Upcoming fairy tale films and Alice on TV

While working on materials to teach fairy tales, I realized that there are numerous versions of fairy tale films Angelina Jolie as Maleficentand television shows that are coming out within the next few years.  Here are some links. In 2014: Disney's Maleficent (starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning). In 2015 Cinderella (dir. Kenneth Branagh.starring Cate Blanchett), Arabian Nights (starring Liam Hemsworth and Dwayne Johnson).The Guardian also has an article on fairy tale related films.

Maleficent could be interesting with Jolie as the film is supposed to portray the Sleeping Beauty villain in a more sympathetic light than her introduction in the 1959 animated film. Here's more plot synopsis:

"Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal -- an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom -- and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well."

Jolie's young daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt will also be in the film from Disney.   According to this article in Entertainmentwise.com, she is the only kid on the set who was not terrified when Angelina came out in full makeup.

The ABC television series Once will be out again this fall as well as a Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Sophie Lowe as Alice on 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'inspired version called Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.  The link takes you to the ABC page where you will be able to see clips from the upcoming show.  It looks rather dark, as the original Once is dark and spooky. ABC executives have said they wanted to extend the Once fairy tale brand. The most promising casting is John Lithgow playing the White Rabbit.  The most interesting casting choice is The Who’s Roger Daltrey as the hookah-smoking Caterpillar. According to Executive Producer Edward Kitniss this is going to be a feisty, more grown up Alice than the Lewis Carroll books:

"We never wanted her to be a damsel in distress," Kitsis said when asked how they had conceived of their version of the iconic Alice. "We wanted her to go down that rabbit hole, sword in hand, and find her man." In his address to the press, Lee promised that this would be a very "kick-ass" version of the character. Lowe agrees that she is "tough, and both mentally and physically strong."

That sounds promising, but then here's another less promising quotation from Kitniss:

‘‘But of course we’re telling our own story because Alice was never in a love with a genie before,” added executive producer Edward Kitsis.

Well, it should be interesting to see how this all plays out.  The premiere is Oct. 10.  Tune in.

A psychedelic Alice opens in Disneyland

Looks like we'll have to go back to Disneyland to see the new Alice section in the revamped Disney California Adventure.  This Alice is inspired by the weird, colorful word of Tim Burton's film that's re-imagined through the theme park lens.  It's a House of Cards nightclub that opens in the evening with arcade and a rock band headed up by a Mad Hatter channeling Mick Jagger and a White Rabbit dj channeling deadmau5. The caterpillar dance in channeling Pilobus dancers.  Alice is channeling Ashley Tisdale from High School the Musical. Check out the video here.  Maybe just a little squeaky clean, or just squeaky teen Disney, but still seems fun.

Alice in Disneyland

Not your mother's White Rabbit

Whew!  Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' "White Rabbit" is a white hot version of Jefferson's Airplane 1960s Singer Grace Potter of Grace Potter and the Nocturnalspsychadelic tune.  You can find lots of YouTube versions as the group played the song all over last summer at places like the Gathering of the Vibes.  And it's on the Almost Alice soundtrack for the new Alice in Wonderland film.  Here are two video versions by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: the group's video for the Almost Alice soundtrack as shown on Amazon and one from the Deep Roots festival in Georgia .

By the way, the Dormouse never said, "Feed your head."  That myth was part of the 1960s fascination with Alice in Wonderland that put a psychadelic spin on the book.  The Caterpillar does smoke a Hookah.  But there's no documentation that Carroll ever used drugs. He may have occassionally drunk red wine. And LSD was developed a century after Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published.

The White Rabbit continues to be late in the new Alice in Wonderland