Thursday, November 24, 2011

Matayosi's Fairy Tale Art

 
This picture of the witch hugging Rapunzel's hair caught my eye and I had to share.

The artist's name is Matayosi but beyond that I  regret I cannot give you much information on this manga artist. Please do, however, go and view her gallery and the blog, both of which have quite a bit of interesting fairy tale and/or myth-based art.


 She also has a small gallery on CGHub which tells us a little more about her and is worth visiting as well. There are a few comments there in English from her regarding the art too which gives a little more insight. For example, in the picture shown above, called The Witch, she was thinking of the story of Snow White. The CGHub gallery also includes an illustration of Alice and another of an eternally asleep Sleeping Beauty.

I just adore the witch's expression in the Rapunzel illustration though. It's hands-down my favorite piece of all. The sentiment so beautifully captured here is something too often forgotten. I'd love to see her tackle some more fairy tales.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Becoming Storybrooke

 Here's a fun little article from earlier in the year. It shows Steveston (a seasonal town in Vancouver, Canada) being transformed to become the set for filming the modern day story lines of ABC's Once Upon A Time.

From the article:
Steveston is playing the part of Storybrooke, Maine, and for the block between 1st and 2nd Avenue, no sign was left unturned in the transformation. While businesses remained open and traffic mostly unaffected, workers were busy into the evening doing everything from planting trees to dirtying signs, and making all the little changes both inside and outside of the storefronts that make a fictional town come to life on screen.
 Why am I posting about this - apart from it being fun? I thought it was interesting to see the Disney-parented ABC perspective on how to add fairy tale touches in a modern-day way. Some changes are obvious and referential of the source material while others are less so. Some of it is fun and whimsy while other changes are to directly facilitate the story.

If this were your task and the location available was your town/city how would you change where you live to become a setting for a fairy tale?

NBCs Grimm Gets Picked Up For Whole Season

(From the 2011 ComicCon display)

In case you haven't heard the news, we now have TWO very different fairy tale series to watch through the new year and for the rest of the season. ABCs Once Upon A Time already confirmed a full season's worth of episodes and NBCs Grimm has just had the greenlight to film a full 22 episodes (ie. a full season's worth) as well.

Between two newly airing TV series and multiple projects in production for the big screen, fairy tales are being talked about everywhere right now and that is just awesome. :)


It's inevitable that some of the popular conversations being had and columns currently circulating will make you want to roll your eyes but it's wonderful to see people thinking about the power of stories, their origins, what's considered icky/saccharine/surprising/old/other and what fairy tales really are about after all.

No matter where I stand from week to week on what I think of Once Upon A Time's use of fairy tales vs NBC's Grimm's use (and that does differ per episode of each), I am most excited at how a whole lot of people are cluing into just how relevant the classic tales can be - and the many (also relevant) ways in which they can be interpreted. If I had to choose one show over the other at this point I would find it very difficult - so I'm very glad I don't have to.

What's really important is that I'm truly thankful for the fairy tale bounty (x2!) we are about to receive, direct to our living rooms. :)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

"Madame Perrault's Bluebeard"


I didn't learn about this short (6 minute) film until recently but apparently it's made waves in the film community this year, winning three awards out of the nominated five at the 2011 Leo Awards in June*.

Director: A.J. Bond
Writer: Paul Victor Schoucair
Stars: Kim Haden and Alexander Leeb


Here's the synopsis:
Fiction and reality are blurred when Madame Perrault stumbles upon pages from her husband’s manuscript, giving her a glimpse into a surreal and haunting portrait of her own life. A fantasy re-envisioning of the classic fairytale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault, in which Perrault's young wife reads herself into his dark allegory on marital mistrust.

 You can see a scene from the short HERE on A.J. Bond's reel (it starts at the 2 minute mark) and get some more glimpses on Amy Belling's reel (the Producer & Cinematographer) HERE.

The official website is HERE.

The short was also part of the CFC Worldwide Short Films Festival program in August this year, included in the screening and Q&A "Fairy Tale Redux". You can see a little of the information about it and the other films screened and discussed HERE.

It looks quite wonderful and thought provoking. I do hope we have an opportunity to view it soon!

*2011 Nominee for Leo Awards (June 2011)
Madame Perrault's Bluebeard – 5 nominations
  • Program
  • Cinematography
  • Overall Sound
  • Sound Editing
  • Musical Score
Madame Perrault's Bluebeard – 3 awards
  • Cinematography
  • Overall Sound
  • Sound Editing

Monday, November 21, 2011

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

There's definitely a trend for exposing for the darker side of fairy tales at the moment, whether that's in movies, TV series or advertising.
  
  
Here's the promotional blurb for these new 'craft brews' from the Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Colorado:
"Grimm Brothers Brewhouse is new craft brewer located in Loveland, Colorado focusing on authentic German style beers. Each of their brews is named after one of the Grimm Brother's famous folk tales, so each label features a scene from each story, but with a twist. For example, Little Red Cap (or Riding Hood) has an axe hidden behind her back, making her more dangerous than the wolf."
 The Master Thief is the newest of these Grimm brews and was added just last week.

Each brew has it's own 'tale' to go with it too. There are the summaries, which also tell you about the type of beer and are included on the full label (see HERE for all 4) but the website includes the full length original tales too. For example, see the tale of The Master Thief HERE. Reading this tale again, I'm reminded of why it is often paired with Puss in Boots.

Now I'm thinking I need a beer, or four... ;)

*Source.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The "Re-enchantment" (Hidden Meanings of Fairy Tales) Project DVD Now Available!

(I'm so excited about this!)

A DVD is now available and they will ship to anywhere in the world!*

Rather than try to explain the Re-enchantment project I'll let it speak for itself:
Re-enchantment is an immersive journey into the hidden meanings of fairy tales. Presented as an interactive multi-platform documentary project exploring why fairy stories continue to enchant, entertain, fascinate and horrify contemporary adult audiences.

The Re-enchantment DVD features a series of 10 x 3-minute animated documentaries (interstitials), which explore the themes at work in fairy tales. Each episode offers a rich visual design and presents a new way of thinking about these familiar and much loved stories.
The presentations include beautiful and thought provoking fairy tale illustrations (both classic and new), animations, clips from many different films and interview snippets throughout with some of the most respected fairy tale scholars today (eg Jack Zipes and Marina Warner).

Here is the trailer to give you an overall taste:



 Each episode centers on a common fairy tale theme - Ever After, If The Shoe Fits, Wicked Stepmother, Princess Culture, Into The Woods, Dark Emotions, Beastly Husbands, The Forbidden Room, Fairy Tale Sex and Re-imaginings. (from the Press Release).
 You can order it HERE. Outside Australia, the DVD costs $34.95 and shipping is free. Australian orders are $29.95AU with shipping also free.


And highly recommended (especially while you're waiting for the DVD to arrive) is spending a while exploring "Re-enchantment" online HERE. The site is interactive which is awesome. You can explore whatever aspects or images appeal to you and discover all sorts of goodies. You can also join in the fairy tale community there, take part in discussions of what you've explored on the website, add your thoughts and/or questions, even contribute to an online gallery with your own creations and artistic interpretations (photos, illustrations, collages and more).

There are also art postcards from the project available for purchase.

"Re-enchantment" is also on Facebook where they post snippets and updates.

What are you waiting for? Go!

* I don't know if they are producing 'differently-region-ed' DVDs or if  you would need an all region player to view it on but I'm guessing if the DVD is only compatible with the Australian region,  you should still be able to view it on any computer that has a DVD drive.

17 Grimm Tales by Andreas Krapf

 Andreas Kapf is a German illustrator with a quirky sense of humor who  - lucky for us - shared his fairy tale diploma project online. The illustrations were designed specifically to show the harsher side of the more popular Grimm tales and the results have a good chance of tugging a smile out of you.


I'm including just a few of the illustrations but be sure to go check out the rest of them HERE and see the included layouts.
 

The tales include:
  • Little Red Riding Hood
  • One-Eye, Two-Eyes & Three-Eyes
  • The Boy Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was
  • The Brave Little Tailor
  • The Twelve Brothers
  • Rumpelstiltskin
  • The Frog King or Iron Henry
  • The Wishing Table, the Gold Ass & the Cudgel in the Sack
  • Hansel & Gretel
  • Hans In Luck
  • Mother Hulda
  • Sleeping Beauty
  • Rapunzel
  • Snow White
  • Puss in Boots
  • Cinderella
  • Brother and Sister

 

I don't know if this book is available anywhere (in the US or in Germany) but he can be contacted through his business website HERE where he designs t-shirts, posters and art-toys.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

NBCs "Grimm" Take on Fairy Tales

I hope to write something on NBCs Grimm vs ABCs Once Upon A Time very soon but for now, here are some promo clips I found of how the Grimm detective meets fairy tale subjects in present-day Portland, OR (with a twist, of course).

Considering the spring board for the show is that the lead detective (of the "Grimm bloodline") is able to profile criminals (and other people) with his abilities (fairy tale profiler!) I was glad, but not surprised, to find these sorts of clips.



What I am pleasantly surprised by, though, is that this world is proving to be far more complex than a monster/fairy tale crime-of-the-week show and that good and bad are not so black and white. Just like fairy tales.



NBC is moving forward very cautiously with this show. After much critical raving over episodes 2 and 3, this week the network has ordered two more scripts, so we can now expect to see 15 episodes at minimum.



Just so there's a complete set, I'm including the Red riding Hood based pilot episode promo:



I have yet to see the Bluebeard/Pan-based 4th episode that aired this week as "Lonelyhearts" (see link for the tale and myth connection) but early ratings after last night are high (eg 4 or 5 stars).

We know we have the Frog Prince, Snow White and Cinderella reworkings coming but after last week's "Beeware". based on the more obscure tale of The Queen Bee, I'm looking forward to seeing what tales they tackle next.

"Tangled Ever After" to Screen Before "Beauty & the Beast 3D"


Yes - that's right. You get a chance to compare Disney's most recent fairy tale princess with one of the classic ones...
Tangled (Ever After), will premiere a delightful new animated short film spotlighting the royal wedding of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and Flynn Rider – a.k.a Eugene – (Zachary Levi) in front of each screening of Beauty and the Beast in 3D, which opens on January 13, 2012 in US.
Since the long hair is long gone I can't see much, if any, connection to the original Rapunzel for this short. Pity.

You can find more details about the short HERE.

Pixar's New "Brave" Trailer & Poster


 Pixar released their first official poster and trailer for their first-ever fairy tale, "Brave" this week, and it's getting good and excited feedback from audiences across the board.


"Brave" is a good word for this movie for many reasons: it's Pixar's first fairy tale, it's their first female lead, it's about a pro-active and strong girl who's main storyline is to do with expectations (especially her mother's) and challenging her destiny and she's not your average Disney princess. One of the things that has critics most excited is "we may also have the first Disney princess movie that doesn’t see our princess hitched by the time credits are rolling" (quote from Forbes).


While "Brave" is not based on any one fairy tale we will no doubt see the influences of many fairy tales and folktales throughout. (eg. Merida bears quite a resemblance to "Brave Margaret", a traditional Irish heroine [not Scottish, like Pixar's heroine Merida] who is kept busy fighting beasts and saving people)*. The creator, Brenda Chapman, (who was also Pixar's first female director until she was replaced over creative differences) says she developed the project out of a love of the stories of Hans Christian Andersen, the tales of the Brothers Grimm and her reflections on raising a daughter.


Brave fairy tale heroines are nothing new, of course, but that's not usually the public perception of fairy tale females. Fortunately we are seeing more and more beautifully published collections of 'strong girls' stories (see the covers below), including some designed to share with children as an alt to the 'princess-awaiting-her-prince-and-castle' collections. I see a rise in the demand for these sorts of books coming on the heels of Pixar's movie release, if it is indeed what they're touting it to be (writers start your engines, er laptops!). We definitely need more of these tools.

As an aside, doesn't this almost feel like a wonderful companion piece to "How to Train Your Dragon" movie? I truly appreciated the strong boy's tale approach which went beyond the 'get-yourself-a-weapon-and-kill-the-monster-till-it's-dead' mentality.

I'm looking forward to seeing what "Brave" will become.


 * You can read a review of "Brave Margaret" HERE.
   "Brave Martha and the Dragon", a French story about a girl - Saint Martha - also bears some similarities. You can see the book HERE.