When You Wish Upon A Character... (How Design in Disney Movies Affects the Way Fairy Tales Are Perceived & Why We Should Care)

Tangled Concept Art with earlier versions of Mother Gothel & Rapunzel

Note: This post is very image heavy and I've had a devil of a time trying to get the images to stick where I put them. As I'm now out of time, I want to apologize in advance if there are any weird formatting issues through the post!

For me, I know I just have to catch a glimpse of certain H.J. Ford drawings and I'm in love with that tale all over again. The same goes for Rackham and many other illustrator's fairy tale work.

Disney images, however, aren't as subtle as sitting in a book waiting for us to open it again. They tend to work their way into our everyday lives via toys, marketing, spreading through pop culture and social media, and, as a result, tend to be a little more insidious in making their impressions on people (especially people who have no basis for comparison because they don't read/were never read many tales). Because of this, it's a good idea to take a hard look at the difference between the characters we love in fairy tales and how Disney (and other popular entertainment - movies & TV in particular) portray them to see just how big the gap is between.

What is the pop culture impression and what's missing? Because for a lot of people that "is" the tale. Though that is never the real intent of the creators of these films, the effect can be to (almost) erase any lingering non-Disney ideas and associations, rather than the effect illustrated books used to have, which was open the world of imagination further than ever beyond the text (ie. the complete opposite).

Can you tell who these characters are from their early concept drawings?
Click HERE to take the quiz...

It's one of the reasons I think it's important for concept art to get out there - to show people what could have been and, if the information is available, why these alternate/early designs were created in the first place and why they were ultimately replaced with something else.

Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) 1

Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) 2
The fairy aspect is a lot clearer here with the antennae

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Teaser Trailer Released for "The Tale of Princess Kaguya"

A few days late on this sorry but we now have a teaser trailer for Studio Ghibli's latest fairy tale! The style is really nice blend of modern animation with a calligraphic feel. Looks lovely so far.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (OT: Kaguya-hime no Monogatari) tells the story of a bamboo cutter who finds a thumb-sized baby inside a piece stalk of bamboo. What he doesn’t know, is that he hasn’t just found any tiny baby: she’s a princess!

Please note: it is a teaser only - not a full trailer - and it was released to a Japanese program so includes the "live audience reactions" window in the top corner. (Ugh.)

So charming!

I'll let you know when more appears.

Snow White (& More) by Miss Mindy (Filmic Light)

A preview of a lovely fairy tale doll post over at the wonderful Snow White blog &Archive, Filmic Light:

Filmic Light - Snow White Archive: Snow White by Miss Mindy
Miss Mindy is an artist living and creating in the Los Angeles area. On December 15, 2012, her work appeared in the "Good vs. Evil" exhibit at the WonderGround Gallery, Downtown Disney, Anaheim. Among the limited edition, one-of-a-kind MM pieces was her stylistic Snow White sculpture.

Click on the link to see more!

Breaking News: Lots of Beauty in Stills Just Released From Gans' "Beauty and the Beast"

If we had any doubts, these new stills from Christophe Gans' Beauty and the Beast make it clear that this is going to be one very beautiful movie. It's also quite an ambitious (big!) film. (No wonder the Director has said this is his biggest challenge yet.)

One interesting thing to note is that the film is said to echo more of Hayao Miazaki's approach and style than either Cocteau or Disney. Given there are a lot of fantasy elements in the story, this no doubt provides a lot of opportunities to break with the norm in terms of effects and the way the narrative is delivered, so this is sounding more promising than ever.

Here's some more Beauty for you:
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Scottish Ballet Create A New "Hansel & Gretel", Leaving Breadcrumbs of Inspiration Along the Way

The Scottish Ballet have a reputation for not only beautiful ballets but a creative approach to their productions, often producing truly lush images - and imagery - as well.

I haven't seen a family friendly but adult/professional production of Hansel & Gretel before so I'm curious as to how this is staged. And, although I appreciate opera, I can't handle much unless it's the chorus pieces BUT I tend to love almost all opera music so am also wondering if they will use Humperdinck's score without songs. (One of my favorite classical albums is Opera without Words - the music just transports me.)

One of the most unique things about this particular ballet, however, is how the company has gone about creating it, taking special care to leave "breadcrumbs of inspiration" along the way, but I'll show you that in a bit. Right now, take a look at their brief but lovely trailer:

From the website:

Unwrap a tasty new Christmas treat with the world premiere of Christopher Hampson's fantastical Hansel & Gretel. 

A 1950's town, all the children have disappeared. Plucky Hansel and Gretel embark on an exciting adventure venturing deep into the enchanted forest to find their friends. 

This delightfully inventive brand new Hansel & Gretel takes creative twists and turns inspired by the Grimm Brother's famous fairy tale - and the stories and imagination of the people of Scotland. 

(More on the production and the creative process after the jump.)
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If the Shoe Fit, Why Did It Slip?

It's the Cinderella question you perhaps-not-so-secretly wondered about. 

While we ponder this (with some help from Tabled Fables and The Guardian) I thought I'd showcase the GORGEOUS illustrations by Errol le Cain (that I could find) for Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper. I've never seen them all in one place or in sequence so I thought it might be nice to simulate that somewhat. Enjoy! And now to the (sticky?) question:

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Local News: Fairy Tale Ending For Reckless Cinderella Driver

23:59 by Sergio Otero on Flickr

Yes - this is a real story and has so many Cinderella parallels it's almost a "stranger than fiction" case (and kind of hilarious).

Earlier in July, in Seattle WA, a Cinderella story unfolds as police sight a reckless driver in a speeding car...

"A real-life Cinderella story played out early this morning (July 2, 2013) in a north Seattle cemetery as officers searched for a reckless driver. 

At about 1:45 AM, a patrol officer spotted a blue Ford Explorer speeding down the center turn lane near 125th St and Aurora Avenue N and tried to pull the car over. Instead of stopping for the officer, the suspect turned into a motel parking lot, (Edit FTNH: Not a pumpkin?? Oh wait, they mean turned the corner and entered a parking lot... Heh.), struck a parked car and crashed into the wall of the motel, (Edit FTNH: Wow - when your magic runs out these days it can get really dramatic!), causing at least $2,500 in damage. 

The driver jumped out of the car, took off running, and hopped a fence into a cemetery. (Edit FTNH: I'm guessing from all the athleticism no ball dress was involved at this point.. The cemetery aspect is a nice touch - harks back to Grimm's version.) Patrol officers surrounded the cemetery and called in K9 police dog, Ziva, to help track the suspect. (Edit FTNH: From Slavic mythology meaning living, alive/ Hebrew form is brilliance, brightness)

While searching the cemetery, Ziva came across a stray shoe, and later found the suspect hiding in a patch of ivy. (Edit FTNH: Bright dog indeed!) He was missing a shoe just like the one Ziva had found earlier. (Edit: FTNH: And whaddayaknow? It fit!) 

Officers reunited the man with his lost shoe (Edit FTNH: Aw.) then booked him into the King County Jail for reckless driving, hit and run and other traffic crimes." (Edit FTNH: And they lived with a record, for ever and ever after, The End.)

No additions or liberties taken with this story. The only changes have been in punctuation and spelling correction for readability. (And I couldn't help but add a little commentary along the way... all clearly noted.)

Apparently, there's more than one way to have a fairy tale life. ;)

Source

LX Magazine's Tribute to 200th Anniversary of Grimms Household Tales - Rotkäppchen (Tale 3 of 5)

"Little RedRiding Hood"photography Viona lelegems Model Jolien Rosanna Post-production Chester Can Bommel

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

- FTNH aka Fairy Tale News Hound aka Gypsy

Rotkäppchen - Little Red-Cap

“Many years ago there lived a dear little girl who was beloved by every one who knew her; but her grand-mother was so very fond of her that she never felt she could think and do enough to please this dear grand-daughter, and she presented the little girl with a red silk cap, which suited her so well, that she would never wear anything else, and so was called Little Red-Cap.
One day Red-Cap’s mother said to her, ‘Come, Red-Cap, here is a nice piece of meat, and a bottle of wine: take these to your grandmother; she is weak and ailing, and they will do her good. Be there before she gets up; go quietly and carefully.’

The grandmother lived far away in the wood, a long walk from the village, and as Little Red-Cap came among the trees she met a Wolf; but she did not know what a wicked animal it was, and so she was not at all frightened. ‘Good morning, Little Red-Cap,’ he said.”

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

The fourth tale text and (amazing!) photo will be posted next week. :)

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

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

Hannibal the Huntsman

I found this today and just had to share. It's a fan art graphic retelling combining the grimmer rendition of Snow White with the new (and popular) TV series, Hannibal.

You may (or may not) be aware of the breakout NBC thriller Hannibal (which just ended it's first season - warning - graphic visuals if you scroll down the NBC site page!). It's based on the Hannibal character from Silence of the Lambs - a disturbed serial killer with cannibalistic tendencies (meaning this serial killer is more disturbing than average - *shudder*).

The TV series is the story of this scary guy before he's caught by the FBI, while he's still busy as a practicing therapist and while he's enjoying his role as gourmet cook, serving unsuspecting guests delicacies of other kinds (*double shudder*). It's an incredibly well done show - well written, well acted (everyone is amazing and scary-smart), artistically shot, extremely well layered and critically acclaimed for good reason.

It's also EXTREMELY gory and I'm actually surprised it's as widely followed as it is (most people I know don't have enough stomach to handle the visuals).

Perhaps it's due to the "artistry" in which everything is told and shot (I'm talking classical oil painting-like set-ups - amazing stuff) but I think it's also that sense of "other" woven in (an FBI consultant with a disorder sees visions, of sorts), which helps remove it from real life, giving it this sense of a (extremely) macabre fairy tale.

He took out his hunting knife and was about to stab it into her innocent heart when she began to cry, saying, “Oh, dear huntsman, let me live. I will run into the wild woods and never come back."Because she was so beautiful the huntsman took pity on her, and he said, “Run away, you poor child."He thought, “The wild animals will soon devour you anyway," but still it was as if a stone had fallen from his heart, for he would not have to kill her.

That said, it shouldn't be too surprising that the images have been used to retell a fairy tale - and boy does this send Snow White back to it's Grimm and cannibalistic roots! Wonderfully done and so very apt.

It should come as no surprise, though, that this retelling has no happy ending. Though the huntsman (in this version) does let her go at first she is very tempting prey... *wants to yell "RUN Abigail-Snow!" at the screen*

No doubt we could infer even more fairy tales from the series (eg the main protagonist is trying to shake a Sleeping Beauty-like stupor before it's too late) but I think I'll handle one macabre consideration at a time. (And now I need to go find some fluffy, sparkly unicorns dancing on rainbows to watch for a while...)

The artist/fan, known only as anenglishlane on Tumblr, who created this graphic "Hannibal au Snow White" series, describes herself as:

English undergraduate and (hopefully) a learned gentlewoman in the making.  Likes fairytales, court poetry, dark queens and power couples, gothic metaphors for Victorian sexuality, and alleged dark lords in cuddly jumpers.

We appreciate the way you think girl!

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