Breaking (but expected) Casting News: Johnny Depp to Return in Alice 2

 Johnny Depp is returning as the Mad Hatter for Alice 2. Yay.

We're very... unsurprised (don't worry, you can use "un-anything" when talking about Wonderland).

 BUT we also have to be honest. We would have been a little... discombobulated if someone else had worn his hat as well.

He pulled some very different (acting) rabbits out of his... "bonnet" on that role (sorry - the puns are endless and difficult to avoid when you're late for an important date with your writing desk..). Sensitive, sympathetic, entirely mad and a little-much (yes, little-much) disturbing, yet you can almost see Alice falling for him. Even with those weridlio contact lenses. (Looking into those would be a challenge, even with Depp's eyes behind them!) So, yes, quite a feat. We doff our... caps on that account.

Whether you liked the movie or not, if you're planing on checking out the sequel, not having Mr. Depp on board would be... well, possibly mad.

So, it's OK to cheer. Rah.

On what Alice 2 - Through the Looking Glass will be like content-wise. here's an excerpt from whatculture, summarizing the details so far:

Depp’s production company Infinitum Nihil... are now putting the wheels in motion on Through The Looking Glass that would see Depp reprise his role as the Mad Hatter from Tim Burton’s 2010 live-action/CGI adaptation, with original screenwriter Linda Woolverton again on writing duties. 

Although the planned movie shares the same name as Lewis Carroll’s own follow-up to his classic tale about Alice and that fabled rabbit hole… it likely won’t resemble too much of the novel as Burton’s 2010 film was already a sequel of sorts to both Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. 

(No word on the other original cast members joining) ...though it seems likely offers will be put out to them. 

There’s (also) no word yet on whether Tim Burton would direct... (Edit FTNH: or if James Bobin (The Muppets) would step into Burton's shoes. He's been in talks with Disney since late May about that possibility.)

Burton's Alice without Burton? Depp in a fantasy without Burton?? And what if Alice isn't herself? (I mean, if she's not Mia Wasikowska, because Alice is never herself, which is sort of the point...)

This is way weirder news than Depp returning as Hatter.

Curiouser and curiouser.

"Saving Mr. Banks" - More Than A Spoonful Of Sugar (& Why I Report What I Do Here On OUABlog)

This hasn't been on my radar at all since I don't go looking for Mary Poppins related things but I stumbled across this, was intrigued and I think you will be too.

(And yes - this DOES relate to why I post the articles and stories I do here on Once Upon A Blog. My intent is to do far more than entertain you and put up pretty pictures, as fun and valid a reason as that is, but I'll get to that in a bit...)

Yes, Mary Poppins isn't a fairy tale but there is a lot about that character - and the story of how she saves the family - that is weirdly folkloric. The more you look at her no-nonsense way of going about things, the more it seems like she might be a cross between a domovoi and a fairy godmother (the ones you shouldn't mess with) with a good dollop of Nanny McPhee - whose fairy roots are more apparent - thrown in. Ultimately, she's more like a guardian over the family than anything else (including, but not limited to, the children) which is very fairy tale like (or maybe she's a Time Lord, but that's a whole other topic!).

Of course, that's not what this movie is about. It's about P.L. Travers resistance to allowing Walt to make her very dear character into a cartoon, a sparkle-loaded fantasy and dismiss her creation's importance. In some ways you could say this movie is about two very different views of magic, they way they (initially) clashed and how they found common ground.

Take a look:



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"Frozen" Character Intros & Official Word On How Much of HCA's Snow Queen Survived

Anyone notice the white streak in Anna's hair? (aka story clue)

Let me start off with a quote from an interview, just to show you I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this news here (because it will be everywhere else and this is not a "Disney blog", though I'm more than happy to talk Disney-and-fairy-tales any time).

Movietalk: Where did the initial inspiration for the story come from? 

Co-Director Chris Buck: Well, our initial inspiration is from the Hans Christian Andersen story, "The Snow Queen." But we took off from that. I think the only thing we really have left from that is the character that is a snow queen type of character, but we made it our own. So, it’s loosely inspired. And we’ve moved on and made it quite different, and for today’s audiences too. 

(FTNH: emphasis mine.)

I'm glad they're being up front about that.

My main interest (and I assume yours in being a regular reader here), is in seeing if this new "Disney fairy tale" actually has anything to do with fairy tales - either old (ie Hans Christian Andersen's "Snow Queen") or if they're creating a brand new one, OR if it's something else again.

Already there's a lot of disappointment at not seeing anything of HCA's beloved tale survive the Disney-machine BUT if the intent was just to spring board and make a whole new and different story, that's fine (as long as that's understood). As long as it's not going to be marketed as "Disney returns to Hans Christian Andersen's tales for the first time in almost 25 years" or attempts to lure in people who love the fairy tale via false advertising, connecting it directly to the classic, then I'm totally OK with that.
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Goldie Blox Construction Toys For "Not Just A Princess" Girls

Engineer Debra Sterling & her first Goldie Blox construction story

(Short on time but I wanted this out there ASAP, so please excuse the larger size of the excerpt - although there is much more to read at the link - and lack of additional sources and backstory!)

Started by a female engineer, frustrated by the increasing rows upon rows of only pink and magenta options for girls, this woman sunk her life savings into building a new toy line for girls: building toys! (I think Brenda Chapman would be so proud!)

With help from Kickstarter and a very enthusiastic response (which got her twice her asked for amount for development funds) the new line "Goldie Blox" is already hitting ToysRUs shelves as you read...

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Re-imagining Snow White's Dwarfs

The "real" seven (hobbit-like) dwarfs by Jordy Lakiere

It almost goes without saying that Disney made a lot of changes when he retold the Grimm's Little Snow White as 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". One of the biggest changes, however, was in how he characterized the dwarfs.

Ironically, it was the fact that there were dwarfs in the tale to start with that essentially clinched the idea as it being a great story to go with for his big undertaking of creating the first full length color animated feature film (though he was clearly very impressed by seeing a 1916 version of Snow White that stayed with him for many years).

 Disney ultimately chose the fairytale of Snow White for his first animated feature because he recognized that the dwarfs would make great cartoon characters and that the forest setting would be a natural opportunity to animate a variety of "appealing little birds and animals." He also had vivid memories of the 1916 live-action silent version of "Snow White," one of the first movies he ever saw. (Source)

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Frozen's Sister Posters

A nice little marketing approach from Disney France here: two sisters, two castles, two posters, one looking up, one looking down, one peak, one valley, one warm, one icy, the white/blue vs blue/white, one day, one night, one snowing, one clear, opposite sisters looking at each other's homes... even their cloaks are flapping opposite ways.

It's a very nice juxtaposition which tells us something about the approach to the story as well.

I suddenly had a flash of: "What if this was an icy version of Snow White & Rose Red?!"
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Ask Baba Yaga: Why Do I Keep Getting Drunk on Weeknights?

Baba Yaga by *AppleSin

The Baba speaks! 

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:

• Oh man, I definitely need to keep my feareye on the fire. Is it weird that this answer made a lot of sense to me? (iceberg)
• "ask me the real question when you see it peering" OMG :O (TARDIStime)
• Seriously, this one is completely relevant to my life, and each time I reread it, it is more so. But when will I see the real question? Will I see it with my feareye or my regular eye? (And the tags! #this is a good question #tell me more about my feareye) (fondue with cheddar)
• LW, I think the fact that you don't drink on the weekends suggests that one of your coworkers may have put a hex on you. Try daubing some goat blood on a copy of your company's HR manual and nailing it to the wall of your cubicle. (rfpgh)

Hmm. At least I'm less confused now... (and I want to know more about my feareye too!)

What do you think of Baba Yaga's words?

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.

Next In Line For A Disney Live Action Reboot: "The Jungle Book"

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (image by Nenad Pantic)

 Wow. This is definitely a huge trend at Disney right now, that is, beloved animation classics getting rebooted as live action movies.

Next on the list is The Jungle Book and it's already in development with a writer attached.

From THR:

Justin Marks has been hired to pen the script.Disney famously adapted the stories in a 1967 animated film (it was the last film to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during production). The stories also have been adapted into numerous live-action and cartoon forms.The Jungle Book stories are in the public domain and are so popular that Warner Bros. is developing its own Mowgli adventure. Steve Kloves, who wrote the majority of the Harry Potter movies, is writing that script. A stage production of the book debuted July 1 at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. (Edit FTNH: link added)Disney’s take is in the early stages, and the project has no producers attached. A search for a director is underway.

Wait. We're going to have dueling Jungle Books too? Or am I reading this press release incorrectly?
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Review: "Beyond the Glass Slipper" & Writing Contest with Cash Prizes!

Lesser known fairy tales from The Olive Fairy Book by Kate Baylay

I just wrote a review on Amazon for Beyond the Glass Slipper: Ten Neglected Tales To Fall In Love With by Kate Wolford and wanted to share it for two reasons:

1) It's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it
2) There's a writing contest in celebration of the book's release with a $200 cash prize for 1st place and four runner-up prizes of $50 each! (NO FEE TO ENTER.)

You don't need to purchase the book - just be inspired by the tales within (you can easily find the texts online). You have just over a month till the deadline (August 15, 2013 at 11:59pm EST).

However:

I do recommend investing your $10 because this book will get the ideas bubbling very quickly and keep the creative juices flowing (not to mention keep you smiling with Kate's witty commentary and behind-the-tale insights!) and whether you win or not, you won't find this a bad purchase in any way.

To the review!

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Ask Baba Yaga: A Significant Life Change

Baba Yaga by ~RaynerAlencar

It is with the Yaga oracle's blessing that I am now able to bring you a semi-regular fairy tale advice column! Just one thing: don't expect glitter and glass slippers (unless they're breakable) because Baba Yaga doesn't beat about the bush in telling you like it is. But that's what we really want to hear anyway, right? The best thing here, is that you can get your advice privately, reading in your book nook (or Nook nook?) at home, rather than in public with lots of attention-drawing cackling and broken yolks splattering your legs...

Without further ado, this week's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

My favorite responses to this so far are:

• The part about the bloodspeck blooming into a castle sounds a lot like my crazy heavy menstrual flow, though. (fondue with cheddar)
• Am I broken if I think Baba Yaga's answer is beautiful and how I want my life to be? (SarahP)
• "yr ribcage sleeping sweet." The rest mostly made me giggle but... whoa. (katiemcgillicuddy)
• I want someplace with my ribcage sleeping sweet! I mean, hopefully it is still in the confines of my body at that point, but who knows with Baba Yaga. (I'm Right on Top of that, Rose)
• Hush, little ribcage, just kind of nestle, Baba Yaga's gonna buy you a mortar and pestle... (TheLetterL)
• I just keep reading "knobbly feets" over and over. (meetapossum)

One word: aweberries!

What do you think of Baba Yaga's words?

By the way, if you're curious about whether you can ask Baba Yaga a question of your own, the answer is YES! Taisia is willing to offer them up and see if the Yaga has anything to say.

"If anyone has questions they would like to ask Baba Yaga feel free to email me (notes AT thehairpin DOT com, making sure to write "Att: Taisia re Ask Baba Yaga" in the subject line) or leave them here! (on the original post, linked underneath Baba Yaga's typed letter at The Hairpin)"

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.

Breaking News: Tinker Bell & Other Neverland Characters Coming to OUAT Season 3 (Spoilers Hidden)

Real Life Tinkerbell by Jirka Vinse

Breaking news from TV Guide's Announcement today regarding Once Upon A Time Season 3.

While the addition of Tinkerbell to the cast shouldn't be a surprise for anyone who saw the fairy tale characters heading for Neverland as the credits closed Season 2, the way she'll appear and what types of other Neverland characters there will be, might.

The rest (and possible spoilers) detailed after the jump:

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Casting Update: Branagh's Cinderella In Talks With A Grand Duke

Looks like Kenneth Branagh is well on his way to a full complement of stars for his Cinderella.

Stellan Skarsgard... is being lined up to play "the grand duke, the king’s adviser, who just may have ulterior motives in his guidance."

(By the way - this means, he's "in talks" - not that he's confirmed as a cast member. Yet.) 

We will see Skarsgard next in his role as Dr. Erik Selvig (for the third time) in Thor: The Dark World, being released in November 2013.
















Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, ComicBookMovie.com

Yogurt-Ghost Fairy Tales by Natalie Eve Garrett

The Juniper Tree (Yogurt-Ghost Fairy Tale) by Natalie Eve Garrett

Yes. Fairy tale art in yogurt. Some artists, visionaries, oracles, call them what you will,  work in tea leaves, others in eggs, some in entrails but this one sees visions in yogurt.

Red Riding Hood by Natalie Eve Garrett
Heh - she's in a hot sauce cloak! Great pun. And more of a challenge for the Wolf methinks. ;)

Apparently fine artist Natalie Eve Garrett not only works in regular paint media but also (it appears) in soy sauce, molasses and Sriracha (hot sauce) with a pinch of this and a pinch of that for details...  but primarily it all begins with yogurt. You could say these are kitchen-inspired fairy tales, edible tales, consumable tales, transient tales and interestingly also you could say they're corruptible tales... because these are, quite literally ALIVE!

Goldilocks by Natalie Eve Garrett

Swirling her condiments into wonderful little tales, she regularly posts her edible art on one of my new favorite online places to visit, The Hairpin, and has (happily for us) created a two-part series (so far) of fairy tale yogurt surprises that she shared.

The Willful Child by Natalie Eve Garrett

The ephemeral nature of these little pieces makes us want to consider these tales in a different, more direct manner than usual, way. And this is especially so considering the ones she's chosen to create: Goldilocks, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Juniper Tree, The Willful Child, The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid by Natalie Eve Garrett

The visceral nature of the tales becomes self-evident when you see them portrayed in a medium that spoils so quickly and is, in truth, breaking down to it's elements before your (very) eyes.

Juniper Tree (detail) by Natalie Eve Garrett

Whatever the case, this art definitely has an expiration date so we're very grateful for cameras to capture the awesome so we can share.

Rapunzel by Natalie Eve Garrett

I highly recommend clicking on the links - HERE for Part I & HERE for Part II - to see the detail photos (it's really quite amazing). A different perspective (and serendipitous reflection) on a close-up on Rapunzel gives you a whole new insight to the story:

Rapunzel detail by Natalie Eve Garrett

There's another very cool thing about this medium I wanted to share. Like sand animation (but more messy and less forgiving) certain stories can be illustrated with a vibrancy a static painting just doesn't hold.

Like this, in The Siamese Hair-Twin Ghosts (read the captions for the story):

Once upon a time there were two ghosts connected only by their hair. They got along well, and mostly didn't mind being bound together. 

But sometimes one wanted braids and the other wanted to wear her hair down, and they'd silently shriek and pull their hair...

... until they were all tangled up in knots.  

About herself and her work Natalie says:

I'm interested in making work that conveys a sense of humor and magic, with a disarming twist. 
I grew up outside Washington, D.C., and was influenced by tangles of woods, The Brother's Grimm, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After studying art at Yale, I went on to receive my MFA from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. Currently I live and work in a little town outside D.C. along the Potomac River. My art can be seen regularly on TheHairpin.com and in private collections.

I highly recommend browsing her posts on The Hairpin for other yogurt-surprises. She has a sharp yet whimsical sense of humor and it's just delightful to see.

Snow White by Natalie Eve Garrett

And I want more. ("MORE??!?") Yes! Please?

(I will also NEVER look at my condiments the same way again...)

Natalie's website is HERE, her Etsy shop is HERE and The Hairpin, where she can often be found, is HERE.

PS Aw- snap! I see Neatorama JUST postsed these today. (At this writing.) Never mind - the more people see Ms. Garrett's condiment creativity, the more she'll be inspired to do (we hope!). If you like her work, be sure to let her know.

One Man "Bluebeard" Show Leaves Us Curious... (& With Eyes Wide Open)

Gallivant's Bluebeard
Bluebeard invites you into his chamber, into his heart and into his darkest desires.  Will he excite you?  Will he seduce you?  Will he love you to death...

Note: This is an interesting addition to the Bluebeard conversations that happened recently/are happening now, which is why I'm giving this a full post instead of just sending you to check it out. Though I initially intended just to make you aware of the one-man show, the connective tissue between the play, current social issues and other popular fairy tales became quickly apparent, so there's more here than just a review. It's very much like peeling an onion: there are layers revealed one after the other, they might even bring tears but ultimately we are healthier for it.

I say curious because of the many, continuing questions the reviewer, Megan Stodel from the feminist blog "The F Word", continues to explore and prod, even after posting the initial review. Once she started asking her questions I found I had some too...

There's a new one-man show playing in Bristol (UK) titled Bluebeard that presents the story from the POV of Bluebeard himself, except in this case the (very modern) Bluebeard's name is Jim. It's most definitely exploring the issue of violence against women - including within that "grey" area that the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey has left a lot of people floundering in -  but where the play stands on it seems to be confusing and a little disturbing. But perhaps that's the whole point.

(More after the jump)
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LX Magazine's Tribute to 200th Anniversary of Grimms Household Tales - Sneewittchen (Tale 2 of 5)

"Snow White" Photography Joshua Wilcoxon for Wilcoxon photography Makeup/Hair Angelique Verver for Platinum Imagination

Tale two from the 200th Anniversary Grimm's Household Tales Tribute by Lx Magazine: Illuminating Luxury. Enjoy.

- FTNH aka Fairy Tale News Hound aka Gypsy

Sneewittchen - Little Snow-White 

“And thus Snow-White lay for a long, long time, and still only looked as though she were asleep; for she was even now as white as snow, and as red as blood, and as black as ebony. At last a prince came and called at the dwarfs’ house; and he saw Snow-White and read what was written in golden letters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and earnestly prayed them to let him take her away; but they said, ‘We will not part with her for all the gold in the world.’ At last, however, they had pity on him, and gave him the coffin; but the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with him, the piece of apple fell from between her lips, and Snow-White awoke, and exclaimed, ‘Where am I!’ And the prince answered, ‘Thou art safe with me.’ Then he told her all that had happened, and said, ‘I love you better than all the world; come with me to my father’s palace, and you shall be my wife.’  Snow-White consented, and went home with the prince; and everything was prepared with great pomp and splendor for their wedding.To the feast was invited, among the rest, Snow-White’s old enemy, the queen; and as she was dressing herself in fine, rich clothes, she looked in the glass and said, ‘Tell me, glass, tell me true! Of all the ladies in the land, Who is fairest? tell me who?’ And the glass answered, ‘Thou, lady, art the loveliest here, I ween; But lovelier far is the new-made queen.’ ”

You can read the full tale as published in Grimms Household Tales HERE (translated to English) and learn much more about Snow White's history HERE.

Tale three text and accompanying photo will be posted next week.

(Links to future posts will be updated as posts go live.)

                                                                              ♚

*** TALE 1 *** TALE 2 *** TALE 3 *** TALE 4 *** TALE 5 *** 

Into the Script Of "Into the Woods"

I just found someone online who says* he got the chance to read a recent version of the Into The Woods movie script (from February) and posted the changes/differences to the Broadway play.

I know a lot of people feel that Into the Woods is holy ground (almost) and are going to have problems with ANY changes that happen but please remember these things:

1) A live show/stage musical/Broadway production is a COMPLETELY different medium to a movie. Changes must be made in order to change mediums and not kill the property (ie story).

This, which looks fantastic on the stage from the audience perspective...

...will look mighty tacky on screen if they film it as is.

2) Remember that the script is being carefully reworked by the original writer for the Broadway play, James Lapine - meaning that you know he's going to fight to keep his work - and story - looking the best it possibly can as it transitions to a movie.

3) Lapine has written multiple award winning musicals AND books (so he understands the difference in writing as a playwright and writing as an author and knows he will have to approach a screenplay differently again) and he's interested in telling the best story he can, via whatever medium he's working in.

3) There are movie musical greats working with him - they know what works on screen for a musical and what doesn't.

4) Sondheim, who composed Into the Woods, is also composing for the movie - and altering and layering and scoring - all with the same mentality as the writer: he wants his work to look/sound better than ever.

*This is from a blog of a guy named "Phil" who works (worked?) in primetime TV and is somewhat "insider connected". I don't know him personally but a quick little bit of research would say that what he claims is likely true. :)

Here's the intro from Phil's post a couple of weeks ago:

So I’ve read it.
I’ve read the Into the Woods film script (well, at least a draft from February)... Suffice to say I’m immensely happy with the direction they are going in and the casting so far has been great.

If you do not want to know anything about the movie before it hits the screen HERE THERE BE SPOILERS.

If you adore the Broadway play and know you're going to be upset by any changes (remember seeing the points on a page will be very different to watching it as a movie) HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!

For this reason I will post the rest after the jump...
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The Facebook Fairy Tale News Extras You (May Have) Missed (So Far...)

Treasure Hunt

by `Foxfires (Aimee Stewart)

No, this is not what it looks like when I'm writing, researching and archiving fairy tale news in the middle of the night (-sigh-) but I wish it did!

In case you haven't had a chance to check out Facebook or Twitter for the fairy tale news extras and bonus bits, here's a roundup of what you've missed so far.

Please note: YOU DO NOT NEED A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT (or a Twitter one either) to view these! They are both public pages and you can go check on them anytime you wish.

NOTE: This is going to read like a huge long list of headlines with extra stuff in between. I'm including the blog headlines to give you a sense of how it all reads on FB & Twitter.

I'm also just going to link you twice, once HERE and once at the end, to the Facebook account which has all the links and videos and articles etc etc (since it's already very-late-o'clock, we are not all quite at 100% health here yet and you are all very smart cookies and don't need link-hand-holding, right? ie just click on the FB link, scroll to the date where the story is and voila!)

All shall be revealed (and there's a lot of it!) after the jump... (and yes, it is my first time inserting a "jump" so let me know if it's not working like it should please!)