Dark and Primal Snow Queen Illustrations by ~a-hour

SNOWQUEEN by ~a-hour

Here's something I've been wanting to share ever since I first saw it. Now that Disney's direction for Frozen is a little clearer I thought those who were disappointed would be glad to know that HCA's The Snow Queen is still inspiring some of the most amazing illustration out there.

This is from deviantArt-ist ~a-hour who has been working on a personal Snow Queen project since early in 2013. The collection (of three so far) is darker than most illustrations you see based on the fairy tale but these definitely capture that spirit and maintain that fairy tale feel. I wasn't surprised to discover the artist is Russian (?*)  as the sensibilities are very much in keeping with other Russian artists work, including a very down-to-earth sense of the gravity of Winter and how perilous it can be.

Lauren Davis from iO9 made a great note on how ~a-hour chose to present various aspects of the story:

(The artist's) anthropomorphic approach gives the illustrations an ancient, mythical feel, and the mixture of the primal with the modern lend her "Snow Queen" images an otherworldliness often missing from recent interpretations of fairy tales.

Dtatil from SNOWQUEEN by ~a-hour

 I completely agree.

Although I would have to add a side note to mention that many modern interpretations DO possess that quality - they just don't always make it into the mainstream, aren't noticed and "memed" by pop-culture and so slip under the radar, aging alongside the garish and shallow work of their contemporaries but believe me - there are many artists and writers and, yes, even filmmakers, who  are able to capture some of that elusive "olde worlde fairy tale essence" in their work.

Interestingly, if you had been following the early concept art from Frozen, these images - as concept art - would have fit fairly well! Unfortunately I haven't seen anything that would indicate Disney has tapped into any of this. *goes and cries in a corner for a couple of minutes before continuing*

But back to the beautiful. (And I'm making this next one as huge as possible so you can take a good look - a really good look...)

Detail from SNOWQUEEN by ~a-hour

Check the details!

Take the Snow Queen character image (which is apparently still a work in progress, although it looks just fine to me!): the reindeer skull (Death) propping up the Queen's face, antlers that look almost like tortured hands reaching upward as they froze over, the North (& South?) Winds as tamed lions peeking out from her fur wrap, the shard-like and brittle-looking hands in opposite ices of frozen white and deathly black, the frosted ice crown that looks like mirror shards, the crescent moon scepter which might just double as a scythe, her cold and soulless eyes, the fading/dying wheat of the previous season reflecting the colors of the Aurora Borealis... I should stop. Heh.

(And yes - all this may be completely wrong, since the artist mentions nothing about any of these aspects in her posts, but it's what I see in there.)

"Crows" SNOWQUEEN by ~a-hour

This next piece at right, titled "Crows",  is also for ~a-hour's Snow Queen project and adds a different aspect to the usual tale. She writes:

This is the part of my personal project based on "Snow Queen", same as The Deer, and shows two crows, who helped Gegda to find Kai. They are ghosts of murdered lovers - Karl and Clara; their hearts are connected and they can't fly without each other.

Apparently there is more explanation to come and  I'm completely intrigued. (More please!)

I have to say, though, that this next one is my real favorite: "Deer".

"Deer" SNOWQUEEN - by ~a-hour

This is Gerda's reindeer friend but in a very different form.

The Autumnal section of Andersen's Snow Queen was always my favorite, with the robber girl and the reindeer. A favorite image - and sought-after illustration - from the Andersen tale for many is when Gerda rides the reindeer on the last leg of her journey to find Kai, into the land of Ice and Snow.

In this incarnation, though, we have a very formidable friend indeed, complete with clawed feet and holding... a motorcycle helmet. (It kind of makes me want to cheer!)

I'm really looking forward to seeing Gerda (which we've been promised will come next) and whatever comes after. It's just stunning. And chilling. And wonder-full.

 Sadly, Disney's  Frozen doesn't look like it will reflect any of the insight into the fairy tale shown here**, nor tap the earthy quality that makes the original story of Gerda, Kai and the Snow Queen so loved. But if people continue to be inspired the way this artist is there's a good chance The Snow Queen will have another season in which to tell her tale and we will fall in love all over again.

* Not entirely sure of the artist's nationality but they often post in Russian - or some variant - on deviantArt.
** Though almost all animation film marketing has been incredibly misleading the last few years and I almost missed some wonderful filmmaking as a result (!!) so I am holding out hope I will be pleasantly surprised - because I would love to love a Disney fairy tale again!

DEAR BABA YAGA:

“Baba Yaga and Vasilisa Diptych” by Milo Neuman

I've long-wished we (the fairy tale community) had a fairy tale newsroom, with lots of different newshounds, articles and features; one of those being an advice column. I've started to think about this again semi-seriously in the hopes of building up the fairy tale community and have been wondering: if Once Upon A Blog did have an advice column, who would be a good "Dear Abby"?

A fairy godmother seemed a little too genteel for the kinds of things I had in mind. Then I came across this:

"Ask Baba Yaga" by Taisia Kitaiskaia*

Instant love. The advice was published on The Hairpin, a general interest women's blog (see link) and I quickly discovered I wasn't the only one who wished this were a regular feature.

Quick note for new readers or those unfamiliar with Baba Yaga: I suggest giving OldRussia.net a quick look for a great summary (although Wikipedia is good too) but the important thing to know is that she and her chicken legged house (that bites!) is the stuff of nightmares for many Slavic and Russian children, however, unlike other witches in fairy tales, she is not necessarily all bad. Scary - yes, but she has a set of rules and sometimes this means she helps the good of heart. The dual aspects of this character make her fascinating and unpredictable. In general though, she remains quite terrifying.

 Here are some of the comments from readers:

I LOVE THIS. Baba Yaga is the stuff of nightmares, who wants to talk about DEAD SOULS for a minute??

And this exchange:

Amphora - My Russian Lit teacher in undergrad was totally channeling Baba Yaga all the time.
Spaghettius! - @Amphora As a moderately Russian person, let me tell you that this was probably unintentional. Unavoidable, even.

Baba Yaga by Vania Zouravliov

From another reader (who could have been reading my mind):

"Could this be a regular feature? Teach me how to salt my bones with glory, Baba Yaga!"

To which the author replied "I hope so!" then followed up with "email me or leave a question here", resulting in a flood of mail to our favorite hag-to-hate, such as the following:

"Dear Baba Yaga, my mortar and pestle won't start in cold weather. How do I get them to work consistently? P.S. Don't bullshit me, Baba Yaga, or you'll wish you were a hangnail on a plague-ridden rat."

Baba Yaga & Vasilisa by Forest Rogers

"Dear Baba Yaga, I once hid my heart in a needle...that I put in an egg, that was in a duck, that was in a hare, that was in an iron chest, that I buried under a tree on the island Buyan. I recently dug up the chest and, well, it's in pretty bad shape, having been buried so long. How can I restore it so it looks like new again (before I rebury it). P.S. Don't bullshit me, Baba Yaga, or I'll just go Ask A Clean Person. I really should be doing that anyway but I figured we're kinfolk of a sort and so I thought I'd give you a break.
-Koschei"

There's more (a LOT more) about Baba Yaga herself, various childhood experiences in which she was key, comments about her house, her "security system", the chicken legs and, well, you should just go check it out HERE.

And while I noodle on how to make a fairy tale newsroom happen (suggestions welcome - just email me at the address shown in the sidebar!), have a think about what you would ask her. You can even leave a comment below and I'll pass them on.

You never know. She might just reply...

*Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. Born in Russia and raised in America, she's had her poems and translations published in Narrative Magazine, Poetry International, and others.

Cinderella Gets a Fairly-Odd-Mother

Helena Bonham Carter in an outfit I always thought of as "Cinderella's Fairy Godmother giving the dress a test-run"

And we like it! From Slashfilm late yesterday:

Kenneth Branagh‘s live-action Disney film, Cinderella, has just found its Fairy Godmother. Helena Bonham Carter will play the iconic role helping the title character (Lily James) fall in love with the prince (Richard Madden) in spite of the Wicked Stepmother (Cate Blanchett).
The film has yet to be given a release date, but late 2014, early 2015 seems likely. It was written by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) and Chris Weitz (Twilight: New Moon).

This live action fairy godmother will apparently play a much bigger role than the bibbidi-bobbidi-bumbling character in Disney's animated version of Cinderella. Ms. Carter will have screen time masquerading (undercover?) as a beggar woman "who watches over*" Cindy (shades of The Slipper and the Rose?) before she reveals her magical self . Sounds like we're going for a "things are not what they appear to be" theme on this movie. Which could be a lot of fun if they play with that smartly (without going camp).

Looks like an stars-all-round cast with the stepsisters being played by familiar faces too. They are Sophie McShera (Downton Abbey) and Holliday Granger (The Borgias). 

I also found some cool insights from Hero Complex on the film as well as some curious insider quotes, illustrating the way the fairy tale is being considered by the creative team:

Gustav Dore's illustration for Perrault's Cinderella

Though the fairy godmother in the 1950 animated feature was a grandmotherly dumpling, Bonham Carter’s casting would suggest that the updated “Cinderella” might be embracing a darker tone; the actress is known for playing offbeat, exaggerated roles, including the villainous Bellatrix Lestrange in the “Harry Potter” films, the twisted Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” and clownish thief Madame Thénardier in “Les Misérables.”

...It’s too early to say whether the film will follow in the whimsical, color-saturated footsteps of “Alice in Wonderland,” or whether it will take a more classic approach, but producers have said they want the film to feel “modern.”

“We were thinking of titles and characters that we hadn’t really seen done in a modern, live-action way, and we were kind of stunned that Cinderella hasn’t really been done that way, as a traditional, loyal telling of the story,” producer Simon Kinberg told Hero Complex.

My Fairy Tale News Hound ears just pricked up: go back and read that underlined part again. Traditional? Loyal? Are we talking being faithful to Perrault's telling then? (He was the writer that added a fairy godmother to the Cinderella tale.) *makes note to hunt for more clues* There are a couple more tidbits:

"Oh my..." (Helena Bonham Carter's Oscar shoes)

Kinberg and McKenna together hatched the plan for a live-action update, hoping that Cinderella’s status as an “iconic character” would help the film.

“It’s a funny thing ’cause her name, a little bit like Sherlock Holmes or Star Wars or these other franchises, it’s one of those names that people all around the world know the name and intrinsically know the story,” said Kinberg. “It’s just an identifiable, very rootable underdog story.”

You know what? I just got interested. One of my favorite interpretations of a fairy godmother was from The Slipper and the Rose in which the fairy godmother had many fairy tale godchildren, a sort of enchanted apothecary kitchen with the all-important fairy tales datebook, was very overworked - especially as her magic backfired if she ever tried to use it for herself, like to make a cup of tea - yet was still smart and able to nudge things toward happily ever afters. Notice I said "nudge". She still squarely put most of the work on the "kids" shoulders; something I really appreciated, even as a kid.

I always liked those dubious mentors who seemed to be an enemy but were really helping heroes toward their destiny (like Snape, or the crotchety old fairy at the well who tested different daughters and only revealed her true nature as they passed - or failed - the test). I have to wonder if Carter's godmother will include shades of these delicious characters. Either way, I'm hoping she'll get to be her chameleon-like character and transform on screen. Although her roles and performances aren't always my flavor of quirk she's so very talented. One of my favorite roles was also under Branagh, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and I'm curious to see what she does with this time, especially if there's a dual personality... Hmm. A schizophrenic fairy godmother who seemed against (but was for) the hero would be very interesting!

The production is set to start shooting in pumpkin season, aka Autumn, (of course!) in London.

Additional sources: *The Hollywood Reporter , USA Today

Paul McCarthy's Dirty White Snow - Discretion Advised

Excuse me if I'm somewhat reluctant to post on this one but I don't get to choose the news. -- OK I do, but I wouldn't be reporting responsibly if I didn't at least wave you all in the direction of the fairy tale elephant in the newsroom of the New York Times...

No, I didn't get my titles backward. This is Snow White as portrayed by "transgressive artist Paul McCarthy" in the Park Avenue Armory. Just to be clear, we're talking a shock-value, XXX rated, large scale installation of a disturbing interpretation of (interestingly, Disney's version) of Snow White.

I'm really not interested in the "what" here but the "why". Why Snow White? Why like this? Why on such a HUGE scale??

I'm just going to give you some quotes, add some brief commentary, upload some family friendly pics then let you go follow the links if you're interested in seeing more.

Excerpted from gothamist.com:

...The show, called WS, "weaves together a fantastical forest and a three-quarter-scale house modeled after McCarthy’s own childhood home, with multi-channel video projections to immerse visitors in a world of fantasy and depravity."

Sounds really interesting, right up to the last word... 

"WS is a true Gesamtkunstwerk," says Alex Poots, Artistic Director of the Armory.

Wow - that actually sounds pretty great. I wish I wanted to see it. *blink* (Irony strikes while the shoes are hot.)

[Note from Wikipedia: A Gesamtkunstwerk (translated as total work of art, ideal work of art, universal artwork, synthesis of the arts, comprehensive artwork, all-embracing art form or total artwork) is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. The term is a German word which has come to be accepted in English as a term in aesthetics.]

"It is an overwhelming creation born out of the original Brothers Grimm fairytale and the subsequent popular interpretations that became iconic American symbols in the 20th century. Going far beyond the confines of the story, it explores the vast and at times distressingly dark corners of the human psyche."

Again: Why Snow White to explore this? Is it because she's supposed to be so innocent and free of vice that's it's all nudge-nudge, wink-wink? Isn't that a little simplistic for "high art"? The one thing that catches my eye is he includes a Walt character in the "shenanigans-is-too-nice-a-word". There are certainly more than a few people who have issues with how Mr. Disney portrayed women but I'm not even sure that's even one of the aims of the display here.

WS is an evolving work-in-progress which will continue to change during the course of the exhibit, which opens to the public tomorrow and continues through August 4th. The first thing you'll see upon entering the drill hall is a massive artificial forest filled with towering 30-foot tall trees and colorful, oversized flowers that extend across a raised lush landscape. Nestled at the center of the installation is an 8,800-square foot yellow ranch-style (haunted?) house (a three-quarter-scale exact replica of McCarthy’s childhood home), where the project’s video performances were filmed. 

(From the NYPost:)“right down to the stains in the bathroom sink,” as Damon McCarthy, the artist’s son and collaborator, put it.

Do we need to know that? I guess we do... *would not be surprised to see a portrait gallery of therapists lining the walls of one of the rooms* 

 Note: "A seven-hour video of performances shot in and around a massive set is part of the work."

7 ???! Hours!

Thanks to descriptions supplied by the NYPost I have one positive expectation from this: considering the use of roast chicken during the exhibition, there's a good chance viewers will turn vegan (or at least anti-chicken). Ick.

From the Armory press release:

Surrounding the installation, large-scale video projections feature scenes from a subversive and explicit alternative fairytale in which the character Walt Paul—played by McCarthy as an amalgam of himself and the archetypes of a movie producer, artist, father and other roles—cavorts with a cast of characters including White Snow, a figure who represents both the archetypal virgin and vixen, a daughter as well as a fairytale princess. Dwarves, the Prince, and doubles for Walt Paul and White Snow are part of the action. Drawing loosely upon the classic story and interweaving references to the history of art, the performance becomes a bacchanal.

• Is it news? Yes. (To deny this is to deny the fairy tale elephant in the press room this week!) 
• Is it big? YES! (All seem to agree that the size of this is... big.)
• Is it amazing? Probably.
• Is it an achievement? Yyyeee...sss? (Depends on what you're trying to achieve... All the giant trees, food and sprinkles splatter, sound a little large-scale hokey to me, as do the shock-factor antics - but, of course, to give props, that takes work too... *wonders about funding, realize I don't want to know*)
• Is it necessary? Not for me.
• Is it Art? ...(please fill in the blank)...

I'll leave you with one more thing: this is the most thoughtful (and useful to fairy tale people) quote I found, wading through all the splashy-splashy, snicker-snort, avant-garde-kowtowing, shock-horror, how-dare-he-sully-Snow! extremes of coverage today. (I should preface it by telling you the article first makes it clear just how depraved some of the acts are, that viewers pay to see. Discretion advised if you go look them up. Seriously.) 
From Vulture.com:

There's a long history of fairy tales being not just scary but actually sexual, involving adult romps, cannibalism, chaos, torture — the whole nine-yards of our twisted inner lives. McCarthy is trying to tap into that. He always has, sometimes fantastically well. This time, that drilling down didn't strike the darkness...

One very tony Upper East Side lady pulled me aside at the opening and whispered, "What's shocking about all this is how un-shocking it is. It's just standard clowning around." She’s right.

And now the ELEPHANT has been acknowledged. 

From here on, I can blog happily, ever after.

- The End -

(I'm wishing...)

Abigail Larson: A New Beauty & the Beast Project & More

Beauty & the Beast - a new project in progress by Abigail Larson

Dark fairy tale artist (& Poe fan) Abigail Larson is back to working on her Beauty & the Beast project, which includes writing a new story based on the tale as well. (Can't wait to see more on that!)

Older Beauty & the Beast piece by Abigail Larson - May 2010

[She used to go by MirrorCradle on deviantArt but has since become uber-famous and much loved and has admitted to her real name. ;)]

And there is more fantastic news which I, ahem, only just found out:

1) Ms. Larson is working with best-selling author Erin Morgenstern on "a promotional product" (details to come) for The Night Circus (which, if you have not read and love fairy tales, you really, really should.)

2) Ms. Larson is asking for fairy tale suggestions of what to draw next..! (I-will-not-'fangirl'-I-will-not-'fangirl'.. Oh what the heck: "Squee!!")

Here's the journal entry from her deviantArt page:

Greetings creeps!

I have two things I want to discuss with you:

The first thing is an announcement directed at the hundred or so of you who have been begging me to read "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. Well, through a mutual connection completely unbeknownst to me, Erin was introduced to my work, and loves it! So we've begun collaborating on a promotional product for the novel. Which is super cool. So now, not only do I have a great excuse to read the novel, but I suspect you'll all be seeing artwork from me based on the novel.
The second thing is a question: Does anyone have a favorite Grimm fairytale you'd like to see me make? I've been asked to participate in a show this October, and I'm doing fairytale characters. I'm of course working on "Beauty and the Beast" and I've got "Sleeping Beauty," "Rapunzel," "The Seven Ravens," "The Glass Coffin," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Snow White and Rose Red," "The Little Mermaid" (which, yes, I do know is by Andersen, but, whatever), and "Cinderella" on my list, but those where the ones I thought of at the spur of the moment. I could flip through my own fairytale books, but I really want to know what you all want to see!
Thanks! And keep creeping!

~A

Dark fairy tale & fantasy artist Abigail Larson

She is posting updates on all her adventures on her Facebook page HERE and her Tumblr HERE and, of course there's her deviantArt page HERE.

If you want to see more of Ms. Larson's beautiful work, including a lot of fairy tale pieces, (although, please note they're not all under the "fairy tale" folder in her deviantArt gallery) apart from checking the links above, to get a quick overview I made a Once Upon A Blog Pinterest "gallery" (surprise, surprise) of some of (ok, of many of!) my favorites.

You can see that HERE.

Goodreads Author Chat: Ask Kate Wolford About Writing New Fairy Tales

Want to have an "Enchanted Conversation" with Indiana University writing professor and fairy tale teacher Kate Wolford?

She'll be on Goodreads on Wednesday and Thursday (June 19 & 20) to answer any and all questions on the behind-the-scenes of fairy tale writing  - something we rarely get the chance to do! (No critique questions please!)

With her new release Beyond the Glass Slipper, Ms. Wolford has created a brand new resource for, not only fans of fairy tales and fairy tale readers, but those who want to write them as well. Take advantage of this unique opportunity and go ask her some questions! She is one of the most down-to-earth and encouraging teachers I know, inspiring creativity and excellence in all who work with her.


A screencap from the Goodreads site with words from Kate herself:
 

ANYONE can join. AND IT'S FREE! (While you will need to join Goodreads or sign in through Facebook you can choose to opt out of notices, emails etc and generally not be bothered by Goodreads afterward if that's what you prefer.) Opening remarks begin at 8am EST.

Go get some tips from our very own Fairy Godmother of fairy tale writing! 

Here are some starter ideas to prompt you:

• ask about trends and ideas in recasting the tales
• ask about submission suggestions in general
• ask about tales that weren't included in the book and why
• ask about choosing tales to rewrite
• ask what the challenges are - and the perks! - in writing new fairy tales 

While there's no instant spell for writing a good story, Ms. Wolford is the best at discerning your rotten pumpkins from your magic ones and showing you how to transform them to their full potential. Over the next two days you'll get a chance to peek into this Good Fairy's bag of tricks and discover some of that for yourself.

The magic awaits. You just need to ask...



Click HERE to go to the Good Reads link and join the Enchanted Conversation.

Breaking News: "Frozen" Releases Trailer, er, 'Toon

As anticipated, Disney has finally released a trailer for Frozen!

As promised, here it is!

Imma let you watch:


?

Huh.

OK. So it's not a trailer, it's a 'toon. And first impression is: if Disney gave Scrat (Ice Age) a makeover maybe this is what it would look like... although, this doesn't actually look Disney-esque at all. (?)

Don't get me wrong. I'll happily watch a little slapstick - even slapstick on ice, although Bambi and Thumper discovering Winter was precious and hard to top. And I might even watch a movie about a bumbling snowman and his pet dog, er, reindeer but... where's the.. EVERYTHING we're looking for in the next big Disney fairy tale?

I'll let you know when there is some actual fairy tale news. Please return to your regularly scheduled programs.

Note: Frozen is set to release on November 27th in the US and December 6th in the UK.

"The Snow Queen Cometh" (!)

"The Snow Queen Cometh" (gawd)

With a trailer coming out today (stay tuned for that) and official images released just yesterday (Monday) Disney's Frozen is officially counting down the days to the Thanksgiving release.

Here are the five new images:

  

Action shot - I really want to be impressed but I'm distracted by the prominent boxer-flattened schnozes of the character designs. And how they look a LOT like certain moose Disney have used before...

 

Going to give this one the benefit of the doubt since it's probably from a very nice looking sequence (though why release this still then...?).

I'm seeing a goofy (and very familiar looking) reindeer (not the majestic, iconic animal companion all Snow Queen fans adore)...

 

... and a talking snowman sidekick (What. The. What?)...

 

... and not very distinctive looking characters at all. (Who are these people? They look like CG stock!) Except for the goofballs, that is. Well, some of the goofballs. Which is... not what we want. :/

First official image from Disney's Frozen

My impression continues to jive with the "Tangled in the snow" quip I've seen thrown around since they changed Anna's hair color from an eye-catching white-blonde...

... to a much-closer-to-Rapunzel-colored strawberry-blonde (not to mention changing her eyes and face to be much more Rapunzel-round).

Overall it just looks... like-Alpha and Omega-met-Brother Bear-as-Tangled-went-on-a-ski-trip.  :(

I really don't understand why they're releasing these sorts of images. Presumably (hopefully?) I'm way off the mark with all the parallels but if this all we have to go from what else are we supposed to think?

This is appearing everywhere as Disney concept art but it's not. More is the pity. This is everyone's favorite go-to, "look at the pretty" Disney is doing image but it's actually by Laura Csajagi.

Even if these impressions are not what the movie is like (oh please say it isn't!!) there's a world of potential in HCA's The Snow Queen that I'm barely seeing signs of being tapped. It's as if someone said "we're doing a fantasy in the snow, with a girl and a snow queen" and that's all they gave the artists to work with. :( :( (Yes, that's a double-sad face.)

Jennifer Lee - Disney's 1st female director

I wish I could be excited about Frozen having the first female director (EVER! Sheesh! Although she's actually sharing a Co-director credit with Chris Buck, but still...) but I'm guessing Jennifer Lee had a lot on her plate just holding on to juggling her job (notes from up to 150 people?? OMG). She did display good writing chops on Wreck It Ralph however so I'm holding out some hope...

Unfortunately, it's pretty clear Frozen's plot isn't based on Andersen's fairy tale. At most, it's "inspired by" the beloved story but first looks tell us it's barely that either. Right now, the most I'm looking forward to from this movie is the "Art Of" book, especially if it includes anything like the images above, because that could  be from a classic tale.

[Little side note: no matter what negative things people have to say about the look of Frozen, how the new Anna looks like Rapunzel or that the new villain is looking a little too delicate, EVERYONE seems to love that image by French artist Laura Csajagi above and is hoping this is what they end up seeing... Too bad.]

But here's something more positive from USA today, which gives me hope for a beautiful film, even if there's no reference to the classic fairy tale:

The animators traveled to Norway to scope out the winter world firsthand and incorporated the look into Frozen's 3-D-enhanced scenery. (Co-Director, Chris) Buck says his team had "a blast" re-creating the beauty on-screen.
"The light is amazing, the way it refracts and dances off the snow and ice," Buck says. "We're still working on the film, but what we have seen is stunning."

Here are a few screen grabs, presumably from todays' trailer (not yet seen as of this writing), from a behind-the-scenes YouTube news source I found a while back.

 It will also be the first time Disney has had a beautiful evil princess...

... with powers! (Which you can see a glimpse of above.)

And I particularly like the concept of the snowflake bridge and use of animation to have the sun shine through the snow and cause rainbow reflections as it drifts down.

Fan-made posters - they look similar to final designs though

But will Elsa stay evil and be a unique addition to the Disney villain canon?

Chances seem slim with a "girl sets out to save sister" premise. Does Anna fail? Does Anna turn to the dark side?

Mehinks... no.

From Collider yesterday:

The story will focus more on the relationship between Anna and Elsa.  “That’s such an important part of this,” co-director Jennifer Lee tells USA Today.  “Two sisters torn apart by a big family secret.”  (Kristen) Bell (who is the voice of Anna) adds that Anna is “not a good fighter, she doesn’t have good posture, she’s not very elegant, and she’s constantly putting her foot in her mouth.  But, Bell  adds, “she’s a good person and she’s utterly determined.” 

Sounds just like.. never mind.

I'm afraid it must be said: so far, Frozen is leaving me cold.

Fairy tale bonus of the day: A gallery full of Frozen art - some legit, some not but all exploring the Disney movie-to-be based on The Snow Queen.  Some very pretty pics here (and a few wishes too). Click HERE to go see the shiny.

Breaking News: Disney's "Frozen" Taking Over The Weather Channel

It's marketing time!

And to kick it off we're going to talk about the weather. (Heh.)

I have a feeling this was (happily) grabbed during a test to go live properly tomorrow, since there's a link to the as-yet-unreleased trailer, and I can't get the site to show me this anymore, BUT it appears that Disney's Frozen is taking over The Weather Channel.
(source BleedingCool.com)

Look!

• Frozen background
• Frozen colors
• Promo poster
• Gallery
• Link to a trailer
• A reindeer/moose (?? check the link, you'll see what I mean)
• A sidekick snowman... (Oh no!)

What are you thinking of the first marketing look?

I have a much meatier (and prettier) blog post set to go live at midnight for you all, complete with bigger views of the newly released images and much more.

And I should be posting the trailer some time tomorrow too...

Stay tuned!