Congratulations Aubrey! Your prize is being prepped for shipping as I type. A sincere thank you to London Particulars for making this giveaway possible. NOTE: Although Aubrey's name is cannily similar (ok, the same) as The Professor's, Aubrey swears she is no relation (that she knows of) to the aforementioned character - nor to his cat Happiness, though she does admit to having happiness of her own as a result of winning this contest. Aubrey's winning email entry was chosen by random.org and had nothing to do with her name. We can only put it down to 'destiny' (which may be the name of Aubrey's future cat - or not)... :)
The story of "The Elves and the Shoemaker" by the Grimm Brothers takes place around Christmas and used to be much more well known than it is now.
Here's the fairly straight retelling from Golden Books (plus an annoying cuckoo that kids seem to love), which includes at least some nods to the Christmas aspect:
I found a lovely trio of illustrations by Steve Morrison which succinctly tell the story in just three panels.You can see more of Mr. Morrison's lovely work HERE. (He's currently showing pen-and-ink style illustrations he's done of A Christmas Carol.)
Strangely, there don't seem to be a lot of similar tales across cultures but I wanted to point out that one of them "The Hand With the Knife" is now available to read online HERE. The similarity lies in the good hearted being helped by an elf but there's no thankfulness or Christmas in sight.
I also found a panel from an apparent book in progress and there's a familiar visitor to the Shoemaker's shop in this one...You can find more by artist Kasia Dudziuk (a.k.a. Kasiacreations on deviantArt) HERE. She's done illustrations for a number of other fairy tales too.
We also have The Muppets to thank for keeping fairy tales in the public consciousness. Muppet Classic Theater which is both out of print and has never been released on DVD (!) retells six fairy tales in true muppet style, "The Elves and the Shoemaker" being one of them. (The other five are: Rumpelstiltskin, King Midas & the Golden Touch, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Three Little Pigs.)
The clip below starts from the beginning of this story rather than the beginning of the overall presentation so it appears as though you're starting in the middle of something, but you're not missing anything important from the tale.
You could definitely argue that the story and traditions surrounding Santa are a modern-day folktale so I think it's appropriate to draw your attention to a new featurette (about 25 minutes) now available online from Disney.
It aired on ABC on December 8th but now you can watch it ('with limited commercial interruption') in HD online.Now: I've known about this for a while and the promo posters and artwork I saw didn't interest me at all BUT I finally saw this yesterday and found this short to be very sweet, full of heart, (lots of great and gentle humor that doesn't try to be too clever (most of the time) and doesn't veer TOO much into the 'self-referential' realm, very Christmas-sy (nodding to more Christmas traditions than you may realize we include in our Holiday celebrations) and, overall, possibly one of the best things to come out of Disney features in a decade.So take a look. It's free to view HERE (and I strongly suggest full screen so you can properly enjoy it).
I'm including a preview below, just in case ABC takes it offline (I know they're planning to air it yearly from now on, so in all likelihood it will disappear sometime soon). It doesn't quite give the sweet feeling that the actual short manages to capture but it explains the premise (not necessary to know to enjoy the short by the way). If you just watch this promo/making of and it still doesn't appeal, give the short a go anyway. I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe you will be too. :)
I mentioned I was going to focus on Christmas/Yule/Winter Solstice appropriate tales over the remainder of the Holiday season so it makes sense to start with "Nutcracker"."The Nutcracker" is possibly 'the' fairy tale most think of when it comes to Christmas time and I'm often surprised to hear of the types of people that make going to see a 'Nutcracker" ballet production a yearly tradition. People who don't normally think about fairy tales or follow ballet often grew up going with their parents so it's become something Christmas wouldn't be complete without.
Since a lot of you follow the SurLaLune blog too I won't repeat much about E.T.A. Hoffman's story, the many books which beautifully illustrate it or the traditional ballet. Instead I have two Nutcracker offerings you may not have come across before, both by ballet companies. The first is Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker and has a few twists to the story, although it remains a family-friendly ballet with a strong positive Christmas feel.Here's a summary from The Royal Sadler's Wells Ballet Company - a production that's quickly become loved and a new tradition itself:
This delicious theatrical feast has family-sized helpings of Matthew Bourne's trademark wit, pathos and magical fantasy. Nutcracker! follows Clara's bittersweet journey from a hilariously bleak Christmas Eve at Dr. Dross' Orphanage, through a shimmering, ice-skating winter wonderland to the scrumptious candy kingdom of Sweetieland.
There's a whole website especially about Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker too, with tons more information - you can see that HERE.Here's a montage/promo:
It's also available on DVD HERE.
The second is a more adult ballet, choreographed by Graeme Murphy for The Australian Ballet Company and is called "Nutcracker - the Story of Clara".Here's the summary:
This is no ordinary Nutcracker; it is a quintessentially Australian reinterpretation created by the incomparable Graeme Murphy, who was for many years the driving spirit of the Sydney Dance Company. It is a reinterpretation that celebrates the history of ballet in Australia, and of the Australian Ballet itself with its links to the great Russian ballet tradition. In this version, Clara is not a child but a frail Russian ex-ballerina, reliving her illustrious career (Edit FTNH: through feverish dreams) on a hot summer night in Melbourne (Edit FTNH: Christmas is, of course, blisteringly hot in Australia!), and looking back on her St Petersburg days with a group of her fellow expatriate dancers. In the course of this career we see child Clara on her opening night, Clara at the height of her career, and the older Clara looking back.
Here you can see the film that's projected onto the back scrim during a key sequence - "Graeme Murphy's Nutcracker is set on a sweltering Melbourne Christmas Eve in the late 1950s. Clara is not a child but a frail ex-ballerina, reliving her rich and eventful life in one night of feverish dreams. This film segment is projected over the whole set; it sets the scene for the start of the Russian revolution. The Bolsheviks are now portrayed as rats and our heroin is woven amongst this extraordinarily well shot footage of Siegei Eisenstein's Oktiabr (October: Ten Days That Shook the World), which was - incredibly! - filmed some 80 years ago..." (from the video description):
You can learn a lot more about Graeme Murphy's Nutcracker ballet and see lots more images HERE and/or get a copy of the production on DVD HERE.
Both use Tchaikovsky's score, are beautiful and are undeniably 'Nutcracker', albeit in different ways. If you love the Nutcracker ballet or dance and ballet in general I highly recommend them both.
Just a little note to say I'm running behind - way behind! - in answering email.
If you've written to me and I haven't gotten back to you yet, hang in there. I'm not ignoring you and I haven't lost your mail (I don't think!). I'm slowly getting through my inbox... but I've got a ways to go.
[Don't worry - the "Pursuit of Happiness" contest is a priority. I'll be doing the drawing for the lucky winner on the 21st as originally planned.]
Thank you for all your comments and mails. Knowing people enjoy the news, art and posts gives me extra incentive to try to post daily, no matter how busy things are.
May you find time to enjoy the season and to explore a little more of the world of fairy tales with me.
(And thank you for patience as I wade through to the top of my inbox!)
*White Rabbit by the talented H. Kyoht Luterman who does a lot of folklore based art. You can see her website HERE and see even more on in deviantArt gallery HERE.
Dreamworks has done very well with the Shrek franchise, despite general agreement that the installments following the original movie were... 'not as good'. But they're making another one - the 'last' one - and it's coming in May 2010. (Actually there will be one more if rumors are correct, but perhaps that will be confirmed only if/when the numbers from this movie come in...).
The trailer for the fourth Shrek film has just been released and it appears that Shrek is basically getting the It's A Wonderful Life treatment, with the fate of his kingdom dependent on how he manages in this alternate universe.Here's the plot summary from Empire Online:
In the fourth outing for the fairytale spoof adventure, Shrek is seemingly tired of his domesticated life with wife Fiona and the kids, and pines for a time when his mere presence could send villagers scattering.
But when he strikes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to try to regain his mojo, the beardy trickster (Edit FTNH: where's the beard?) makes his life magically hell, transporting him to a version of Far Far Away where he never existed.
There, he finds Donkey reduced to cart duty, Puss In Boots as a lazy slob and Rumpelstiltskin ruling the place....
Here's the trailer:
I'm sure we'll see more before May. The question really is, is this a good way to bring the magic back?
This is a completely random find (found HERE) and I just had to share as it's so rare to find anything to do with this fairy tale. Germany has great love and respect for the Grimm tales though so I'm not surprised this is where the stamps originate from.
These stamps have scenes from the story and tell most of it comprehensively in only six panels.
If you don't know the story you can read it HERE at SurLaLune or read my steampunk retelling by downloading a FREE PDF from HERE. You can also hear a complete recording/podcast of my story with music and sound effects. :) The links to the parts are HERE.
Here's a little treat for the season - especially with my focus for the coming week of Christmas/Yule stories. Just announced today, for a limited time over Christmas you can see a new animated short online about a very sweet little girl and a creepy toyshop. It's not specifically for Christmas but fits with the current focus on Winter (in the Northern hemisphere), children and toys. This short film is already busy winning awards all over the place.While it is kinda spooky it doesn't have any truly scary images - it's more the concept. But it's very in keeping with fairy tales - especially those by E.T.A. Hoffman (Nutcracker anyone?).Here's the announcement from Cartoon Brew:
For a limited time during the holidays, Rodrigo Blaas has made his spooky CG short Alma available for viewing online. Blaas is an animator at Pixar who took time off from the studio and returned to his native Spain to make this independent film. His brother, Alfonso Blaas, served as the film’s art director. The film’s official website is AlmaShortFilm.com.
I'm posting the teaser so you can a) have a preview and b) when the video is no longer available, people visiting the blog can still have a taste of this wonderful short.
The teaser:
The full short - for a limited time only during Christmas 2009:
Books are the obvious fairy tale gift to my way of thinking, which is why I tried to find non-book ideas these past two weeks. But I can't help recommending a few, so I saved a bunch for this last post in the series. :) Here are some different types of fairy tale books that you may not have heard of. Some are new, some are not and you can find more information by clicking on the titles below the cover images:
Availability: Released September 2007 - still available. Description: Multicultural fairy tale and folktale collection on a horse theme. An unusual collection of tales not often printed with the added bonus of horse facts scattered throughout. Scholarly yet accessible to kids. Includes a CD of the stories being read, lovely watercolor illustrations and a brief list of sources.
Availability: New August 2009 Description: Hardcover - the book is like a piece of art. Unusually shaped, comical, whimsical and the eyes close at the end via a clever little paper tab.
Availability: Out of print but still readily available. Description: At last, here is the true story of what really happened to Hansel and Gretel, in the words of Gretel herself. This book is a faithful reproduction of Gretel's original diary, complete with all of her drawings -- as well as the very first newspaper article by the Brothers Grimm. (Pop-ups, inserted notes and artifacts, interactive.)
Availability: Released May 2008 - still available Description: Seven edgy/dark retellings of fairy tales (and one legend). Beautifully written in a fairy tale style with lovely pencil drawings throughout. The twists sneak up on you and you should beware of the sexual content if you're giving it to younger teens. As a hint to the twists, the cover is actually a picture of Cinderella herself.
Availability: Released October 2008 - still available Description: YA collection of fairytale style stories. This book has been getting rave reviews and comparisons to Neil Gaiman's storytelling. The hardcover has black edged pages and illustrations by award winning artist Shaun Tan.
Availability: Not yet! Coming June 2010 (you can pre-order a surprise for someone!) Description: The story of Red Riding Hood and her younger sister after the death of their grandmother... of and some werewolves. Jackson Pearce talks a lot about fairy tales in her interviews so this is one to watch for at the very least.
Availability: New November 2009 for Kindle (hard copies available HERE)
Description: Anthology of short stories and poems for Kindle. Dark retellings of classic fairy tales by newer authors. I haven't read any excerpts but the folks involved love fairy tales. Contest for a free copy through December HERE.
Availability: New August and September 2009 for Kindle (PDFs coming) Description: Excellent collections of hard-to-find fairy tales, with new translations. By the mastermind behind the SurLaLune website. Three titles so far: "The Frog Prince and Other Frog Tales From Around the World", "The Fairy Tale Fiction of Anne Isabella Thackery Ritchie" and "Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales From Around the World".
Availability: Released October 2006 - still available Description: A fairy tale for adults - a boy mourns the death of his mother and reality and fantasy worlds start to blur together. On his journey back to the real world he meets many fairy tale characters. By turns funny, poignant, surprising. A book about hope and the power of stories. While the paper book is available the audiobook highly recommended to take you through the journey.
Availability: Not yet! Coming April 2010 (you can pre-order a surprise for someone!) Description: The newest collection of retold fairy and folktales on a shape-changer theme from the best authors and editors in the business. Gorgeous illustrations throughout by Charles Vess (I've seen a couple of previews!). The pre-order price on this one is excellent - you will still save even with shipping.
Availability: New October 2009 for Kindle (Hardcover available February 2010) Description: Part of The Myths series. From the website: Dubravka Ugrešić takes the story of Baba Yaga and weaves it into something completely fresh. The result is an extraordinary meditation on femininity, ageing, identity, secrets, storytelling and love.
Availability: New September 2009 Description: A newly illustrated version of Jane Yolen's original fairy tale about a blind emperor's daughter (originally published 1977). This is a stunning book with gorgeous specialty printing and embossed pages - which underlines the story perfectly.
Availability: Released November 2008 - still available Description: Retold fairy tales in ballet settings (with a whole lot of humor!) based on the classic tales. From the Ballet Friends series but it can definitely stand alone.
Availability: Released August 2005 - still available in paperback but I recommend hunting down a hardcover Description: Folktales (Seneca tales) retold in novel format in a wonderful storytelling fashion. The book is worth getting for the incredible papercuts alone that illustrate the stories, but the writing is beautiful as well. A good gift for scholars and older children who love tales alike.
Availability: Released March 1998 - out of print but still easy to find Description: This remains a favorite fairy tale collection of mine because it's multicultural and contains facts along the way (scattered in the sidebars of the pages) and points to similar tales across cultures. Many of the tales are not the usual version you might expect, though the familiar ones are referenced. The illustrations are unusual in that they span the pages of the book and flow from one scene of the story in to the other (see the Beauty & the Beast example above). An excellent way to be introduced to tales from other cultures and lesser known variants without losing that 'fairy tale feel' those of us who grew up with European tales love.
Availability: Released November 2005 - still available Description: Contemporary illustrations by a number of different illustrators of traditional 1001 tales - some well known, other less so. A good way to become familiar with the tales. More suitable for adults.
Today is the last day I'll be specifically posting gift ideas for Christmas/Yule/Kwanzaa/Hannukah/etc on a fairy tale theme but ideas are everywhere!
Heidi Anne Heiner, of SurLaLune, has a knack for finding the most gorgeous games and toys, not to mention is the best source of fairy tale books around so be sure to browse her blog. The link is HERE.
Also Elva Undine of Folk and Fairy (Folklore and Fairy: Clever finds for the faerie inclined) finds some of the loveliest things including things you can purchase as gifts. Her blog is HERE.
NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)
Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!
This is the last of the "12 Days" posts but you still have TWO DAYS to enter before the deadline on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.
(Check out one of the prize options in the preview above! Click for a larger view...)
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.
