Back in the fall, I won some tickets to see Disney's Tangled when it previewed in theaters.
I was unable to go!
Don't worry, the tickets were put to great use by some friends, but I was so bummed by the circumstances and have been dying to see the movie ever since. The day it came out, I purchased it, movie unseen. And it was totally worth it.
I love fairy tales.
But it did get me thinking. The stories (ok the pretty versions) of Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and all of those are fairly well known. Of course Disney always gives it a twist from the original -- most do. But Rapunzel's story is not one that I was too familiar with.
So I channeled some Hermione Granger and went to the library!
I found this Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky.
First of all, beautifully illustrated story book -- and the pictures in fairy tales have to completely do it justice or it goes back on the shelf! Secondly, he does explain that it is a retelling of the original. But it's pretty close I guess (I need to read the Grimm original really . . . ). Rapunzel is an herb. Ok not the girl, the name. And, like most Grimm books, the ending is pretty grim (haha) before it gets good again. Because there is a happy ending after the disturbing parts. There is a witch-slash-sorceress-slash-old lady who is pretty much the villain and there is long golden hair.
Then I read Cameron Dokey's Golden.
The elements that I am now becoming familiar with as the bones of the true (in this case original) story are there but there is a unique twist that makes love and acceptance the central moral of the tale. It was a quick read, kept me engaged, is really geared towards teenagers, and is totally appropriate -- no violence, language, or sex! How fabulous is that?
And now, when I watch Tangled again (because you know I will -- you know, for the sake of my 3-year old, hehe), I can see the bones even better in them but I can really appreciate the Disney elements. And I love the Disney elements: the lanterns, the character and her strength and goodness, the family "stuff", and the humor. I laughed, I cried, I sighed with contentment and I will do all of those things most likely every time I see it. I tend to be emotional.
But now I'm curious about the Grimm stories . . .
