"Re-enchantment: Ways To Interpret Fairy Tales" Now An iBook

If you're not familiar with Re-enchantment, it's a wonderful multimedia exploration of fairy tales, what they mean and how we use them. Inspiring for students, writers, artists and fairy tale enthusiasts in general, this is a wonderful and different fairy tale tool to have in your fairy tale library and research arsenal.

It's one of those presentations you can't quite believe has been created until you see it, and then you wonder why it has't been done before, because it makes so much sense. And it will excite you about the importance and power of fairy tales, more than ever.

I previously posted information about Re-enchantment: The Hidden Meanings Of Fairy Tales DVD HERE (and I thoroughly recommend the DVD!).

Re-enchantment is an immersive journey into the hidden meanings of fairy tales. Presented as an interactive multi-platform documentary project, it explores why fairy stories continue to enchant, entertain, fascinate and horrify contemporary adult audiences. From Rapunzel to Cinderella, and Bluebeard to Snow White, Re-enchantment challenges us to think about the hold these stories have on us and the way they are reinterpreted throughout our life and culture.

Recent good news to add to this, is that Film Art Media and Inside Out productions have also just released it in iBook form, available through iTunes.

Take a look at the intriguing trailer:

Here's more information to give you a better idea of what this project is, in case this is your first time hearing of it (emphasis in bold is mine):

Fairy tales are incredibly popular and well suited to an interactive landscape. The stories shape-shift over time and throughout cultures. They are mysterious. They can be entered from many angles and in different media. They are full of motifs and symbols. They can be interpreted in a multitude of ways that lend themselves to a multi-platform approach. 

Traditional fairy tales have a powerful hold on our cultural imagination. Adapted, revised and bowdlerised, they greet us in print and popular fiction, as a reality TV show to find an Australian princess, at the movies as Pan’s Labyrinth, Fur, Sex and the City and in advertisements for everything from Chanel to Moccona Coffee. They have been reworked by visual artists and photographers from Cindy Sherman and Corinna Sargood to Paula Rego and Rosemary Valadon. 

Rather than stripping away the mystery and enchantment, Re-enchantment shows how threading together various interpretations and versions of a story from the perspectives of psychology, social history and popular culture, deepens our connection to and fascination with the richness of fairy tales. 

Re-enchantment has been four years in the making and is groundbreaking in its originality and its scope. It is a poetic and provocative act of creative interpretation of fairy tales, bringing together digital video, documentary footage, feature film sequences, advertising, cartooning, photography, 
animation, artwork, still images and sound. 

Re-enchantment iBook Description:

Why do fairy tales continue to stir our adult imaginations? Fairy tale narratives and motifs are everywhere: in cinema, advertising, theatre, fiction and the visual arts. Why do they still enchant and entertain?  What are their hidden meanings? RE-ENCHANTMENT : WAYS TO INTERPRET FAIRY TALES, proposes new approaches to fairy tale interpretation: unlocking their archetypal motifs, symbols and psychological wisdom. 

Written by filmmaker and Jungian analyst Sarah Gibson and designed by Rose Draper, this visually stimulating eBook features video, audio, animation and stunning graphic design. It showcases re-imaginings by over thirty contemporary artists. Be curious. Be surprised. Be inspired. 

Here are the specs:

$4.99 - Available on iPad and Mac.Requirements: To view this book, you must have an iPad with iBooks 3 or later and iOS 5.1 or later, or a Mac with iBooks 1.0 or later and OS X 10.9 or later.

There's also a multimedia "multi-touch" study guide for Re-enchantment available HERE. The description is below:

Re-enchantment Study Guide by Sue Maslin & Sarah Gibson 

Re-enchantment is an immersive journey into the hidden meanings of fairy tales. Presented as an interactive iBook, it explores why fairy tales enchant, fascinate and horrify contemporary adult audiences. 

Re-enchantment provides users with an experience that is both immersive and interactive. As a creative interpretation of fairy tales, it brings together text, digital video, documentary footage, feature film sequences, cartooning, photography, artwork, still images and sound.  

$1.99 - Available on iPad and Mac.
Requirements: To view this book, you must have an iPad with iBooks 2 or later and iOS 5.0 or later, or a Mac with iBooks 1.0 or later and OS X 10.9 or later.

This book is available for download with iBooks on your Mac or iPad, and with iTunes on your computer. Multi-touch books can be read with iBooks on your Mac or iPad. Books with interactive features may work best on an iPad.

You can find and follow Re-enchantment on Facebook HERE.

by Jazmina Cininas

Ask Baba Yaga: Are People Judging Me Because I'm Single and Childless?

"She Has Curious Habits." by Dave Crosland
Created for the Hellboy 20th Anniversary Show on Friday, May 2, at Hero Complex Gallery.

In reality, there are so many version of this question: Why don't you have more than one child? Why don't you get remarried? Why don't you join a (whatever) club so you have more friends? But the thing is, even if you're generally outgoing you'll sometimes find ways you're isolating yourself, but is that a bad thing? Should we worry about it? Baba Yaga, who knows a lot about being alone, as always chimes in with some gritty goodness.

This week's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

There's always something freeing when I'm told, "it's OK to be you". And I couldn't be more glad that it's Baba Yaga who is saying it this time. It doesn't just apply to introvert-types either.

And as Regina Phalange wrote at the original posting:

This is lovely. And it's useful advice even for people like me - people who are emphatically NOT happiest when alone, but who are currently alone.

Thank goodness. I'll be dancing my own dance over here then (and if you hear the music, you are welcome to join me).

What do you think of Baba Yaga's advice?

Want to ask Baba Yaga a question of your own?

You can!

There's now an email address where you can send your questions

directly to Baba Yaga herself.

AskBabaYaga AT gmail DOT com

To encourage Baba Yaga to continue imparting her no-bones-about-it wisdom (ok, there may be some gristle in there... bones too), I suggest we not to leave her box empty... 

Thank you Baba Yaga (& Taisia).

* 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.

"The Leg": The New Mexican Folklore Inspired Graphic Novel with A Kick! (& Happy Cinco de Mayo!)

From the brilliant (some might say twisted) mind of Van Jensen, creator of "Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer!", comes:

"The Leg: The Remarkable Reappearance of Santa Anna’s Disembodied Limb"

And, get this, today Mr. Jensen launched a Kickstarter (I know!) to help take this (really wow - seriously, it's amazing) completed graphic novel from a limited-edition-of-one, to print for us all.

You did know there's this thing about disembodied legs in Mexican folklore and legend, right? And this is where the weird fun begins!

Note: Before you go any further I have to warn you: read a little and you are drawn in. At this point, I am totally hooked on this story! (I need more!*headdesk*) Woven in among the colorful and forbidding landscapes of both setting and story, you'll find a sentient disembodied leg, desert shamans, a giant, a wizard, a little girl (named Ana... one 'n'), possibly magical birds, vengeful skeletons, a lot of grit, a lot of humor, a bruja, tales upon tales and so much more...

Once upon a time in Mexico—more specifically, in the 1880s during the Pastry War—President Santa Anna lost his left leg when it was struck by French cannon fire. Santa Anna gave his missing limb a full military funeral (true story!). But when the Mexican people rebelled against Santa Anna (because he did insanely vain things like giving his limb a military funeral) and threw him out of office, protesters exhumed his leg, dragged it through the streets and cast it aside (also a true story!). It hasn’t been seen again…until now! 

Our story is set in 1938, when the Leg has reappeared, clad in a tall leather boot. When the Leg learns of a new threat against Mexico, it embarks on an epic journey across the country, battling with villains both modern and magical in its quest to save the country and redeem Santa Anna’s tarnished legacy. 

Will the Leg succeed in its quest? The answer lies inside THE LEG: The Remarkable Reappearance of Santa Anna's Disembodied Limb.

From Bleeding Cool (because they do a great job of nailing the flavor of this work in just a couple of sentences):

The Leg features the disembodied leg of Santa Anna adventuring through 1930s Mexico. It’s a weird pastiche of fairy tales, Spaghetti Westerns and Mexican history featuring art by Jose Pimienta, who grew up in Mexico.

1938 Mexico, a century after Santa Anna lost his left leg in battle against French invaders. Now, mysteriously, the Leg has returned, and it discovers a new threat against its beloved country. As the Leg ventures across Mexico, it will encounter the strangest elements of Mexican folklore and history, and it will come face to face with its own turbulent legacy. A pastiche of Robert Rodriguez’ Mexico trilogy and the surrealist paintings of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, THE LEG is an intensely original spin on the Spaghetti Western genre.

Launching today on Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that marks Mexico’s military triumph over France, the book is completely completed and money is being raised to cover the print bill.

Here's the Kickstarter video (which is also one of the most pleasing book trailers I have seen in ages):

I was exceptionally pleased to discover that one of the stretch goals for this Kickstarter include a Spanish Language edition of the graphic novel, which I feel is only right, and very important to help make happen.

The story, helped by the beautiful visuals, feels very Mexican with an amazing blend of political strife and grasping for power alongside a stubbornly surviving people, whose common sense and religious beliefs live side by side with their abounding superstitions and (possibly real) legends.

Inspired by random bits of folklore uttered by a professor in a Mexican history class, and ultimately illustrated by acclaimed artist and Mexican native, Jose Pimienta, The Leg shows a deep love of Latino culture, a fascination of the 'Other' and betrays a writer infused by tales and wonder.

Once Upon A Blog will be interviewing Mr. Jensen later this week to find out more about the mind and method behind The Leg, but today is launch day and besides, you need a little Mexico-folkloric in your life on Cinco de Mayo, don't you?

Start by checking out the first chapter - in full glorious color - of The Leg, which you can download directly from HERE then please consider helping the Kickstarter along, because the ultimate question we have to know is: will The Leg save Mexico?

When Fairy Tales Stray Beyond Their "Borders"...

This is a funny (as in a little skewed and strange) thing that people have latched onto: that a certain tale belongs in a certain cultural context only. As such, people get very territorial when it comes to certain tales. To me, it's means they're missing one of the best things about fairy tales - that they belong to everyone. Fairy tales show us our differences and our similarities across the world and I think it's one of the reasons they're so important for children to learn when they're young. People everywhere - in every place, culture and society - are just like you, but also unique.

As fairy tale people, you're very likely aware that there are, for example, versions of Cinderella in almost every culture in the world, meaning that the tale type is - by and large - the same, but the context and details are different. Cinderella doesn't "belong" to any ones place or peoples. only the versions of them do (and that could be debated as well, considering how those tales came to be).

There has been a lot (a LOT) of "gender-bending" illustration of Disney characters (and non-Disney fairy tale characters too, but less so) and recently I came across a "race-bending" set of illustrations by an illustration student who hosts a Tumblr titled Let There Be Doodles. While I like imagining what the stories would be like set in a different cultural context, it was the questions and responses that followed the posting of these illustrations that caught my attention.

And I was delighted to find SurLaLune being linked to as a resource for the many versions of different stories as well (Heidi - your work is so very, VERY important and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. xx)

People really are concerned and curious and I'm grateful that this exchange, at least, was done with respect and courtesy! (I left all typos and phrasing intact to keep the original spirit of the exchange):

Anonymous asked: So I want to appologise before I ask if this sounds mean spirited, I'm trying really hard not to be. But WHY would you do race bent disney characters? Like, I get wanting more POCs and that's hella. I'm all for it. But fairy tales don't make since out of their cultural context(i.e. Meg as an Egyptian, Cinderella as a Geisha, even Jasmine as African instead of Middle Eastern). So why that change? Sorry again if this sounds mean, I'm just really confused here.

(( No, you’re fine, no worries! :)
Before anything else, I’d like to point something out. Fairy tales are constantly being taken out of their cultural context. Most of the fairy tales that we know now were taken out of their original cultural context and altered. Aladdin was originally set in China. The Frog Prince was Latin, and was altered over and over again in several countries. The stories have been and can be altered in many ways. *shrugs*

Anyway, I’m not necessarily trying to alter an entire story (although it would be fun) I’m just working with character design. I create racebent characters simply for fun and because I’d love to see more diversity in our media. :) ))

To the anon who said fairy tales don’t make sense outside their cultural context…

There are actually many variations of the Cinderella story. 

As well as Sleeping Beauty. 

The Little Mermaid is a story by Hans Christian Andersen, but there are a fewvariations on that theme as well (though not nearly as many as the previous two, but I’m sure there are more.) 

There’s like a bunch of them for Snow White. 

I’m not gonna touch Hercules (or, as he’s more properly called since the movie takes place in Greece, Heracles) or any of the Hans Christian Andersen based stories like The Snow Queen/Frozen (except, of course, for The Little Mermaid.)
Fairy tales don’t have to make sense. It’s all about the story, or the message contained within it (like with Aesop’s Fables.)

And, in case you're wondering, there were people that had a problem that it wasn't just white princesses that were getting "race bent", but that's actually the point. The tales belong to the world. The variations of the tales can crop up anywhere and the tales will still be "the tales".

I don't think I really need to add much more commentary to this. I'm just really glad the conversation is happening out in social media (and going viral as a result). It's another way people are learning that there are many, many tale variations all over the world and that we share more with each other globally than many people realize.

What are your thoughts on this?

Gans' La Belle et la Bete coming to Blu-ray & DVD (but no English subtitles, or English region friendly version in sight)

The question keeps popping up on old posts or in my inbox so I thought it was high time I addressed this in a post. The questions are: Will Gans' La Belle et la Bete be coming to US/UK/Aus theaters? Will there be an English translation or subtitles if it does? How about Blu-ray/DVD - will we be getting one of those? Will that have subtitles at least??

I've been constantly searching for any news of an American, or English speaking country, release of Gan's sumptuous Beauty and the Beast remake, but whether it be theaters, a limited release/showing or DVD/Blu-ray and there has been nothing. Unless Pathé do an English international release later in the year or in 2015 (like sometimes Japanese films do) then it looks like we're out of luck at seeing it on the big screen.

(It's just so bizarre. I haven't even had luck with Canadian releases.)

I've been watching the Blu-ray/DVD announcements for other countries as well to see if there are English subtitles but so far zero. Again, it's just bizarre, especially as the feature film song had an English version so I'm a little confused. Maybe distribution agreements with Pathé haven't been working out well? 

The French DVD and Blu-ray release however, (though there are no English subtitles) is June 26, 2014 and you can find that HERE. (Note: the disc release seems pretty light on content. It looks like just the film and no behind-the-scenes footage, although some was released online as part of the marketing lead up).

 

And here is something that looks like it was created for a steel book release but apparently isn't. It's just the Blu-ray/DVD combo packaging.
✒ ✒ To see it & LOTS of behind-the-scenes & "making of book" pics click the "Read more" link below✒ ✒

Disney's Newest Maleficent is Kristin Chenoweth

Honestly, it feels a little like Disney are attempting to cover all bases left open after Maleficent with this Descendants movie.

We've been told that Maleficent "honors the classic" and that it has "all the iconic scenes you want to see" and that begs the question of whether or not Maleficent dies, just like she does in the classic (which is crazy-iconic!) and how that cuts Disney off from the possibilities of sequels once this film busts all the blocks at the box office (you know what I mean).

So, sounding suspiciously much like the far-better-than-I would-ever-have-believed-possible show and doll line, Ever After High, Disney's Descendants has its own Maleficent, complete with bratty teen offspring attempting to redeem herself (something which the classic Maleficent never got the chance to wrangle, that being motherhood, and no, the goons don't count).

And she's Kristin Chenoweth.

OK then...

I guess Glinda will walk a mile in Elphaba's shoes after all. Sort of.

It looks like they've taken a leaf out of the Once Upon A Time book for this Maleficent. She even looks a lot like the OUAT Maleficent (played by Kristin Bauer van Straten, who, it's hard to believe, played the eyebrow-raising vampire Pam in True Blood). But perhaps they'll take a note of Ms. van Straten's transformation into a fluffy villain we couldn't quite be afraid of, and send Chenoweth in the Pam-in-True-Blood vein instead (ha!).

I don't know. This seems like for all the gravitas the Maleficent film is being touted to have, regarding themes and classic scenes, Descendants is going to do its best to undo all that and make everyone just misunderstood and worthy of second (or twenty-second) chances. That way they can take the franchise in any direction. :/ I love that it would appear they're taking risks with the movie. I don't love that this sounds like something churned out from the Disney sequel-studio.

But hey, maybe I'll be wrong about it. (Right now, though, that animated office evil-queen comedy sounds far more promising to me.)

Here's the latest synopsis & cast/character details:

In a present day idyllic kingdom, the benevolent teenaged son of the King and Queen (Beast and Belle from Disney’s iconic Beauty and the Beast) is poised to take the throne. His first proclamation: offer a chance at redemption to the trouble-making offspring of Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, the Evil Queen and Jafar who have been imprisoned on a forbidden island with all the other villains, sidekicks, evil step-mothers and step-sisters. These villainous descendants (Carlos, Mal, Evvie and Jay, respectively) are allowed into the kingdom to attend prep school alongside the offspring of iconic Disney heroes including Fairy Godmother, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Mulan. However, the evil teens face a dilemma. Should they follow in their nefarious parents’ footsteps and help all the villains regain power or embrace their innate goodness and save the kingdom?

(I'm going to go with "save the kingdom". I'll bet you a pretzel.)

Chenoweth’s Maleficent will be butting heads with her daughter Mal, played by budding Disney star Dove Cameron. Also among the cast are Booboo Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as Jafar’s son Jay; Cameron Boyce (Grown Ups 2) as Cruella De Vil’s son Carlos; Sofia Carson as the Evil Queen’s daughter Evvie; and Mitchell Hope as Belle and the Beast’s son Ben. 

Quote source: HERE 

3 New (& Wildly Different) "Maleficent" Promos With Lots of New Footage

It's Maleficent month! And the ramp-up to the release is expected to intensify.

Already we have three new official promo trailers released but they're not necessarily what you might expect.

The first, and least favorite of mine, has some odd sort of animation included at the beginning (animation that's NOT from the classic) and the voice over is female, but neither Maleficent or Aurora. There's a teensy bit of new footage here that might still interest though:

And the second, which is possibly my favorite, seems to bean exclusive to some show, and includes an interview with Angelina Jolie, in which she talks about Diaval, her (literal) wingman. This shows us quite a bit more:

(My son says her smile looks like Harley Quinn's. He may not be far off on that parallel to some degree!)

The third is a little behind-the-scenes peek at some of Aurora's scenes with a brief commentary by Elle Fanning, talking about the movie, the classic and her playing the role of Sleeping Beauty:

Here's a little more behind-the-scenes info from Elle Fanning in an interview she had with CoverMedia (I believe) in which she says she relates a lot to Sleeping Beauty. Excerpts that might interest fairy tale folk are below:

Q: You’ve taken this role very seriously, this Disney princess?
FANNING: A little bit just because I know there are so many fans of the animated movie and I don’t want to let them down; I want to do it the right way. This is the first film they ever did with Sleeping Beauty played by a person so before I started filming I went and I watched the animated movie again just because I wanted to. She has a very specific gait; her posture is very good and has little hand motions and I wanted to be sure I incorporated it in the same way that she walks and holds her dress so I tried to bring that into my version of Sleeping Beauty. 

Q: What does it mean to you to play a character that represents beauty?
FANNING: It was very exciting. Also I felt that hers is a type of beauty that is a natural beauty; she is not making herself up, she’s not doing her hair or putting lipstick on. She lives out in a cottage with her three aunties who take care of her; they make her dresses so she has her own clothes, her hair is down other than maybe she puts some flowers in it. And yeah, during the filming I wore a wig but it wasn’t much make up. It very natural and so I liked that I was kind of representing natural beauty instead of an all done up kind of beauty. 

Q: How much do you identify with her?
FANNING: I do identify with her. I guess a lot in some ways but in other ways I don’t at all. There’s one scene where she is probably the most pure and innocent princess just because she is trapped away and when she meets the prince for the first time she has never seen a male before in her life because she is so cut off. I think her curiosity comes through. I have always wanted to learn things and I try to find everything I can and absorb all I can and in that way we are alike. She wants to learn about everything. 

Q: How is the relationship between Maleficent and Aurora?
FANNING: It’s different. Our story is Sleeping beauty and it has all the iconic images that you think off when you think of the animated film but there is a lot more to it; all the questions that you have when you are watching the animated film are pretty much answered in Maleficent. And also you get to see Maleficent and Aurora together a lot in the movie. All my scenes are basically with Angelina and in the animated film they are never together. You just see her when she curses at the christening so you get to see that.

You can read the whole interview HERE.

Although I do love seeing new footage and finding out more information I do hope the movie has a lot of reveals yet to come...

And I want a making of and behind-the-scenes book, with tons of info on the fairy tale research each department underwent please!

You Know You're a Fairy Tale Blogger When...

Graphic by Gypsy using Dore's illustrations & Debbie's vintage dust jacket project from Confessions of a Plate Addict
(text is the opening lines of Le Chat Botté)

I got tagged by Kristin from Tales of Faerie, so now it's my turn:

Gypsy's list:

- You feel it's your job to watch ALL THE FAIRY TALE SHOWS every week (and movies too)

- You get annoyed that googling "fairy tale" leads to sports stories at least half the time

- You feel over saturated by Disney stuff/content and yet you have to read it/check it out just in case...

- Any time you have to buy shoes you get very self conscious that someone will think, that you think, that you're really a princess

- You have always owned, and will always own, a red hoodie

- ... and feel a little bit self conscious/rebellious every time you wear it.

- You find ways to relate every conversation to fairy tales

- You're pretty sure you wouldn't be too surprised if an animal came right out and spoke to you

- You have multiple copies of Grimm's, Andersen's & Perrault's tales but cannot get rid of a single volume

- You have a dream to own the complete AT index one day

- You always have the urge to add a witch when making gingerbread houses

- ... and feel guilty eating gingerbread men.

- Your TBR pile is actually a mountain

- You regularly have 14 tabs (or more) open at once for articles and stories you MUST blog on

- Your drafts folder is full of placeholder topic titles with one-liners/single paragraphs and half-complete essays on fairy tale issues so you won't forget to blog on them... (-sigh-)

Now tagging... HEIDI at SurLaLune!

Fairy tale bloggers' confessions so far (updated as they appear...):

• Tales of Faerie - Kristin
• Once Upon A Blog - Gypsy (see above)
• SurLaLune - Heidi
• Fairy Tale Fandom - Adam
• Diamonds & Toads/Timeless Tales Magazine - Tahlia
• Enchanted Conversation - Kate
• Twice Upon A Time - Kristina
• Australian Fairy Tale Society - Reilly (co-founder)
• Spinning Straw Into Gold - Christie
• The Dark Forest - Megan
• Something To Read For the Train - Cate
• Fairy Tale Factory - Amy has been tagged...

What is this? From Kristin, of Tales of Faerie:After having a fairy tale blog for years, it really starts to bleed into the rest of your life. Gypsy from Once Upon a Blog and I have been enjoying sharing some of these unique results of our bloggerhood and thought some of you might also have some funny and interesting things to share as well!

The Australian Fairy Tale Society Awakens After a Hundred Year Sleep!

AFTS logo by Regan Kubecek

The world has a new Fairy Tale Society. In Australia! (Woot!!) *fistpump*

It's called, coincidentally, the Australian Fairy Tale Society. (The temporary online home, until the official launch in June, is HERE.)

Welcome to the world AFTS!

But the creation of this society is really a continuation of work that began one hundred (ish) years ago...

"One hundred years ago (or thereabouts) the eminent folklorist and fairy tale collector Joseph Jacobs might have been Australia’s answer to the Brothers Grimm. Jacobs was born, raised and university educated in Sydney but he moved to England in the late 19th Century to gather and publish fairy tales there. Meanwhile our rich tapestry of tales grew, yet there was no comprehensive endeavour to collect, analyse and preserve Australian fairy tales... until now."

To help make the organization the best possible resource for the collection and preservation of Australia fairy tales and to support current and new work, the new Australian Fairy Tale Society launched a crowd funding project on Monday April 28 to help them get off the ground.

As well as collecting folklore, the AFTS national website* will promote current events, share fairy tale news, inspire new works, and encourage a strong network of fairy tale lovers across the land. The society will hold annual conferences and encourage discussion groups to form across the country. (*To be launched at the conference.)

by Regan Kubecek

With a crowd funding project that launched on Monday April 28, an inaugural conference on Monday 9th June, and a new national website, the Australian Fairy Tale Society (AFTS) has broken the
spell."

But they don't just want your monetary help. They looking to launch an active and ongoing collection of fairy tales in Australia:

Does Grandma tell a bawdy version of Little Red Riding Hood? Did Cinderella make her way into your childhood rhyming games? Know any good Beauty and the Beast jokes? We're searching for Australian fairy tale folklore for our new collection.

Take a look at the video to see more about the new Australian Fairy Tale Society and what they (we!) hope to do with the support of contributors (and, like most crowd-funded projects, there are some great gifts and perks, according to your donation amount - see website for details HERE).

Being a long way from home myself, I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a way for supporters afar to participate or spectate but nothing has been confirmed as yet. If this changes and the conference participants (or attendees) jump on Twitter, Skype or Facebook for any panel or presentation (and I get a heads up) I will definitely let you know ASAP so you can plan your live participation with the time differences etc.

Here are some event details confirmed to date (more details on papers & panels below the poster):

• Best selling and award-winning author Kate Forsyth will present her paper 'Rapunzel in the Antipodes' and be on our discussion panel looking at 'Cultural Editing: How some fairy tales get lost in the woods'.
• Sarah Gibson - Jungian analyst, creator of Re-enchantment and the Fairy Tales Re-imagined Symposiums - will address the 'Ways of Interpreting Fairy Tales', with a focus on Australian visual artists.
• Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario, who researches and teaches fairy tale, children's and fantasy literature at Monash University in Melbourne, will break open the definition of fairy tale in her exploration of 'Baroque in Oz: From Giambattista Basile to Shaun Tan'.
• Belinda Calderone, who runs the Monash Fairy Tale Salon and is completing her PhD on motherhood in fairy tales, will present her paper 'Strange Lands: The transportation of European fairy tales into the Australian landscape'.
• Jo Henwood, storyteller and co-founder of the AFTS, will tell 'An Australian Thumbelina' replete with "dingoes, wombats, echidnas and lorikeets" at the June conference.

• 

  Vasilisa Fair by Regan Kubecek

  Jenni Cargill-Strong - storyteller, singer, and founder of The Storytree Company - will share her research on the Little Red Riding Hood tale on our discussion panel looking at 'Cultural Editing: How some fairy tales get lost in the woods'.
• Griffith University Honours student Sophie MacNeill will complete our discussion panel looking at 'Cultural Editing: How some fairy tales get lost in the woods' with her extensive knowledge of Snow White.
• Storyteller and researcher, Tobias Eccles, will look at a common thread weaving through locally collected tales in his paper 'Stealing from the Sky, Stealing from the Underworld: The heroic thief in Australian fairy tales'.
• Danielle Wood, who is working on her second collection of original fairy tales, will present a reading of her latest book 'Mothers Grimm' at the conference.
• Robyn Floyd will be presenting her paper 'Constructing Australian Fantasy from a Grimm Perspective: Olga Ernst' followed by a storytelling performance of one of Olga's stories.

There will also be some fairy tale artists and writers present for panels, meet and greets and signings of their works and books.

If you're not in Australia, but still want to show your support for this new (and huge!) fairy tale endeavor, please feel free to contact the lovely and very friendly duo who got AFTS off the ground, Reilly McCarron and Jo Henwood, either via the AFTS Facebook page HERE or the crowd funder site HERE.

Although I dearly wish I could be there in person, I will most definitely be there in spirit. 

Note: all the art shown is, as credited below the images, by Aussie illustrator Regan Kubecek, who both created the AFTS logo and is the (unofficial at this time) AFTS artist. Ms. Kubecek also recently created a set of fairy tale illustrations which you can see HERE.

Tons of "Fables" News: Movie Update, Willingham Teases End Of Series Details, the Fables Game "Levels Up" + Bonus Awesome Cosplay

Bigby Wolf & Snow White of Fables, "The Wolf Among Us" video game cosplay by Saskeks-Cosplay

The Fables movie news is pretty small but very significant. Warners is now in direct competition with Disney, now that Disney has bought Marvel so the amp up on superhero movies is expected and speculated on. The big question is, since it's Warner's property: will they be doing a Wonder Woman movie? The answer is "not yet" because there are a bunch of others already in production ahead in the cue, including...

...several other movies in development unconnected to the Justice League that are based on DC superheroes and fantasy and crime titles from its Vertigo line of genre comics, said Mr. Silverman and Toby Emmerich, president of Warner’s New Line Cinema label. They include “Shazam,” “Metal Men,” “100 Bullets,” and “Fables.” (Wall Street Journal)

What does that tell you? That Warners are confident enough in how the Fables movie is going that it's been put forward as a major property, currently in active development, and that other likely-to-be-hot properties (aka Wonder Woman) are going to have to wait their turn until after Fables is complete (or at least well established in actual production).

AKA: it's very good news! At least, that's where it stands right now, anyway. These things change so quickly but for the present it's full steam ahead on another fairy tale film of major proportions. *fistpump*

And regarding the long-running, critically acclaimed, Eisner Award-winning, fan-favorite comic book series, Fables ,wrap -up (cue wailing and gnashing of teeth), here's a little teaser that came out on Monday (April 29th), care of ComicBookMovie.com and DC All Access:

In this exclusive clip from DC All Access, Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham reminisce about their long running Vertigo fantasy series and share some hints on where it's going in its final year. Plus, look for an exclusive announcement about Fables #150 and the final arc of Fables!

Did they just say "I guess there MIGHT BE A POSSIBILITY of returning to those (surviving) characters..."? I hear more fairy tale possibilities for the future care of Willingham & Co... *double fistpump!*

By the way, the images are cosplay for the TellTale Games video game Fables prequel The Wolf Among Us. The talented cosplayers are Saskeks-Cosplay team and aren't the only cosplay I've seen for the game (though their comicbook-line approach is pretty cool and unique). And you know what they say about cosplay, right? OK, I don't know what the phrase is exactly but it's akin to someone tattooing one of your characters on their body. It's considered a "level-up". 

Note: the most recent episode of The Wolf Among Us, A Crooked Mile, is getting amazing reviews. It's been called addicting and akin to The Walking Dead (which TellTale Games won Game of the Year for last year). The Wolf Among Us seemed to slump slightly with the second chapter but people are revved all over again and demanding the next chapter release dates be moved up. (I'm sure they're adding a pretty please in there somewhere... with bared fangs..)

Additional sources: HERE & HERE (and a ton of other reviews from gamers - official and amateur)