For the last few years, the BBC has been airing modernized movie-length retellings of classic literature. First was Canterbury Tales in 2003 which hasn't been released stateside. That was followed by Shakespeare ReTold (US link and UK link) which also aired on BBC America.
Most recently, the series offered Fairy Tales in 2008 which included movie treatments of Cinderella, Rapunzel, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Emperor's New Clothes. For some reason, the DVD set for Fairy Tales [2008] has never been released in the states, but it is available at over well over 50% (63% off at the time of this writing) from Amazon.co.uk right now. Actually, all three series are listed at deep discounts for a short time if any of the above interest you. Just follow the links provided.
I haven't seen these movies but have been eager to see them for well over a year since they were first announced. The DVDs from AmazonUK are Region 2 but if you have a region free player, they should play without a problem.
Here's a link to the original press releases about The Series, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Billy Goat.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Fairy Tales Retold from BBC on DVD
Fairy Tales and SarahPhotoGirl
What do you get when you inspire a rock photographer with fairy tales? Some fun, kitcshy and clever images to enjoy, of course. SarahPhotoGirl has a new exhibit featuring fairy tale imagery (some old and some new fairy tales) displayed at Castle Howard in York in Once Upon A Time...with Yorkshire Coast College. The display supplements another exhibit at the castle, Sing A Song Of Sixpence: Children’s Picture Books.
The photos have been inspired by some of her other recent work, two of which are my favorites of what I've seen of hers: Down the Rabbit Hole and Painting Tulips. The latter was inspired by Pushing Daisies, my most lamented casualty of network television cancellations and my favorite show in years along with Big Bang Theory. Yes, years. Alas... 
Anyway, to encourage you to explore Sarah's work, I won't post the Down the Rabbit Hole. Go find it on her Flickr site or professional website. You can read more about her work on her blog. You can also read more about the exhibit at Sarah continues fairytale career, an article on the Scarborough Evening News site.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Video Games: Fairytale Fights
Oh me, oh my. Fairytale Fights is a new video game to be released for multiple platforms on November 10, 2009 just in time for the holiday season. The game was announced at E3 and is now available for preorder through Amazon and other sites. (Here are links to various platforms if you're interested: PS3, XBox 360, Windows.)
Here's the official game description from PlayLogic:
Explore the darker side of your favorite fairytale characters in this Hack'N'Slash gore-fest platform adventure! Fairytale Fights is a truly twisted hack'n'slash platform adventure where players assume the role of a much-loved fairytale character (Little Red Riding Hood, Jack & The Beanstalk, The Naked King or Snow White), whose glory days have long since passed. While embarking on a seemingly innocent journey to save a colorful fantasy world from certain disaster, players traverse a series of colourful and enthralling levels filled to the brim with action-packed combat and fairytale-style storylines. Luckily, many different weapons lay strewn throughout the fairytale kingdom, which players can use to slice and dice their way through swathes of cute fluffy bunnies and imposing enemies.
I'm guessing the Naked King is the Emperor from Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes. If so, this is the first time I know of him being used in a video game of this nature. I'm rather fascinated by the concept, I admit. I would have imagined another character instead, perhaps Puss in Boots or even Hansel or the Frog King.
If you want to read more about the game play--I'm not a big game player so I'm only half literate in that language--visit Playstation Life's review at: Fairytale Fights: Putting a Demonic Twist on Your Childhood. The characters are funny although only the girls have been released so far.
I'm curious to see how this game sells and is received. I'm not going to debate the violence discussion that may arise. Fairy tales are quite bloody and to me make a rather obvious choice for video game violence, if one is into that kind of stuff. More than anything I am amused and bemused by the game. Of course, this violence is quite different, but I'm interested to see what the game play is like.
In the News: Modernising Fairy Tales
Ending today, Shine Week is a national festival celebrating the talents of young adults in the UK. I discovered an article with a slightly different twist on the usual plays and mock trials about justice that borrow from fairy tales for storylines. Here's a quote from the article which explains this twist better than I can.
Students in Year 10 have been adapting traditional fairytales into a modern play showing the real consequences of crime.
The pupils have taken the likes of Little Red Riding Hood to show what trouble can happen to granny and Cinderella to show what happens if a tagged criminal does not meet a curfew.
It is the third year the school has used drama to show real issues related to crime and antisocial behaviour.
You can read the entire article here: Gateacre school modernises fairytales for Shine Week.
I'd never even likened Cinderella's midnight deadline to meeting a curfew. Not sure how I missed that obvious possibility with the story. I think it's a great concept and only wish I could see the play myself.
I love the way fairy tales are used over and over again to teach so many different concepts and ideas. From math to law to history, the possibilities seem to be endless.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Bargain Fairy Tale Books
SurLaLune has two exclusive coupon codes for Bookcloseouts.com that expire on August 5. Bookcloseouts sells remaindered and overstock books at great prices. It's like shopping in the bargain section at Barnes and Noble but with a much bigger selection. For example, if you search for "fairy tales," over 200unique titles are listed.
I have been shopping at Bookcloseouts.com for almost as long as I've been shopping at Amazon.com. I encourage buying new books because authors receive royalties from the sales and the sales encourage publishers to publish more titles. 
Sometimes, however, I have found out-of-print titles at Bookcloseouts.com as well as some great deals on books I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. Bargain books also give you the opportunity to try new authors and books you might not read otherwise due to budget constraints. It's also a great way to pick up extra copies for gifts. I often buy picture books and easy readers for the children in my life so that they have a few extra reading options in their own homes. Just be sure if you fall in love with an author to pick up his or her next title to support them. They need us to buy their books so future ones can be published.
All of the book images in this post link to great books available on the site. I'm only listing those with a higher inventory so be sure to do a search on your own to find great books with less than ten copies remaining.
Code: SurLaLune-5
Password: bookcloseouts.com
Details: $5 off purchase of $35 or more
Expires: Aug 05, 2009
Code: SurLaLune-10
Password: bookcloseouts.com
Details: $10 off purchase of $65 or more
Expires: Aug 05, 2009
If you visit Bookcloseouts.com through a SurLaLune link, SurLaLune also gets a small percentage of your purchase which goes towards supporting the site. The site doesn't get any credit for the coupon codes, those were just gifts from Bookcloseouts for being a longtime affiliate of their store.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fairy Tales Charm Bracelet
In a previous post about Little Red Riding Hood jewelry, I mentioned my fairy tale charm bracelet. I pulled it out to wear it recently, something I haven't done in a few years. It was a favorite piece of jewelry when I was regularly presenting storytimes and working with children as a librarian. I added to it over a year or so when SurLaLune was young, often buying a charm to commemorate the addition of another tale to the site or receiving one as a gift.
The bracelet also makes a fun storytelling device, letting a child choose a charm and then telling her the story that goes with it. Of course, several of the charms represent more than one story, but that only makes it more fun.
While my bracelet is overfull and will not be added to--believe me I know it looks like a jumbled mess in the picture above--I went searching on Amazon for more charms to see what was now available. I consequently made a list at Make Your Own Fairy Tale Charm Bracelet.
Some of the charms on the list are the ones I chose ten years ago and appear on my own bracelet while others are different. I'm sure other sites have other options, perhaps better ones, but Amazon had a variety and the list making ability. So gawk or be inspired or do both. I didn't find the Fairy Godmother holding a wand to a pumpkin or the Three Bears charms that thrilled me when I found them years ago. But the cat in the boot and others are similar to mine.
If you want play 'find the object', here's a list of the charms on the bracelet. You can also play guess the fairy tale(s) they represent for most represent at least two if not more.
My charms:
1. Book
2. Moon with star
3. Bear
4. Treasure chest
5. Deer
6. Dance Slippers
7. Spinning Wheel
8. Tower (really a lighthouse)
9. Swan
10. Horse head
11. Cat in a boot
12. Key
13. Sword
14. Shoe
15. Fairy Godmother with wand and pumpkin
16. Carriage
17. Crown
18. Three Bears
19. Donkey
20. Cottage/House
21. Pig
22. Wolf
23. Basket
24. Goat
25. Gingerbread Man
26. Candy Cane
27. Frog
28. Apple
Charms I wish I had room for or never found: Rose, Harp, Goose, Sun with Moon, Mortar and Pestle, Firebird, Needle and Thread, Unicorn, Dwarf, and so many more!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Fairy Tale Festival in Nashua
The 2009 SummerFun Fairy Tale Festival has been scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2009 form Noon-3:00pm at Greeley Park. This year’s theme is Superheroes. Mayor Lozeua will kick things off with a Welcome Address and a fairy tale reading to all children in attendance.
All afternoon long there will be on-stage entertainment including musical treats from Enchanted, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan Pocahontas, Hercules, Beauty & The Beast & Lion King.
Other events include bounce houses, caricaturist, face painting, fairy art school, food and plenty of games. The festival concludes with a Childrens Parade at 2:45pm.
Fairy Tale Festival is free to the public, as is the vast majority of SummerFun Events. At our major events this year, Opening Day, Fairy Tale Festival and Childrens Day, we will be accepting donated food items which will be given to local food pantries.
What a charming idea! I hope all who attend have a great time and learn to love reading and fairy tales even more. There are many fairy tale related activities all around the country this summer from festivals to theatre to art. All this and no summer family movie blockbuster using a fairy tale in sight until winter...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Evacuation Plan by the Gingerbread Man
Here's a Monday morning, after the holiday, funny I discovered over the weekend on Failblog. The line is slightly different from the source material--no "and" was needed--but the source material is obviously The Gingerbread Man. It's really bad advice for an evacuation plan, of course, but entertaining all the same. Come to think of it, it didn't work for The Gingerbread Man either, so consider it a cautionary tale when planning an escape.
