The Hollywood Fairy Tale Invasion

Remember when you were a kid and the best thing was popping your favorite VHS tape of “Cinderella” into the VCR? Well now those classic tales are just about everywhere. ABC’s hit drama “Once Upon a Time” has given classic characters ranging from Snow White to Red Riding Hood’s grandmother new lives. Plus, “The Wizard of Oz” just got his own movie, and a few princesses are in line to be turned from cartoon to live-action fairy tale fun.

Hollywood has caught a case of fairy tale fever. In addition to movies like “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” and “Jack the Giant Slayer”, which have already hit theatres, many other classic tales are getting the star treatment in the next few years.

One reason for the sudden interest in giving the classics some makeovers could be the aspect of familiarity. But while everyone knows the story of Belle and Aurora, what about the background of Maleficent and the Beast? Well, that’s exactly what Hollywood wants us to find out.

Maleficent

Ever watch Sleeping Beauty and wonder what Maleficent’s deal was? Well, all you have to do is wait another year to see Angelina Jolie step into the evil sorceress’s shoes. (Did she actually wear shoes?) The film will show the classic story from Maleficent’s perspective and will hopefully show what made her become so evil.

The Beast

The tale as old as time is getting remodeled to focus on the hairy protagonist in a film aptly titled (for now) “The Beast”. The live-action movie will focus more on the beast than the beauty and it was announced that according to Deadline, the studio found its screenwriter in Joe Ahearne, known for penning “Trance,” a TV mystery movie.

Cinderella

Sure, Cinderella has seen plenty of remakes, but what’s one more? This live-action adaptation, directed by Kenneth Branagh, was rumored to be starring “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson opposite Cate Blanchett (who will be playing the evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine). Watson, however, turned down the role so time will tell who will put on the glass slippers next.

Pinocchio

Also rumored to be making a comeback is the long-nosed puppet Pinocchio, which according to its IMDB page could star Robert Downey Jr. as Pinocchio’s creator and father, Gepetto, and Christopher Walken as sly villain, The Fox. The description of the movie reads that it will be a darker version of the tale. But really, anything with Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Walken as a team sounds like it should be an interesting movie no matter what.

Enchanted 2

No, this is not a remake or retelling. But it is a sequel to the magical movie that combined almost every fairy tale in a fun and unique way and featured James Marsden singing in tights. If there’s more of that, what could be bad?

Disney sure is getting a makeover. Maybe they should consider less popular tales as well. A live-action version of “Lady and the Tramp” couldn’t hurt anyone, right?

Photo by Orhan Yilmaz