Fairy Tale Fanboy
Stories (21/0)
Fairytale and Fantasy in 2022
2022 was another difficult year. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started the most brutal conflict in Europe for decades and fuelled a cost-of-living crisis in several countries previously reliant on Russian fuel. The climate crisis led to more erratic weather, including record-breaking heatwaves and blizzards. The socio-economic problems continued, with political divides generally becoming further entrenched, and strikes and protests becoming seen as an increasingly necessary response to problems that governments don’t have the ability or inclination to solve. There were also plenty of celebrity scandals – whilst some (such as Will Smith’s loss of temper at the Oscars) had an element of farce that balanced out the resulting outrage, others (such as Kanye West’s slide in Neo-Nazism and the ‘Depp Vs. Heard’ trial) were just soul-crushing. However, there were plenty of silver linings, with several populist right leaders suffering humiliation and scientists, campaigners, and other progressive reformers making a variety of breakthroughs. During the year, a variety of films, TV shows, plays and books provided much-needed escapism. During 2022, there were a wide range of fairytale and fantasy inspired works of varying degrees of quality. A common theme of the year in this subgenre was projects arriving on stage or screen after a long and difficult development process. But how many of them proved worth the wait?
By Fairy Tale Fanboyabout a year ago in Geeks
& Juliet - Review
The Jukebox Musical genre is generally not seen as a forum for creative or unusual storytelling, but & Juliet is more ambitious than most, using its millennial pop hits to provide a more unconventional twist on the story of Romeo & Juliet. Most Jukebox musicals honour a certain artist (e.g Mamma Mia) or a certain time period (e.g Rock of Ages) but & Juliet does something a little different by using songs from a single megaproducer. Max Martin is the most powerful man in millennial pop, having written and produced dozens of hits over the last 25 years, including 25 US Number Ones and 20 UK Number Ones. Martin’s success won’t stop anytime soon - Since & Juliet premiered, he has written songs for Lady Gaga, Coldplay, BTS and Lizzo and created the Weeknd megahit “Blinding Lights”. & Juliet contains 30 Max Martin hits* from 17 different artists, including The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Bon Jovi and Katy Perry. We are all familiar with the majority of these songs, but could they work in the story-driven world of theatre?
By Fairy Tale Fanboyabout a year ago in Geeks
The Little Mermaid At D23 – The Promotional Campaign Begins
The Little Mermaid First Look – Analysis The D23 Expo took place last month, allowing Disney fans to enjoy a variety of Disney-themed treats. During a presentation highlighting Disney Studio’s live-action and animated output for the next two years, visitors got an official preview of the long-awaited live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Leading lady Halle Bailey and director Rob Marshall appeared on stage to say a few words about the remake, and D23 visitors got to see an exclusive look at Bailey’s rendition of Ariel’s iconic “I Want” song “Part of Your World”. After the presentation was complete, Disney released a 100 second teaser for the movie to officially kickstart the promotional campaign. The teaser consisted of a handful of undersea shots, the original movie’s reliably powerful signature “Ariel’s voice” leitmotif, and a close-up of Bailey singing the closing lines of “Part of Your World”. This quickly went viral on social media and became one of the main talking points of the D23 weekend.
By Fairy Tale Fanboy2 years ago in Geeks
Mermaid Magic - Previewing The Little Mermaid At D23
The D23 Expo is about to begin, providing Disney fans with a preview of their 2023 blockbusters. One of the most prominent Disney blockbusters being released next year is a live-action adaptation of their 1989 classic The Little Mermaid, which started Disney’s “Renaissance” period of the 1990s. The idea of a live-action take on The Little Mermaid was first announced in Summer 2016, after Beauty and the Beast had finished filming, but before the likes of Aladdin and The Lion King went into production.* After a few years stuck in development, the project truly captured mainstream attention when R&B Rising Star Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in July 2019, creating a “culture war” over the decision to cast an African-American performer as a traditionally white Disney Princess. (More positively, it led to commentators highlighting the history of African and Caribbean mermaids, providing Mermaid enthusiasts with even more fascinating stories). Over the second half of 2019, the rest of the cast was announced, with British actor Jonah Hauer-King playing Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton and Melissa McCartney getting to explore her mean side as the scheming Sea Witch Ursula. Hamilton star Daveed Diggs will voice Ariel’s iconic crab sidekick Sebastian, with Ariel’s other animal friends being voiced by performers who also had leading roles in recent Disney Animated hits - Jacob Tremblay (Luca) was cast as Flounder and Awkwafina (Raya and the Last Dragon) signed on to voice a reworked version of the eccentric Scuttle. With most of Disney’s live-action remakes breaking box-office records, The Little Mermaid looked set to bring even more money for the company.
By Fairy Tale Fanboy2 years ago in Geeks
Six Crimson Cranes - Review
Six Crimson Cranes is Elizabeth Lim’s adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story The Six Swans, although it also contains elements from East Asian folklore and Japanese fairytales. Elizabeth Lim came to prominence with Rumpelstiltskin reimagining Spin the Dawn and its sequel Unravel the Dusk. She also wrote 'Reflection' and 'So This Is Love', two of the best books in Disney’s A Twisted Tale series of “What If?” novels.
By Fairy Tale Fanboy2 years ago in Geeks
How Backwards are the Seven Dwarves? The Snow White Dwarfism Row.
Disney’s frequently criticised but highly profitable factory of live-action remakes is still going strong, and the next live-action remake to enter production will be a new take on their 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. West Side Story breakout star Rachel Zegler will play the title role, with Gal Gadot getting to vamp it up as the Evil Queen. The traditional story is also receiving some substantial changes, as Broadway star Andrew Burnap will play a new male protagonist – a Robin Hood/Flynn Rider style rouge called Johnathan. In addition, the film will be feature new songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the duo behind the iconic music featured in La La Land and The Greatest Showman. After 5 ½ years in development hell, Snow White will finally begin production the middle of the year. However, before the cameras start rolling, Disney have to deal with one problem that is already giving them a real headache – In an age where increasing attention is being paid to the struggles of minority groups, is the traditional portrayal of the Seven Dwarves too un-PC for today’s sensibilities? The issue came out into the open after a complaint from America’s most famous and respected Dwarf celebrity, the actor Peter Dinklage. In an interview with Marc Maron on the WTF podcast, the Game of Thrones icon claimed that the story was “F-ing backwards” and argued that it was hypocritical that a company boasting about casting Latina actress Rachel Zegler as its lead character would preserve an inherently problematic take on dwarfism. In response, Disney issued a fairly generic corporate statement promising a more progressive depiction of Snow White’s companions. They stated they have been “taking a different approach with these seven characters” and claimed they held meetings with “members of the dwarfism community”. We still have no idea what changes have been made due to these routine discussions. An online article shortly afterward Disney’s statement suggested that the dwarves will be replaced by a new collection of unspecified fantasy creatures. On the other hand, the dwarf actor Martin Klebba (who was in the 2012 non-Disney Snow White retelling Mirror Mirror) has been rumoured to take over the role of the sceptical dwarf Grumpy. We still have to wait a few months for the start of filming, which will give us more time and the information necessary to make a clearer judgement over Disney’s approach towards dwarfism in their Snow White reimagining. Unsurprisingly, Dinklage’s complaints have created strong divides in the dwarfism community - several commentators in the dwarfism community have supported him, whilst others (including a few dwarf celebrities such as WWE star Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl) have accused him of trying to “cancel” the story of Snow White. As trivial as the argument over Dinklage’s comments may seem in comparison to other issues, it shined a valuable spotlight on the way Dwarfism is portrayed in the media, and the effect it has in the real world. Why do people believe that an escapist fantasy like Snow White perpetuates negative stereotypes about people with the condition, how can this be mended?
By Fairy Tale Fanboy2 years ago in Geeks
Fairytales and Fantasy in 2021
In many ways, 2021 was a frustrating year. Though vaccines and carefully applied restrictions reduced the fatalities caused by COVID 19, case numbers remained high throughout the year, with new variants causing several unpleasant spikes that led to considerable panic. Politics remained polarised - with the far-right populists who have dominated in recent years refusing to yield - and the “culture wars” over a variety of difficult and sensitive topics became uglier than ever. Freak weather events across the globe highlighted the extent of the Climate Crisis, and heavily hyped technological developments such as Space Voyages and Online NFT Auctions came to seen as wasteful extravagances out of tune with current concerns. However, there were several positives, particularly in the worlds of culture and entertainment. Fairytale adaptations (and other fairytale-inspired projects) had a very eventful 2021, with several releases gaining mainstream attention. There were both impressive highlights and frustrating lows, but after the COVID-induced relative inertia of 2020, this rollercoaster journey was certainly worth taking. For fairytale fans, these were the defining events of 2021:
By Fairy Tale Fanboy2 years ago in Geeks
Prince Particular
(Note: This fairytale is my attempt at showing support for the Neurodivergent community, and providing them with a fairytale retelling of their own. Modern terms like "Autistic" and "Autistic Spectrum" are not used here, but people familar with these conditions should be able to recognise and relate to the personality traits depicted in this story.)
By Fairy Tale Fanboy2 years ago in Fiction
Poisoned - Review
In 2019, Jennifer Donnelly, author of the acclaimed 2003 YA novel A Northern Light (known as A Gathering Light in some territories), found renewed success with Stepsister. The story of “wicked” stepsister Isabelle and her journey from hated bully to heroic warrior, it represented a gritty but rousing spin on the fairytale genre. Donnelly has followed this up with Poisoned, which applies a similar revisionist approach to the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Since it was published late last year, Endeavour Productions have purchased the rights to make a movie adaptation.* But does Posioned confirm Jennifer Donnelly’s newfound status as a major star in the competitive subgenre of YA fairytales?
By Fairy Tale Fanboy2 years ago in Geeks
West End Live 2021 – A Retrospective
Since it was established in 2005, West End Live has become one of the defining highlights of the London theatrical calendar. Every June, hundreds of performers gather in Trafalgar Square to provide audiences with an insight into the energy and diversity of London theatre. Over the course of a single weekend, we get open-air performances from the casts of several West End Musicals, and they are joined by touring productions, dance shows, concerts, and even a couple of magic acts. In 2019, the event was attended by around 500,000 people, who watched 50 performances involving a total of approximately 700 performers. Like almost all in-person theatre events in 2020, West End Live was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, with a handful of major blockbusters providing smaller online concerts instead. This year, the success of the vaccination programme and the reopening of London’s theatres meant that it became possible to revive the event at full capacity. A full West End Live weekend took place last month (17th and 18th of September), featuring a total of 47 performances across the two days. Vaccine certifications were required to attend – an upgrade on the West End’ frustratingly lax safety protocols. West End Live 2021 represented an effective way of demonstrating that theatre has begun to regain its status as a cornerstone of London culture.
By Fairy Tale Fanboy3 years ago in Geeks
- Top Story - August 2021
Disney A Twisted Tale Series Retrospective - Part OneTop Story - August 2021
A couple of weeks ago, Disney+ premiered the new Marvel animated series What If?, an anthology which provides a set of “What if?” stories changing established parts of the Marvel mythos. What if Captain America’s British girlfriend got the Super-serum instead? What if the Avengers were killed off by a mysterious force before they could get together? This sort of reimagining plays very well with fans, as it allows them to take familiar characters and see how they are shaped by new and intriguing scenarios. In 2015, Disney created the A Twisted Tale series, which applies this AU formula to the Disney Animated Canon. Each A Twisted Tale book is based on a Disney Animated Classic, with these stories changing elements at the beginning or end of the original story to create hundreds of pages of complications for our heroines and heroes to overcome. The A Twisted Tale series currently consists of eleven books - Six have been written by Liz Braswell, three by Jenn Calonita, and two by Elizabeth Lim. The eleven books adapt Disney Animation hits old and new (from Snow White to Frozen) with tones ranging from psychological horror to romantic fantasy, from epic quest narratives to dystopian actioners. However, all of them maintain a more serious and mature approach, with a greater sense of danger and threat. There are plenty of updates for contemporary sensibilities, such as more developed romantic relationships and several new female characters to even out the gender gap. Despite this, a lot of Disney’s upbeat fantasy charm remains intact, and fans will really enjoy seeing their favourite leads earn their happy endings.
By Fairy Tale Fanboy3 years ago in Geeks