Ask Baba Yaga: All I Can Think About Is Getting Married

Bony Legs by Joanna Cole

I'm guessing Baba Yaga has had girls ask this question more than once (!) in her long life, so her reply is... refreshingly blunt. ;) 

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

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

My favorite responses so far:

• Ahra Yaga, I in az oo uyessted, ang now i'm no clozher to ang anszher, and now I have no teesh and no awddy to uh-phhpt. I hate oo Ahra Yaga. (Emby)
• Sometimes on the first read, I think the punctuation is emoticons. Like her "wench" comes with a good-natured smile and she winks at the end to let us know it's all in fun. (SarahP)
• "Deathlove pond" is a spot-on description of the state of love/infatuation. No sootheengs shall there be, wench, indeed. (Jocasta Carr)
• As someone who is currently in their mid-twenties, ambitious, independent, and idiotically in love with and desirous of marrying someone I've only just started dating (3 dates!) I desperately wanted there to be a real answer to this question and read it knowing that this feature does not actually provide advice and am yet somehow still disappointed that I did not receive any... 
  Although in retrospect "the longing & wondering is half the joy of this deathlove pond you've a-stumbled into" is pretty much the same thing as the "Enjoy it, this is the exciting part!" all my friends have given me. So there's that. (Titania)

Dear Emby: Ouch. I hope you have a good dentist, for the sake of your love life and eating apples... 
Dear Titania: *brushes milkweed gently out of your hair*...Have fun!
And I would have to agree with a sentiment that pops up every week in at least one of the comments: This is one of the best advice columns ever!


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.

New Poster: "Saving Mr. Banks"

Ta da! No real commentary here because there isn't a lot to it. But simple is nice. :)

Hallmark Transforming "Mirror Mirror" Comic Into Family Movie "The Hunters"

And it's getting a few known names attached along the way. Joshua Williamson's graphic novel "Mirror Mirror" (released Nov 2010) is essentially a mash-up of Snow White, Indiana Jones and Warehouse 13. With kids. (So much fun!)

Mirror Mirror 1

Read the pages below on the left in order for a little taste of the graphic novel, this section featuring Red Riding Hood tale motifs, showing how it ties into modern day and the real world.

Hallmark Released Synopsis:Carter and Jordyn Flynn (Payne, Forbes) aren't the average mom and dad. For them, a typical workday can take place anywhere in the world, raiding ornate museums and evading pursuing authorities as Hunters, protectors of powerful fairy tale artifacts that are anything but make believe. (Edit FTNH: Definitely sounds like a special annex of Warehouse 13!) 

While they take their jobs seriously, they're just as concerned about the welfare of their two sons, 21-year old Paxton (Amell) and 16-year old Tripp (Tracey), who are unaware of their parents' true line of work. 

When Carter and Jordyn disappear during one of their missions, the boys learn the truth about their parents and their lineage. They turn to old family friend Mason (Garber) for help but they soon discover that the deceitful Mason is after what the Flynns were trying to protect - an enchanted mirror that has the ability to grant any wish. It's got quite a history, too: It's the same mirror that played a pivotal role in the destiny of Snow White. It becomes evident that it's up to the valiant brothers and Dylan to save the day before very real fairy tale magic falls into Mason's less-than-worthy hands. (Source) 

Cont... Mirror Mirror 2

For those not familiar with Joshua Williamson's Mirror Mirror, here's an excerpt from an interview with the author by Comic Vine just before the graphic novel was released.

Joshua Williamson:   Mirror, Mirror is about the magic mirror from the Snow White fairy tale. In our story Snow White destroyed the magic mirror and scattered its pieces across the globe to keep it from ever being rebuilt. She then created a group called the Huntsmen to protect the pieces from evil.   

(Edit FTNH: Also shades of Snow Queen here - a shattered evil mirror with pieces scattered over the globe..)

Now in present day a young man named Owen Grimm is the newest Huntsman and is trying to stop a wicked Prince from putting the evil mirror back together and using it to rule the world. 

As to why someone should pick it up… If you’re looking a family friendly adventure story that is fun for everyone you should pick this up. If you like the Indiana Jones films or National Treasure, this book is for you.  

CV: Where did you get the idea from? Do you often think about twists to old fairy tales?  

Cont... Mirror Mirror 3

JW:  This idea sprang from me wanting to do an adventure book, something with someone searching for something. Crazy vague, I know. The thing is what is out that hasn’t already been found? 

One story that has always bugged me was Snow White. We get this nice happy ending where Prince Charming rides off with Snow White in his arms and the evil old Step Mother is dead. But what happened to that evil Mirror? It was manipulative and has insane powers, and could be argued was the real bad guy of the story. One day I just put two and two together and thought “what if Snow White destroyed the mirror?”   

A line of dialogue that never made it into the script was of Snow White saying “Mirror, Mirror on the wall… do you know what I’m going to do with this?” while she was holding a giant sledge hammer. I’m pretty sure that was the first line of dialogue I wrote but it just never made it in the actual finished script. It was just the germ of an idea that lead to the whole book. 

Yeah, I’m always thinking of twists on classic fairy tales, but not just fairy tales… myths, legends, fables, you name it. 

CV: What makes this take on Snow White and the Magic Mirror different from the stories told in Vertigo's FABLES?  

Cont... Mirror Mirror 4

JW: F or starters we never actually see Snow White in this story except for in a few panels in flashback. I love Vertigo’s Fables, but I still wanted to make sure that we stayed far away from what they’ve done. We don’t have any actual live fables or other characters running around. There are ties to the stories, but a big part of the book is that all those fairy tales and myths came from some kind of truth and we explore that truth. For example, the big bad wolf, Bigby, in Fables is a shape shifter and sheriff, while in Mirror, Mirror, the big bad wolf is actually based off real life serial killer Peter Stumpp. 

This is more like the Indiana Jones films where it’s very grounded in reality with hints of supernatural building until it’s unleashed. (Source) 

I've been impressed in the past with Hallmark's handling of fairy tale movies (eg Snow Queen, Hans Christian Andersen). Some of their made-for-TV fairy tale movies have had better quality storytelling and visuals than the big blockbusters and kept the fairy tale base solid, so while I still think of Hallmark in a "less-than" manner initially, perhaps we'll be pleasantly surprised by this too (fingers crossed!).

What I'm really hoping for is some well balanced but also meaty family entertainment with that mystery/adventure element middle graders seem to love, that delves into different tale details for clues on how to continue the adventure. While Once Upon A Time is generally family friendly it's more soap and less adventure (and has no resolution) than popular family films and series tend to be so perhaps this will bridge the gap.

Argo actor Victor Garber and The Killing's Michelle Forbes are set to star in the Hallmark Channel original movie The Hunters, which is scheduled to premiere October 25. Based on Mirror, Mirror, a comic book by Joshua Williamson, the film will be a part of Walden Family Theater, a new series of family movies to air on Friday nights. (Source) 

With the Fables movie quietly gaining momentum (*fistpump!*), this would be an excellent "fairy tales in the modern world" introduction to kids who aren't ready for something so adult but still want something a little Warehouse 13.

The comic looks like a lot of fun and with the right creative team a family movie could be too. (You can see a little more of the pages from Mirror Mirror HERE after the main article and there are a few more pages HERE too.)

If you'd like to grab one of your own, you can find copies of Mirror Mirror available HERE. It's also available for Kindle.

Sources: Hollywood Reporter, TVBroadwayWorld, ComicVine, ComicBookResources

Article: Fairy Tale Villains (from Worlds Rise)

I have been keeping this tab open at Worlds Rise for the longest time to make sure I go back and read this post! And I'm so glad I did. It's a great breakdown of villain types and very inspiring for story types to get their heads around. Without further ado, I will give you a teaser then send you over to Worlds Rise to keep reading:

Note: I had some major issues in trying to copy over a portion of the text so resorted to a screencap for a teaser. The text at Worlds Rise is normal text you could use as a resource for writing if needed.

The other villain archetypes discussed are:

- The Rampaging Villain
- The Deceived Villain
- The Devil
- The Rude and Lazy Villain
 -Evil Stepmother and Domestic Witch

You can read about all these and the complementary post on Hero Types over at Worlds Rise HERE.

D23 To Present OUAT: Behind the Fairytale

Not listed in their previous event line-up, Disney has announced that Once Upon A Time will be showcased at D23 as well. Although much may be a repeat of Comic-Con, you know Disney will have it's own few exclusives.

I find it interesting that the OUAT team are presenting "Behind the FAIRYTALE" and not "Behind the FAIRY  TALE"... but perhaps that's what they'll be talking about - the idealism behind the show, rather than fairy tale content/influence.

Press release:

Executive Producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz will be featured at a panel titled ‘ABC’s Once Upon A Time: Behind The Fairytale’ on Saturday, August 10 at 1:00 p.m. at Stage 23. Eddy and Adam will talk about exciting developments for season three of their hit series ‘Once Upon A Time’ as well as their new fall series, ‘Once Upon A Time In Wonderland,’ which takes place in the Victorian England of Alice and the strange new land that exists on the other side of the rabbit hole. The Q&A with the executive producers will be moderated by D23’s Jeffrey Epstein. 

Guests on the D23 Expo show floor are invited to come aboard the Jolly Roger for a swashbuckling good time with some of your favorite fairytale characters from ABC’s hit series Once Upon A Time. Explore the famous pirate ship and feast your eyes on original props from the set. You will also find Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, and Emma Swan (and Emma’s red leather jacket). Every pirate who boards the ship gets to visit the Evil Queen’s vault. And a surprise awaits when you unlock a box from Regina’s wall of hearts. No pirate will leave empty handed! (Edit FTNH: That means, every one who goes aboard and visits the Queen's vault of hearts will come away with a souvenir.) Don’t let this exciting adventure sail by without you! 

In addition, as previously announced, guests will be able to get an up-close-and-personal look at some of the elaborate costumes from Once Upon A Time inside the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit located on the second floor of the Convention Center.

They won't be the only "costumes" on display either. The designer princess gowns will be getting window fronts as well:

There is an amazing display of exclusive gowns inspired by Disney’s Princesses making their U.S. debut at the D23 Expo inside the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit. These designs by top designers will be available for viewing, August 9–11 at the Anaheim Convention Center. These Dresses are inspired by the stories of the Disney Princesses by Ralph & Russo (Tiana), Versace (Cinderella), Elie Saab (Aurora), Marchesa (Ariel), Escada (Jasmine), Missoni (Mulan), Roberto Cavalli (Pocahontas), Jenny Packham (Rapunzel),  Valentino (Belle), and Oscar de la Renta (Snow White).

 

The stunning dresses were first showcased in a set of window displays at Harrods, the luxury store in Knightsbridge, London, during the 2012 holiday season.

There's also word of "exclusive screenings" which would, if they got the wording right, means they're going to screen something they didn't already show at Comic-Con but I haven't heard any speculation (or excitement) about what that might be since I think the reveal stage is pretty much done now. Still, we may be surprised.

The Saving Mr. Banks presentations have been slightly expanded in description as well but it's all still a little vague (possibly on purpose!). We do know the film already has a PG-13 rating, suggesting it's both complete and been before the required review boards so there's a good chance any Saving Mr. Banks screenings will have a decent amount of footage (possibly all - sometimes there are such surprises kept on purpose).

Sources: StitchKingdom, Chip&Co, PressEnterpriseBloggers, TheFutonCritic, 

Breaking News: Main Cast 'Almost!' Complete for "Into the Woods" Movie

Into the Woods Poster by laurean

From an apparent "world exclusive" on Broadway World, breaking news of the Into the Woods movie casting came in late last night.

The Baker & His Wife by Phillip Light

From Broadway World: 

A source close to the production has confirmed casting for the majority of the roles now that official casting for the highly anticipated big screen tuner is almost complete, with the big budget production set to start shooting in the UK in a few weeks.

I made a very quick-and-dirty (and giant!) graphic of all the well known characters with names and pics. (Do not ask how late I was up doing this thing!)

You should be able to click on the image to get a closer look (or right click "see original image" and that should show you full-size too).

You will see there have been a few changes (including last week's news of Jake Gyllenhaal having to bow out due to scheduling conflicts). No word yet on who Little Red will be and apparently Daniel Huttlestone has not yet signed properly on the dotted line yet to play "Jack" either, so he's still a maybe.

I've also seen no mention of the giant - either character or voice so I'm not sure what the approach will be on that aspect.

Note: the characters at the bottom, though recognizable are considered ensemble cast so it could run the extreme from cameos by well known actors to unknowns. Likely depends on the approach with the main cast (you don't want to unbalance the movie but at the same time a well placed cameo often adds shades were none were necessarily evident before). I guess we shall see...

All the lovely Into the Woods character-caricatures are by the very talented Philip Light (PhLightAttendant on deviantArt).

And now to the latest cast list.

(Click on image below to view full size) 
- EDIT JULY 24, 2013 -
Because people were having trouble viewing this full size, I have made it the original size here on the blog, even though it's kinda ugleeee! So please excuse the blog look for this post but hopefully the fact you can now see the graphic will make up for that.  A little. :) (You may still need to right click "view image in new tab" and then click the little magnifying glass to make it zoom to size, or you can also drag it onto your desktop to view but it should at least be the correct size when you do this time).

USF Offers Its First MOOC. And It's a Fairy Tale Subject!

The Iron Stove by Warwick Goble

The illustrations in this post are from the awesome princess story The Iron Stove. Both Grimm's Household Tales and also in Lang's Yellow Fairy Book have a version. Click on the links in this paragraph to read this fun and different princess story.

What the heck is a MOOC? It stands for Massive Open Online Course. Which means, it's open to everyone (no prerequisites), it's online (no traveling) and it's a bona-fide higher education course (so expect assignments and being required to participate via email and online discussion boards) which you can receive credit.

The Iron Stove (which looks suspiciously like a TARDIS here) -
Artist unknown

This one lasts for 4 weeks and commences August 5th (2013) and finishes September 1st.

This one is also FREE.


The subject: "Fairy Tales: Origins and Evolution of Princess Stories." (Yay.)

If you haven't heard much about MOOCs or online learning, here's theTampa Bay Times' in-depth look from earlier this year. They're the latest trend in free, accessible higher education, with schools from Stanford University to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology taking part. USF professors have taught independent MOOCs before, but this is the school's first official offering.

I am really excited about this MOOC trend! Let's hope more fairy tale courses become available.

The Iron Stove by H.J. Ford  - Yellow Fairy Book

Here's a little more about this particular one:

The four-week class, "Fairy Tales: Origins and Evolution of Princess Stories," will be taught by professor Kevin Yee, who holds a Ph.D in German language and literature, and who USF describes as an expert on "comparative literature and German Romanticism and online learning." 

Course description:
"Princess stories have been popular for centuries and remain so today around the world; we’ll dive into what these fairy tales mean, and trace the history of these narratives back to their source material, examining contexts all along the way. We’ll borrow tools from cultural studies, literature studies, and film studies to help us analyze these phenomena and what they mean to our society.
Many of us may associate princess stories with modern-day products (much of it marketed to small children) or with Disney movies and theme parks. We’ll examine these current versions of fairy tale mythos as well, using our new interpretive tools to uncover not just what’s been changed in the moral and message of the narrative, but what the stories mean as told now."

So where do you sign up? Right HERE. :)

The Iron Stove by H. J. Ford - Yellow Fairy Book

Sources: TampaBay.com, University of South Florida

"Dark Fairy Tales" Being Published for Chinese Children

Garri Bardin’s The Ugly Duckling (Russian animation 2010)

What's so new about these trends you ask? Isn't everything getting a dark make-over these days?

Not quite in this manner. This has popped up quite a few times in the past week or so with the fairy tale pages spreading far and wide through Chinese social media so I thought it was worth a full post rather than just the darkly retold fairy tale pages link I put on Facebook last week.

Ugly Duckling by Beleleu

This time we're talking about children's books - LITTLE children's books. Children's books with death, torture and revenge for the end of the story and no "happily ever after "anywhere in sight.

Netizens expressed disbelief over the dark ending of these children’s stories, which the online media Shanghaiist calls a “very Chinese twist.” (Source)

Although around 90% of children's books in China are imported (with their happily ever afters intact) the 10% published there showing a new trend of telling a different sort of story - on two levels:

From Offbeat China:

If what a person reads and learns in his childhood does have an impact on who he will grow into, then the story may shed some light on…well…a hell lot of why China is what it is today.

The Ugly Duckling by Andrew J. Purcell

From Global Times:

"And they lived happily ever after," is how a kid's fairy tale usually ends, but a number of classic fairy tales have been adapted here in China with different endings: the ugly duckling does not grow up into a swan but gets caught by a peasant woman and made into a dish; Cinderella is burnt to death as a burial object of the prince; and the sleeping beauty turns out to be a witch who takes revenge on the prince that gave up on trying to save her.  

Such adapted fairy tales also include The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast. Compared with the original versions of these classics, they contain more of the dark side of life that occurs in modern-day society. And because they have such dark endings, they have been dubbed "dark fairy tales" by Chinese netizens. 

(See the post on FB earlier in the week, showing The Ugly Duckling pages HERE.)

By emersontung

While these "new" stories are widely spread online and from printed books, they raise controversial discussions on whether they are appropriate for children.  

... (Some children's book publishers do not think) the new adaptations are good enough to exceed the classics. "Having been handed down for centuries, the classics contain meaningful educational benefits. [If there is no good cause,] I don't think the later generation should carelessly adapt them." 

...Yet, there are opposing opinions both among professionals and common people.  

Disney: Lilo & Stitch

A staff member surnamed Zhao at Blossom Press, one of the publishers of the adapted The Ugly Duckingstory, told reporters from Shanghai Morning Post that they were made aware of the controversy around the story and reread the piece several times but did not think there was anything inappropriate. 
"It is a fairy tale that is down-to-earth," she said, adding that there's no single writer for the new version of the story, but that it was adapted by a group and was examined carefully before being published.   

Also, some supporters argue that dark fairy tales can help raise children's awareness of possible bad things they might come across in daily life, especially since recent years have seen more and more violence against children in China.  

Ugly Duckling by Fernl

In a reader's opinion column in the Southern Metropolis Daily, an opinion holder with the name Wang Pan took the "dark version" of The Ugly Duckling as one example and wrote, "In real life, many children, [just like the duckling,] are rebellious. They do not listen to parents' warnings and leave home alone, and later meet some accidents." Wang believes it is more meaningful to warn the children than make them daydream of becoming a swan.  

...while disapproving of the "dark versions," Yang (Hongying, a popular children's author in China,)  believes that adaptations have appeared in the market because the foreign classics are no longer applicable to the lives of modern Chinese children.  

"So some people can make a selling point by adding in something more relevant to the society. But those made under the guise of a classic can do more harm."

And here's how The Ugly Duckling ends:

Chinese "Dark Fairy Tale": The Ugly Duckling

“At home, the lady prepared to kill the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling struggled like crazy. He cried: ‘Please don’t! I’m a swan!’ The lady didn’t understand a single word. She pressed him hard and killed him. ‘This is the most difficult duck I’ve ever handled,’ she murmured. Then, using her excellent cooking skills, she made the ugly duckling into a wonderful dish.”

“The darkest thing about this story is that it teaches kids not to be themselves and to follow the masses,” one netizen wrote... (Source)

You can read the whole article HERE and there's an interesting discussion on Reddit HERE. All the Ugly Duckling pages can be found HERE. 

(Note: Unfortunately, in order to get more information on any other stories I need to have an account for a Chinese social media site so I'm unable to find sources, images or more details about the other stories right now. If anyone does, please do leave a link or extra info in the comments. I'm sure we'd all like to learn more.)

Additional sources: Offbeat China, Reddit, EpochTimes

Red Czarina's Neorealist "H&G" Feature Film Coming in Fall 2013

A girl and boy. Brother and sister. Living in poverty and neglect. Lost in the woods. They see a house, rush toward it… it is magical. Full of good food, soft sheets, love and care. But in this house, danger lurks. And all they have is each other.

The Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel takes a modern neorealist twist in H&G.

What would cause a parent to abandon their child? Especially today? How would stranded children, left alone, behave?

These are the questions that prompted talented Canadian indie filmmaker, Danishka Esterhazy to write and create a "neorealist" film based on Hansel and Gretel, along with the impressive group of women filmmakers who make up Red Czarina. Take a look at the trailer for a taste of the result:

H&G Trailer #1 from Danishka Esterhazy on Vimeo.

In talking about how she began writing H&G Ms. Esterhazy says:

I have always been fascinated by fairy tales. Growing up, I was an avid reader and the world of fairy tales ignited my imagination. As an adult, my work has often been inspired by fairy tales. My short films The Snow Queen (2005) andThe Red Hood (2009), both inspired by traditional tales, are two of the film projects in which I take the most pride. After completing my first feature film, Black Field, which was based on a wholly original story, I found my imagination drawn back to the world of fable. The story that I returned to again and again was Hansel and Gretel. 

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What American McGee (Really) Wants Is His Alice Back... (& Other Kickstarter Gaffs): Take II

I've umm-ed and aah-ed about posting on this story for over a month now, mainly because I have NOT been impressed with how McGee has gone about this whole thing, and it appears we don't quite have an outcome yet, but I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

I should make it clear I think his Alice property is (generally) interesting, unique and important (see statements in article at link - despite being over-the-top-ridiculously violent) and that his vision and games have been an important part of how Alice is viewed right now. I also think he had an interesting take on Oz too (Oz + Steampunk + Zombies = fun, although there's a little more to it than that as well)...

BUT.

That doesn't make for a free pass on how you go about things...

Here's how I've seen it unfold (I've included a lovely set of screen caps from the headlines and left the dates intact so you can track the progress, or whatever you want to call it):
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