

Did you know one of the reasons for homophobia in males is that men are genuinely scared of being viewed (and treated/hit on) by other men the same way they view (and treat/hit on) other women?*

!

(I'll just let you think about that for a minute as it touches on so many issues...)

Bluebeard by biffno

Girls and women are taught from an early age to be cautious: "Stay on the path", "Don't talk to strangers" and, unfortunately, this is still the smart thing to do. "Wolves" are bad enough. "Bluebeards" (and Mr. Fox characters) are downright terrifying. The tale of Bluebeard is, in some ways, a grown up version of Red Riding Hood and, despite a magic key** and otherworldly hair coloring, the story doesn't shirk from the completely horrific and all-too-real nightmare the heroine has committed herself to, nor the equally horrific implications for her future.

To my mind the curiosity caution factor in this tale isn't about unlocking secrets, the dangers of poking your nose into other people's business or even about doing a good background check on your spouse-to-be. It's about not letting yourself be lured by the romance, excitement and/or apparent appeal of a person - or career path - or lifestyle - or any other major decision! - without being prepared to deal with unforeseen consequences. Because, here's the thing:

by Erika Steiskal

You never know the whole story.

Heck, you never know the whole YOU.

We hardly know and understand the whole of our own past (think about how much people come to understand themselves when they find out something about an ancestor, for instance) and we certainly don't know what we will be like if situation 'x' happens to us (eg, Will we run? Will we freeze? Will we fight?), or how we will be in the future, let alone the same of someone - or something - else. We are always changing - even if we try really hard not to.


[Gosh - I never thought to connect Alice and Bluebeard before.]

And all this while falling down a rabbit hole, the type of which you never even knew existed.

[Curiouser and curiouser... ]

The Locked Door - Artist Unknown

There's nothing quite like, for example, having a life long dream, obtaining that dream then finding out it was nothing at all like you expected and you've placed yourself in the middle of a nightmare, without an idea of what to do, or where to go, next. You never completely escape that stain of a destroyed dream.

I could easily segue here into a whole new section on different ways to use keys and how important it is to have your own keys that work for you (not against you in favor of someone else) but this has already been a fairly weighty post and you're likely to come up with a lot of those metaphors yourself, so I will wrap it up for now.

For those interested in the art posted and in artistic representations of Bluebeard in general, you can see much more on my Bluebeard Pinterest board HERE.

In the meantime, I recommend reading Ms. Goss' post. She is far more eloquent on the subject. It should be noted that even with her careful and clear wording some readers still took issue with some of what she had to say. I'm just glad there is, at the very least, an open dialogue on this important subject.

UPDATE: LINK ADDED TO RECOMMENDED ARTICLE BY TERI WINDLING

12:51pm - June 10, 2013 

If you'd like to keep reading on the Bluebeard tale I highly recommend an article by Terri Windling on the Endicott Studio site. It's titled Bluebeard and the Bloody Chamber. You can find it HERE or click on the image above.

* I don't mean to imply it's the only - or even main - reason men are homophobic and I don't intend to lightly regurgitate an Urban Dictionary's tongue-in-cheek definition of what homophobia is. I state this with every respect to understanding that fear and the divide of differences because this IS a very real fear among straight men who are uncomfortable around gay men (& we're not even taking into account gay women here). The statement is not meant to prove anything, other than to illustrate that there is a very real divide between how men generally compliment/treat women and how that's often not taken seriously, or at least misunderstood as to how disturbing that is, until the tables are (potnetially) turned.

**I never did figure out where on earth that key came from. Why did it absorb blood and why did Bluebeard have it? Had he used it before? If so, why wasn't it already stained? Was it a device of his own making or was he enacting an even more sinister incarnation of the snake offering Eve the fruit of knowledge? I'm curious to know... ;)

Historical Disney Villains Debut: Maleficent

Historical Villains: Maleficent (1400's) by Claire Hummel

Most of you are probably familiar with the Historical Disney Princess illustrations by Claire Hummel (aka *shoomlah on deviantArt). As you can see we are about to be treated with a series of Historical Disney Villains (yay!) and Maleficent debuted in mid-May 2013 as the first (official) design.

I've wanted Maleficent to be the first villain in the series for a while now, ever since I made the mental leap between Maleficent's horns and 15th century horned hennins. The time period works out pretty well, actually, since I wanted her to look a little more dated than Aurora's 1480's getup- both houppelandes and horned hennins were all the rage during the early- to mid-1400's, and they make for pretty good analogues to her official costuming.  Sexy stuff.

This proves more than any of the previous pieces that these are adaptations, not improvements. I mean, look at the original Maleficent design- how does one improve on PERFECTION

-C

Maleficent - and her inner dragon - is one of my favorite Disney villains. If only they hadn't watered her down so much by giving her those lumpy, dweeby, witless side-kicks! It seems completely out of character for her and I know her raven feels the same way.. (but that's another topic).

If you could choose, whom would you like to see next on the Historical Villain series?



Today's fairy tale bonus: A wonderfully true* little meme, featuring none other than our favorite slighted scary-fairy, Maleficent.  
* Yes, I am one of those people who shudder when they hear people wish for a fairy tale life, wedding or anything else!

First Look at Christophe Gans' Beauty & the Beast: "I'll Eat You Up I Love You So"

There has been quite a bit of buzz about the different live action films of Beauty and the Beast in the works but it would appear the most anticipated version from critics everywhere (at least to date) is the French movie from Director Christophe Gans (Silent Hill, Brotherhood of the Wolf). And the "first look" image has only whet appetites for more. 

I really like The Playlist's response: 

Now in post-production, Pathé International took to the movie market at the recently wrapped Cannes Film Festival and brought with them a first look that positively glows with romance, or cannibalism. It has Vincent Cassel looking as though he wants to eat (Lea Seydoux's) face off, or maybe kiss it. Or maybe both.

! O.o  That actually sounds... kind of awesome.

They started shooting November of last year (principle photography was shot in Berlin) and it's been a pretty tight set, meaning, not much news, if any, has leaked during filming.

One thing we know is that Alexandre Desplat (a favorite composer on Spotify and other music players with Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, The King's Speech, Rise of the Guardians and many other favorite scores), will be composing or, as one French news site put it: "illustrating the film on a musical map".

Another intriguing tidbit of news is that Gans and Cassel will be utlizing "performance capture" for the Beast's role (most recently utilized in The Adventures of Tintin and similar to the techniques used in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Avatar).

Whatever we know (or don't know) Gans has set expectations high with this declaration while they were still in pre-production:

"Although I will keep to a form of storytelling of this timeless fairy tale that is in keeping with the same pace and characters as the original, I will surprise the audience by creating a completely new visual universe never experienced before and produce images of an unparalleled quality. Every single one of my movies has presented me with a challenge, but this one is, by far, the most exciting and rewarding."

While it will (almost definitely) be darker than Disney's version, Gans' film is aimed at both adults and children alike so I'm expecting some (hopefully subtle) layering in the story and directing, along with some lush new fairy tale images to drool over, er, enjoy.

In the meantime, we have an additional and fairly extensive statement from Gans we can ponder while we (impatiently) wait for more:

"BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the adaptation of a story by Madame de Villeneuve. Published anonymously in 1740 as La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins, it paints a portrait of Belle, a joyful and touching young girl who falls in love with the Beast, a cursed creature in search of love and redemption. In 1760, a condensed children’s version was published. It was from this version that Jean Cocteau and then Walt Disney drew their famous adaptations. Overshadowed, the original version by Madame de Villeneuve has never been adapted for the screen... until now!

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the story of a family going through a crisis, having lost all of its possessions when the father was ruined. The encounter - at first terrifying, but then voluptuous - with this mythical Beast provides our characters with an opportunity to get back on their feet. I like to think that this film is a metaphor for the situation that is currently afflicting the world. That is one of the advantages of fairy tales, to present an ensemble of values that endure through the ages.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST speaks, among other things, of the power of dreams and love over materialism and corruption - a theme more topical now than ever. It was time to pay tribute to Madame de Villeneuve’s story: an amazingly contemporary tale, in which the poem of love is also a message of hope."

- Christophe Gans

 I can't tell you how curious I am to see what he means by "pay tribute to Madama de Villeneuve's story".  Heidi writes the following on the History of Beauty and the Beast page at SurLaLune:

Villeneuve's version contains many little known elements and does not end with the transformation of the Prince. She spends too much time discussing warring between the fairies, the parentage of the protagonists, and the reason for the curse on the Prince. Also, the transformation from beast to prince does not occur until after the wedding night. Villeneuve's version also contains dream sequences in which Beauty is told by the Prince in his true form to look beyond appearances and rescue him. She, of course, does not understand his message and must fall in love with the beast before she comprehends his full message. 

Hmm. Not exactly child-friendly material so I am very (very) curious as to what elements Gans will be including. This is one of those times I wish I could grab a bunch of fairy tale scholars and friends, go to a well stocked fairy tale library/coffee shop and discuss the possibilities.

The confirmed cast so far are:

• Vincent Cassel - The Beast
• Lea Seydoux - Beauty
• Andre Dussolier - Beauty's father (replacing Gérard Depardieu)
• Audrey Lamy & Sara Giraideau - Beauty's older sisters
• Eduardo Noriega - the "villain" (whatever that might mean)
• Screenplay is by Sandra Vo Anh

Gans' Beauty and the Beast will be released in French theaters on February 14, 2014. (Yep, Valentine's Day, though some sources have said Feb 12 - either way it's the movie of the sweetheart season for France.)

No news on an international release date yet.

 

Additional sources: Moviepilot, RTBF, JeauxActu.com

Is Mattel's New "Ever After High" Just Another Princess Line? Or Is It Even Scarier Than "Monster High"?

Are you a royal or a rebel? Is Apple White's destiny at risk? Will Raven Queen flip the script? Let the page turning tale begin...

No. I did not write the above. (!) These are the teaser quotes for Mattel's soon-to-be-released Monster High spin-off line, Ever After High.

Fantasy writer Seanan McGuire (no stranger to fairy tales) summarized the premise for the new toys this way:

"Ever After High, where the children of famous fairy tale figures go to school as they prepare to take the Legacy Pledge and relive the stories of their parents. Hundreds of generations of Wicked Queens and whiteout girls* passing poison apples back and forth between them like Valentines..."

The story, er, collection begins with two characters**, er, dolls: Apple White (Snow White's daughter) and Raven Queen (the Evil Queen's Daughter), playing out their dueling destinies while attending the same classes. (Dum dum daaaaah!)

They even have "Mirror Blogs" we can follow them on as they comment on events, rumors and more from their (opposite) POVs.

(From the official Ever After High website:)

Raven Queen: "Just found out I'm not rooming with Maddie. My new roomie is Apple White???"

Apple White: "Spellbinding morning - the perfect day for starting a charmed new school year. Consulted my magic mirror, and I'm..." (to be revealed) 

 

OK I'll admit it. I've been rolling my eyes for much of this blog post but the "twisted teens fighting crappy destinies"/"stereotypical fairy tale characters get giant doses of reality" concept is actually beginning to make a bizarre sort of sense to me, especially if the characters are referencing the grimmer details of their parents tales and follow basic logic through. If any of those aspects are allowed to play out I can actually see this being quite "high concept" (*wince* sorry) and catching on... In fact it took me all of two minutes to find other people (mainly teens and therefore the target purchase group) thinking along the same lines and already quite excited about the whole idea.

Take a look at an excerpt from one of the (many) comments in a dedicated Tumblr blog:

"...like how is this premise somehow creepier than the one with monsters
I’m getting over my initial aversion but this is giving me some serious NO REALLY THIS IS F***ING DISTURBING feelings regarding fate and free will and the fact that some of these kids are expected to have no choice beyond ultimately dying in unbelievably gruesome ways (go look up what originally happened to Snow White’s stepmom*. Or Cinderella’s stepsisters. I’ll wait here) is a lot scarier than the franchise is admitting so far.
_____
*You know, on reflection, a woman who’d make her former tormentor dance to death in red-hot iron shoes as wedding entertainment probably is a woman who’d name her daughter after that which almost killed her herself and will eventually almost do the same to said daughter."

Then I (re)realized this is actually about selling (yet another) set of princess dolls and not primarily a story, or a show. Nor is it about providing a tool to deal with grim(m) teen issues (although it would be SO cool if that were the case). Unlike the Monster High dolls and accessories (beloved by many fairy tale afficionados) Ever After High has no cool teen zombie designs with bonus frankenfish or adorable voodoo puppy pet accessories to hook you into the sell. Despite that these princesses have the potential to be pretty dark in nature (Twisted Princesses anyone?) it's not like they'll be at home on the shelves next to Gris Grimley and The Walking Dead swag. They're just too... princessy-looking.

And then this appears on the Ever After High Facebook page:

So... yeah. We'll see. The seeds are there but will they bloom into the greatness of their true destiny or will they wither and die like so many forgotten...?

Ack. Never mind.

The line was officially announced at the end of May and is releasing in July this year.

*aka Snow Whites.

** Characters so far are: THE ROYALS - Apple White (daughter of Snow White), Briar Beauty (daughter of Sleeping Beauty), Ashlynn Ella (daughter of Cinderella), Blondielocks (daughter of Goldilocks, also a royal, kind of - not too 'this' and not too 'that'). THE REBELS - Raven Queen (daughter of the Evil Queen), Cedar Wood (daughter of Pinocchio), Cerise Hood (daughter of Little Red Riding Hood, who's hiding a big bad secret), Madeline Hatter (daughter of the Mad Hatter, roommate Kitty Cheshire, she can also hear the narrators) And there are Prince Charmings everywhere, there's a giant named Tiny and the headmaster (Mr. Grimm) has a brother who is locked in a secret library underneath the school... and arguing male and female narrators.