Fairy Tales

I'be already blogged about my enjoyment of fantasy and tales of imaginary worlds and situations. But I am obviously not alone in this form of escapism. Of late there have been many movies and TV cartoons based on comic book heroes, ancient myths, and fairy tales. This year Snow White has become the center of two big movies and a TV series. There must be something in the air that focused so much attention and money on producing re-pictured tales about this fairy tale character!

First, there is the TV series Once Upon a Time. Although Snow White and her wicked stepmother queen are the core of the story, this series finds ways to bring in just about every fairy tale character you've ever heard of. It is an interesting series, very twisty, and looks to go on a long time. Its premise is that a curse has brought all these people from the dimension of a world where magic exists, to the world of our reality. With a very few exceptions, they don't remember their true identities or their lives in the other world.

Then there is the Julia Roberts movie, Mirror, Mirror. My granddaughter and I went to see it recently. Although I read some tepid reviews of this film, we loved it. It is a hoot. We laughed out loud several times while watching it. Where else are you going to find the seven dwarfs with names like Wolf, Half-Pint, or Butcher?

And, finally, trailers advertising yet another movie, Snow White and the Huntsman, are now being shown on TV. This movie apparently takes yet another tack on the old fairy tale. It comes out in June, and the trailer looks like it will feature battles between opposing armies, among other things.

It is odd that so many re-imaginings of this old tale are happening at the same time. However, for those of us who like tales of imagination, it makes for fun comparing the different views and enjoying the possibilities.