Here's the trailer for the release, giving you an idea of the special features included:
Here's a list of the special features included:
Enchanted Table Read – Join the cast for the movie’s elaborately staged table read, complete with singing and dancing to live music, set pieces and more.
A Beauty of a Tale – Explore the process of transforming a beloved animated film into a new live-action classic.
The Women Behind “Beauty and the Beast” – Emma Watson introduces several of the talented women in all aspects of production who helped bring this enchanted tale to life.
Making a Moment with Celine Dion – Celine Dion shares what it’s like to sing “How Does a Moment Last Forever” – and be a part of the legacy of “Beauty and the Beast.”
From Song to Screen: Making the Musical Sequences – See what goes into making some of the best-known moments from “Beauty and the Beast.”
Extended Song: “Days in the Sun” – Learn more about Beast’s childhood in an alternate version of this beautiful song, introduced by director Bill Condon. “Beauty and the Beast”
Music Video – Award-winning artists Ariana Grande and John Legend perform a moving version of this iconic song.
Making the Music Video – Go on set to capture the magic as it happens in Ariana Grande and John Legend’s “Beauty and the Beast” music video.
Disney Song Selection – Jump directly to all your favorite songs and sing along with the movie.
Best Buy Exclusive is a Steelbook Blul-ray + DVD + Digital, with unique cover artwork
Target Exclusive Blu-ray + Digital + DVD Combo Package - includes a 'storybook version'
You know those times you wish you were closer to New York City to visit? This is one of them. Identity Theater Company (ITC) is "a group of differently abled artists devoted to exploring and challenging issue of the human condition," and is taking a look at body image, the perception of beauty, and therefore power, status and acceptability, in a different take on Sleeping Beauty.
We want to take all the children...
Press release:
Nicholas Linnehan has reworked a age-old fairy tale to suit our modern world. The character formerly known as Sleeping Beauty wakes up in a world where warts are in fashion ... and she has them. While she's en vogue, she can't wrap her brain around this drastic change, nor can anyone around her. "Sleeping Ugly," as she has renamed herself, flees her village and bumps into the Ugly Duckling, who, like Sleeping Beauty/Ugly, is the subject of bullying for his appearance. The two become fast friends.
Meanwhile, the Ogress Queen, here called Malificent, is still obsessed with being the fairest of them all. She believes that Sleeping Ugly's new fashionable warts hold the key to her problem. She strikes a deal with Sleeping Ugly to take her warts. As part of the deal the Ugly Duckling will get to become a beautiful swan. Malificent casts a spell and each character gets exactly what they want, or do they? They've all gotten what they want but will they live happily ever after? Sleeping Ugly examines the concepts of beauty and body image and social presences regarding them.
ITC strives to present works that cultivate understanding, promote tolerance, and engage its participants in meaningful discussions.
Identity Theater presents Sleeping Ugly; written and directed by Nicholas Linnehan in a special showing on Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 7 pm at 215 East 99th Street @ The Underground Theater. Tickets: $12. RSVP to identitytheater@aol.com.
While we're on the topic, we'd like to highlight another company that's encouraging people to take another look at how we consider ourselves and others. They're called The Ugly Duckling Inc and encourage healthy body image, particularly for those struggling with self-esteem and eating disorders. The company was inspired by Jennifer Morrison's character, Emma Swan, on ABC's fairy tale series Once Upon A Time.
This is an initiative inspired by Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon a Time. In February, 2013, Jennifer gave her Twitter supporters the name #TheUglyDucklings, explaining: “The idea behind The Ugly Ducklings is truly about self-identity and beauty. The story shows that sometimes life gives us challenges before we discover our true selves. The Ugly Ducklings is meant to suggest beauty, love and fullness of life in the end. It’s all about the journey”.
You can read more about Ugly Duckling IncHERE, and all the work they've done to help people become healthier in mind and body. We're not sure what the current status is though, as they have been a little quiet for the past year or so.
We have to admit, one review and a glimpse of the cover and we were sold on this book. That was quickly followed by an overwhelming number of five star reviews and even more gorgeous illustrations peeks inside, along with phrases like "the perfect folktale retelling", and then we read this:
from the darkness an animal's sudden cry - its fear, and mine
Yasuhiro dropped his armload of firewood to follow the sound across the sharp buckwheat stubble of the Landlord's field. He almost stepped on the crane, nearly invisible where it lay in the snow. A trap held one foot, but the crane looked unharmed. As Yasuhiro knelt, the bird closed its eyes and shuddered.
cold hard trap - he sets me free with warm hands
(Opening Lines from The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley)
Whoa. We're hooked.
The watercolor illustrations by artist Lin Wang, are lyrical, magical and well, stunning! Everything you want in a picture book, as far as the art goes, but there are even more wonderful layers woven into this updated retelling of the Japanese fairy tale, The Crane Wife, to bring different dimensions to the storytelling as well.
Not only is the prose the perfect storytelling tone for a classic fairy tale (and wonderful for reading aloud), but as you might have guessed from the opening excerpt above, throughout the story, haikus appear, illuminating various characters thoughts and feelings of the scene described or illustrated, as well as helping to reflect the cultural setting of the tale. It's wonderfully unique, sensitively done, and perfect for introducing children to magical retellings that incorporate beautiful and captivating storytelling, lush images and, harder to impart, snatches of poetry that express simply and succinctly the inner lives of those involved along the way.
“from the darkness / an animal’s sudden cry— / its fear, and mine …” (Click to see full size)
We already want more stories told this way!
Writer, Curtis Manley, actually used a few variations of The Crane Wife to adapt his story and added his own variation as well.
In a closing note, the author writes: "In the West, only two versions [of this story] are known well. In The Crane Wife (Tsuru Nyobo), a young man rescues a crane and then gives shelter to a mysterious young woman. They fall in love and get married, but when she begins weaving wonderful cloth, his greed and curiosity drive her away. In the version known as The Grateful Crane (Tsuru no Ongaeshi, literally “the crane’s return of a favor”), an old, childless couple gives shelter to a young woman, but again the crane leaves when her identity is discovered." He goes on to say that, in other versions, various animals take the place of the crane. The closing author’s note also includes more information on Japanese poetic forms. (SevenImpossibleThings)
“When the bird stood up, it was as tall as Yasuhiro. He stroked the soft feathers on its long neck with his fingertips, and the bird gently pressed the red top of its head against Yasuhiro’s face. …” (Click to see full size)
We found an interview at DeborahKalbBooks with the author in which he talks about what drew him to this tale in the first place, and why he adapted it the way he did:
Q: Why did you decide to adapt this Japanese folk tale, and how did you change it from the original? A: Over the years I’ve enjoyed reading many different folktales and legends from around the world, but have been especially drawn to those from the Pacific Northwest and from Japan. When I heard The Decemberists’ album The Crane Wife in 2006, I was reminded of how much I liked that specific Japanese folktale. It involves a man who rescues and sets free an injured crane; soon after that, a beautiful woman knocks on the door asking to stay. Eventually they marry. When his new wife mysteriously weaves fabric that he sells for a good price in the market, the man’s greed for more causes the woman to leave forever. My change was to have not an adult but a young boy rescue the crane, and it is a young girl who appears at the door seeking shelter. The boy’s father is the one who becomes greedy, not the boy, and so in the end the boy and girl are able to remain together. My adaptation retains all the traditional elements of the plot, but involves main characters close to the reader’s age—and it ends on a more positive note.
We admit we were skeptical at first of this 'new happier ending', since in our mind, although the Crane Wife eventually leaves, and it is sad, it's also a good example of a woman's self-emancipation, that is, freedom from being dictated to and controlled by her partner and by greed, eventually causing her harm. The shift in character ages - and responsibilities - in Manley's retelling, however, make for a version children are more likely to relate to, and from what we can tell, the boy has some choices - different choices - of his own to make, giving a different spin to the usual 'animal bride' fairy tales - one that feels appropriate for a modern audience but also fits with the traditional, pre-industrial feel of the tale. The best part? Even with the 'twist' it stays true to the story of The Crane Wife!
Another excerpt from the same interview continues below:
...When I was just beginning work on The Crane Girl, I knew I wanted to include haiku along with references to certain foods, crops, and customs. Using the haiku to reveal the thoughts of the characters then came naturally—at least, that’s how I remember it now.
“The next night someone knocked on the door. Yasuhiro opened it and found a girl standing there, pale and shivering, tears frozen on her cheeks. …” (Click to see full size)
Q: What do you think the illustrations, by Lin Wang, add to the book? A: Folktales, like epic poems and Shakespeare’s plays, retain their relevance and power even if retold in new settings. Nonetheless, setting The Crane Girl in pre-industrial Japan kept it closer to the roots of the original folktales—and the itinerant storytellers who performed them. Lin’s images bring that setting to life in the specificity of detail in the house, village, and clothing—and the in the crane’s plumage and features. But at the same time the beauty and luminosity of the illustrations also give the reader hints at the magic that underlies the story—magic that the boy and his father are mostly unaware of until the end. The cover and interior illustrations are so gorgeous that I hope no one is let down by the words and poems of my text!
To give you a better idea of how the book is laid out and the story told, we're including some reviews below:
“The polished, full-color illustrations … complement the lyrical text. Interspersed, color-coded haiku reveal the characters’ unspoken thoughts… More from this team would be a welcome addition to folk-tale collections.” Kirkus (starred review)
“Snatches of haiku add depth to this story based on traditional Japanese folktales. … Exquisite watercolor illustrations accompany the text. … This well-crafted tale offers [readers] an introduction to traditional Japanese culture and folklore…” School Library Journal
Fairy tale bonus of the day:
You can read an interview with the author, Curtis Manley HERE, about how he loves, writes and gives advice about poetry, as well as his process for writing The Crane Girl.
You can also read an interview with artist Lin Wang HERE and see a lot more of her amazing and beautiful watercolor illustrations.
Guy Ritchie, the film's director, has answered the 'other' question about Aladdin: Now that musicals are back in vogue, and music was such a big part of the animated feature, will the new live action movie have songs - and dancing - too?
“I think it’d be tough not to make (Aladdin) a musical. It’s too early, because I’ve really just immersed myself into that project. So I’m still looking for cast members, we still haven’t found exactly which direction we’re going in. I’m confident at some stage it will reveal itself to me. But right now it’s just a bit too premature.” (source)
Ritchie's response seems pretty clear, though he does mention it's early days, and it should be taken into account that film morph a lot in the development stage AND that Guy Ritchie is not a director who does the 'typical/standard thing' with his movies. (For reference, Ritchie's better known films are: "Snatch", "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", the "Sherlock Holmes" movies and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.")
With Will Smith on the official IMDB page (but a qualifying 'rumored' recently added next to his name, since no contract has yet been signed) and Ritchie's direction, the potential for a new dimension of the Aladdin story is obviously there, though it's going to be difficult to ever get past the lack of Williams as the Genie.
This will be an interesting film to follow the development of, whichever way it goes, however. Disney is keen to avoid the embarrassing white washing present in Prince of Persia but the questions is how authentic will they/can they go without getting tangled (pun intended!), especially with the songs from the original?
There was even an unsuccessful petition to pressure Disney to produce the remake based on the original story - and by original, they mean with Aladdin being Chinese, not of Middle-Eastern origin. We're thinking it's almost certain that direction isn't being considered. Instead, we think how Disney handled the relatively recent Broadway adaptation probably has some clues... BUT, it's early days...
Here's a handy Disney versus original comparison of the story of Aladdin. While it would make for fascinating viewing in today's push 'n' pull on inclusivity and equality in Hollywood, we're not sure Disney would be happy to take on all the cans of worms this potentially would contain.
Oh, and officially announced yesterday, Guy Ritchie Wants You To Audition For (the lead/title role in) Aladdin. Ritchie apparently is looking for 'new' actors (ie. not necessarily inexperienced, but unknowns, not stars) for the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine, and singing, at least, has to be part of the package. Good luck folks!
That title. We can't decide if it's ironic or tautological, nevertheless, Pinocchio - known the world over for his lies and the biggest tell on the planet - is having a revival, of sorts.
While Pinocchio has been associated with (almost) every President in the US (in fact, someone could probably create a book of Pinocchio POTUS', there have been so many images made with the telling long nose), our current era is more concerned in associating Pinocchio with fake news, specifically, fake news originating from the office of the Presidency (whether POTUS himself or his staff and entourage). With all the 'alternative facts' and 'post-truths' still constantly barraging the news and media, Pinocchio is fast becoming the poster boy for US politics (no matter which 'side' you take) and he, President of Fake News Pinocchio is cropping up more and more in writing, cartoons and contemporary works of art and film.
One of the most recent appearances is in a festival film, titled "Spite Your Face: A Dark Venetian Fairytale", by artist and filmmaker Rachel Maclean, where alt-Pinocchio is essentially displayed in a de-consecrated church in Venice, for the 57th Venice Biennale, a unique contest, "like the Eurovision song contest for art. People represent their countries."
Fittingly, the film was created in a large, portrait format -something unusual, even for art films, and the constant impression that you're looking at a portrait, reinforces the sense of Pinocchio's importance - to himself and to those watching.
We've assembled a partial synopsis by combining two sources (both cited after their extracts):
Spite Your Face, transforms the 19th century Italian tale of a wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy into a dark and disturbing satire of the era of celebrity, fake news and reality television... and Maclean plays all the characters herself, (aided by) costumes elaborate costumes and the help of prosthetic designer Kristyan Mallett, who has worked on the Harry Potter movie franchise.
The film tells the rags to riches story of an urchin called Pic. His life is transformed when he is catapulted into "The World Above", a consumer heaven where money equals power. (BBC News)
Pic (full name Pinocchio Gepetto) is a street kid in a grey, hopeless world. He makes a wish on an iPad in the Other World Offerings temple – a digital recreation of the Chiesa di Santa Caterina – and finds himself transported by the blessing of a fairy godmother / Virgin Mary figure to a golden heaven where (through the application of a perfume named Truth) he is able to become a gilded hero punting rubbish perfume (named Untruth) to the masses.
Standing atop a golden plinth, Pic rants and raves to an adoring crowd. "Smell that? This place used to smell great. Now it stinks. The facts aren't known because the media don't report them." (TheSkinny - we recommend reading their whole article)
As the face of a perfume brand called Untruth, Pic becomes a rich and famous media personality, and a political demagogue, at the expense of his ethics and happiness.
... "I was interested in how lies had played out in the Brexit campaign and the Trump campaign. Journalism exposed the lies but that didn't affect the outcome. I was interested in how democracy works. We are less rational than we like to think we are and driven by belief systems." (said Maclean - BBC News again)
Venice is a city that still exudes luxury. Things glint and glitter, look expensive, of high status, and that adds to the setting of Pic, aka, alt-Pinocchio's journey. Perhaps the fact that it was written 'in situ' helped capture that.
The Herald (Scotland) got a preview of the film, and additional comments by Maclean are so very relevant, we had to include an excerpt to give readers a better idea of why this film has caught so many people's attention:
The Herald had a preview of the film - which also features song, satire, special effects and parody - and afterwards Ms Maclean said of the disturbing assault scene: "I've been disturbed and troubled by the recent rise and confidence in misogyny, the rise in anti-feminism, and reactionary attitudes to feminism, and that coupled with a feeling that we are immune, as a culture, to violence against women in images and the exploitation of women, images of women's bodies used to sell perfume or cars, and it is so ingrained we are not shocked by it anymore. I wanted the film to feel jarring, to make it uncomfortable and difficult to watch, and didn't want it so sit at that level of immunity."
The film does not directly make reference to either Trump or Brexit, but the artist said: "I was processing a lot of the sense of how these lazy lies that were used through the Brexit campaign and the Trump campaign, and that didn't effect the result.
"I got interested in how difficult it is to penetrate a narrative that has gained political currency, and how easy it is to use lies to substantiate ideas that already have currency.
"The rags-to-riches tale is so much in our culture, you see it in things such as Britain's Got Talent...I was inspired by how compassion-less those [rags to riches] narratives are, and generate a lack of compassion for other people's suffering."
And so Pinocchio meets Cinderella - and neither look good because of it.
We became even more interested in how this film came to be, knowing it had its genesis well before Trump campaigned or before Brexit rose its head. We found that fairy tales were always a part of her exploration but things evolved quite differently when finishing writing it at the end of 2017.
...Maclean anticipated (the film) might be an extension of her earlier films and photographs exploring fantastical, fairy-tale and clichéd images of Scottish identity, The Lion and the Unicorn and I ♥ Scotland. Presciently, the latter, made in 2013, included a Donald Trump-like figure. Back then he was merely symbolic of corporate greed—a golf-club wielding, saltire-faced, frightwig-sporting ogre, enacted, like all the figures in her work, by Maclean herself.
But in early December, Maclean visited Venice and her ideas shifted: Spite Your Face (2017), her film for the Biennale, has a wider political target. “Because I went to Venice for about a week or so to write a script for it, and it was shortly after Brexit and shortly after the American election, I was quite interested in this political landscape and the rise of nationalism and the ‘alt-right’ and something that was larger than specifically Scottish nationalism,” she says.
...Does her Trump-like character reappear? “It’s more allusive,” she replies. “You can pick up on certain things or certain tropes in political characters, but I didn’t want there to be somebody who, for example, directly referenced Trump or directly referenced a recognisable political figure. I wanted the characters to feel a little bit more like an amalgam of different characters and different ideas.
And so they do. But they can't help but mirror the most obvious public examples either, and the images - both the public one of Trump and, in the film, Pic, are such strong ones, it takes a while to see the other characters woven in, characters like Cinderella, Jack and the Ugly Duckling and perhaps a Midas who has yet to learn his lesson.
The show will be on display in Venice from 13 May-26 November then will be shown at Talbot Rice Gallery at the University of Edinburgh from March 2018 and at Chapter, Cardiff from Oct 2018.
After the fan-happy musical-wedding episode this weekend, ABC's Once Upon A Time is only one episode away from the end of the season, and still no series renewal in sight. On Monday morning, fans got a bit of a blow as Jennifer Morrison, who plays the lead, Emma Swan, announced she had decided not to renew her contract with Once Upon A Time. While previous rumors indicated the cast would be whittled down by about half, if the show were to continue (including without Snow, Charming or Henry) there's a good chance Morrison's decision will have a detrimental impact on the series continuing at all.
From Jennifer Morrison's Instagram:
jenmorrisonliveAs I reached the end of my 6 year contract on ONCE UPON A TIME, I was faced with a significant decision. ABC, Eddy Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz very generously invited me to continue as a series regular. After very careful consideration, I have decided that creatively and personally, it is time for me to move on. Emma Swan is one my favorite characters that I have ever played. My 6 years on ONCE UPON A TIME has changed my life in the most beautiful ways. I am absolutely blown away by the passion and commitment of the Oncer fans. I am so honored to have been a central part of such a special show. I will be forever grateful to Adam, Eddy, and ABC for giving me the gift of playing Emma Swan. As I move on to other creative endeavors, I will continue to attend the fan conventions whenever my professional schedule allows. I always look forward meeting the fans. If ABC Network does in fact order a season 7, I have agreed to appear in one episode, and I will most certainly continue to watch ONCE UPON A TIME. The creativity of the show runners has always inspired me, and I cannot wait to see the ways that they continue to develop and reinvent the show. #Onceuponatime#EmmaSwan#UglyDucklings
The show's 'ugly duckling' ('beautiful duckling'?) Emma Swan has more than played out her story line of homeless waif looking for her home, finding her family, her destiny, losing her faith and going to the dark side (being a 'Black Swan') then becoming the Savior all over again. However, it was bringing Emma Swan to Storybrooke that got the story rolling, and while we've been introduced to many interesting folk with their own intriguing stories along the way, it's safe to say the show has revolved around Emma staying and cementing her home in Storybrooke through the entire six season to date. How to keep the interest of fans overall without her character would be quite a challenge at this point.
Once Upon a Time was once a great show that married the lighter, sweet elements of fairy tales with their darker implications — that of the boogeyman under your bed or the pervasive mommy issues that pop up throughout folklore.
But what was once an intriguing revisionist fairy tale show became glorified Disney fan fiction, where you could see Elsa from Frozen team up with Prince Charming against warlord Bo Peep, or witness Mulan falling in love with a battle-scarred Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. (Sadly, these all sound wackier and more fun on paper than they were on screen.) Anchoring this growing cast of Disney and public domain characters was Jennifer Morrison‘s Emma Swan, whose bounty-hunter-turned-Savior — and daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming — provided the catalyst for the story. Now after six seasons, Morrison announced that she won’t be returning to the show as a series regular, calling the show’s fate into question. Does this mean the (happy) end for Once Upon a Time?
While Emma isn't always the reason, or even the most common reason people return to the show (#TeamRegina), she has remained central to all the main storylines, so even a(nother) reset would have issues. The other reasons fans return and have such a passion for the show, however, aren't insignificant, so the potential for continuing remains, but it's going to take some tricky negotiations of stories, along with finding that sweet spot of Disney-nostalgia-with-a-twist, to keep viewers tuning in.
But... Wasn't the Musical a Good Thing for OUAT?
Short answer: "YES".
And how did fans like the musical episode? (And what did our Fairy Tale Newsroom think?) We know ratings were down, but that seems likely due to the Princess Diana special airing the same evening, which, we're guessing would have a decent overlap in audiences, so there's that. Fans, however, have been overall very positive through to rapturously downloading the soundtrack to play on a loop, so, after the dust settles and this show joins the nostalgia show shelf, this episode will be returned to as a highlight. (You can hear/relive some of the songs HERE.)
"But was it any good?" - we hear you asking. The thing is, musicals are hard. We get that. Musical episodes, in non-musical shows, are really hard. Unlike what most fans (and cast) expected, the show chose to create entirely new songs for the special episode which has about as many advantages and disadvantages as the cast singing favorite Disney songs would have. Tough choices! Our take was that the songs (almost all sung in flashbacks, which was a little odd to get used to) were better written than expected, but the staging and choreography suffered from not having as much fun as the lyricists did, and they really could have done with many more good callbacks to the Disney movies - or at the very least key early episodes from the series - to cement that 'like' factor. It helped that the cast were (largely) up to the task, and that it's expected to have a good dose of cheese (please!). In fact, for this show, a cheese-free musical effort would have flopped badly.
We saw some great sparks between this couple - reminding us - again, where it all began
While we're not quite ready to see OUAT on Broadway (what a thought!), Snow and Charming's opener 'Happy Beginnings' was a really good way to set the tone, in fact we have to wonder why we didn't hear more of Snow, in particular, singing throughout the series, and Charming could apparently match her quite easily as needed. It would have fit Snow's character extremely well (although we would have suggested more bluebirds, though perhaps not attacking them as she did in an earlier season like the pics below... although that would have been a perfect moment for a musical, if Snow wasn't her Mrs. Charming -self!).
In fact, the opener worked so well, it was sort of odd to see people go back to speaking after that (and we never quite understood why speaking was allowed - minor quibble). While the back and forth between flashback song-wish/curse happening in The Enchanted Forest and the present day dramatically spoken lines of Black Fairy threatening Emma and all she loved, (emphasis on the drama) was a little clunky, the concept of 'The Song In Your Heart' was a good frame for the episode, and neatly book-ended the show's main story arcs - from the very beginning - in a satisfying way too.
Always difficult to pull off a 'song battle', it's doubly difficult in a show that has had full on dragons and demons and universes cut in two. Clearly it was a tough sequence to stage (and very much worked for some fans and not at all for others) but Emma's Theme near the end was quite a (nice) surprise in the way it was handled, especially as we already knew it was Emma's actual musical theme, present since the beginning of the series, done as a proper song, and effectively pulled it all back together in time for a wedding.
And yes, we could not help but be reminded of the Buffy musical episode... (which we heartily applaud and adore by the way). Not quite as well thought through and balanced, but admirable nonetheless.
As odd and 'expectedly inconsistent' as the episode was, with different music styles and voice strength throughout, (although, we loved Rumple's fake-out!) it was still a very worthy effort, though we do feel there were a ton of missed opportunities, especially in the wedding. If there were ever a time to revisit the beginning, or to have fun with all the Disney fairy tale wedding tropes, this would have been it, but the oddly sterile and fake location put a damper on what should have been the episode's jewel. (Considering the very-possible looming 'FIN' factor it's a little arrgh!-inducing.)
Different fans around the web have had different song favorites, as expected, but overall, the show was a bold - and smart - move that worked. Its success is well-deserved, especially considering the consistent struggle with ratings this season and last, and should be held up as a 'high note' to end on.
So Now What?
Now what indeed. Next week - the final two hour, two part episode of season six - the show runners promised a wrap up of all the loose ends of the whole series and to leave no cliff hangers in case the show is not renewed. From the very quick preview, it looked like exactly that, something that might bring home that high note that this week's musical episode was a little loose on at times. Now that Emma is leaving, and things are looking more solid than they have for a while, although we will always lament the end of fairy tales being told weekly on TV, perhaps it would be a good place to accept, and sign, ~The End~.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE BELOW!
Here is the press release for the final double episode of the season, The final Battle Parts I & II:
THE BLACK FAIRY’S CURSE LANDS OUR HEROES IN FAIRY TALE LAND WITH LITTLE HOPE OF RETURNING HOME, AND EMMA IS IN THE FIGHT OF HER LIFE, ON THE SEASON FINALE OF ABC’S ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’
“The Final Battle Part 1 & 2” – Henry awakens to a cursed Storybrooke and discovers Emma has been in the mental hospital, and the Black Fairy is the new mayor. Henry attempts to help Emma regain her memory while Gold tries to find out what has really happened to Belle. Meanwhile, Snow, Charming, Regina, Zelena and Hook are trapped in a crumbling Fairy Tale Land and desperately try to figure out a way to be reunited with Emma and Henry, on season finale of “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, MAY 14 (8:00–10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network.
“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch/Zelena and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.
Guest starring are Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Raphael Sbarge as Archie/Jiminy Cricket, Beverly Elliott as Granny, Deniz Akdeniz as Aladdin, Peter Marcin as Chief, Giles Matthew as Gideon, Andrew J. West as Young Man, Alison Fernandez as Little Girl, Ingrid Torrance as Severe Nurse and Jaime Murray as Black Fairy, Karen David as Jasmine, Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark/Sneezy, Faustino Di Bauda as Walter/Sleepy, Sara Tomko as Tiger Lily and Olivia Steel Falconer as Violet.
“The Final Battle Part 1 &2” was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Part 1 was directed by Steve Pearlman, and Part 2 was directed by Ralph Hemecker.
And there's also a handy (and fun) "Once Upon a Time: 12 Things to Know After the Musical Episode" article HERE from ENews if you're wanting to know a little more of both the behind-the-scenes for the musical episode, but particularly how it sets up the two part finale.
And yes, it talks about the possibilities of both the series ending and what might happen (the contingency plans the creators have) should it be renewed, along with some potential new characters (name actors) included/teased in the final episode.
Preview for The Final Battle:
There are SO many callbacks to the first episode in that promo! Let's hope this is everything they've promised.
In anticipation of the premiere of "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings," FreeForm (part of the Disney/ABC Television Group) invites you to relive all of your favorite love stories during the network's weekend programming event starting SATURDAY, MAY 6 and continuing through SUNDAY, MAY 7. Follow along as Tiana kisses a few frogs to find her prince while Snow White patiently waits for true love's kiss, then cheer on Cinderella as she gets ready for the ball.
The highlights are:
Saturday, May 6
(8:00 - 10:00a.m. EDT) A CINDERELLA STORY: IF THE SHOE FITS (live action movie with Sofia Carson)
(10:00a.m. - 12:35p.m. EDT) THE PRINCE & ME (live action movie with Julia Stiles)
(12:35 - 2:40p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (feature animation)
(2:40 - 4:45p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 9:05a.m. EDT.
(4:45 - 6:50 p.m. EDT) DISNEY/PIXAR'S BRAVE (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 11:10 a.m. EDT.
(6:50 - 9:00 p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S TANGLED (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 3:20p.m. EDT.
(9:00 - 11:30 p.m. EDT) DISNEY'S FROZEN (feature animation) - repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 5:30p.m. EDT.
(11:30p.m. - 1:30 a.m. EDT) DISNEY'S ALADDIN (feature animation) -repeats on Sunday, May 7, at 1:15 p.m. EDT.
Getting married is one of the most special days of your life and one you will never forget. For three exceptional couples, their weddings will include some Disney magic and elegance, as well as a few surprises thrown in, to give them the wedding they always dreamed of and more. And while three couples are entering wedded bliss, one lucky couple is just about to start their wedding journey with a proposal of a lifetime. Hosted by "The Bachelor" alums Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings" will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the one-of-a-kind weddings, including a surprise performance by the multiplatinum-selling a cappella group Pentatonix and magical engagements that take place at Disney Destinations around the globe.
* All dresses pictured are from Disney Bridal
Note: we're not sure why Frozen is being featured - there's no wedding in that movie!
It's a fairytale wedding in true Disney style: magic, mayhem and many songs. (And dancing!)
This coming weekend, the whole cast of the Enchanted Forest of ABC's Once Upon A Time breaks into song for their musical episode, titled 'The Song In Your Heart'.
So how does this happen? Someone makes a wish, of course. (Or is it a curse? We'll have to wait and find out!)
In flashback, Snow and Charming make a special wish that Emma will be protected. The result of their wish has the whole kingdom bursting into song which infuriates the Evil Queen. ... (The) wish to help save their family from her. "I wish we have magic to keep them all stay happy," (Snow) wishes. (In the promo the Evil Queen can be heard lamenting) "They cast a spell so everyone breaks into song."
Meanwhile in Storybrooke, the Black Fairy announces her plans to unleash another curse on the town while Emma and Hook prepare for their wedding, on "Once Upon a Time". (aceshowbiz)
Here's the promotional trailer to get a taste of all the singing and dancing to come:
Many of the cast apparently have musical theater backgrounds and all are reported as saying they love musical theater so were keen to do an episode as a 'fairytale musical'.
It seems the idea appealed, not only to fans but to the Disney legacy this show has continued and paid homage to ever since it began. The creators clearly have a typical idea of what a fairy tale is: magic, sparkles, happy endings, villains and heroes and also, as it turns out, musicals as being a 'natural fit' with fairy tales. It's definitely a Disney-driven POV on fairy tales, but being an American production, and with Disney as ABC's parent company, that makes complete sense. Staying close to this popular idea of fairy tales, and playing with the tropes, is what keeps fans coming back - they get their 'grown-up Disney fairy tale', and a little more too. Clearly, the tactic works!
The US used to be known as 'the land of the musical', the place where you could walk down the street and not be surprised to find yourself in the middle of a spontaneous musical number, and Disney's fairy tales haven't ever been without songs, so it's inevitable OUAT would delve into this territory, though perhaps using more originality than fans might have expected.
Although at least one cast member assumed that if this day came, Once Upon a Time would recycle famous Disney tunes, that was never the plan. Instead, series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis last summer sat down with songwriters (and Once fans) Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner to hash out the grand plan, which would lead to seven original tunes being penned. “After we let the cast know [about the musical episode],” says Horowitz, “they got together with the composers, to tailor all the songs to each actor and their character specifically.” (TVline)
Right now, by employing a little 'google-fu', you can hear snippets of some of the songs and Oh My Disney released most of the Evil Queen's 'rock song' 'Love Doesn't Stand A Chance', (we'll let you track those down if you're keen) which has some nice touches, such as her observation of other inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest singing happily in their homes (and stories), and there are definitely Disney homages in the lyrics, the set-ups, some of the phrases and other places to find - always great for fans (and drinking games!).
No doubt there will be many Easter eggs and call backs to earlier OUAT moments, throughout the episode, so this is expected to be a real treat for Oncers in particular.
There will be eight songs whose titles might be considered somewhat spoiler-y, so consider yourself warned before reading the list in the blue box to the right. (Click to enlarge for reading.)
As a bonus, you can see an extended featurette in which the cast and crew talk about preparing for the episode - how it came about, how they prepared and what it was like to approach Once Upon A Time from this perspective, HERE. From all reports, the cast had a lot of fun, so chances are high this will be enjoyable to watch too.
Musicals are definitely in vogue right now, so the timing for this double whammy (wedding + musical) is perfect for the show and should very much boost its recently lagging ratings. While we don't expect it will have the wit and musical dexterity of Galavant, we're sure there will be memorable moments.
The Once Upon A Time musical episode airs on May 7th at 8/7c, on ABC.
Anyone else notice that fairy tales are being used less as a description for the ideal/unrealistic romantic adventure and happily ever after, and more as a statement in calling out the truth in a situation these days?
It's safe to say that the last year has been tumultuous on the political front. While many countries struggle with this all the time, the UK and US in particular have been floored by the turn of events of the past many months and a lot of people's world view has had to change.
May Day, and associated festivals, are all about renewal, Spring, growth, new beginnings and what seems to be a relatively new 'scarecrow festival' in Britain seems to have caught on as part of the celebrations. Scarecrows protecting the newly seeded fields, Jack in the Green - these have a long standing tradition in celebration and folklore this time of year but the specific scarecrow festival, while clearly in tune with tradition is apparently fairly new. That hasn't stopped it from becoming a much-enjoyed annual event all around the UK.
For the past couple of years fairy tales and nursery rhymes have been associated with the festival by being the theme for people to riff on with their creations. This year, the traditional tales theme in the small English village of Wray, took a turn into political commentary, using fairy tales to make their very clear points with a variety of Donald Trump effigies. (All the more interesting when a number of these scarecrows move thanks to a little animatronic magic!)
At least six contestants created versions of Trump to fit in with children's stories, including a 'Pinocchi-Trump' with an extra-long nose and a 'Humpty-Trumpty' falling off his own border wall.
...Another was Pinocchi-Trump, created by Judith Smith and her husband Ken Wilson.
This tableau was inspired by 'fake news' and combines the 'traditional tales' theme of Pinocchio with the US president. (Daily Mail)
While Humpty-Trumpty and President Pinocchio were popular notions, another scarecrow display had a Trump figureup a beanstalk, with a Mexican man at the bottom. The sign said:
"You're welcome Jack, to climb the stalk, but when your' up we need to talk. There's a guy up there who's sure to SEIZE YA, if you don't possess a VISA."
A Rumpelstiltskin effigy had the Trumpish figure 'spinning straw into something else!"
Although scarecrows and straw effigies have a long history in being associated with political figures - and protest against them - it was a little unexpected to see so many making statements on Trump in this manner, especially outside the US. On May Day this year the US had its own day of political statements, in the form of wide spread protests and marches against the immigration policies of President Trump, making this the second year there has been direct protest against his policies on this day. Both years there have been effigies too.
Members of the "Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition" displayed a giant effigy of then-candidate Donald Trump on May Day in Los Angeles last year. (NPR)
Other scarecrows focused on traditional fairy tales and legends, such as Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood, but with so many blonde-wigged effigies around it becomes difficult to see even these tales without a political spin. Is that wolf looking a little blonde, dressed in Grandma's nightie? Are Robin Hood's promises really in aid of the common people?
Interesting to see how many folks used the simple language and motifs of fairy tales, to make some contemporary, relevant and head-turning statements. Here's a quick video tour of Wray village on May Day.
