Showing posts with label fan art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fan art. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Artist's Tribute to 'Beauty and the Beast' Starts March 11 at Gallery Nucleus

The Enchanted Love - Joey Chou
With the release of Disney's live action Beauty and the Beast fast approaching, it's time for more fairy tale movie inspired art! Although the art is specifically 'fan' art (done by professionals) so doesn't explore the fairy tale origins very much, it's still interesting to see the aspects of the story that inspire artists to create images.
Belle - Alina Chau

From the press release and Oh My Disney:
Are you ready for something magical? In anticipation of the release of Beauty and the Beast, Oh My Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Gallery Nucleus, and Cyclops Print Works have come together once again, this time for “Be Our Guest: An Art Tribute to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” This enchanting limited-time show will be on display at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, Saturday, March 11, 2017 – Sunday, April 2, 2017, with an opening reception on Saturday, March 11 from 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. 
Taking inspiration from the new live-action film, the artists involved have brought this tale as old as time to life in beautiful detail. Here are all the talented artists participating: 
Abigail L. Dela Cruz, Alex Ross, Alexander Lee, Alina Chau, Alison Strom, Amei Zhao, Andrea Fernandez, Annie Stegg, Benson Shum, Carrie Liao, Cécile Carre, Celine Kim, Corinne Reid, Craig Drake, Eliza Ivanova, Ellen Surrey, Eri Kamijo, Grace Kum, Ha Gyung Lee, Heather Theurer, Jackie Huang, Janice Chu, Jisoo Kim, Joe Dunn, Joey Chou, Jon Lau, Julieta Colás, Justin Gerard, Katie Huon, Keiko Murayama, Kristy Kay, Megan Woods, Milsae Kim, Pernille Ørum, Phillip Light, Sara Kipin, Sophie Li, Tara Nicole Whitaker, Tiffany Le, Trevor Spencer, Trungles, William Robinson, Xinwei Huang, Zoe Persico
OPENING RECEPTION HIGHLIGHTS:
  • Doors open @ 7PM
  • Over 40 new works of art featured
  • Select artists in attendance
  • New Gallery Nucleus exclusive prints released
  • Complimentary themed refreshments & hors d'oeuvres served
  • Cosplay & themed costumes are highly encouraged!
  • more to be announced ...!
*Open to the Public, All Ages Welcome, No RSVP needed.
*Be sure to not miss "Tale as Old as Time," our Artist Panel with the director, editor, animator and more from the original animated film on March 25th 
Tickets for our Tale As Old As Time panel are now online!
Meet some of the original creators as they discuss the behind-the-scenes and process of developing one of Disney's most cherished animated features.
Guests include Don Hahn (producer), Gary Trousdale (director), Roger Allers (story supervisor), James Baxter (supervising animator), Charles Solomon (Author) and John Carnochan (Editor).
Reserve your seats here:
There are quite a few well known artists in that list! A lovely array of styles should be displayed too, beyond what's shown here. From the previews released to date, this show promises to inspire Disney Beauty and the Beast fans everywhere.
And Love Is Born (愛の芽生え) by Eri Kamijo
Beauty and the Beast - Alison Strom
Beauty Is Found Within - Benson Shum
Bonjour - Celine Kim
Enchanted - Janice Chu
New Friends - Ellen Surrey
To the Castle - Zoe Persico
Wolves in the Winter - Sara Kipin
Psst! For those hungry for more, there are some sneak peeks on the Cyclops Print Works Facebook page HERE.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

'Beauty and the Hulk' - A Fan Remix

Hulk and Black Widow by Huy "Wee" Dinh
It's no surprise to see different combinations and iterations of Disney live action Beauty and the Beast around the web right now. The trailer was received extremely well (yes there were critics, but with a Beauty and the Beast storyline, that's just par for the course), and it's not unusual to see parallels made between one pop culture icon or event and another. The Hulk has always been ripe for a Beauty and the Beast adaption and is nothing new, but it might be the first time this sort of trailer has been made.

This fan made trailer combines the fairly subtle romance of Black Widow and The Hulk from one of the recent Marvel movies, Age of Ultron, with the soundtrack (and dialogue - which spoils the effect a little unfortunately) of the recently released live action trailer for Disney's upcoming film. Although it tries to retell the Beauty and the Beast story a little too exactly to be it's own thing, it's worth a look.

Darth Blender portrays the more subdued romance of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Scarlet Johannson's Black Widow from Avengers... and overlays the wistful dialogue of Beauty and the Beast overtop of it. The reimagining works extremely well and actually makes that romantic arc seem much bigger than it actually wound up being. It's a fantastic mashup, and features clips from Ant-ManCaptain America: Winter SoliderCaptain America: Civil WarGuardians of the GalaxyThe Incredible HulkThe AvengersAvengers: Age of UltronIron Man 2, and Thor: The Dark World.
It's a testament to how fascinating people find the elements of this fairy tale and continually find parallels between it and perceived monsters.

That's the key word with King Kong connections and now, The Hulk: perceived. Neither of these characters are truly 'monsters' like people/humans are when you call them 'beasts'. They genuinely have no control over their appearance and nature and are, at heart, good, or at least neutral. They don't need 'taming' and the female involved isn't someone taken prisoner or depending on her looks* and charm to earn the beast's trust. The woman has to see him for who he really is and accept him - as he is. Unlike the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, there is no bad behavior toward the heroine, other than is in the beast's nature, by the original fairy tale Beast, or by Hulk or by Kong. He just is - and remains - himself.

There are others who might say differently - that the beast is tamed - but we disagree. Yes, the Hulk 'changes' (back) to a man when no longer enraged, but more key is how Black Widow (and the blonde in Kong) both see the other side of the beast - while they are still a beast. The purpose is not to transform or tame, but just accept. In both cases it doesn't change the essential nature of the beast either, (they don't morph into men and stay that way), they just help those 'beasts' be their best selves, even in beast form.  That's a Beauty and the Beast tale we can get behind.
We think this is why we like these connections so much. They sidestep the whole possibility of Stockholm syndrome and put the tale back into its roots - seeing beyond the outer skin and learning to love someone as they are and always will be. (And yes, we still have an issue with the transformation to Prince at the end of the original tale, after learning to truly love the whole package 'as is' - and 'no' we do not want to get into a weird conversation about Beast-beaus!)

*(Yes, Kong is attracted by the girl at first but he is truly 'hers' when she sees the true being inside and rises to his defense.) 

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

D23 News: Live Action "Beauty and the Beast" Update

"Love Blooms in Winter" - Beauty and the Beast
by Heather Theurer
The image above doesn't strictly have anything to do with the upcoming movie, or the movie news, BUT it is a fairly new print, created this year, inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast, by the amazing oil painter Heather Theurer.  She does the most incredible interpretations of Disney characters I my have ever seen (we have a few of her other paintings you can see HERE). The reason I love these so much is not just because of the gorgeous and classical technique, but that they send you right back to the original stories. How perfect is that? It's one of the reasons I couldn't resist showing you full since since it almost fits in the blog. (!)

Anyway - onto the news most people want to learn, an update on the live action version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast:

Unfortunately, there really isn't much to see (image wise on the web) and the information is more gleanings and teasers than anything else, possibly because principal filming isn't quite done yet, and this is a movie that even then will need a LOT of CGI and special effects to pull off that "Disney magic". However, here's the little we have to share:

Fans of Emma Watson and the Disney Classic, “Beauty and the Beast”, will be delighted to learn that the first look of the movie has been revealed.  (Edit FTNH: Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the rest of us will get to see what D23 attendees did anytime soon but I'm sure we'll be getting a poster teaser at least in the near future.) At Disney’s D3 held on August 15, fans received a sneak-preview of Watson leaving her mark as the book-lover, Belle, on-screen. As reported by MTV, the clip from the movie showed Belle gracefully walking down the stairs in her trademark yellow gown. (source: HERE)
***


Though nearly done filming, there wasn't any complete footage shown from this one -- save for a shot of Emma Watson as Belle in her now infamous gold dress, coming down the stairs to dance with the Beast. Let us just say that she looked GORGEOUS and seeing that moment brought to life brings chills.
In some behind-the-scenes footage shown, we got a look at the village set, which looks almost exactly like it did in the animated film. Belle is seen in her blue and white dress as well, while Gaston (Luke Evans) can be seen singing and dancing around a bar in his famous red costume and long ponytail. Sorry, nothing with the Beast in it just yet.
The crowd was told that the final film will include two new songs from Alan Menken.
"Beauty and the Beast" won't roar into theaters until 2017. (source: HERE)
***
BWW message board poster jacobsnchz14 shared:
I'm here at the expo and everything I've seen from BATB looks stunning, including Emma in the dress. They also showed the title treatment artwork which reminds me of Into The Woods' mixed with the original one with the Beauty in nice type with an eroded Beast. The crowds went wild for it. The set, visuals, costumes, etc. were beautiful. No footage of the objects or the beast.Can't wait for everyone to see the footage we saw! Plus, we were treated to a video of Luke Evans and Josh Gad singing a few bars of "Gaston". (source: HERE)
There is also part of the video message from Emma Watson to D23 fans, which you can see HERE. Unfortunately, the video finished before we get a look at anything we really want to see...
***
Art shown at D23
with prints available for purchase

Cyclops Print Works Print #8: She Really is a Funny Girl by Mark Englert
Size: 12”x36”
Technique: Serigraph | 9 Colors
Edition size: Limited Edition of 275
Features: Hand-Numbered | Varnish Finish |Authenticity Seal
Price: $60
Printed by: Eclipse Workshop
Officially Licensed by Disney

FULL DESCRIPTION (of the sizzle reel) by (D23 attendee) ahundredteas:

Belle in the forest
  • Quick shot of Belle in the forest before she ends up at the Beast’s castle
  • It’s dark and blue (reminded me a lot of “Into the Woods”) and you can see snow on the ground.
  • Belle is in a cloak so we can’t see what her outfit is. I’m 95% sure that the cloak is navy blue but with how blue the shot was I can’t be 100% sure.
  • She looks FREAKED OUT but not hysterical.
Belle on the stairs in the Iconic Yellow Dress
  • Quick shot of Belle stepping down the stairs.
  • Staircase is gold and whimsical, very similar to Cinderella’s carriage from the latest “Cinderella” movie.
  • The yellow dress is more of a sheer fabric than the heavy material in the cartoon version. The skirt is less full. Still stunning. Top looks similar to “Once Upon A Time” Belle’s yellow dress but not as poofy.
Belle looking up
  • Last shot is Belle in the yellow dress looking up at (I’m assuming) the Beast.
  • She looks like she’s kneeling or in a deep curtsy.
(Source: HERE)
***
And that's about all we've gleaned to date. But it is exciting. It would appear that the live action movie is going to follow the look of the animated film fairly closely from random reports here and there about the glimpses given from the "infamous gold dress" to the village and castle so that should keep Disney Beauty and the Beast fans pretty happy.

So that's about it for now, though you might be seeing an image or two floating around the internet saying "this is the first looks!" It's not. They're excellently done fan made images and we've had the main one on OUABlog before but I hadn't seen this fan made poster below, which is wonderfully creative and shows Emma Watson in more of a designer-type gown than the animated movie princess dress, which is very tasteful.
Fairy tale bonus of the day:
At D23, ABCs Once Upon A Time also did a Beauty and the Beast reveal, featuring the famous enchanted (Disney) rose in the very first episode of the upcoming season.
You can see the teaser screen grabs below:

Friday, August 7, 2015

"Once Upon A Time"'s Dark Swan Season Teaser

Before I get into a discussion which, I promise, is not spoilery, nor is it "down" on OUAT, take a look at the promo.
I like the echo of the twisted thorns that surrounded both Snow White and the Evil Queen in the promos for the first season. Those twisted black branches always felt like an incarnation of the curse to me. Now Emma is in the middle of twisted black, er, ribbons? Slime? Dark matter?? Whatever, the concept echoes the first season, and from the extended Snow White monologue promo for season 5, (which you can see HERE) which implores Emma to remember who she is, right from an actual "Once upon a time..." narrated beginning, complete with harking back to season one imagery and more, it may even be solidifying the mythology and original themes somewhat. That would be a good thing.

Though a Light Swan/Dark Swan concept isn't new to fairy tale folk (or ballet folk.. or people who watched critically acclaimed films of the past few years.. ahem) it may seem a very different idea for many and I've decided to stop griping about the regurgitation of ideas and just let them be discovered by a whole new generation of society/folk.


I have to admit, sometimes things that feel, to me, to be "done to death", really are new ideas to younger people. This generation didn't/isn't grow/ing up with every little girl being sent to ballet and knowing Swan Lake, just like they're not a generation that got beautifully illustrated fairy tale collections as a standard part of their standard childhood library. From a story perspective, it's incredibly sad, but it also provides an opportunity to revisit tales and to do it in a different, more contemporarily reflective way, than they might have, had the tales been passed on in "full form". (It also means, for storytellers and anyone working with tales, that when you see pop culture and general society sucking up this stuff so greedily, that there's an awesome opportunity for using your creativity and craft to bing stories back.)

Aside: I have a theory that this 'tale vacuum' that a large section of generation X grew up in, helped provide the  opportunity to successfully publish Schoenworth's collection, contributed to the intense popularity of Willingham's Fables, and, currently, supports the Disney live-action retread of classic films. It likely also contributes to keeping OUAT alive, despite it's many shortcomings. People are thirsty for traditional tales and when presented with them - especially if they believe them to be "new" or at least "fresh twists" (eg Tale of Tales film or Schoenworth's collection - tales from both of which have really been around for hundreds of years, just in relative obscurity to Grimms and Andersen's)- will lap them up and ask for "more!")

Above: Up on the left, the only time I have seen this poster is in a search so I suspect an excellent fan made job (and if it is it truly is excellent!). I particularly like the swan neck being the hook. Further down on the right is a fan made image calling back the idea of the thorns and the curse surrounding Emma, as well as the Dark One being able to be 'summoned' by whomever holds the dagger.
But back to OUAT's coming Dark Swan: One thing OUAT does well, is provide ample fodder in the way of visuals, one-liner summaries and fairy tale concepts that fans then take and make their own in the form of memes, fan art, cosplays, fan fiction and so much more (see image above for an example). The visuals (via screencaps and more) are easy to work with because they're fairly typical in their presentation so, while lack of originality in framing and filming might seem annoying at times, it gives fans tons of opportunities to run with their personal ideas and make new forms of expression (especially with all the awesome free graphics and filter programs available on the web for free these days. Anyone with a solid idea and some creativity can produce some really gorgeous and interesting images to share, express feelings or to tell the story - or stories - their way, as they see them.)

Though it's been a while since I added to it properly to cover the series, I have a board on Pinterest of interesting fan art inspired by Once Upon A Time HERE and it's worth a look. Why? Because this is people retelling the stories - and fairy tales! -, in their own way, with their own creativity, putting their own spin on the tropes and spreading those stories through popular culture, with the undeniable thumbprint of the present embedded as well.

This coming season promises MANY fan made stories circulating the internet via images, memes and heart-felt sentiments. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what the fans focus on, and what tales - and forms - become popular as a result.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Fairy Tale Movies Sent "Into the Woods"

A little treat of a trailer for a bonus fun post today, made by someone who clearly loves fairy tales, animated movies and "Into The Woods". While there are a ton of fan made "trailers" mixing up the soundtrack from ads with images from Disney and other films, and I honestly wasn't expecting much, this one is a stand out and worth your time.

It might make you think of those Disney (& more) stories a little differently too...

Enjoy!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

OUAT Portraits by Adam Osgood (& A Question For You All...)

OUAT's Snow by Adam Osgood

An illustration post for you today, with some interesting Once Upon A Time fairy tale character portraits by Adam Osgood.

The thing most interesting about these is that they are so "illustrative", even more than caricatures of the actors playing their characters. This gives us some very different illustrations of familiar fairy tale characters and, I think, gives another possible perspective on these archetypes than the ABC show does. It's kind of cool.
      


                

I've included quite a few different portraits (you can find even more on his website HERE and his Tumblr blog HERE) and although I probably don't need to label them for you I should point out there are a few characters with more than one portrait. Snow has two (the one at the head and the other in white/grey diamonds), the Mirror is shown in both genie and mirror form and Belle is shown in country girl mode as well as in her traveling cloak (one of my favorites).



The Evil Queen actually has a whole page of different looks! (You can find them on Mr. Osgood's site & Tumblr, linked above), something which is really interesting when considering archetypes. Pictured are the Snow White's Evil Queen/Stepmother look (above next to her current nemesis), The Evil Queen taking on the guise of Ursula (because, if you remember, there was a real one revealed as a punch line), and the one in the hat is Regina/Evil Queen in hunt mode. I think we first see this version of her in the Hansel and Gretel episode, although there was a separate  - and wonderfully creepy - blind witch in that OUAT story too.

I really should post more on Once Upon A Time - there really is so much to delve into regarding use of fairy tales and fairy tale characters and motifs, even if it's not your preferred type of show. Now that the current season has brought the Wicked Witch of the West to life, complete with Oz additions and metaphors, the season is much better and richer in lore than the Neverland half (which consisted of a LOT of wandering around in Peter Pan's jungle LOST. Yes, exactly like that old show). Even though we've had essentially a third (?) "reset" of people stuck somewhere and missing memories etc this iteration is proving quite interesting... (and that's all I'll write about re my opinion on the plot lines of OUAT for now).
                                  
I'm considering the idea of a chat board/forum type of thing to add to the blog, so people who want to discuss episodes from different fairy tale series (specifically OUAT and Grimm at present) and various TV specials have a place to talk specifically to fans/viewers who are also fellow fairy tale friends. Although it's late in the season this time round there's still  to talk about!
What do you think? Is that a feature you'd enjoy and/or find useful?

Friday, March 28, 2014

A Smorgasbord of Maleficent "Fan Art" (& Link-y Love)

Maleficent & Diablo by Travis Lewis

There's always been a lot of fan art for the Disney character Maleficent, especially since social media took off. The character has been one of Disney's most popular to draw and speculate on and create stories about with fans. (Heck, there's even a Darth Maleficent out there.)

With the live action movie release just around the corner, more and more is appearing every day. So much, in fact, it's difficult to keep up! 
A Forest of Thorns Shall Be His Tomb by Xiao wei Li
Being a regular on Pinterest for some time now I often come across Maleficent art, and since she's a subject-du-jour for us, I thought I'd share just a few of the stand out pieces that, while still obviously being Maleficent aren't specifically animation-spin-offs, nor scenes from the various trailers being released.
Maleficent by Angela Rizza
The first pic was supposed to be a drawing in progress but I think it's perfect as is. The second is a graphic design made for a t-shirt competition at Threadless. I really love the concept and would happily don said printed 't'. Unfortunately, I don't think it made the cut... Immediately above is an original deisng created by Angela Rizza who, while inspired by the trailers for the movie, wanted to create something that combined the different aspects of Maleficent we're being shown are in the movie. (Note: You have to check out this woman's art. It's so fairy tale-esque and you'll probably recognize her Snow White, which has been floating around for a while.)
Maleficent by the-crazy-spork
Unlike a lot of amateur fan art, which uses stills for inspiration, the rest of the pieces are their own scenes and designs, though clearly still based on the movies. The one above is based on the classic animated film, while the one below is based on the Maleficent trailers that have recently been released. There are such talented people out there!
Maleficent by Josh Burns

I wish there was another, less deprecating name for this sort of art than "fan art". The term always puts me in mind of kids and amateurs copying movie stills and various shots with a less-than-professional touch. But fan art these days is done as much by professional artists as amateurs. In fact, Disney is now making a habit of commissioning professional artists to create "fan art" to sell as Disney exclusive and approved fine art, like the one below. (And it ain't cheap!) I have to say, much of it, I actually prefer to the "real thing", although, in Maleficent's case, I adore her animation design. We need a better description of this type of art, don't you think?
Dark Side of the Moon by David Ho
There's much, MUCH more to explore - from sexy (and sometimes adult-rated) to cartoon- cute, to baby Maleficents to downright nightmarish versions, and you've seen the historical Maleficent, right? (She's HERE if you haven't.) There are many boards on Pinterest dedicated solely to her and, if you like the character and are intrigued by her story possibilities, from her demon-affiliations to her fairy side, be sure to go explore. I also really love the Disneyland Paris version of Maleficent as well - which is completely different to anything you might imagine. Check her out HERE.

By the way - did you count how many Maleficent art pieces I hid links to in the paragraph above? If you're at work, you may want your lunch hour to find them all... ;) Enjoy!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

When "Game Of Thrones" Meets Fairy Tales

The Princess and the dragon are one in Game of Thrones
Note: All images are made by (talented) fans who are clearly storytellers themselves...

It should come as no surprise that people see fairy tale themes and story lines cropping up in their favorite shows - even where none were intended - and the increase in popularity of "collaged image" fan art from TV shows has become an excellent way of people presenting how they see the show: the themes, the subtext, the fairy tales.

Here are three specific uses of fairy tale I found recently for the very popular HBO series Game Of Thrones (based on George R.R. Martin's best selling novel series A Song of Fire & Ice):

The first is regarding the youngest and scrappiest daughter of the Stark family, Arya. So young, yet on the run from many who might seek to harm her. Her family sigil is the "Direwolf" (essentially a monstrous wolf) and though she's had to part ways from her real companion animal, little Arya Stark proves herself wily and adept at navigating her "dark forest". Arya is very much the Little Red Riding Hood we wish our girls could be (while desperately hoping their woods will never be half so dark).
You have the eyes of a wolf and a taste for blood.

Arya's elder sister, Sansa, is a recognized Beauty and nothing like her sister (or so it would seem to everyone, including the sisters themselves). She was brought up to be a lady and tries very hard to be every inch that example, though is initially a little arrogant in lording that. Even when circumstances turn from her naive idea of fairytale to nightmare, she appears to remain soft in her ladylike manners and beauty. When she becomes trapped by people and circumstance she finds she has nothing left to defend herself with, other than the lessons she paid attention to - to be a proper lady and her spirit which is far stronger than even she knows. In Sansa, the opposite of Arya, we see a different female strength: one with a patient and adaptive spirit. One who quickly understands her limitations and physical weaknesses but doesn't give up hope, doing her best to rally herself to action at just the right moment. The beasts she encounters come in all forms - pretty ones who's souls are evil, ugly ones who show compassion when she least expects it. Sansa herself learns to no longer look on the outside, taking the hard road to wisdom, yet keeping her poise. It is the riddle that she must keep solving: who is a true beast and who is a true man? We can only hope our girls will show as much strength as Sansa does (like Beauty), in her situation, no matter what Beasts come their way.



He throws our human aspirations to the godlike sadly awry; only from a distance would you think The Beast not much different from any other man, although he wears a mask with a man’s face painted most beautifully on it.  Oh, yes, a beautiful face; but one with too much formal symmetry of feature to be entirely human: one profile of his mask is the mirror image of the other, too perfect, uncanny.
He is a carnival figure made of papier mâché and crêpe hair; and yet he has the Devil’s knack at cards.

Sansa has also been likened to Sleeping Beauty, as she waits, a hostage, in a tower, keeping her true nature quiet, asleep if you will, as she waits to be free of this curse she's under (though those who put the curse on her are actually waiting for her to "flower" or bloom into womanhood so she can be married to the (truly evil) King Joffrey and get with his child. In Sansa's case, things change and though her forced betrothal to the king becomes void, she is assured she will still be "deflowered" and remains under the curse. When the replacement, Margaery Tyrellwho is set to be Joffrey's new queen, arrives, Sansa becomes, in fact, surrounded by roses. Specifically it's the Court of Roses, which is the Tyrell family sigil.

During the princess’ long captivity, the riotous roses that bloomed on the thickets about her tower became her sole companions. 

They are the only ones she can speak to, even if it is using the "language of flowers" (in this case veiled conversations and witty use of courtly manners to say what cannot be said out loud). For a time, at least, Sansa is friends and allies with her flowery friends but it's very clear these roses have thorns and she would do best to be wary of their company as well.

The Game Of Thrones versions of these fairy tales, of course, remain unfinished. If you know anything of Game of Thrones it may be that the creator George R.R. Martin is likely to kill off any main character at any point in time. No one is safe. That this threat hangs over the stories of these girls in their versions of these tales, make it even more poignant.

And once again we see the strength of the fairy tale shine through. Though there is no guarantee of a happy ever after (especially here) there is still much we can take from these tales.