Hello New Year, Hello New Cinderella Trailer

Well, whaddayaknow? Midnight does change everything.

Happy NewYear!

Wishing you a tale-filled year
(all of which have happily ever afters)
bringing joy, wonder
and magic of the very best kind.

Pause for effect... (Or is that the champagne? Ahem.)

And now the news:

I don't know about you, but I didn't have a hope of catching the new Cinderella #midnight sneak peek that aired last night. But Disney have been kind enough to upload the new trailer today as a little New Year's gift to of all us in that predicament (#guessingmostpeople) and here it is:

*Aside: Isn't it great to be starting the year with fairy tale news that's, well, in the news? I'm going to take that as a very good sign for a fairy tale-filled year.*

Hopefully most of my readers have been better able to keep up with fairy tale news and happenings the past five months or so than I have, but for those who've had normal life get in the way (and are very behind, like me), I thought I'd add these new-ish posters for the upcoming movie as a little New Years Day bonus.

 

What do you think? They're a little too staged and self-aware for my preference but most everything else about this direct-from-animation-adaptation is looking fairly promising to me. 

As far as I can tell, public reaction is extremely positive and the overall sense is excited anticipation for this movie. And that's a good thing for fairy tale folk.

New Year?

Check.

Happy?

Check.

Let the magic continue!

Almost Midnight... And A Sneak Peek of Things To Come

A sneak peek at the "eleventh hour" of 2014...

...but not just at the upcoming live-action Cinderella. (Although I'd be remiss if I didn't post this:)

Today's last-post-of-2014 is really to let you know that the cogs of Once Upon A Blog are turning again and that, despite more than a bit of rust (here and on your Fairy Tale News Hound) that you WILL be getting daily* fairy tale news again very shortly...

Just like this, from Stitch Kingdom today:

Walt Disney Studios has announced via a teaser video (embedded below) that shortly before midnight ET on New Year’s Eve 2014, it will be sharing a brand new exclusive look at its upcoming film Cinderella (March 13, 2015), the live-action adaptation of the classic Disney animated film. The sneak peek will air during ‘Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve’ on the ABC television network.

Here's the official "Countdown to #Midnight" teaser just released:

The fairy tale continues in 2015 and Once Upon A Blog will be with you as it does. #insertwildcheering

And we will continue to bring news from many other fairy tales and fairy tale happenings around the globe, just like we always have. #missionstatement

For tonight, watch for magic and have a very

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

* Or as close to it as possible - 2014 has not been kind and we are still living with it's wake. Your support as we do our best in this is greatly appreciated!

"Glass Cages" - Lisa Stock Takes An Adventurous Look at Beauty & the Beast

"Glass Cages" by Lisa Stock
InBytheEye

Mythic filmmaker, Lisa Stock, of InByTheEye, just released a lovely new image, once again taking us on a mythic journey. (I strongly recommend seeing it large HERE, where it's far more luminous!) This one, though, isn't from the realm of the mystical and otherwordly but is far more at home in a cityscape (at least, the concept is, even if the players themselves are not..).

Although not driven to creation by the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, this easily falls into the category for contemplating that parallel, just as its inspiration, King Kong, has, since it first hit the silver screen.

Those fairy tale folk who love Beauty and the Beast will have seen King Kong discussed in the context of this fairy tale many times before, so I won't re-hash any of that. What I do want to draw your attention to, however, is how Lisa has framed her musings (literally!) on the connection between the two.

On her blog HERE, she discusses her image, the inspiration and the concept of adventure, not primarily (although it can include) the safari-type. She's talking about The Great Adventure: the grand quest of Life (to find one's own true form, true reason for being and all that means) and also of Love (in all it's forms).

From Lisa's blog:

[“King Kong” (1933)] ...opens with an Arabic proverb, “And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead.“

This is a story about one’s changing nature, and the impetus that causes it. In relation to Kong, they put that responsibility on Anne Darrow (“Twas Beauty killed the Beast”).  In relation to the other characters, it starts with the ship’s adventure, daring to go into the unknown and then having to deal with what you find.

It was beauty killed the beast: Esther Hannaford in King Kong (stage show - Australia 2013)

The lovely thing about Kong and Anne's story in relation to the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale is that there are so many different ways to look at it. Though the juxtaposition of their sizes (and their species) means a true happy ending (or any form of marriage) is not possible in this version, it does, by this distortion, bring into focus some of those issues which the fairy tale holds.*

In true mythic form, this talented filmmaker says it all in one image.

To read her whole post on creating Glass Cages, click HERE.

*Lisa's note, about dream-casting Andy Serkis, points out a missed opportunity that would have been perfect... You'll have to read what she says, to see what I mean.

Ask Baba Yaga: I'm Hiding in Whiskey, Where Has My Spine Gone?

Baba Yaga's Garden by Naomi Johanna Nowak

So the title says "whiskey" but this could be just as true a concern - and advice - for anyone indulging themselves in what they know to be an unhealthy manner, (and that includes cookie dough overdosing, shopping addiction, doormatting, Netflix bingeing, as well as any booze, sex or drug related habits), wishing they would just get it together but wondering where their will  - or their old self - has gone...

As someone who constantly struggles with finding her creative self through many mediums, with a tendency of giving everything else priority (not always bad but it's also a habit so...), I REALLY like what Baba Yaga says in reply.

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

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

Excellent. Still requires a double dose of will power but they do say often the first step is the hardest, don't they? (I guess this is the "lash it to you" bit!) 

I sincerely love the idea of myself as "brash and fiendly" though. What a powerful, liberating image!

And if I just remember those skulls lighting up the Baba's fence, that should be a good incentive for the needed follow-through...

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.

"Into The Woods": New Movie Poster, New Website & Random Thoughts on How We (& the Media) View Fairy Tales

And one more bit of Into The Woods news for Thursday:

Today also saw the launch of the official website (although there's not a whole lot there apart from the trailer, cast list and the photos you've already seen) and new promo poster variations (see above and below).

The Facebook page is finally becoming active too.

The important thing this confirms is that they're still releasing on Christmas Day in theaters in the US. I can see the Winter merchandise and decorations now... although they're mixing up with Narnia a bit in my head at the moment, which I wouldn't mind too much since so much of the first Narnia movie merchandise at the time of the release was just stunning.  I'm going to do my best to be optimistic about this.

One note does concern me though: we're a little tired of fairy tale stories backstabbing us, or the media doing their level best to "shock" the public by uncovering their dark sides via these "OMG did you know..!" lists. Adam over at Fairy Tale Fandom has a great and timely post on this very subject.

One thing my forced downtime made me do, since I couldn't handle computer screens, was to do a lot more reading. While I plan to get to the various books in more detail in the coming weeks, I have to admit my favorites were not the novels but the collections, specifically Jack Zipes' recent wonderful book, The Golden Age of Folk & Fairy Tales from The Brothers Grimm to Andrew Lang and to a lesser extent, though still great to read, Philip Pullman's Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm (with the English version and the German version side by side so I could look at Shaun Tan's sculptures while reading).

Why? Because they were just "as is" - no emphasis on the happily ever after or the magic but also no emphasis on the dark, gruesome, grimness either. They were just tales in which something out of the ordinary happened and people had to choose how to respond and what, if anything, they should do about it.

When I started getting a lot better and could watch TV again, I also spent some time showing my kid some more of Miyazaki's movies and discussing extraordinary, ordinary things (if you follow me) and it struck me just how similar the sensibilities are - which is probably why I love the movies so much. While the fantasy creatures and impossible things were notable, it was clear that many of these things could have been either frightening or wondrous, depending on the context they were seen in and particularly how the child (usually it was a child) at the center of the story saw it. We weren't told "this is beautiful" or "this is scary", we had to hold our breath and see what the kid thought.

Here is an excerpt from a wonderful set of images, illustrating Miyazaki's philosophy in storytelling. It's something I sincerely wish more filmmakers, especially regarding family films, in English speaking countries would adopt:

The excerpt above is slightly out of context so you can see the full five illustrated page summary HERE.

Anyway - these are my random musings as I watch fairy tales being presented to the public once again. I'm actually hopeful that Into The Woods will work in favor of balancing some of the glitter vs gruesome polarization we currently see when the public contemplates fairy tales.

1st Official Trailer: "Into The Woods"

Ta da! And here it is:

My first thoughts are mostly positive, especially considering my (and many others') fears. Glad to see they're continuing the trend of customizing the view of the Disney castle for the film. 

How about you?

At Long Last, the Journey "Into The Woods" Begins

Over the last couple of days we've been treated to a bunch of stills (care of People Magazine) and a sneak peek of some footage, care of Entertainment Tonight (see below, with apologies for the quality) for Disney's, much anticipated/feared live action version of the award winning musical, Into the Woods. 

It was originally set for theatrical release this Winter (December 25, 2014), but there's a chance that may be moved... TBC.

Although it would seem they're currently doing some reshoots, the marketing machine appears to have finally chugged into gear. Rumor has it that we'll be seeing a proper trailer either August 1st or August 2nd.

In the meantime, here's the ET segment (cut off). Note: the first version I saw was removed so see this ASAP in case this goes too! (, no doubt we'll get a better look very soon):

Hm. Interesting. It actually looks quite... theatrical, though there will no doubt be more effects than we have currently seen. For fans of the Broadway musical, this is still going to be a tough sell but unless it's been completely "Disney-fied" and much glitter added where we have yet to see it, there appears to be a chance of a traditional live action musical here. (Gasp!)

(We've seen the images below before but I thought I'd add them for context.)

Emily Blunt and James Cordon look great, as do many of the cast but I'm going to have to see quite a bit more before I'm completely sold on the Witch, Cinderella and especially the Wolf... (Johnny Depp in a hat. Why are we not surprised?)

What do you think so far?

PS Personal note: I am finally - mostly! - recovered from my 'broken crown', it's unlikely I will be able to blog every day for a short while yet, but I will do my best to manage to bring you news as often as I can. While it turns out it's completely true that a good whack on the head does have you seeing bright lights and stars (but no tweety birds) just like a cartoon, recovery from said stars can actually take (a very inconvenient, painful and frustrating period of) weeks and weeks (very UNlike a cartoon!). Please take care of your heads!

Of Vinegar and Brown Paper...

Broken Crown by Vu Mai (from his Sims Medieval renders)

My apologies for the lack of fairy tale news. I'm working on repairing my crown, which is taking a little longer than expected. I've been advised to take still another week for recovery but hopefully I will be back to blogging by the second week in July.

Keep an eye out for rogue uses of fairy tales while I'm away, would you?

Happy Solstice!

Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream retold by Bruce Coville & illustrated by Dennis Nolan

Summer in the North, Winter in the South.

A season's change for us all.

May it be joyous.

Disney's "Into The Woo.., er, HEAs" (Possible Spoilers, Except You Expected This)

All illustrations in this post are by Hudson Talbott for his adaptation of an Into The Woods picture book

Rapunzel Lives! The Wolf is Not a Lech! The Baker's Wife is Not Unfaithful! HAEs for Everybody!

Wait.

What was the point of "Into The Woods" again?

It's taken me a few days to figure out just want I want to say about this news but my thoughts on the matter have basically stayed the same, because, be honest: I expected it. Heck, you expected it. You (and I) really, really, REALLY hoped it wouldn't happen, but it did. The edgy musical favorite, Into the Woods, which turns the popular view of fairy tales on its head by taking a gritty look at some very real consequences of fairy tale actions (in Act II), has been Disneyfied, or in fancier terms:

(The) more subversive elements of the Brothers Grimm-themed story (have) been excised by studio chiefs. 

"You will find in the movie that Rapunzel does not get killed, and the Prince does not sleep with the [Baker's Wife]," (Sondheim) told an audience of drama teachers at Sardi's restaurant in New York, also noting that Disney had objected to the sexualisation of the relationship between Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. Added Sondheim: "Disney said, we don't want Rapunzel to die, so we replotted it. I won't tell you what happens, but we wrote a new song to cover it."

While James Lapine, (original Into The Woods writer) reportedly argued against the rewrites with Disney (but lost the battle) Stephen Sondheim (original composer/lyricist for Into the Woods) has defended the changes (from HERE):

Sondheim said teachers had a duty to explain to their students that creative licence could be undermined by social conservatism. "[You] have to explain to them that censorship is part of our puritanical ethics, and it's something that they're going to have to deal with," he said. "There has to be a point at which you don't compromise anymore, but that may mean that you won't get anyone to sell your painting or perform your musical. You have to deal with reality."

Translation: To Sondheim, it was worth the money to let Disney "Disneyfy" it. He wanted to get paid.

Ya know, I get that. We all gotta eat.

BUT.

It's INTO THE WOODS! aka the Disney-fication-antidote!

-strangle-sounds-

At least we've been warned.

Will it hurt box office? Unlikely. At least not for opening weekend.

Because, in the end, again in the spirit of being honest, the original Sondheim/Lapine team are still on this so there's still a chance it might be good, and you want to know how they dealt with it all, just as much as I do, don't you? DON'T YOU?!

Argh.

-headdesk-

Bonus Brain Stretcher for the day:
There's an interesting article from the Washington Post HERE about why Disney cannot tell grown-up stories. While there are some interesting points, and it makes a good argument for the predictable patterns in (current) Disney storytelling, I think it also makes it even clearer that society in general doesn't really understand the essence of simple timeless stories, or of fairy tales. Fairy tales in particular may be condensed, spare and even, in some ways, simplistic, but they are never "childish". And I have to agree with the author on this point (below):

There is big money in happy endings, ...and Disney can complicate its brand only so much.This is the same problem the company has in other areas, and the reason we hear so many complaints about a juvenile strain in popular media. If your brand relies on the idea that Captain America is a good, trustworthy person,you can only go so far in encouraging your audience to think critically about the implications of giving a single person the ability to do great violence. If you are in the business of selling happy endings, your customers might get less enthusiastic as they become convinced that “ever after” is not an ironclad guarantee.

Sources: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE.