Showing posts with label spin off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spin off. Show all posts

Saturday, May 13, 2017

ABCs 'Once Upon A Time' Renewed But Without Most of Its Star-Regulars (+ a Limited Retrospective)


Once again, Once Upon A Time is going for an official "reset," heading into its just renewed seventh season. Unlike (yet) another curse, everyone ending up in opposite land, everyone losing their memory again or some other variation on how it all began, the big difference this time around will be that only three of the main series stars will remain.

Those are Regina, Rumpelstiltskin and Captain Hook.

Those who are won't be returning are:


            (details/statements of their exits at the links)

Here is the creator's official statement on each of the (secondary) actors, their characters and their exiting the show (Jennifer Morrison's exit was dealt with separately):
Words can’t do justice to what Ginny, Josh, Emilie, Rebecca and Jared brought to ONCE UPON A TIME… but we’ll try… never have we had the privilege of working with a more talented group of collaborators. Each brought unique talent, incredible intelligence, and their own individual bit of magic as they gave life to these iconic characters. 
Ginny reinvented Snow White for a modern audience – there was no way she would be stuck cleaning up after dwarfs, she created an iconic empowered heroine for the 21st century. 
Josh mined the depths of Prince Charming – a character who in myth was just a “type” but in his superlative interpretation became a complex man fighting for love and family. 
Emilie took the character of Belle to a deep and soulful place, bringing great intelligence and warmth to the character, making her fiercely independent, strong willed but also an eternal optimist who saw only the best in all those she encountered. 
Rebecca took us on a broomstick roller coaster ride as she re-invented the Wicked Witch of the West by finding the pain beneath the green. She made the character soar to incredible heights while always keeping her grounded and relatable. 
And Jared literally grew up before the eyes of millions, from a child actor with enormous innate talent to a young man whose abilities continue to astound as he created a character who truly, as we say on the show, has the heart of the truest believer.

We can’t thank them enough for the hard work, dedication, and passion they delivered day in and day out. Without them there would be no ONCE UPON A TIME. 
As ONCE continues, this group will always be the beating heart of the show. And even though we won’t be with them every week, in a show about magic and hope, we fervently believe it won’t be the last we see of them.
Jennifer Morrison has agreed for a single episode appearance to help transition out her character, who has been the lead of the show since the beginning.

A new character/actor expected to draw new viewers and keep old ones, is The Walking Dead‘s Andrew J. West, who will be appearing in the two hour season finale this Sunday.
Joining West is Jane the Virgin’s Alison Fernandez, who has been cast as “a precocious 10-year-old with a constant twinkle of mischief in her eye…[who] comes from a broken home, [with] struggles that have only made her stronger — something which will come in handy when darkness threatens everything she holds dear.” (TVLine)
As to what is meant by a "reset", or more specifically "springboard the narrative in a new direction", it has seemed very undecided right up till today's announcement (at the time of writing the post), with the President letting it slip that creators Kitsis and Horowitz were 'still finalizing their pitch'. Whatever the case, it's not even clear if the fairy tale aspect will remain intact, or if it will be in the same universe and belong to the same 'show mythology' as the rest of OUAT.
Kitsis & Horowitz: "We are going to complete some stories this year. There’s one chapter to this book that Henry has, so maybe it’s time for us to get to the end of that chapter. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a second book and a second chapter, just like in everyone’s life.” (TVSeriesFinale) 
(ABCs Entertainment President) Dungey declined to comment whether that “next piece” would be a different incarnation of Once, a spinoff or a something else. But it’s clear that the series, which has reinvented itself a number of times, may be heading for its biggest reinvention yet as the show’s main storyline comes to an end this season. “There will be a little bit of closure in this particular narrative regardless of what happens with Season 7.” (Deadline)
With Kitsis and Horowitz, who previously created Lost, and are known for their looping and repetitive storylines (with variations), Once Upon A Time has already had more than its fair share of reboots, and the storylines for all the main characters have run a much longer course than they probably would have (should have?) on any other show, so the big fear is that a) season seven won't be anything like OUAT at all or b) that it will be the agonizing death of OUAT, as opposed to going out strongly with this last musical, wedding and two part final battle.

The bright spot for fairy tale folk is that is will still have the title Once Upon A Time - a phrase that is difficult NOT to associate with fairy tales, so some aspect of that is very likely to remain part of the new format and direction.

Although we have been critical of Once Upon A Time over its course, we do want to acknowledge just what a fantastic and creative job they've done in persisting on rewriting familiar stories and fairy tale narratives, and archetypes, in different lights. Not only that, the tally of characters introduced is HUGE (one day we will have to list them) and the series regulars, whose stories continue through multiple arcs and variations, number quite a large ensemble - not an easy feat to combine while keeping the 'mythology' intact. These characters have not only explored their traditional stories (usually Disney-based) but had them twisted, re-visioned from different points of view, often in combination with other fairy tale characters, which sheds a different light on them again, and sometimes they've explored other fairy tale plots as part of their own journey as well. Some of these have worked better than others, as is the case with any show with a huge variety of characters and storylines, but it's also been extremely creative and woken up a lot of people to the possibilities of fairy tales, including how their own lives can be reflected in them. As much as it's been difficult - as serious fairy tale students and enthusiasts - to watch from time to time, things will be very different without a series that regularly brings adults fairy tale characters regularly to the screen.

Here we should note the Once Upon A Time In Wonderland spin-off as well. Though not as successful as expected, we believe people will look back and realize there are many gems to be mined from that adventure as well. There has also been a foray into 'The Land of Untold Stories' as a main arc - again, something that felt a little awkward at the time, but looking back will prove an interesting study.



         
The show looked at storytelling, often literally, with an 'author' and a magic pen changing the tales and people's lives in the process, and the mysterious book of fairy tales first given by Snow White to Henry is an anchor and pivot point for many plots of the series. It went to the 'real' world (of New York) and back again, visited the Underworld, and other dimensions in addition to Wonderland, such as Oz, Agrabah, Neverland - even the ins and outs of Fairyland (which are different to the Enchanted Forest) - and many others, connecting them all in bizarre and creative ways. So often the show was meta, both in terms of the tales and characters used, as well as its 'parent' (Disney), but also with regard to writing and retelling tales. The production images created with liberal use of fantasy settings, elaborate costumes, use of magic items in the storylines, archetypes and CG have inspired thousands of people to create their own narratives and 'image stories' and will forever remain a part of fairy tales to come. That aspect is possibly one of the most successful outcomes of the show - it encourages and inspires people to create their own stories. One day there will be a lot to sit down, look at, and, yes, study.

Just take a look at the variety of characters and worlds OUAT has explored, just by way of the variety of promotional posters we've included here (there are many more as well). These only highlight the largest arcs and it's still an impressive array.

   
                

           


          
The oddest thing is that it's been another year since Kitsis and Horowitz let it slip that they were "running out of fairy tales heroes and villains to work with", (their words) which explains the dive into mythology and legends, as well as classic literature these past couple of years. We do find it odd that they seem to think there's no fairy tales left to work with though! There are literally thousands to choose from and out of those many (many!) that enjoy popularity in society beyond Disney - that is, they're familiar stories the show could tap into. (Hey OUAT folks - we know a bunch of people who can help with that!) 

What that means for a reboot and a 'change in narrative direction', is... not something that inspires confidence in continuing, or in a spin-off, but we do know that OUAT has charmed enough folks, even if they're not tuning in faithfully with each new episode, to be more than a little curious to see what happens next. Season six promises to wrap up the storylines playing out since the beginning and to bring 'satisfying closure' for fans in the two hour finale for which the musical/wedding episode last week was the prelude. Will hanging in there to bring the show back for another season pay off though? We'll just have to wait and see.

They do tend to say that "all reboots come with a price".
As per the show's main theme, however, we choose HOPE.
Don't forget: the two-hour season finale - which the creators have promised will wrap all the main storylines of the whole series to-date, is TOMORROW:
Sunday, May 14th 8pm ABC
(7pm Central), 2017

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

"The 7D" Gets a Promo & Premere Date (aka Disney Does Smurfs)

You know Disney's classic Snow White, and how greatly loved those dwarfs have been through generations? Well they're getting their own  "pre-Snow White" TV series spin-off (can a prequel be a spin-off?), full of crazy fun and wacky adventures (you may have seem my previous post from long, long ago HERE). Well that's what we've been told is happening here. In reality the dwarfs and any connection they have with the Disney classic, apart from the names, if pretty much undetectable, let alone any link to a real fairy tale.

Basically, with 7D (which stands, of course, for Seven Dwarfs), Disney are doing their version of The Smurfs.

Am I being too critical? Here's the trailer so you can judge for yourself:
I wouldn't care at all if Disney created their version of Smurfs - not my thing, I don't need to spend time on it, but they're SPECIFICALLY saying these are an updating of the classic Seven Dwarfs (in the style of the guy who did Fish Hooks).

The premise:
Described as a comedic take on the world of Seven Dwarfs in a contemporary storybook world, 7D takes place in Jollywood where Queen Delightful relies on the 7D — Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc — to keep the kingdom in order. Standing in their way are two laughably evil villains, Grim and Hildy Gloom, who plot to take over the kingdom by stealing the magical jewels in the 7D’s mine.
It might be funny. People may think it's cute. I've heard positive things from people working there. And hey, to give credit where credit is due, after all the hideous things done to Mickey Mouse, the most recent property of Mickey Mouse shorts, in design, writing and sensibility, are rather brilliant. (Take a look HERE if you don't believe me.)

But why did they have to touch an already beloved (and, to put it in dollars, still highly marketable) set of characters, whom people still love seeing? It's not like these are, for example, the (thankfully) mostly-forgotten terrible Goons of Sleeping Beauty that are both a Disney property and untapped.

The show, standing on it's own legs, is likely to be either awful or pull an Adventure Time and be surprisingly great,  (emphasis on the "surprisingly" here) but, at the risk of sounding like one of those "get off my lawn!" folk, either way the fairy tale connection appears to be pretty much teetering in at the zero mark. (You can see a whole post I wrote a while back on re-imagining Snow White's dwarves, from realism to OUAT to blockbusters and some very different illustrations, HERE.)

 I guess we'll find out for sure on Monday, July 7th when it premieres.

(My sad face is on.)

Thursday, August 15, 2013

"Once Upon A Time: Shadow of the Queen" (Comic Preview)

ABC's Once Upon A Time is getting the comic book treatment. (In case you're wondering, Grimm is already well into their comic franchise).

Titled One Upon A Time: Shadow of the Queen, the story is not a retelling of any OUAT content exactly but is an additional backstory of what happened between the Huntsman and the Queen, in between some of the story lines played out on the OUAT series.

In this post are the preview pages that have surfaced so far from Marvel. (ABC are releasing a new page each Wednesday via the OUAT website but they appear to be releasing the same content).

✒ ✒ ✒  ✒ (click the "Read more" link below this line) ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ 

Friday, June 7, 2013

Is Mattel's New "Ever After High" Just Another Princess Line? Or Is It Even Scarier Than "Monster High"?

Are you a royal or a rebel? Is Apple White's destiny at risk? Will Raven Queen flip the script? Let the page turning tale begin...
No. I did not write the above. (!) These are the teaser quotes for Mattel's soon-to-be-released Monster High spin-off line, Ever After High.

Fantasy writer Seanan McGuire (no stranger to fairy tales) summarized the premise for the new toys this way:
"Ever After High, where the children of famous fairy tale figures go to school as they prepare to take the Legacy Pledge and relive the stories of their parents. Hundreds of generations of Wicked Queens and whiteout girls* passing poison apples back and forth between them like Valentines..."
The story, er, collection begins with two characters**, er, dolls: Apple White (Snow White's daughter) and Raven Queen (the Evil Queen's Daughter), playing out their dueling destinies while attending the same classes. (Dum dum daaaaah!)

They even have "Mirror Blogs" we can follow them on as they comment on events, rumors and more from their (opposite) POVs.
(From the official Ever After High website:)
Raven Queen: "Just found out I'm not rooming with Maddie. My new roomie is Apple White???"
Apple White: "Spellbinding morning - the perfect day for starting a charmed new school year. Consulted my magic mirror, and I'm..." (to be revealed) 

 

OK I'll admit it. I've been rolling my eyes for much of this blog post but the "twisted teens fighting crappy destinies"/"stereotypical fairy tale characters get giant doses of reality" concept is actually beginning to make a bizarre sort of sense to me, especially if the characters are referencing the grimmer details of their parents tales and follow basic logic through. If any of those aspects are allowed to play out I can actually see this being quite "high concept" (*wince* sorry) and catching on... In fact it took me all of two minutes to find other people (mainly teens and therefore the target purchase group) thinking along the same lines and already quite excited about the whole idea.

Take a look at an excerpt from one of the (many) comments in a dedicated Tumblr blog:
"...like how is this premise somehow creepier than the one with monsters
I’m getting over my initial aversion but this is giving me some serious NO REALLY THIS IS F***ING DISTURBING feelings regarding fate and free will and the fact that some of these kids are expected to have no choice beyond ultimately dying in unbelievably gruesome ways (go look up what originally happened to Snow White’s stepmom*. Or Cinderella’s stepsisters. I’ll wait here) is a lot scarier than the franchise is admitting so far.
_____
*You know, on reflection, a woman who’d make her former tormentor dance to death in red-hot iron shoes as wedding entertainment probably is a woman who’d name her daughter after that which almost killed her herself and will eventually almost do the same to said daughter."
Then I (re)realized this is actually about selling (yet another) set of princess dolls and not primarily a story, or a show. Nor is it about providing a tool to deal with grim(m) teen issues (although it would be SO cool if that were the case). Unlike the Monster High dolls and accessories (beloved by many fairy tale afficionados) Ever After High has no cool teen zombie designs with bonus frankenfish or adorable voodoo puppy pet accessories to hook you into the sell. Despite that these princesses have the potential to be pretty dark in nature (Twisted Princesses anyone?) it's not like they'll be at home on the shelves next to Gris Grimley and The Walking Dead swag. They're just too... princessy-looking.

And then this appears on the Ever After High Facebook page:

So... yeah. We'll see. The seeds are there but will they bloom into the greatness of their true destiny or will they wither and die like so many forgotten...?

Ack. Never mind.

The line was officially announced at the end of May and is releasing in July this year.
*aka Snow Whites.

** Characters so far are: THE ROYALS - Apple White (daughter of Snow White), Briar Beauty (daughter of Sleeping Beauty), Ashlynn Ella (daughter of Cinderella), Blondielocks (daughter of Goldilocks, also a royal, kind of - not too 'this' and not too 'that'). THE REBELS - Raven Queen (daughter of the Evil Queen), Cedar Wood (daughter of Pinocchio), Cerise Hood (daughter of Little Red Riding Hood, who's hiding a big bad secret), Madeline Hatter (daughter of the Mad Hatter, roommate Kitty Cheshire, she can also hear the narrators) And there are Prince Charmings everywhere, there's a giant named Tiny and the headmaster (Mr. Grimm) has a brother who is locked in a secret library underneath the school... and arguing male and female narrators.