Faerie Tale Theatre

This show was one of the defining elements of my childhood and inspires me to this day in my work. Faerie Tale Theatre was a television program that would take a different fairy-tale each week and let a different director and celebrity cast transform it into a play-like story. Sometimes the stories were comedic (like in "The Frog Prince" or "The Princess and the Pea",) sometimes they were lyrical and poetic ("The Nightingale" "The Snow Queen"), or frightening ("The Boy Who Left Home To Find Out About the Shivers" "Beauty and the Beast"), or just plain corny ("Thumbelina".) These one-hour shows intruduced me to the work of artists I wouldn't have otherwise been exposed to at such a young age, like Francis Ford Coppola, Tim Burton, Helen Mirren, David Bowie, James Earle Jones, Matthew Broderick, Angelica Huston, Billy Crystal, and Christopher Lee. These directors, actors and writers didn't treat fairy tales as something just for children (a la Disney,) but rather as wonderful adventures in their own right that the whole family could enjoy. Their enthusiasm inspired me even at the age of five to put my own spin on the stories that I heard, and so I started to create stories of my own (which I would act out with the neighborhood kids on my back porch.) Even to this day, my work is influenced greatly by folk tales and legends. The stories that we tell as a culture defines who we are. But the way each of us individually interprets these stories defones who we will become.

Some favorite Faerie Tales Theatre Quotes:

Cinderella: Do you know anything about kissing?
Prince Charming: I'm almost certain it has something to do with the lips.
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Prince: I need something warm and soft and gentle...like a hamster!
Fool: I think what you mean is a wife.
Prince: A wife? Is that better than a hamster?
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Narrator: ...the prince was thrown into the dungeon and the princess was sent to a very strict boarding school, where she was forced to learn latin and play hockey.
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Labyrinth (1986)

Alright, so this movie has been on my mind lately...maybe it's because as I prepare to make another film of my own, I start thinking about art direction, and that is the one thing that Labyrinth has...incredible, creative art direction. The movie's loose plot is about a girl that wishes her baby brother would just go away, but is distraught when she finds out that the goblin king (aka David Bowie) has taken him. (Who wouldn't be freaked out by that?) The crazy creatures she meets and wierd scenery she encounters are what make this movie fun. It's like a kid's imagination let loose. If you have older elementary age kids in your house (the movie is a bit wierd for younger ones,) rent this movie...it's worth it just to see David Bowie singing dressed as a rockstar-esque goblin king. Before you watch the film, though, go to www.rottentomatoes.com and read about all the mistakes they made in the film and make it a game to find them. Looking for visible puppeteers or microphones is half the fun!

Graphic Design: Flower Fairies

I loved reading Cecily Mary Barker's poems about fairies and pouring over the beautiful illustrations when I was little. I still love these pictures. The larger image is from a website called www.fineantiqueprints.com. (It's from 1920.) There is such a timeless innocence about these images...very much like Beatrix Potter's work.

Film Flash: Finding Neverland

Doesn't everyone want to be a pirate? Okay, maybe it's just me. I love the playfulness of this film. Just try watching it. Yes, the cinematography is stunning. Yes, the costumes are exquisite. Yes, the acting is brilliant. But I defy anyone who watches this film and doesn't want to fly away to Neverland. Or become a pirate.