Felicia Day to be Sy Fy's "Red"

Little Red Riding Hood
by DaakSM

Felicia Day is no stranger to werewolves, thanks to her "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" history (she played potential-slayer, Vi, in the final season) and in Sy Fy's fairy tale remake "Red", she gets to play a werewolf hunting descendant of our famous Little Red Riding Hood.

From The Wrap:

Day, a Twitter powerhouse more recently known for her web video series "The Guild," (has signed on for) the Syfy project, dubbed simply, "Red." The movie is set to bow in 2011 and is part of the network's new series of fairy tale reboots, announced last month.

From the Syfy release:

In the action-packed Red, Red (Day) brings her fiancé home, where he meets the family and learns about their business – hunting werewolves. He’s skeptical until bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him. Red also stars Kavan Smith (Stargate Atlantis) and Stephen McHattie (Watchmen). Red is produced by Angela Mancuso and Vesuvius Productions in association with Chesler Perlmutter Productions.

Felicia Day from her very funny music video from her web series The Guild,
titled "Do You Want To Date My Avatar?"

If you missed "Beauty & the Beast: A Dark Tale" last weekend, it's typical Sy Fy - things tend toward the bloody and gory. The difference is that the (very) happy ending. Certainly not in everyone's taste and "Red" should provide even more opportunity for random arterial spray BUT it does show you what people are aiming for in their entertainment right now: gritty monster fighting (a great metaphor for the difficulties many are facing right now) and Hope (ie. a happy ending). No matter what the interpretation is like, it's a wonderful thing to see people, including adults (these movies are NOT for kids), turning to fairy tales.

Reminder: Syfy Airing New "Beauty and the Beast" Tommorrow Night

Syfy begins airing their new movie-of-the-week franchise of updated fairy tales tomorrow, beginning with Beauty & the Beast. According to this synopsis/review HERE you may want to steer the kids clear of this one.

Fingers crossed for a fun movie and good viewing response so they'll re-make more fairy tales.

Beauty vs Beast? (Article)

Beauty & the Beast

by George Barr

I didn't post half of what I wanted to yesterday for Valentine's Day so please forgive me if I continue with this love and romance in fairy tales theme for a couple more days yet.

WARNING: CONTROVERSY AHEAD!

I've gone back and forth on whether to post the link to this but fairy tales don't shy away from dark and difficult issues so here goes:

I found this post, originally by Rod Van Mechelen quite a few years ago, at a site labeled "What Every Man Should Know About Feminist Issues". (You read the warning above, right?) It discusses the problems one man has in using "Beauty and the Beast" as an allegory for a successful marriage/relationship.

The article/post appears to have been written in response to a book called "Why Women Shouldn't Marry", which should tip you off to the strong feelings/opinions discussed. (In other words, it's one guy's complaint at feminist expectations (and treatments) of potential male partners. And no, I have not read that book.)

Please note: I do not agree with the points the writer of the article is trying to make, though I do not mean any disrespect. I actually think there's rather a lot wrong with the whole thing BUT at the same time I can understand some of the concerns the article writer has, as extreme as they are. The reason I'm posting a link here is because this is - apparently - how some people think, and it's a good example of the sorts of problems people have with using fairy tales as templates for relationships. (And yes, usually people of this mind have not read the originals or read fairy tales in general at all but are responding to the pop-cultural impression of the tropes.) It also is a different example of how fairy tales can be interpreted and how, even from a negative point of view, they can touch on deep issues.

Beauty and the beast
by Johanna Ost

Needless to say (but I will anyway) the post is written rather defensively in its presentation of worrying-yet-interesting ideas. If for nothing else, here's a great example of how some disillusioned or negative characters might think, which can be very useful for writers of fairy tale retellings.

Here's an excerpt:

The essence of the myth of the marriage relationship, as it is endlessly replayed in the timeless allegory Beauty and the Beast, is that marriage transforms the "Beast" into a man, and thereby empowers the "Beauty." But today's reality is that women are helping to transform most men into sex starved "Beasts" by eroticising themselves as evanescent "Beauties," and then promoting their sex as a scarce commodity by making men beg and pay for it.

Every woman who "plays hard to get" or lets men make all the first moves, plays a part in this.

Told you it may read as controversial! ;)

You can read the whole post HERE.

One final note: if you wish to leave a comment on the article (or this post) I welcome all points of view - I just ask that you please be respectful in choosing your words and be aware that issues like these can be emotional (and sometimes confusing) for people in their personal situations.

Fairy Tale News Catch-Up - Mid February '10

There have been a few stories crop up I simply haven't had time to write posts for so, rather have you miss out, I'm doing a quick headliner post to catch you up and will link you to all the fairy tale goodness.

Just click on the headline to be taken to the story.

A straw-bale café and three little pigs?"Give me that straw to build me a house" by Leslie Brook

Energy efficient straw construction planned for Sutton in the UK, along with a permit for three little pigs to visit during the opening to continue the fairy tale theme.

Disney World expanding to add new fairy tale attractions & story interactions

Concepts for Gaston's Tavern

Guests will experience new rides including, an indoor Little Mermaid Attraction, and an expansion of Dumbo's Flying Circus. Fantasyland will also be more interactive. Guests will be able to train to be a knight, dine with princesses or have dinner in Gaston's Tavern from Beauty and The Beast. "Not only will it immerse guests into story lines of their favorite princesses, but it's actually going to make guests part of the stories," said Walt Disney Imagineer Diego Parris.

(More additions detailed in the article. Video promo included from announcement at the link. Older concept pics for the new additions at this link HERE.)

Nightmare reality for real life 'Sleeping Beauty' Louisa BallLouisa Ball suffers from sleeping illness

Fifteen year old girl (& family) come forward to highlight her contraction of rare illness Kleine-Levin Syndrome, also known as 'Sleeping Beauty Syndrome' (sort of an extreme version of narcolepsy). Seen mostly in teens, it is hoped she will be 'cured' (outgrow it?) in 10-12 years. Additional coverage HERE.

New "haunting erotic fairy tale" Sleeping Beauty film in the worksSleeping Beauty illustration by Gustav A. Tenggren

Actress Emily Browning to play a narcoleptic prostitute that caters to those with a 'certain fetish'. (I kid you not.) This won't be a kiddie film (obviously!) but it's not supposed to be an 'adult' film either. I wonder if the girl's name will be Talia?


Original draft images of Beauty & the Beast by Walter Crane going up for auction

2 Beauty & the Beast images by Walter Crane up for auction

The pictures, which illustrate the most famous scenes from the French love story, are estimated to make £200-£300 when they go up for auction on February 20.

Hansel & Gretel online flash game featured as 'game of the day' in LA TimesTitle graphic from Hansel & Gretel flash game-of-the-day

The aim is to collect all the stones. Interesting graphics that aren't at all cutesy. There's also a 'how to play' on YouTube HERE.

Tech-ed students building witch's house from Hansel & Gretel in Bookworm GardensScreen capture from Bookworm Gardens website

Bookworm Gardens, (is) a 2-acre fantasy garden based on children's literature located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan. The gardens mix paths, shrubs, trees and environmentally friendly structures with a series of about 10 reading-themed areas based on 74 different children's books, including "Charlotte's Web," the classic story about a talented pig and spider.

... The centerpiece of Bookworm Gardens is the Hansel & Gretel Administration Building, an A-frame cottage-style structure with a curvy roofline to resemble the famous house of the classic children's tale. It will include a classroom, offices, gift shop, restrooms and a small kitchen.

Other buildings include the barn from Charlotte's Web and "Little House in the Big Woods". The gardens are due to open in October later this year.

********

There are a few more stories (there's always more fairy tale news than I can cover!) but I hope to cover a couple more fun ones in the next few days. :)

Syfy Fairy Tale Line-Up - Update

I just read this news in a blog and haven't been able to substantiate it with other reliable sources but here's the list of tales to be adapted (including the ones I announced a couple of days ago):

• Beauty and the Beast
• Red Riding Hood
• Hansel & Gretel
• The Voyage of Sinbad
• Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
• Enchanted Forest (this is likely to be either a Babes In the Wood adaptation or use multiple tales as sources)

Shot with Emily Blunt from the remake of "The Wolfman" due for release in 2010

Here's an excerpt from Get Addicted: TV News explaining the premises:

o "Beauty & the Beast" — In this gritty celebration of Valentine’s Day, a young Beauty with a gift for healing helps a deformed Prince regain his throne and defeat the ruthless nobleman who wants to be king — and then together they try to destroy a power-hungry witch.
o "Red" — A young woman who is a descendant of the real Little Red Riding Hood brings her fiancé home, where he meets the family and learns about their business – hunting werewolves. He’s skeptical until bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him.

o "Hansel" — Twenty years after his encounter with the witch, a grown-up Hansel returns to the haunted forest, seeking revenge. But there’s a surprise waiting – his sister Gretel (who he thought had been killed) is the witch’s protégée.
 (Edit by FTNH: Doesn't this sound similar to the Hansel & Gretel-as-witch-hunters movie currently in production? I like the twist with Gretel though.)

Origami unicorns from an ad for the re-branded Syfy Channel

o "8TH Voyage of Sinbad" — Sinbad searches for the golden head of the long lost Colossus of Rhodes and, instead, discovers an island where the mythical Minotaur still rules, protecting a vast treasure. Sinbad and his crew have to battle the creature and its minions to get the treasure and save their own lives.

o "Aladdin" (working title) — After accidentally releasing an evil genie from an ancient lamp, Aladdin must find a way to imprison the genie again before it wreaks havoc on the world.
o "Black Forest" — A group of naïve tourists take a sightseeing tour into a supposed enchanted forest, where they encounter evil creatures from the world of fantasy. Trapped in the Black Forest, their only hope of survival is fighting their way out.

Sounds like we have some interesting viewing coming our way! All this follows (and is propelled by) the success of "Tin Man" and the recently aired "Alice". The good news about this is that Syfy strongly believe (backed up by ratings and other statistics) that the general cable-viewing public enjoy fairy tale adaptations. Let's hope this series of movies proves the point and that we'll see even more fairy tales given the movie-of-the-week treatment in the future.

Syfy Adapting Fairy Tales for Movie-of-the-Week Franchise

"fairy tales"
by Vincent Grey

Before I get to the news I wanted to encourage you to take a look at the full size version of this illustration, which I thought fit the theme of 'sci-fi-ed' fairy tales (click on image for full size). It references many tales and the more you look, the more you see. This is, of course, one example of how fairy tales can represent different things different people - something which I always find very interesting.
Which ones can you identify?

You know by now that there are many fairy tale adaptations in the works in the movie industry this year, some of which we will actually see in 2010 but it seems Cable TV is getting on board too.

Syfy is currently working on a new made-for-TV movie franchise with a Saturday night time slot and it's starting this month.

First up is Beauty & the Beast, airing on February 27th.

Here's the details from The Hollywood Reporter & Dread Central:

Syfy is reinventing fairy tales and pop culture characters as part of its Saturday night TV movie franchise.

The network is airing five titles that give a contemporary twist on a classic story, from Hansel & Gretel (years after escaping the witch in the haunted forest, Hansel returns seeking revenge) to Little Red Riding Hood (a descendant of Little Red discovers her family secretly hunts werewolves).

Piper
by Avijit/Avi Das

(Please note: There is no mention of The Pied Piper being adapted by Syfy at this time)

"It's exciting to take a treasured brand and put our own sideways spin on it," said Thomas Vitale, executive vp programming and original movies at Syfy. "By turning familiar timeless stories inside out, we're creating an entertaining new genre for our popular Saturday night movie franchise."

You can find a little more info HERE.

A 'fairy tale movie of the week'? Nice. As a bonus, it looks like there's a good chance these will make it to DVD eventually as well. Very nice.

I knew 2010 was going to be a good year for fairy tales!

Note: The illustration at the head is by German concept artist Vincent Grey. You can see his gallery HERE. The other illustration is by Avi Das. You can see his portfolio HERE. If you're interested in how he came to illustrate The Piper in this manner, you can see his inspiration & thought process HERE.

Fairy Tale News New Year's Bumper Edition: End Notes & Recap

Sleeping Beauty Mucha Style
by freaksmg

I hope you've enjoyed the giant catch-up on news.

If you're just joining us, I've done a special set of posts today:

A Fairy Tale News 'New Year's Stories' Bumper Edition!

Once again, here are the 'newspaper sections' for you to browse through (the first one is the earliest post in the day, of course) - now with extra 'linkage'!:

INTRO & CONTENTS
General (& latest) fairy tale news headlines (that I haven't seen posted elsewhere)
Blog posts and/or articles discussing/using fairy tales
Friends and other fairy tale people online
Fairy tales in performance arts
Fairy tale artists & illustrators (past & present)
Fairy tale journals/magazines/online 'zines
Fairy tale films & movies
Fairy tale influenced books (and reviews)
Newly discovered online fairy tale retellings
Fairy tale fashion news
Home & garden fairy tale style
Fairy tale sports
Fun fairy tale finds
Fairy tale funnies
Fairy tale weather & the natural world
Fairy tale music/audio
Food and dining fairy tale news
Classifieds/ads for fairy tale people
Careers - fairy tale knowledge required!
From the archives: fairy tale articles to read again (or for the first time)
End notes & recap

Please do let me know any comments you have here or on the posts. I'll even publish 'Letters to the Editor & Fairy Tale News Hound' if you email fairytalenews AT gmail DOT com!
Beauty and the Beast
by wdkimmy

I'll be back to daily blogging as soon as my commitments allow, so keep checking back for more news. In the meantime, happy reading and happy new year.

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UPDATE - 2PM:

I've just linked each content title to it's respective post to make navigation a little easier.

Also, as I was posting this morning, Cabinet Des Fées went live with their 9th Issue. More fairy tale reading - yay! More details will be added to the Fairy Tale Journals/Online 'zines post. In the meantime, the link is HERE.

Enjoy! :)

Fairy Tale News New Year's Bumper Edition: Classifieds/ads for fairy tale people

• Heidi at the SurLaLune blog is looking for Graduate Programs information for fairy tale and folklore studies. Details at the post.

• Enchanted Conversation is open for submissions for the next issue - topic is Beauty & the Beast. Deadline is February 15th, 2010. Paid market for accepted pieces - fiction, non-fiction, poetry and artwork! Submissions info at the link.

• Check out the call from Cinderella's Closet (in the Fashion section) for gently used prom dresses.

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BACK TO: CONTENTS

Fairy Tale News New Year's Bumper Edition: Newly discovered online retellings

• "Elegance" by CMShaw - a modern retelling of Beauty & the Beast. This story has also been tagged 'steampunk'.

• "Cages" (my steampunk retelling of Grimm's Jorinde & Joringel) got a review & recommendation. :)

• Enchanted Conversation's Sleeping Beauties. The princess gets a whole lot of different perspectives and tales in Enchanted Conversation. The new online blogazine, had Sleeping Beauty as their theme for the first issue and has published some awesome new retellings. Eg, The 13th Fairy Confesses (yep - it was HER fault Sleeping Beauty slept for 100 years, not the bad fairy at all), The First Queen's Maid (Hint: remember how Sleeping beauty's mother-in-law was part Ogre?), The Dilemma of the Spindle looks at the decision this household object had to make and many, many more.

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BACK TO: CONTENTS

Fairy Tale News New Year's Bumper Edition: Fairy tales in performance arts

• Do the tales of the Arabian Nights have resonance for audiences today? (Article by Marina Warner on the Royal Shakespeare's Company production of Arabian Nights and the resonance of the tales with people today [via The Fairy Tale Cupboard] )

• Beauty & the Beast theatrical production with audience participation. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA)

• Korea National Ballet's Cinderella (Jan 29 to 31, 2010, Seoul Arts Center) is more dynamic than the traditional presentation and offers unique touches, twists and theater craft (eg Cinderella's mother and father are both shown in a touching relationship at the start before the mother dies and returns as a fairy-in-a-corset to look after Cindy the rest of the story; Cinderella is barefoot for most of the performance - including for the ball, in which her feet are dipped in a sparkling sequin dust; etc)

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BACK TO: CONTENTS

New Moon Meets Beauty & the Beast

I just saw this, though it appeared in early October, and had to share. It's a very well edited mock-trailer by a talented guy named Kenneth Campbell, who used the sound and voices from the second Twilight film trailers for "New Moon" and edited scenes from Disney's "Beauty & the Beast" to fit. While it shows how there are similarities between the two films*, it also shows how reordering scenes can greatly change a story (the power of editing - both in writing and in the film editor's room!)

Enjoy!


*Please note, I'm not saying the Twilight series is like Beauty and the Beast, nor am I saying the Twilight series is a fairy tale. I haven't been able to read beyond a few chapters of the first book myself (sorry Twilight fans!) so can't properly comment. I just enjoyed the mash-up so thought a few of you might too. :)

"Beastly" Movie Teaser Trailer

You probably already know about the book "Beastly" by Alex Flinn, which is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and that there's a movie coming to us in 2010. (SurLaLune posted on the movie announcement a while back HERE).

Today I have a not-so-new sneak-peek of behind-the-scenes of the film, shown by ET and, finally, the long-awaited trailer.First, the behind-the-scenes look, since that came out a while ago:


And now, the teaser (i.e. short) trailer:


Here's an excerpt from an article about transforming the handsome young actor into something more 'beastly':

Alex Pettyfer in prosthetics as the beast. The makeup includes 67 pieces, and 60 tattoos and individual scars in his whole body. It took 6 hours to apply the full makeup.

Alex Pettyfer once said in an interview that he only looks like his normal self in the film for a few minutes. For the rest of his time frame, he will be wearing a specially designed “grotesque” prop as the beast.Pettyfer’s appearance in the film mostly featured him with his beast prosthetics. As described in the novel, it was supposed to be “hairy” and “gross”, but the film makers did some slight revisions. Pettyfer was delighted with the revision and stated:

I was very happy to know I wasn’t going to be furry. Question is, were you happy I wasn’t furry? Well, I think the audience will be happy. This beast make-up is phenomenal. You’re talking to someone who is a fanatic about it [prosthetics and movie make-up] and I’ve never seen anything that looks remotely similar to this.

Pettyfer’s beast makeup was composed of 67 pieces. There are 7 pieces to be put on his head and other 60 tattoos and individual scars applied when he had the full body make up on. To put up the makeup, it took the artists 6 hours to finish. Pettyfer commented on his ‘transformation’:

It really affected me because as soon as I shaved my head it kind of put me in this weird place, the same place [Kyle is in after his transformation] which really helped me with the role a lot. But at the same time, it kind of is a challenge because you are fighting personally with your own problems off set, but then onset you have a great resource to go to.

You can read the rest of the article which has lots more about the film HERE.

I'm hearing good things about the book (it's in my to-read pile but I've yet to get to it) and hope the film will prove to be as well liked.

"Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio" Exhibit at NOMA

A while back I mentioned (HERE) there was a Disney Fairy Tale Art Exhibit making its way to New Orleans.

The exhibition is up and running (it opened on November 15, 2009) and will continue to show until March 14, 2010 at NOMA (The New Orleans Museum of Art).Here's an excerpt from the exhibit description by the museum:

Dreams Come True showcases original artwork from legendary Disney animated films, including Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, and will feature a children's section celebrating Disney's connections with jazz music and the Crescent City. The artworks, on loan from the Walt Disney Studio Animation Research Library, will be accompanied by film clips to demonstrate how individual sketches and paintings lead to a finished celluloid masterpiece. Organized by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library and the New Orleans Museum of Art, this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, which cannot be seen anywhere else in North America is set to coincide with the premier of Disney's upcoming animated feature, The Princess and the Frog, set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age.

And from the dedicated page:

The New Orleans Museum of Art will present Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio, a major exhibition featuring more than 600 original artworks that shaped legendary animated features including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. (Ed FTNH: as well as artwork from the December 2009 movie release The Princess and the Frog.)

... Visitors to the exhibition will encounter themed rooms showcasing artwork related to specific animated features. Arranged chronologically by year of release, the rooms will feature, in order: Silly Symphonies, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Princess and the Frog. Film clips will accompany the artwork to demonstrate how individual sketches and paintings lead to a finished celluloid masterpiece. An adjacent Education Area will highlight Disney's long association with music and also will serve as a mini library for animation research and storytelling programs.

You can read the rest of the description HERE.and there's a brief but interesting article about Lella Smith hosting a preview tour of the exhibit HERE. (Lella Smith is Creative Director of Disney's Animation Research Library. I posted excerpts from an interview with her HERE as well as links if you're interested in finding out more about her.).

There's no mention of Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Black Cauldron, Aladdin, Mulan or any of the shorter fairy tale related works in either of the Fantasia films or the separate shorts like Little Match Girl, so I'm guessing they're sticking with full-length feature films based on Grimm's and Perrault's work only.

There is a very interesting looking catalog of the exhibition available for purchase online HERE, by Lella Smith.Here's the blurb:

Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio
by Lella Smith

This beautifully illustrated catalogue presents familiar fairy tales and the adaptations made by the Walt Disney Studio for the movies. The films span 80 years- from the early Silly Symphony shorts to the 2009 release of The Princess and the Frog.

The comparative tales would be very interesting and this is likely to be a collector's item in the future. Even if you can't make it to the exhibition before mid-March next year, this may be a nice thing to think about buying.

NOTE: All the Sleeping Beauty art shown is by legendary Disney artist Eyvind Earle. You can read more about him and his work HERE.

"Beast" Preview - Graphic Novel by Marian Churchland

Newsarama has a free 25 page preview of a new graphic novel that (according to Newsarama) becomes available in bookstores today (Amazon shows it becoming available on November 25th). It's loosely based on Beauty and the Beast and is by Vancouver writer-artist Marian Churchland.

From an interview with Comic Book Resources:

“Beast” is the story of Colette, a struggling sculptor who’s trying to get on with her life following a break-up. Her father, who doubles as her “informal and somewhat unreliable” agent, finds her a job: Carving a portrait of a man out of a specific block of marble. But neither the man,who turns out to be a shadowy creature named Beast, or the block of marble are what they seem.

If that plot sounds familiar, it’s supposed to. “The initial idea for ‘Beast’ was that I would do a very, very loose retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale,” Churchland told us, “based more or less in the present day, with some mild magical elements.” But from that starting point, the story’s transformed into a more personal tale for the protagonist. “It evolved into something less about the standard fairytale romantic coupling, and more to do with the main character, Colette, having to figure out what she wants out of his life, and whether she’s going to stick with what she knows or break off into uncharted territory.”

Churchland describes “Beast” as a vignette rather than a traditional story, and she feels the piece is fairly unique in the medium of American comics. “I can’t really think what to compare it to,” Churchland said. “And hopefully that, if nothing else, is a good sign rather than a bad one.”

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

Here are a couple of sample pages (click to view larger images):If you like Beauty and the Beast (or are interested in graphic novels) I think you'll be more than intrigued by the end of the 25 page preview. Ms. Churchland herself calls it a "quiet story" and that alone is atypical of what comics usually are these days. "Beast" seems to have a combination of good pacing and expressive drawings that are so well laid out they are emotive without drawing attention to themselves, so you don't lose the story. I'm definitely curious to read more.

You can view 23 more pages HERE and purchase it HERE. Ms. Churchland's website is HERE and her blog is HERE. Both have lots more art and explanations about her process.

Saturday Night Live's Version of Beauty & the Beast

A different twist on Disney's Beauty and the Beast by the Saturday Night Live team, aired October 17th. Please note, this version is for grown-ups.

WARNING: Mild language and adult content. May not be considered safe for work (or kids).

A Look Inside "The Art of the Disney Princess"

I mentioned in a previous post HERE about an unusual art book coming from Disney, titled "The Art of the Disney Princess". It features different artist's interpretations (in their medium of choice) of different Disney princesses. From illustration to photography the pictures range from playing with realism to metaphoric interpretations and more.

It's just been released in the last week (or so) and some artists have shared their artistic contributions on their blogs.

From the official blurb:

Every little girl has a favorite Disney Princess--and for that matter, every grown-up girl, too! In The Art of the Disney Princess, Disney artists, designers, illustrators, and animators from around the world have re-imagined their favorite princesses and portrayed them in a variety of mediums. Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, and Cinderella are newly incarnated in water color, pastel, oil paint, colored pencil, mixed media, and computer graphics pieces that range from the traditional to the unconventional. This artwork has been created especially for this museum-quality book, which is sure to delight art lovers, Disney collectors, and any prince or princess who ever believed that fairytales do come true.

Photographic interpretation of Disney Princesses Snow White & Jasmine
by Ryan Astamendi
(click for a larger view - recommended)

Pictured above (along with the front of the book) is a photographic interpretation by Ryan Astamendi (whose blog you can find HERE).

Jasmine & the Magic Lamp
(I love this one too)
by Stacey Aoyama

Belle
by Stacey Aoyama
(you can see Stacey's blog HERE)

Here's a number of signed prints I found for sale on EBay during the Disney Expo (close-ups are available to see HERE):
Nice to see Tiger Lily there! Here's a close-up, simply because I rarely see art with her as the subject, plus, it's lovely:

Princess of Never Land
by Cathy Clark

The Little Mermaid 'Movie Poster'
by Eric Tan.

I particularly like his Sleeping Beauty interpretation below.
Sleeping Beauty 'Movie Poster'
by Eric Tan

From Eric Tan's BLOG about the project:

Ever since I started designing posters, I've always had this goal of creating my very own versions for all the animated Disney films. Those classics have had such an impact on my art and my career, that I wanted to do it almost as a tribute to the importance they had on me as a kid. Disney Consumer Products had a cool idea going when they decided to ask a bunch of internal artists to put their artistic spin on the Princesses for a book that was just released, The Art of Disney Princess. You can almost guess immediately what I wanted to do with my pieces. Yup, MOVIE POSTERS!!!

There was an event held, also called "The Art of the Disney Princess", to support the book launch and NERDLIKE.COM had a representative there to report on the show and take some photos to post. From the blog:

The Art of the Disney Princess is exactly what it sounds like, a celebration of the animated empire’s fair ladies. Disney commissioned 10 artists from Disney Global Consumer Products to re-imagine the Disney princesses. The results were dope to say the least. The event, hosted at the Zune LA house/building, was set up like an art gallery. The front room housed a collection of art pieces accompanied by its Disney Couture clothing counterpart. Each piece represented a different princess in the artists own unique styling....

...The second room upstairs was more like an art museum with pieces on the wall. From the abstract to a little weird, each piece retained the essence of the original princess, but somehow set it apart in a way that they felt authentic and real. Gone were the traditional aesthetics of the Disney cookie cutter princess. These artists had introduced the princesses to a whole new world (no pun intended). In addition to the transformation of the princesses, you could see each artists individual style and inspiration. Several pieces even escaped the realm of Disney and looked like pieces anyone would hang on their wall.

You can read the rest of the news about the show and see many more pictures HERE.

It's a real shame the event was limited to a select group and isn't on display for the public. The Disney Couture princess collection from the show will be on display at Kitson LA in February 2010 but this doesn't include all the pieces, of course. Even those who aren't fans of Disney (or who cringe when they hear the word 'princess' like I do) could enjoy a gallery showing like this! At least some of it has been put into a book for us.

You can find the book on Amazon.com - currently at 34% off - and see a lot of page samples HERE.