Disney's Snow Queen Out Of Development Deep Freeze & Now "Frozen"

She's baaaaack..

Great news and perfect for the first day of Winter (this is barely hours old as of this writing): it appears Disney Feature Animation is back on track to animate The Snow Queen, only this time under the new title of "Frozen".

Here's the old temp logo:

 .. but it looks like the new name (and probably the new logo) are going to get the Tangled  treatment, staying away from princesses and queens (though they'd do better with that if all their marketing and merchandise wasn't aimed at little girls!)

There's been a little confusion about whether or not it's a Pixar project and a dinosaur project but (see HERE for an explanation of how that can get confused with The Snow Queen) but all news appears solid for a new fairy tale adaptation coming our way from Disney:

Turns out that Frozen isn't a Pixar movie at all, but rather a new, possibly 2D-animated, film out of Walt Disney Animation. ...In reality, Frozen is an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen, which the studio has been trying to get made for years now without any luck (the image at the top of this story is concept art from a few years ago). The 2D animation thing is up in the air, as the site's source recently responded to questioning about the format by saying, “Don’t put your name to that…not quite yet.” 

 It's going to be 3D (see HERE) and I'm most curious about an adaptation they feel they can finally run with...  There's so much potential with this story I'm frankly confused as to why they've had so much trouble to date. But hopefully that's all in the past now and we can be excited again - for real this time! (Yes, I'm choosing to be optimistic about this!)

Though there's no "Frozen" artwork anywhere yet I thought I'd give you something new and pretty and Snow Queen related to look at anyway.
 

Note: this is NOT from Disney Development but from this talented artist HERE.

Yay for fairy tale ratings and excitement over next years fairy tale films the last few months. I have no doubt that has more than a little to do with this development - and I'm very, very happy about it. ;)

Cinderella's Carriage At Midnight

Here's a beautiful fairy tale ice sculpture for the first day of Winter.

The Clock Strikes Midnight

The moment in the Cinderella fairy tale where the carriage begins to turn back into a pumpkin and mice.

I never thought of the magic in Cinderella's carriage as "melting" away before but it's very appropriate to the tale to show it this way. Glass slippers, ice-cold hearts and melting magic... this would make an awesome Winter tale.

You can see more amazing ice sculptures HERE, including a couple more from Cinderella's story.

The Hobbit Trailer & More

It's here...



And it's making people very excited.

There's more news for Tolkien fans too:

Apart from fun looking sets, what's exciting about Legos tackling Lord of the Rings is that there will be even more unique fantasy pieces and building options. The Harry Potter line opened up a huge range of possibilities and we've seen some nice fairy tale Lego creations since. I'm hoping that the combination of a new LOTR Lego line and all the fairy tale zeitgeist in the air will inspire people to get really creative with their bricks and delve into the world of fantasy and fairy tales.

Oh and the other cool thing about a hugely popular fantasy movie? Merchandise - lots of it! Makes for fantastic props for fairy tale cosplay, parties and general fairy tale feel around the house, especially if they produce versatile pieces that aren't all "branded" with the movie logo. I have a feeling Folk & Fairy will be very busy finding a LOT of fairy tale-ish awesomeness next year... ;)

Happy Winter Solstice!

1912 John Bauer (Swedish 1882-1918) ~ Julbocken (Yule Goat) from “A Polar Bear’s Tale”

Today is December 22nd - the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the official beginning of Winter or Winter Solstice. Bring on the Winter tales and folklore up here! I'll start with "A Polar Bear's Tale", except I can't find any online text for this tale; just a few wonderful illustrations and ink studies by John Bauer. Obviously I need far more research time... (hint, hint to my fellow-researchers out there ;). I think it's in Swedish Folk Tales, which I have but can't reach to confirm as it's in storage.

Frost fairies, Jack Frost tales, snow-maidens, Father Winter, Snow Queens and ice palaces... enchanted bears visiting your doorstep (either in need of a good brush or to help scare off pesky trolls), frozen hearts and magic footprints in the snow and Yule goats... I love it all. :)  

Bonus: For a little "Google Magic" this season, if you use Firefox or Chrome, type "Let it snow" into the Google search box (https://www.google.com/) and hit return. It should start snowing (and fogging up!) on your screen. You can even make smiley faces with your mouse and when your Google goggles have had enough there's even a "defrost" button to help bring you back to cyber-reality. ;) If only I could just make it work while having a fairy tale page open - then it really would be magical! (Still very cool though. Heh.)

Do you have favorite Winter or snow-based/years-end tales? (Or any info on the tale the Bauer illustration was done for?)

Happy Wintertime Northern Hemisphere Folks!
(All those south of the equator: prep the barbie- it's Summertime and the rellies are due over any minute..! ;)
Yuletide blessings to you and yours this season, wherever you are.
 

“Les Funerailles de Blanche Neige” - Sculpture Collaboration

“Les funerailles de Blanche Neige” collaboration by Lacombe & Martinez

This doll is a very special collaboration by Benjamin Lacombe and doll maker Julien Martinez based on Mr. Lacombe's Blanche Neige designs from his beautifully illustrated picture book. It's currently in a gallery showing with other works by Lacombe and other doll collaborations with Mr. Martinez in Paris. Lacombe calls it his most personal work and exhibition to date.

From Mr. Lacombe's blog:

It is called "Memories", like my souvenirs. Memories also served to define the mortuary photographs, the last memories of the dead in the early twentieth century.

In the first room, we can then see about twenty of these pieces there, made expressly for this exhibition, they are shorthand with curtains, bells and even a stained glass window!  In the other room will be made forty illustrations from my recent books (Rossignol, Snow White, The Herbarium of the Fairies and Notre Dame de Paris), as an echo. 

Madame Butterfly collaboration by Lacombe & Martinez

Working on this show helped me understand many things about me, about the origin of certain graphics and thematic obsessions.

You will also find all 5 volumes in collaboration with the great Julian Martinez , one presented together for the first time! It was a lot of work started long time ago. It was better because each of 5 dolls need sixty hours of work!

There's a lot more information on the exhibition HERE, along with the address and contact details for the show. 

You can see many more of Julien Martinez's doll sculptures HERE.

Here's the illustration of Blanche Neige/Snow White in her coffin from the book as comparison. You can see what a beautiful job they've both done for this exhibition. My only wish is that the doll had a lighter background like in the illustration but perhaps it fits better with the tone of the show which seems rather somber and reflective.

 .

David Petersen Illustrates Muppets & Fairy Tales

Don't you just love Miss Piggy as the Evil Queen? She could definitely take on Regina from OUAT!

I know the Muppet fairy tale comics have been out for a while but I thought the artwork by David Petersen, creator of the award-winning Mouse Guard graphic novels, was worth a revisit. Not only is he a phenomenal illustrator he's been back in "fairy tale news" with his latest project, illustrating some old fairy tale affiliates we recognize and tackling some lesser known tales too.

I am, of course, talking about the new Jim Henson's The Storyteller graphic novel anthology. (And yes, this is on my  fairy tale wishlist too - which, admittedly, is actually a lot longer than the one on Heidi's blog!) Mr. Petersen was the artist behind the lovely cover/promo-poster artwork and he also illustrates The Tinderbox in the anthology (another of my favorite stories!).

Here's an excerpt of what he says about this project, from his BLOG:

I was lucky enough to be asked by the folks at Archaia to do a pinup for their Jim Henson's The Storyteller Anthology Graphic Novel.(This also marks the 3rd Henson property I have been fortunate enough to have done pinup/cover/promotional artwork for Archaia!) The show did a wonderful job of transitioning between the Storyteller character and his dog and the story he was telling. The characters from the tale would appear in the reflections of water in bowls, on the sides of decorative steins, and in the painting over the hearth. I focused much of my attention to a way I thought I could capture that transition idea in a single pinup.

The story I started with was called The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen. The story starts with a soldier who, on the request of a old witch-like woman, climbs down the trunk of a hollow tree to a cavern where three giant dogs guarding piles of treasure dwelled, as well as a magic tinderbox capable of controlling the beasts. I only roughed-in these parts in my sketch and focused more on trying to get the linkess of John Hurt as the Storyteller and his Henson-furred dog. I scanned the sketches from my sketchbook and resized the elements (adjusting how close the Storyteller and his dog are sitting, where they sit in the frame, etc.) I also tinted the pencil work different colors to help me visualize what lines belong to which character or the window.

You can read more about his process and other projects HERE and below is the finished illustration of The Tinderbox that he shows some working steps for in his blog:

I'd love to see a panel with the Storyteller's dog meeting the three dogs with eyes like saucers. :D

I was so excited to pick up Jim Henson's The Storyteller book when it first came out. Although it doesn't approach the charm of the gorgeously puppeteered and animated TV series the collection is worth making a special spot on your bookshelf for. The comics, while having their own challenges in keeping the spirit of the series, once again pick up lesser known tales with a variety of illustrators and writers. While I'm picky about comics (I love the idea and much of the artwork but rarely find them truly readable) I can't wait to add this set (in hardcover if possible!) to my library when I can.

And, as promised, here are some of his beautiful cover pieces for the Muppet Fairy Tale comics:

I love Kermit as Peter Pan! It works really well.

I think this is from the King Arthur ones but it reminded me of Sleeping Beauty so I had to include it. :)

 

 

 

LOTS of info on the Muppet Snow White comic series HERE with behind-the-scenes insights on story and adapting the muppets to the characters and much more. You can also see additional illustrations for King Arthur and Robin Hood HERE and there's an additional illustration with Janice as Lady of the Lake HERE.

Since we're talking Muppets, as a completely silly segue I had to include a couple of the "Muppet Saga" posters recently released.

 

 

LOL! Now this is a version of Twilight I would like to see! :D

Fairy Tale Holiday Viewing Gifts From ABC & NBC

 

 
You should already be aware that ABC is offering free viewing over the holiday break of ALL of the full Once Upon A Time episodes - first to most recent via their website.  

BUT did you also know you can watch FULL EPISODES FOR FREE WITH CAST AND CREATOR COMMENTARIES as well?

(Woo-hoo!)

Not to be left out of the party, NBC has joined the spirit of giving and is also offering free holiday season-to-date catch-up viewings - again, first to most recent - of ALL the full Grimm episodes during the break too.

Yay!

While there are no commentaries per episode for Grimm as for Once (boo-hoo!) BUT there are many video interviews of the cast and behind-the-scenes production, writing and actor preparation for many of the stories that have been available all along, as well as some nice additional fairy tale, creature feature and real life parallel stories info on the site too.

So if you haven't had the chance to explore the site yet, the holiday break is a good time to indulge.

Here are the episode titles for both shows to date:

(If you click on the show title you'll be taken to where you can view the episodes for free during the holiday season/winter break period. If you click on "synopsis per episode" underneath you'll be taken to a longer list for each show, including completed episodes due to air with synopsis for each episode included.)

******************************************************

Once Upon A Time

(Synopsis per Episode HERE)

Ep 1 - Pilot

 Ep 2 - The Thing You Love Most

Ep 3 - Snow Falls

Ep 4 - The Price of Gold

Ep 5 - That Still Small Voice

Ep 6 - The Shepherd

 

Ep 7 - The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

******************************************************

Grimm: 

(Synopsis per Episode HERE)

Ep 1 - Pilot

Ep 2 - Bears Will Be Bears

Ep 3 - Beeware

Ep 4 - Lonelyhearts

Ep 5 - Danse Macabre

Ep 6 - The Three Bad Wolves

Ep 7 - Let Your Hair Down

****************************************************** 

I'm psyched with the opportunity to catch up and do a little closer viewing and analysis of both shows (and oh heck - just enjoy them all again)! I just hope I can get me some time blocks to indulge at least a little before the opportunity passes... (which I'm guessing will be the week that the shows start airing again - Sunday January 8th for Once & Friday January 13th for Grimm).

Happy holiday viewing!

"Lost Girl" Coming to Syfy

There are even more fairy tale based creatures coming to TV but the premise for these ones is quite different to anything we've seen yet, despite that the series has been described as a fairy tale/crime drama.

The name of the series is Lost Girl and it's coming to Syfy in the US on January 16, 2012.

Lost Girl caught my eye when it premiered in Canada with all the surprisingly good reviews it received - as in, the critics were surprised they liked it, as was everyone else. Initially, the series hit my radar because of the urban fantasy connection (a genre I read and write a lot of) but it took very little digging to uncover the fairy tale connection.

Ready for the premise? (Note: If you find yourself rolling your eyes at it, keep reading as I know exactly how you feel!)

Raised by human parents, Bo had no reason to believe she was anything other than the girl next door -- until she "drained" her first boyfriend to death. She then discovers she is one of the Fae, creatures of legend and folklore, who pass as humans while feeding off them in secret, as they have for millennia. Bo herself is a Succubus, a supernatural seductress who feeds off sexual energy. She is faced with choosing an allegiance between the Dark or Light Fae clans. Bo decides to take the middle path between humans and the Fae while embarking on a personal mission to unlock the secrets of her origin, protecting humans along the way.

I must admit, when I first read the premise I rolled my eyes. Despite the fact I read a lot of urban fantasy I'm picky about anything to do with Fae or faeries and anything to do with succubi I tend to gloss over. What made me look twice in this case though, was a girl who was fighting her heritage, not wanting to lose her humanness, even as she learns to use her very non-human powers for good.

While I'm not really interested in Succubi (or Incubi) I am fascinated by Rusalki, fox women and La Belle Dame Sans Merci, something which, from the extended descriptions, this character has a lot in common with. But there's even more fairy tale connection than that. You can already tell Lost Girl has a lot of "dark fae" in the mythology/world so we can expect lots of mythological creatures (expect sirens, wolf-people and banshees among others) but there's also Morrigan ('The" Morrigan, if I understand correctly) who is described as the leader of the Dark Fae, while Baba Yaga makes an appearance in a second season episode title Mirror, Mirror. This episode is described as not only being quite true to the fairy tale character of Baba Yaga but also has different fairy tale elements to it (eg Snow White, Hansel & Gretel) as well. If you want more details, but with spoilers, you can read this blog entry HERE.

The folklore creature aspect is going to be a lot of fun. They even have a glossary ready to go (A-Z!) with this description:

The Fae represent the reality behind many of the myths and the folklore of global cultures including Irish, Native American, African and Chinese. Read on to discover a lineup of legendary creatures you'll be meeting during Bo's adventures in the world of the Fae.

Click to read the "FaeQ" HERE. (Seriously - don't you want to give the series a chance just because of this? FAQ/FAeQ - heh.)

I have a feeling the creators were trying to tap into the vampire trend (as you may be able to tell from the Showcase promo posters - sheesh!) and catch some of those viewers and fans but it turns out they were also tapping into the current fairy tale zeitgeist (gotta love that word!) that is all the rage at present. It's likely to interest fans of Buffy, Angel & Underworld with the paranormal PI angle too.

The first two seasons have already aired in Canada, garnering excellent reviews and a solid fan base and should make a good fit for US viewers whose current post-vampire-shifting-to-reworked/darker-fairy-tales focus is still building momentum.

I'm hoping it lives up to the reviews and delivers a layered urban fantasy rich with folklore and fae that isn't cheesy. I guess we'll find out in January!

You can read more info on the series and the characters (with pictures) HERE  and the Syfy home page for Lost Girl is HERE.