OUAT: The Ice Queen (press release - no spoilers) & "GALAVANT" Is the Bridge For How We Get There (TRAILER ALERT!)

Hi Elsa! (And probably Anna too.) This is your official welcome by ABC to the world of Storybrooke, Maine and the Once Upon A Time fandom:

 

By the way, I've been seeing complaints (and occasionally outrage) that there are "so many people" getting upset that ABC is doing the Frozen version of Elsa instead of The Snow Queen. I just gotta say.... well that's interesting! (And it's not from me.) While I'd personally love to see a little traditional fairy tale Ice Maiden/Snow Queen input, it's pretty clear that OUAT's format and popularity relies upon using known fairy tale characters (usually, but not always, from the Disney canon) in order for the twists in their stories to have so much impact, so, of course it's going to be Elsa from Frozen. I'm very curious to know where all these "fairy tale hipsters"(their term, not mine) causing such a ruckus are from. Although I think it's a little misguided because of what the show essentially is, I kinda love that they're making fans of OUAT and Frozen take somewhat of a look at the old tales, even if it's only to note that they exist.

The other main beef on the interwebs today? That Dreamworks owns the Jack Frost character that a huge portion of the (various) fandoms want to 'ship with Elsa (who is Disney) - and the tears of despair that there is no way that can possibly happen because Dreamworks/Disney = mortal enemies. O.o

Elsa & Jack cosplay by Akatsuki Tsukasa
(click this to see more amazing cosplay including with Anna)

We're so far out from how they're going to manage this yet... I'm just going to say it: let it go, people!  (Don't kill me. )If you're a fan, odds are you will love what they do, if for no other reason than apparently the writer room is like a Frozen mini-fandom and cares just as much as you do. Chill. (And please don't kill me.)

Worried about how you're going to last that long? Enter Galavant (the musical comedy fairy tale show I've posted on HERE as being in development at Disney).

But before it gets too boring to keep reading, look! A crazy, fun, Princess-Bride-meets-Monty-Pythonesque trailer (but with less dirt) to show you we're very unlikely to be bored while we wait... From the writer of Crazy, Stupid, Love and Oscar-Winning Composer Alan Menken… ABC brings you… um, this:

This is so much better than expected. I'm heaving a huge sigh of relief. (And I'm going to take it as an excellent sign that my kid thought it was funny too.)

And yes, it makes complete sense that Galavant would be the bridge show for Oncers. We also know that this time they're not going to screw up the between season programming for this show either, after what happened with OUATinWonderland (for OUATinW it was a mid-season kafuffle, but still, cancellation is a serious price to pay for an oops).

So: fairy tale shows from ABC for the next year at the least. Woot!

(Note: Fairy tale writers: got an ice maiden or Jack Frost story bubbling away? This is the year to get it out there. Just sayin'.)

"Maleficent" - Light & Dark Featurette (lovely), A Sneak Preview Scene of Aurora Pricking Her Finger... (interesting) & Amazing Tribute Posters (!)

Simon Delart

While this is a professionally done poster, it's not officially Disney. It's a tribute by Paris based illustrator, Simon Delart, of Poster Posse designs. This is his homage to the movie and iconic-looking Maleficent posters Disney has released. What makes these even more amazing is that they're constructed entirely of triangles (full count - 2857!):

Click to see larger
& 'count' the triangles..

“I have to admit that I have never seen “Sleeping Beauty”, but when I saw Angelina Jolie and her suit in Maleficent I was really surprised. I found it very graphic and fascinating. The lively red contrast of her lips and her black suit reminded me of René Gruau’s illustration, very minimalist.I looked for what could symbolize Maleficent, and the branches of bramble surrounding its castle are in her effigy, disturbing and dangerous.  Brambles compose her suit giving a minimalist aspect to the poster, but when we look at it closer, it reveals all its complexity.

Triangles - that makes for an interesting representation of the movie approach as well... Apart from the gray, there are three different colored backgrounds you can find HERE as well ("...variants on the four elements: earth, air, fire and water as they intertwine with the “thorniness” of evil..."). 

And now that you've been delightfully awed and distracted by these (amazing!!) posters, here's what you actually came to see: the clips.

First is a new featurette (#4), titled Light & Dark. Its quite lovely! (And of course, there are glimpses of additional scenes in there too.)

And I can't let you leave without teasing a scene from the movie: when Aurora pricks her finger on the spindle. The approach has a lot of similarities to the Disney classic but departs from it in key ways as well. 

WARNING: Clip contains what may be considered spoilers (even if you are very familiar with various Sleeping Beauty's and the Disney classic.

If I was uncertain about it being a family movie before, I know it is now, and that's a good thing. We need some good live action family fairy tale films. I'm more excited than ever to be taking my son now.

To quote Angelina Jolie from the conference (this was included in the clip I posted a few days ago HERE):

"I think all kids are curious. They're drawn to things that are dark. It's not just simply a desire to be wicked. I think there are things that frighten us in life, and especially children, they want to understand so they can take it on, or they want to understand so it frightens them less."

The G.K. Chesterton paraphrase of my favorite fairy tale quote* equals awesome.

*  Click for larger image & to read the quote. 

Sources: HERE, HERE & HERE

Interview With A Leg! I mean "The Leg". (Actually it's the creator of "The Leg", aka Van Jensen, which is still pretty awesome.)

By now you should have heard, from many places, all about this curious-and-awesome Mexican folklore based graphic novel of The Leg: The Remarkable Reappearance of Santa Anna’s Disembodied Limb. 

If you missed my post from a week ago (when a special Kickstarter was launched on Cinco de Mayo to get it printed), you can catch up HERE. If nothing else, be sure to check out the trailer. It is made of awesome! (Folkloric treasure trove!)

Creator and word wrangler, Van Jensen, whom you will know from his amazing three volumes of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer!, kindly found time to answer a bunch of questions on folktales and more (we even talked spaghetti) and allowed us a closer look into the story and the folklore that's woven through The Leg.

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Hi Van! Thank you so much for agreeing to let us behind the curtain a little and scratch your brain about your latest project. What with Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer! getting a new multi-volume release, a new graphic novel and a Kickstarter that's jumping along in leaps and bounds (huzzah!) among regular work and other projects you have brewing, we know you're a busy man! 

Van Jensen at work

So first of all, your hero is possibly the most unusual hero ever written. How on earth were you inspired to give life to an amputated limb?
This all goes back to a Mexican History class I took as an undergrad, and the professor randomly mentioned the anecdote of Santa Anna losing his leg in the Pastry War and then giving it a full military funeral. Later, the people exhumed the leg to protest Santa Anna. I have no idea why, but that story struck me as fascinating, and I kept thinking about it for years. At some point, it morphed into this question: What if the leg was still alive? What would it do? Where would it be? 

Santa Anna's wooden leg, Illinois

So, this is a true(ish?) legend that you've given additional (zombie-like) life to. I need to know: have you been to Springfield, Illinois to see the real Leg? (And how 'ish" is this LEG-end anyway?)
As far as I know, that fake leg is the real deal. There's been a lot of fascination over the years with Santa Anna's fake leg, especially in Texas given the Alamo connection, and then the King of the Hill episode. I haven't seen the leg in Springfield, but perhaps a road trip is in order! 

So this wasn't just the Van way to get on the zombie train?
It's funny, but I never thought of this as a zombie story. I don't know why, but it just didn't dawn on me. Maybe it was my subconscious! 

What is it about Mexican lore and folklore that fascinates you? 

Starting with that class I took, it was really the realization that, despite the nearness of Mexico, I knew very little of its history. And it has a fascinating, bizarre, violent history, complete with a wealth of folklore and fairy tales. Some of the folklore especially has a lot of European influence, but even then, these familiar stories have a new spin on them. And then there are crazy native legends, like the story of the Witch Wife.  

I worked a lot of that into this book, but there's so much more that I wanted to include but couldn't.  

Your hero has an unusual sidekick (ahem) for a spaghetti Western with a folkloric twist: a little girl named Ana. Can you tell us about her? How did she come to be, why is she so important and why does she get so attached to this leg?
Ana is a young girl who was separated from her parents and is stuck in an orphanage. She believes she's destined for greatness, because her lineage traces back to Santa Anna. But what she doesn't realize is that Santa Anna was famously promiscuous, and so her connection to him is a source of dishonor, if anything. Then she discovers the Leg, and they help each other as they strive to reach Mexico City and save the president from assassins. 

Ana is a voice of innocence, and it is through her that we see the Leg's personality emerge. She humanizes him, allowing him to connect with a literal part of his legacy. There's also a kind of Calvin and Hobbes aspect to their relationship, which was just a lot of fun to write. 

We're told the Leg has to save Mexico; a tall order for anyone, let alone a lone leg with nothing but a boot and a kid to help him! What is the Leg's greatest threat? (Other than centuries of toe cheese?)
Ha! Well, as the story begins, the Leg discovers that there is a plot to kill the president of Mexico, and he takes it upon himself to save the day. Along the way, there are some major threats he'll have to face. But at its core, this is a story of discovery, and the Leg learns that his greatest enemy is himself. Santa Anna was renowned for his ego, and the Leg must overcome that part of himself to win the day. 

The story is full of references to legends and tales and I was continually delighted to discover what you'd woven in, in each chapter. Without wanting to spoil any surprises, can you tell us what have been your favorite folkloric elements that you've woven into the narrative? 
The lost tribe of northwest Mexico were a lot of fun. There's this legend of shape shifters living atop a mountain, and I HAD to include them. There's also some witchcraft, and the details of the spell came from an actual Mexican healing spell I tracked down. 

Are there legends, superstitions, tales or creatures you still wish you'd been able to work into the story? (Do tell!)
Oh, yeah, tons! I actively avoided La Llorona, although it is a really cool story, it's just overly common. The first draft of the script included the Pedro Urdemales trickster character, but I had to cut that to save space. It's a really fun legend though. 

If you could have one aspect of 'Other' from The Leg be real for a whole day, what would it be?
The talking crow would be fun to have hanging around. I always imagined that crows had a lot to say, although maybe I'd regret it. 

Are there any things you included in the way of "folkloric Easter eggs" that readers who know their legends and tales should keep their eyes peeled for? (eg I'm thinking of a particular house-on-one-leg design myself and I noticed an eagle that keeps appearing. Is this a reference to the Mexican fairy tale The Greenish Bird?)
The house-on-a-leg for sure! The eagle is a reference to Santa Anna mostly--that was his nickname. There are some teases throughout as to the identity of the crow, which ultimately is revealed. There are a few other references, especially ones worked in by Jose into the art. One that's kept pretty subtle is the Judas statue, which references a pretty weird piece of Mexican tradition of detonating statues of Judas. 

How did you get yourself in "the Mexican mood" to write this (Art? Music? Tequila? Continuous re-runs of Once Upon A Time in Mexico?) and were their references or resources you kept close?
I'm such a boring writer. I don't listen to music or drink. Pretty much, I just lock myself in a room and get to work. But I did read a lot about Mexican history and folklore. There are a ton of great books, but I remember Judas at the Jockey Club as being one of the best. It's been eight years since I wrote this story, so my memory is a little foggy! 

Fast forward to finding the perfect artist for The Leg in Jose Pimienta: how did you find him and how did you pitch your story? (And how did you decide how far to take the design to make the boot emote without turning it into a version of the Hogwarts Sorting Hat?)
It was at Comic-Con in 2011. A friend introduced us, and Jose was looking for something to draw. I didn't have anything, but then I told him about The Leg on a whim. At that point, I'd given up on ever publishing it because it was so weird. But Jose really perked up, and he told me that he grew up in Mexico, and he wanted to read the script. So I sent it to him, and he responded right away asking to illustrate it. The whole thing seemed kismet, so I readily agreed. 

Jose did an amazing job with the book. It's so incredibly hard to get emotion out of a boot, but he nailed it. I can't say enough about him. He's been a dream to work with, and I'm thrilled to finally share his art with everyone. 

So, let's do a quick check on what people can expect from your graphic novel: 

- Sentient zombie leg?  Check. 

- Ghosts?  Check (we see one in the first chapter, which you can preview HERE) 

- Walking skeletons?  Check. 

- Magic?  Check. 

- WItches/bruja?  Check. 

- Frida references?  And Diego! 

- "Santas"? (Not the belly full of jelly guy, Saints)  Check. 

- Spaghetti?  Yep. 

- How about gunfights?  Lots! 

- Nuns?  Indeed. 

- Puns?  Of course! 

- Chupacabras?  Hmm. Sort of.  

Do you think we'll be seeing more of the world and characters from The Leg in future stories?
There's certainly room to do more with it. Part of that depends on how the Kickstarter campaign does. It's a project that I almost certainly will never make money on, but I do love the book and the characters. And I love working with Jose. If people want to see more, they can help by supporting the Kickstarter and helping spread the word! 

With the graphic novel complete but not yet published, you currently have a Kickstarter campaign to get it printed and into our grubby hands as you and Jose originally envisioned. With 21 days to go (as of May 13) and almost 75% (of $10 000 needed) funded to date, how has it been for you both to see the response?
It's been totally overwhelming. This is an overtly non-commercial book, but the response has been very strong. I think that says a lot about the quality of the art, and that there are readers out there who want intensely weird stuff. Which works for me, because that's what I like to write! 

I was thrilled to hear about the stretch-goal of creating a Spanish-language version of The Leg. Can you tell us more about that (or tease us with some other stretch goal ideas you have bubbling)?
If we hit $15,000, we'll give a free Spanish-language PDF to all backers who pledge at least at the $8 level. We really want to get to that point, so all support in getting the word out helps! Beyond that, we plan to do some upgrades at higher levels, potentially doing a hardcover instead of paperback. And there are some artists who would love to contribute pin-up pages, so that's something that we'll offer. 

Are you up for a rapid-fire word-showdown?Let's do it!

Would you rather: 

Talking animal or a talking object?Animal. 

Flying carpet or broom?Carpet. I'm scared of heights, and a broom doesn't seem very secure! 

Have a corpse bride or bruja wife?Bruja? Yikes. 

Giants or trolls?Giants. 

Face La Llorona or El CuCuy?CuCuy. At least it's pure evil. 

Bet on The Leg or Pinocchio VS in a showdown?Clearly, they would only team up against undead monsters. But if they had to fight, I bet the Leg would kick butt. 

And lastly, because we're dying to know:What are the most creative leg pun/s to date that have tickled your funny bone?
I love ALL leg puns. The more the merrier! Someone the other day asked me if I'd considered calling it "The Leg of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Just delightfully terrible.

Thanks so much Van! We wish you every success and not only hope you meet your initial goal but stretch it far enough to get the Spanish edition made as well!

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Here's the lowdown: You rarely see such a great combination of storytelling and images, let alone one that includes folklore, legend and history. It's also entertaining as heck, not to mention very juicy fodder for folklore and fairy tale people. There aren't many graphic novels that can keep my attention beginning to end in one sitting but I became completely absorbed in reading The Leg. The layout, art and excellent use of words flows very much like an oral storytelling and the story itself is everything it promises to be. Spring boarded from recorded history it has that unique Mexican mix of politics and art, gunslingers and family, religion and superstition all coexisting in a harsh landscape. At the same time, the fact that it's chock-full of Mexican folklore and legend references and tales, and all without seeming cramped, is a complete delight. An excellent introduction to Mexican folklore and more for ages 15(ish)+, via a fantastic (in both senses of the word) story. Apart from the fact that I can't yet put it on a bookshelf (c'mon Kickstarter funders!) I can't think of a reason I wouldn't recommend it.

         Here's who we can blame, er credit, for this strange-awesomeness.

Words: Van Jensen, co-creator of PINOCCHIO, VAMPIRE SLAYER  (Top Shelf Productions) and writer of GREEN LANTERN CORPS and THE FLASH (DC Comics). Van is also an award-winning journalist based in Atlanta. This is his first self-published work. Follow him on Twitter.

Art: Jose Pimienta, a native of Mexico and the co-creator of A FRIENDLY GAME and an artist on several successful Kickstarter-funded comics anthologies. Follow him on Twitter. 

Colors & Letters: Matthew Petz, artist of the webcomic WAR OF THE WOODS and colorist of several comics and graphic novels. Follow him on Twitter. 

Design: J. Chris Campbell, maestro of WIDE AWAKE PRESS.

Please do go check out Van & Jose's KICKSTARTER HERE and consider helping put some fantastic (& fun - and gorgeously illustrated) Mexican folklore into people's hands. 

OUAT Season 3 Finale: Hello Elsa? (+ SPOILERY-FINALE-SPOILERS! - all hidden under the jump, I promise)

OK, I'll admit it. I actually quite enjoyed the season 3 finale for OUAT. After a fairly "meh" reaction the whole of the first half of this season, it's been getting better and better and I found this one to be pretty solid overall. (Either I'm finally giving in to the show or this episode was actually better written than average.) After seeing the characters wandering around the jungles of Neverland for the 1st half of season 3 (for some reason it just fell a bit flat for me, despite the themes etc happening, which should have made for awesome) I've been enjoying, more than not, how the Oz-factor amped things for OUAT. The writing didn't have me cringing like it had been and there were enough Oz and other fairy tale references that weren't trumpeted so obviously to give the whole show more depth. (Yay!)

So, the finale: after complaining that I just didn't care about Snow & Charming anymore, (in fact, they had become downright boring and irritating) this episode put all the love back on track in a nice version of a replay-with-a-twist. Whomever mapped this episode out did a great job of keeping it true to OUAT's history but managed to inject new life into it, and without using the same already-seen-too-many-times scenes. Yay!

In fact, because of the subtleties and gently stretching a storyline we'd already gotten used to as an adaptation of the Snow White story, this felt more like an authentic fairy tale effort than things have a in a while.

The geeky references were also nicely done, with some nods to the Disney universe as well... also, is this the first overt use of Mickey Mouse and references to Disney films? (Don't worry - haven't spoiled anything.) I think there may have been another film reference or two somewhere in episodes past but the idea that OUAT characters sit down and watch Disney movies kinda twists your brain a little.

So it shouldn't be too much of a shock to anyone who's been watching OUAT that a full-on Frozen reference appeared in Storybrooke last night. That's not what I'm counting as spoilery. Everything about it though - the how's and why's and questions - should probably be considered spoilers so I'm hiding them under the jump...

✒✒✒✒ Click the "Read More" link below for spoilery discussion on the finale ✒✒✒✒

✒ ✒ Click the "Read more" link below for MANY more fairy tale like images with animals c/- Dash Kond ✒ ✒ - See more at: http://fairytalenewsblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-brave-cosplay-take-on-brave-yup-thats.html#sthash.kCtqh620.dpuf

✒ ✒ Click the "Read more" link below for MANY more fairy tale like images with animals c/- Dash Kond ✒ ✒ - See more at: http://fairytalenewsblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-brave-cosplay-take-on-brave-yup-thats.html#sthash.kCtqh620.dpuf

✒ ✒ Click the "Read more" link below for MANY more fairy tale like images with animals c/- Dash Kond ✒ ✒ - See more at: http://fairytalenewsblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-brave-cosplay-take-on-brave-yup-thats.html#sthash.kCtqh620.dpuf

Happy Mothers' Day!

Thumbelina and her mother by N. C. Wyeth

♚❊❊❊❊❊❊♚

I found out today that a friend of mine who has been praying and wishing for a child for about fifteen years, has finally had her dreams come true on Mothers' Day. 

I couldn't be happier that the empty arms of a childless mother, and those of a motherless child, have finally been filled with each other's embrace, their hearts full to over-flowing with a real and lasting case of love at first sight. 

There is more magic in this phrase than we could ever truly realize: 

Happy Mothers' Day.

Congratulations P&S! xx

♚❊❊❊❊❊❊♚

"Into the Woods Trailer" Surfaces (& People Get Excited, Even Though We're Pretty Sure It's Fan Made...)

Into the Woods by Charles Vess

The real question is, are they on target for a Christmas 2014 release? It's already (nearly) mid-May, which means we're about six months out and so far... nothing!

This trailer here, with the not-fantastic text and the weird lighting etc is looking.. less-than-Disney, ie it looks fan-made (please say it is because, although it's fine for a demo it's not looking very pro.) More telling, this appeared at the very end of April and there hasn't been a blip of news or comment about it since....

Here's the trailer though, and you can make up your own mind about it. Apparently it's still fooled a lot of people but Disney will be doing much better than this (we sincerely hope!).

Meryl Streep is the Witch in ''Into The Woods'' from Walt Disney Pictures. See the musical like you have never seen it before. 

Walt Disney Studios, the studio behind "Frozen" and "The Muppets", presents "Into the Woods", a stunning big-screen comedic musical adventure. When the Baker and his wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt) discover they have been put under a curse from the Witch (Meryl Streep) rendering them forever childless, they embark on a life changing adventure into the woods to seek out special items needed to lift the curse. The cow as white as milk belonging to a poor village boy named Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) looking to sell his milk-less cow, the cape as red as blood belonging to a courageous and blood thirsty little Red Riding hood (Lilla Crawford), the hair as yellow as corn from atop the head of a lonely and outcasted Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and finally the shoe as pure as gold having fallen from a distressed Cinderella's (Anna Kendrick) foot. With giants abound and where Big Bad Wolves (Johnny Depp) become the hunted, love and betrayal will the Baker and his wife ever be able to lift the curse on their family? 

Into the Woods by Walt Disney Productions brings a hilarious new spin on an already existing musical classic. 

The film is directed by Rob Marshall ("Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", "Nine") and produced by John DeLuca, Marc Platt ("Winter's Tale", "2 Guns"). Featuring music from Stephen Sondheim ("Sweeney Todd", "Sunday in the Park with George") 

"Into the Woods" comes to theaters in 3D on Christmas 2014. 

What do you think?

Maleficent: Two Awkward Situations (scene previews)

First the classic and iconic Christening scene, aka an "Awkward Situation":

I really like how many of the lines are taken directly from the classic.

And the second little bit of awkward, care of Good Morning Britain,  is... well, just take a look:

Uh-oh.

Diaval, you're in it now.

*snort!*

Note: in one of the interviews yesterday, Angelina Jolie said she was looking forward to a movie she could take all her kids to see (and some of her kids are pretty little). Perhaps they're only pulling out more of the family movie type stuff now, now that they have many older (paying) movie goers on board.

A Modern Snow White by Vogue Italia & Camilla Akran

Another recent find that I missed when it was fresh in September last year (2013) for Vogue Italia, but worth sharing because it's both classic and modern at the same time and a really beautiful way to dress a Snow White figure. More importantly though, if you take a good look, you'll realize the clothes are telling the story.)

Dress on the left: Gah! *swoon*
In the video below, the one on the right has some really interesting insect & rhino details

Apart from just being pretty to look at, I'm including the behind-the-scenes video to show you a lot of the details you miss in the photos, because ! (I'm sure I could find some room in my wardrobe for a few of these...)

You have to check the details of this dress shown in the video...

I really like that they use a unicorn in the decoration details as well (that would be the dress above, by the way). You don't usually see Snow White with unicorn imagery but it makes a lot of sense with regard to the regal innocence she's supposed to have - whether being seven years old or seventeen.

Seems like a sinister accessory on her lips on the left there... is it a ring?
(But then is sticks to her skin in some shots in the video.)
The whole thing tells quite a dark story, ring, brooch, whatever it is.

Here's the lovely, lovely video (which, with these locations, light and more I would have used to make more of a story, but the whole point of this shoot is for the clothes to tell the story - which in the photos, if you really look at them, they actually do. This is one stylist and photographer (Camilla Akran) combination that I think is very successful in not only showing off the clothes so that they appeal (which is usually the main point of fashion) but in telling a unique version of a well-worn tale, especially in fashion circles. Apparently this is much harder to do than you'd think because I rarely get a sense of story so subtly, just via the clothes and styling.

Take a look at the details:

The only odd thing is that this model doesn't really give off a Snow White feel to me. I don't mean necessarily wide-eyed and innocent but she seems... a little jaded. Perhaps, though, this is Snow White after she's been woken and rushed to marriage. If this is what she's supposed to represent, Queen Snow White, then I'm on board with it.

If you'd like to know which designer made which dress, there are a few different ones in there so I suggest checking the Vogue Italia link HERE for the details.

Untranslatable Words of the Day: Waldeinsamkeit (German) & Istoriesmearkoudes (Greek)

One of those words in a foreign language we just don't have an English one for (but should). Today's is Waldeinsamkeit (German), aka "the feeling of being alone in the woods". (Hi Red!)

Another is Istoriesmearkoudes (Greek), meaning, literally, "stories with bears". Snow White & Rose Red! Bearskin! The Cat on the Dovrefell! So many more!

The images are by illustrator Anjana Iyer and is part of her 100 Days Project (creativity challenge being done by people around the world). You can see a whole lot more of her "untranslatable words" depicted in graphics HERE. I wish she had a lot more fairy tale words to make this a regular feature...

Angelina Jolie on Maleficent vs Sleeping Beauty, Fairy Tales & the Tashi Stories

The press events for the launch of Maleficent are heating up and Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are currently in the UK promoting their film. Among the new fairy tale fashion statements (I adore Ms. Jolie's birds on branches dress here and check those character-themed shoes below from the French tour!) are a whole lot of Q&A's which, I have to say, they're really brave to do. (I feel for poor Elle getting random questions thrown at her about everything from being a role model to what she thinks of illegal downloading and piracy! Poor kid.)

Today (Friday) they held a large press conference in London to spontaneously (and bravely) answer questions from the press, and it was a delight to hear people asking about real fairy tales and have Ms. Jolie in particular, talk, not only about the film and Sleeping Beauty, but also about fairy tales and the stories she tells her children.
                               
I took a 6(ish) minute video clip from beginning of the full press conference video (which is about half an hour long), since that's the part fairy tale people will be most interested in, but you can find the full interview HERE.

Here's the fairy tale relevant portion of the interviews:

One question asked of Ms. Jolie was what fairy tales or stories she reads to her children and although I wasn't very surprised to hear she likes to make up her own tales, she did say she reads the Tashi stories,  of which there are many volumes and that she loves. (Basically, she's recommending them to parents everywhere.)

The Tashi stories (16 books so far with 2 Tashi adventures in each) are written by Australian authors Anna Fienberg with and her mother Barbara Fienberg, and illustrated by award winning artist Kim Gamble. While these books aren't traditional fairy tales, they are definitely drawn from and inspired by fairy tales from all over the world, centering on a character named Tashi, who comes "from a place far away", and goes on many, many adventures. Tashi is a Tibetan name meaning 'good fortune' or 'auspiciousness'.)

Here's an introduction to Tashi and his world of stories:

A boy named Jack describes his new friend, Tashi, who arrives one day on the back of a swan from a magical country populated with giants, dragons, ghosts and all sorts of other things that go bump in the night. Tashi mesmerizes Jack (and Jack mesmerizes his parents) with tales of his exploits about outwitting a succession of deliciously horrible villains ("I'll pluck out your nose hairs, one by one," a bandit threatens Tashi). Sometimes Tashi tells a story, to Jack; sometimes Jack recounts a Tashi adventure to his parents. In an amusing role reversal, Jack's parents hang breathlessly on their son's every word ("So tell us," Jack's father says. "After Tashi tricked those giants and teased the bandits, how did he meet these ghosts?"), and the dialogue between the storyteller and his audience invisibly tightens the narrative tension. Teasers end each tale ("`So that's the end of the story,' said Jack sadly. `And everyone was safe and happy again.' `Yes,' said Tashi, `that is, until the bandits arrived'.."). (Description from Publishers Weekly) 

   

Tashi began as a conversation with my mother. She was telling me how, when she was a child, she used to tell whoppers. Creative fibs. Tall stories. And the kids would crowd around, dying to hear the latest tale. We began talking about a character like her - a character who told fantastic stories - and over many cups of tea we cooked up Tashi’ - Anna Fienberg 

 

(Tashi) had so many appealing qualities: a rich friendship between boy and friend (or alter ego); a teasing relationship between boy and father; a fresh take on the 'tall tale'; a fearless blend of European and Asian folk story traditions; larger-than-life villains; an irrepressible hero living by his wits (brain not brawn always triumphs); action aplenty; exotic landscapes; and scope for cinematic pictures… (from the Alien Onion children's book editors blog)

Although I haven't read them all (I will soon fix that problem!) the ones I've seen are enchanting, both in the story telling and the illustrations and it's delightful to find characters we're familiar with along the way, whether they be giants that sound familiar or Baba Yaga or even Bluebeard (yes, there's a children's story with Bluebeard in the collection! But don't be concerned. You, and any kids you read to, are in good hands with these authors.)

The official website for the many Tashi books is HERE and you can get them pretty much anywhere in the world (and Amazon is a good place to start as the collection is currently 29% off).

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