In Discussion: "The Brave Little Toaster" & HC Andersen's Tragic Anthropomorphized Objects

The Steadfast Tin Soldier Shigeru Hatsuyama for Thumbelina (and other tales) (Japan, 1925)

Yes! This is one of my favorite things: when passionate discussions of lesser-known fairy tales appear in (seemingly unrelated) social media and pop culture/geek discussions!

If I were fancy and extra organized I'd start a whole series or regular feature on this topic. As it is, I will just add a new tag: #PopFTDiscussions (aka #GOLD!) Hopefully this new tag will have a lot of use in future...

So what incited this particular one, you ask? It was The Mary Sue's article "Anthropomorphizing the Mundane: Five Fictional Objects that Messed Us Up" by Sara Goodwin. Under the following picture of the Brave Little Toaster, the article begins:

I was one of those kids who was absolutely convinced that my toys came to life when I was asleep and led full lives. Not only that, but I can remember getting out of bed to put a pair of shoes together so they wouldn’t have to spend the night alone. ... anthropomorphizing objects has been going on for many years in many cultures. Who doesn’t cry when they think about The Velveteen Rabbit and how badly he wanted to be real? 

"Tsukumo-gami,
Spirits of Used Articles"
by ITO Jakuchu
(1716-1800), Japan

Was Mary Poppins' Umbrella 100 yrs old?

And I was REALLY pleased to see that Tsukumogami was mentioned (the Japanese ritual/celebration of an object's 100th birthday), something which I learned more about last year and am completely delighted by. Another Japanese festival not mentioned is Hari-kuyo: Festival of Broken Needles which "is a solemn rite of respect and thanksgiving in which the worn and broken sewing needles used in the previous year are retired to a sacred resting place."

Interesting note: the most popular image representing Tsukumogami in general is an animated umbrella... *turns to look at Mary Poppins suspiciously*

In Japanese culture, there is a concept called Tsukumogami, which is popularly used to refer to an object that has reached its hundredth birthday and become alive. There seems to be a bit of a divide between the religious interpretations and the popular culture use of this word, but from what I can tell from some quick Google research is that it was commonly associated with religion in the past and has been adopted by modern cultures to describe a kind of anthropomorphism.  

Using animals, objects, etc. to tell a story can have practical uses beyond making us cry when we see a lamp that looks like that adorable, hopping Pixar lamp lying in a dumpster. 

It continues being a great read, complete with a list of Brave Little Toaster-like cousins we've all had tug at our heartstrings, so I suggest you hop on over there and read it in total. It succinctly looks at anthropomorphized objects on film we came to love, then cried for (hilarious), but then I began reading the comments and lo and behold, Hans Christian Anderson's name appeared, and not without a little rage attached! #painandtears 

The comments number well over 100 so I'm posting the HCA portion of the discussion here for your perusal. You can always go to the original page and join in the discussion if you become so inclined!
(Note: I have bleeped and asterix'd some of the language for gentler sensibilities and in an effort to redirect nastier versions of spam far, far away... and be warned that the spacing between comments is really, really weird. I don't have time to transcribe it all so it looks neat etc so please bear with the copy and paste results!)

by Kay Nielsen

Wauwy

Hans Christian Andersen was the -bleeping- worst with this, I swear to God. The man could have written a story from the POV of a tongue scraper and it would have been full of pathos, tragedy, and an unbearably sad ending.

^^ Edit FTNH: This sentence - now in bold, care of moi - is so true! ^^

F--- YOU HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN, I AM NOT OVER THE FIR TREE OR THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER, AND I NEVER WILL BE

;A;

ETA: lmao I just checked his wikipedia page and look at this sh*t.

A very early fairy tale by Andersen called The Tallow Candle (Danish: Tællelyset) was discovered in a Danish archive in October 2012. The story, written in the 1820s, was about a candle who did not feel appreciated.

ridiculous.

by vacation-challenge

• Kris Smith  Wauwy • 

  
  

  That's because candles are ***holes. Especially Danish ones.
  • Snow Monet  Kris Smith • 

    
    

    And matchsticks just bring tears. 
• Ceaen  Wauwy •

  
  

  The Andersen book I have is broken up into thematic sections. There is an entire "Anthropomorphic Objects and Animals" section in that book.
  • Sara Goodwin  Ceaen 

    
    

    I remember that! The roots of my malady are slowly being exposed! :-)

  • 

    by Angela Rizza

• silaria  Wauwy • 

  
  

  The Tin Soldier story confused me so much as a kid. I couldn't understand the point of a story where no one rescued him.
  • Wauwy  silaria •

    
    

    The point is pain and tears. Regalli  Wauwy • 
    • 
      

      Isn't that the point of all of Hans Christian Andersen's work? Wauwy  Regalli • 
      • 
        

        Not The Snow Queen, aka best fairy tale ever!

        But yeah everything else lol.

         Regalli  Wauwy • 
        • 
          

          You forget: Frozen happened to that.

          
          

          
          

           Wauwy  Regalli •
          • 
            

            LALALALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU

            GERDA x KAI OTP, LITTLE ROBBER GIRL BEST SIDE CHARACTER, FABULOUS TRUE NEUTRAL SNOW QUEEN, CRYING AWAY MIRROR SHARDS AND SNATCHING UR FAVS' WIGS

            
            

            
            

             

             

            

            by Pedro Bascon
            • 
              

              
              Regalli  Wauwy 

              
              

              Please. Little Robber Girl/Gerda/Kai post-story friendship and eventual OT3 is where it's at. (SO p*ssed that they basically took all the side characters and turned them into Kristoff. YOU HAD A PERFECT CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING PROGRESSIVE WITH YOUR LINE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE LIKE THE 1930S, DISNEY, YOU HAD DAMN WELL BETTER MAKE UP FOR IT IN THE SEQUEL.)

              (Seriously though I will forgive... not all, but like 65% of that movie's faults if they cash in on its mediocrity and give Elsa a female love interest. If we have to get a sequel, at least give us that.) 
              

              Cat C  Wauwy • 
        • 
          

          That has ALWAYS been my favorite!

          
          

          
          

          Sara Goodwin  silaria •
  • 
    

    The point was that he fed on the tears of children. 
• Sara Goodwin  Wauwy •

  
  

  Totally! I'm so glad you mentioned him and his anthropomorphic ways! That fir tree .... and the Steadfast Tin Soldier .... why, Hans C.A.? Why?

  
  

  
  

    

• 

  from the Andrew Lang Yellow Fairy Book (by Henry Justice Ford)

• 
  

  
  othellia  Wauwy • 

  
  

  OH MY GOD. I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT FIR TREE STORY FOR YEARS NOW.

  I had a picture book of it as a kid and I swear it's traumatized me for life as far as getting real Christmas trees go. I've told other people about it and no one else had heard of it. Their reactions to my summaries were pretty much all along the lines of "J---- C-----!" Looked on amazon and google for Christmas tree children's books, but do you know how many Christmas tree books there are?

  So thank you. (And omg I should have known it was HCA! *shakes fist*)

  ETA: No really. I even described to people how the Christmas Tree felt pain after it was chopped down but bore through it because it was so happy to covered in decorations and lights, just like the Little Mermaid when she got her feet. Fffffffffu- I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!

  • 

    by P.J. Lynch

  • 
    

    Wauwy  othellia •

    
    

    I'm happy to help you recall your childhood trauma.

    Mine involves a Mercer Meyer book about a sad rabbit whose friends all forget her birthday and okay I really can't talk about it. Even though they all throw her a surprise party at the end, it does nothing, NOTHING, to make up for the fathomless depths of pain she and the reader have suffered.
• Miss_Dahlia  Wauwy • 

  
  

  Apparently a friend of his made a bet with him that he couldn't write a story that would make people feel sympathy for a pin. Hans won the bet
  .
• *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Studio Soyuzmultfilm in 1976

Ah yes:

"..he fed on the tears of children...".

Thank you Ms. Goodwin. I will never forget that throwaway comment now. It's fits so very,very well.. (Sorry Mr. Andersen. It was bound to happen when you made us love your characters and then- *neck slicing motion with SFX*!)

Here is an evil IKEA commercial (brought to our attention by the same Ms. Goodwin) that will not help you at all:

Told you it was evil. (You had to look...)

Tomm Moore (Director "Song of the Sea") On the Importance of Retaining Folklore

The LA Times published their interview with Song of the Sea director, Tomm Moore today and while they are clearly very impressed with this artist and storyteller, a bonus was to hear Mr. Moore's perspective on the importance of folklore:

"We've (the Irish) become more consciously part of the Anglosphere, part of the English-speaking world," Moore said. "But what kind of a society do we want to have? There is something important in the folklore, in the stories that links people to their environment and where they're from that's worth remembering. You lose a lot more than just stories when you lose folklore."

NPR also did a brief but lovely review of the movie HERE, complete with movie soundbites, which is worth listening to. (I've tried a number of ways to embed it with zero luck, unfortunately. It's worth the extra click-through though.)

At least one of Cartoon Saloon's* upcoming projects (did I mention this Academy Award nominated team are Indie filmmakers?!) look like they will be delving back into folklore as well.

We are very happy about this!

Cartoon Saloon's next film will be about a little girl in Afghanistan and will be directed by Twomey; then Moore will tackle another Irish folklore tale, set during the time when Oliver Cromwell was ridding Ireland of wolves.

*Tomm Moore's independent studio, where both The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea were made.

"Song of the Sea" Receives Multiple Annie Awards Nominations, Incl. Best Picture - Now Playing In Select Theaters

Do you remember the selkie movie, Song of the Sea, I've been excited about for some time now, being made by the creators of the Academy Award nominated film, The Secret of Kells? It's finished! And by all reports just as stunning as everyone hoped. It even has MULTIPLE Annie Award nominations (judged by animation peers) including a Best Picture nom as well as Best Director, and is currently playing in select theaters around the US. (Theater details and opening dates can be found HERE).

For other fairy tale people in Los Angeles, it arrives here TOMORROW (which is probably TODAY by the time you all read this, ie. Friday, January 9th.) It also opens in Irvine, CA on January 16th, so two windows of opportunity to see it in LA!

In gorgeous, hand-drawn animation, “Song of the Sea” tells the tale of the last seal-child, Saoirse, and her brother Ben, who must race against time on a journey to awaken Saoirse’s powers and save the magical spirit world.... 

The idea for the film was born during production on “Kells” on the west coast of Ireland, where Moore and his family came across corpses of seals that had been killed by fishermen. A local told Moore that, years ago, the widespread belief that seals were mystical creatures who could contain human souls or transform into humans would have prevented their deaths. 

Selkies aren’t the only characters from Irish folklore to be featured in “Song of the Sea”; the film also has the sea deity Mac Lir, as well as the Great Seanachai, or traditional storyteller, and a host of ancient and mystical creatures.

I've included some stills that have been released so you can get an idea of the style. While it looks simplistic, sort of like Kells did, it's anything but and is already receiving high praise from animation critics globally (it's already had screenings in the UK and throughout Europe and at a number of festivals).

Here's the (wonderful!) official trailer, released in December, for those of you who haven't seen it yet:

PRAISE FOR SONG OF THE SEA

“ONE OF THE MOST BLISSFULLY BEAUTIFUL ANIMATED FILMS EVER MADE!It is a gem beaming with awe-inspiring, heartwarming magic. As if wrapped in a blanket made of
gorgeous dreams, watching Song of the Sea is a spellbinding experience
that captures fantasy in its purest form."
- IndieWire 

“DAZZLING!”
“A marvel to behold!”
- Variety

"WONDROUS! DELIGHTFUL!"
- The Hollywood Reporter

Doesn't it look beautiful? 

And folkloric-ly magical? 

I can't wait to see it!

For those who love Celtic music (like me) the Annie Award nominated soundtrack (yes, for that too!) is already available for download via iTunes and GooglePlay. 

The 2014 Annie Awards will be held January 31st, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA. While Song of the Sea up against heavy hitters like The Lego Movie and How To Train Your Dragon 2, (both popular, "successful"* and extremely excellent movies), having so many nominations (there are quite a handful!) should help people take special notice of this lovely fairy tale film. 

Other fairy tale films in the running for Best Picture at the Annie Awards this year, include The Book of Life and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. 

We are spoiled for wonderful fairy tale-esque viewing choices right now!

This is the gorgeous picture awaiting you when you go to the official film website. (I had to grab a screen-cap to entice you!)

Sources: HeroComplex , Song Of the Sea Official Facebook Page and the official film website.

* "Successful" read the Studios are happy with their box office performance/ $$.

No One Is Alone

by Rune Guneriussen

Today has been... shocking. Everywhere people are devastated and outraged by the terrible, violent terrorism in Paris. And it's hit home particularly for communities of cartoonists, animators and artists. It's all I've been able to think of all day. Two images have stayed with me. One is the response by artist Lucille Clerc, that was helped into wide circulation in social media by the well known controversial street artist, Banksy. All I can add is simply a determined "Yes":

I'm going to keep a copy of this close to my desk from this day forward.

The other is a photo of the rally in Paris tonight/last night, condemning the terrorism and showing solidarity, holding large, lighted letters that read: NOT AFRAID.

While there are many bad and terrible people in the world there are many, MANY, good as well.

Paris, we stand with you.

You are not alone. Truly.

Je suis Charlie

Annie Leibovitz's "The Red Shoes"

Dancing Days

 

A trained ballerina, Adams stars here in a reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes,with her Big Eyes director, Tim Burton, as the cobbler whose shoes ensorcell a young girl.(Note, he appears to be making her new feet...)

This December 2014 fairy tale photoshoot for Vogue was quite the surprise to many geek and pop culture writers online. Here we have Tim Burton as the Puppet Master and Amy Adams as Karen, giving you an insight into their film Big Eyes. I'm thinking this is because they weren't initially familiar with Andersen's "The Red Shoes", looked up the plot on Wikipedia and flipped out over the gruesome. Annie Leibovitz's fairy tale shoot sensibilities tend to lean heavily toward the happily ever after, Disney branding (after all, she is THE Dream Parks fairy tale campaign photographer), but this is... not that. 

It does, however, pay great homage to the classic (and wonderful) film The Red Shoes, the connection of which I'm sad to say seems to have been lost on most commenting on the images online. It also means that the opportunity of paralleling the trials, addictions, self-destructive/crippling mentality, tragedies and, yes, also transcendence that can occur in the life of true artists, has been lost on them too, not to mention the fact that this held true, in many ways, for Andersen himself.

The Puppet Master - Yes Amy Adams really is en pointe here

Citing Andersen's true-life inspiration for his fairy tale The Red Shoes, it's easy to see how he saw the incident as a graphic metaphor, and one that certainly would have been very impressionable (especially when you consider that leather is actually skin...): 

Andersen explained the origins of the story in an incident he witnessed as a small child. By his report, his father was sent a piece of red silk by a rich lady customer, to make a pair of dancing slippers for her daughter. Using red leather along with the silk, he worked very carefully on the shoes, only to have the rich lady tell him they were trash. She said he had done nothing but spoil her silk. "In that case," he said, "I may as well spoil my leather too," and he cut up the shoes in front of her. (Wikipedia)

Big Eyes, the story of the real-life (and still living) artist Margaret Keane, (film directed by Burton with Adams as Margaret herself) has received quite a bit of criticism for its bleakness (and possibly lack-of-typical-Burton-ness). Leibovitz's promotional photo shoot, however, gives color (as in, emotional texture as well as on the light spectrum) to an otherwise drab-looking movie and finishes it on a more positive and impacting image than the movie is reported to do, as you can see below. (Not having seen it personally, I'm told we have 'positive resolution' mainly in the form of text on the screen, letting us know how things turned out well in the real world, but no lasting visual impression of this from the film itself).

Wings of Desire

 

The magic shoes bring the dancing girl to a cliff, where she is transformed into a bird. Leibovitz looked to Barbara Bazilian’s 1997 retelling* (see synopsis at end of post) of Andersen’s fairy tale. Alexander McQueen ivory ostrich-feather dress. 

Big Eyes is still showing in my local theaters but it's not one I'm in a hurry to see. I might have been interested, however, if The Red Shoes, was the vehicle, or touchstone, that Burton used to tell poor Mrs. Margaret Keane's story, because the parallel works quite well. 

As it is, though, this is as close to fairy tale as that film is going to get. A pity really, since much of the unique (at that time) big-eyed art, would be a great doorway into the fairy tale soul of this story, complete with all its heartache and triumph. 

-sigh- I think it's time to watch The Red Shoes again.

Léonide Massin as the Grischa Ljubov/The Cobbler and Moira Shearer as Vicky Page/Karen
in the classic and filmmaker favorite film, The Red Shoes

Additional sources: here and here

* Synopsis on the 1997 Bazilian retelling from School library Journal: The only elements of Andersen's story that Bazilian retains here are the name of the heroine and the coveted red shoes. Karen saves her spending money to purchase the shoes, and the shoemaker warns her to be careful about what she wishes. She dances brilliantly in the shoes but is troubled that it is increasingly difficult to remove them. Finally, after the ball where she dances all night, she cannot remove them, and she cannot stop dancing. Exhausted and frightened, Karen approaches a cliff and wishes to become a bird. Her wish is granted, and when she returns to her grandmother, she repents her vanity and is restored.