Once Upon A Time

Once Upon a Time is the best. I repeat BEST show in existence.

From the creators of 'Lost' and ABC (owned by Disney) have created a masterpiece. Because ABC is owned by Disney, the fairy tale characters closely resemble the Disney costumes (ex: Belle and Cinderella shown below).

The season finale came out last week and I absolutely loved it. This is a series that I would actually consider buying instead of just watching it once it was that good.

Belle

Cinderella

I don't want to give too much away but...

Once Upon a Time, if you don't already know is the story of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin, He's just Not that Into You, Something Borrowed) and her prince (Josh Dallas) but combined with every other fairy tale imagined.  It starts as the classic tale, the prince and princess defeat the evil queen and live happily... for a while.

Snow White and Evil Queen Regina in Fairy Tale world

As Snow White and Charming prepare for the birth of their first child, the evil queen (Lana Parrilla) casts a curse on the kingdom that moves every fairy tale character into our world, which has no magic so the she will be the only one with a happy ending.  The only way the curse can be broken is by Snow White and Charming's daughter, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison, How I Met Your Mother), when she turns 28, sent to the our world beforehand to avoid the complications of the curse. On her birthday, her son (given up for adoption at birth), Henry (Jared Gilmore) finds her so that he can help break the curse, he is the only one who knows the truth.  Emma Swan travels to the tiny town of Storybrooke to protect and care for her son who has been adopted by the evil queen who is mayor of Storybrooke.

Snow White, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood in our world

As the series progresses, you learn about the character's pasts in fairy tale land and the effects of the curse in Storybrooke with some surprising twists and turns. Need I mention that Rumpelstiltskin or Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle, 28 Weeks Later) is behind most of the schemes that arise?

With this all-star cast and amazing plot line, I am going to be addicted to this show for a while. I wonder how they will continue season 2... If you haven't seen it yet, catch up while there is still time!

Emma Swan

Rapunzel

Since I began with the oldest Disney Princess, it is only suiting that I ended the week with the youngest and my favorite, Rapunzel.

Rapunzel is another Brothers Grimm fairy tale from Germany. There was once a couple who desperately wanted a child that lived next to an enchantress, Dame Gothel, who had a large garden . When the couple finally was with child, the wife suddenly had cravings for the plants in the garden and wanted them to the point where she was near death. The husband, who loved his wife, crept into the garden for three nights to bring her some of the plants. On the third night he was caught by the enchantress and demands that the couple give them the child upon birth and he agrees to do so. The enchantress raises Rapunzel until she is 14 and then locks her in a tower because she is so beautiful.

The enchantress visits Rapunzel by saying "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so I may climb the golden stair"and Rapunzel lets down her hair.

One day, a prince is riding by and hears Rapunzel singing. He searches for her, memorized by her voice until he sees how Dame Gothel enters the tower. The prince then enters the tower the same way Dame Gothel does and asks Rapunzel to marry him, she agrees.  The couple plans their escape where the prince will bring Rapunzel silk every night to weave into a ladder. The way the enchantress discovers the two has many different variations including that Rapunzel foolishly let's information slip about the prince and others where she says that her dress is getting tight around her stomach (pregnancy). The enchantress is furious and cuts off Rapunzel's hair.

When the Prince returns later that night, the enchantress fools him by letting down Rapunzel's hair and screams he will never see Rapunzel again, blinds him and throws him out of the tower. After months of wandering the desert, he hears Rapunzel singing. They are reunited at last and her tears heal his eyes and he discovers she has given birth to twins. They soon get married and live happily ever after.

The Disney version is obviously kid friendly with no blinding or teen pregnancies. Rapunzel is also a stronger character in Tangled  than she is in the original story. Go girl power!

Fun Facts:
Tangled (Disney's version or Rapunzel) is Walt Disney Pictures 50th full length animated feature.

Mandy Moore, who played Jamie in Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember is the voice of Rapunzel.

There is a short titled Tangled Ever After that is about the Royal Wedding of Princess Rapunzel and Flynn Rider that was featured during the 3D theatrical performance of Beauty and the Beast.

Belle

One of my favorite princesses: Princess Belle!

Belle's story begins as a traditional French fairy tale. There was a rich merchant with three daughters, the youngest being Beauty (Belle) who was lovely and kind while her sisters were selfish and wicked. The merchant then lost all of his money and had to move himself and his daughters to a small town. While on a business trip the merchant asked his daughters if they wanted anything.  The two older sisters were selfish and wanted jewels and fancy dresses while Belle only wanted a single rose.

The merchant, on his way back, became lost and stumbled upon a castle where he was allowed to stay. He was given some riches yet when he went to pick the most beautiful rose for Belle, the mysterious Prince (who was actually a Beast) appeared and demanded either his life or one of his daughters to come of their own accord.  The merchant reluctantly agreed and returned home where Belle was the one to volunteer to go.

Upon arrival Belle was given anything she wanted, she was no prisoner yet he asked her every night to marry him.  After a few months, Belle grew homesick and wished to return home. The beast agreed only if she took a magic mirror and ring and if she returned in one week. When Belle returned home, she was dressed in such fine clothes, her sisters became jealous and forced Belle to stay home by crying, wishing that Belle would stay with them in hopes that the beast would become angry and eat her. Because of Belle's kind heart, she stayed. The beast became heartbroken and when Belle looked into her mirror to check on the beast, she found that he was dying and returned to him, crying over him stating she loved him. The beast then turned into a handsome prince and they got married and lived happily ever after.

Fun Facts:

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to win Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.

The dance between Belle and the prince in the final scene is actually reused animation from Sleeping Beauty's  last dance between Aurora and the Prince because the animators were running out of time.

According to the Official Encyclopedia of Disney the Beast's real name is Adam, but it is never mentioned in the film.

Ariel

Under the sea. Under the sea! It's Ariel!

Another princess from the early '90's.. well 1989 but still! Oh childhood! And much like other Disney Princesses, she has a dark original story by Hans Christian Andersen.

There was once a young mermaid who lived with her father King Triton, her grandmother and her five sisters. When a mermaid was able to turn 15 they were able to swim to the surface to observe humans. The humans were fascinating creatures with life spans shorter than a merperson's but had an eternal soul. The little mermaid (Ariel) was fascinated by the human world and on her trip to the surface witness a storm and saved a young prince's life. She saved the young prince's life by bringing him to a temple but the prince never saw her face.

Part of Your World

The little mermaid, now in love with the prince goes to the sea witch in exchange for legs and a human life which the sea witch gladly gives her a potion, in exchange for her tongue and that she can never come home. The little mermaid makes the deal and drinks the potion which makes her feel like she is being cut in half.  She then lives on land and the prince is attracted to her beauty.  His father however, orders him to marry a princess in a neighboring country. The prince refuses to marry the other princess claiming he will only love the woman who saved him. It is then revealed that the princess was staying in the temple that the little mermaid brought him to and the prince, believing it was her who saved him, marries her.

The little mermaid, now heartbroken, wishes to return to the sea so her sisters give their hair to the sea witch in exchange for a knife. The little mermaid is instructed to kill the prince and let his blood drip on her feet thus returning her to mermaid form. The little mermaid cannot complete the task however and throws herself into the ocean where she dies and becomes a spirit and must wait 300 years before entering heaven.

No one lives happily ever after except for the delusional prince and foreign princess. The end.

Needless to say, I am glad Disney changed the ending to be a happy one.

Fun Facts before you get too depressed:
There are many adaptations of The Little Mermaid including the Disney version, a musical, a ballet, and many, many books and spinoffs (many with happy endings).

There is a Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.


There is slight controversy with the original cover of the VSH, with statements that a part of the castle looked like a male's member. There is also a scene later in the movie that shows a small bulge (like an erection) on a clergy member and a woman filed a lawsuit against the corporation, only to drop it two months later.

Jodi Benson also did the voice for Vanessa (Ursula's human voice) and 'Tour Guide Barbie' in Toy Story 2.

Happy Ending.

Cinderella

Now for the popular favorite... the second official Disney Princess... Cinderella! 

Where do I even begin with this girl?

Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper was first published in France in 1697 by Charles Perrault but is known throughout many different countries with small twists to each of them. Cinderella continues to influence many modern stories such as A Cinderella Story. Because there are so many different versions, I'm going to stick with the Brothers Grimm version (like I have done for the other princesses).

When Cinderella's mother was dying, she called her to her death bed and asked Cinderella to always remain kind and generous and God would protect her. Cinderella's father after some time, married another woman that had two daughters of her own, like the classic Disney tale, they were all wicked and cruel (...This never ceases to amaze me how dumb the father was to marry into this mess). Cinderella plants a hazel tree at her mothers grave and goes to it three times a day to pray.

One day the King decides to throw a ball for the land, wanting his son to choose a girl to marry. All eligible women are asked to attend. Cinderella begs her stepmother for permission to go and the stepmother threw lentils into the fireplace ashes stating that Cinderella could only attend if she picked them all out within an hour. With help from two white doves, Cinderella accomplishes the task the stepmother quickly rushes out with her two stepdaughters leaving Cinderella weeping. When Cinderella returns to her mothers grave wishing to go, the birds drop a sliver gown and gold shoes (pimped out) down from the tree and assists Cinderella but she must leave before midnight. She goes to the ball and falls in love with the prince.

Cinderella loses track of time and runs out losing a shoe in the process.  The Prince goes on a quest to find her and tries the shoe on her stepsisters feet first. In order for the shoe to fit, one stepsister cuts off her heel and the other cuts off her toe. The prince was only alerted to the trickery by the birds. The prince comes back a third time and Cinderella tries on the shoe and the prince instantly recognizes her (really dude?).  They are soon married and the stepsisters try to gain favor with the prince and new princess but the doves swoop down and peck out their eyes. And they lived Happily Ever After.

Into the Woods (a musical) follows this plot (intertwined with others of course) pretty well in terms of Cinderella.

The Disney version seems to follow Perrault's version (it has a fairy Godmother and such).

Fun Facts:
In the Disney movie: Cinderella's bed sheet has patches, but when the birds fold it, the patches are gone.

Ilene Woods, voice of Cinderella, got her show biz start at age 2 and quit at age 17 when she married and became a mother!

Facts from IMDB and story help from Wikipedia.

Jasmine

Next up for Princess Week is... Princess Jasmine!

Princess Jasmine first appeared in Aladdin in 1992  about a young man who was extremely poor living in the fictional city of Agrabah and comes upon a Genie that turns him into a prince in order to be with Princess Jasmine. However, the evil Jafar has other plans and attempts to thwart Aladdin.  In the end, good triumphs over evil and Aladdin and Jasmine live happily ever after!

Unlike the other princesses that will be featured this week, Jasmine is the only princess to be a secondary character, coming after Aladdin. She is also the only official Disney Princess to be a secondary character as well.

Princess Jasmine is based off of the character Princess Badroulbadour from the tale of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp from One Thousand and One Nights which is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories.


In the original tale, Aladdin is persuaded by a sorcerer to obtain an oil lamp that is trapped. When the sorcerer attempts to double cross him, Aladdin retains a magical ring that contains a lesser powerful Genie.  The Genie helps Aladdin to become rich and powerful and will eventually marry the Emperor's daughter, Princess Badroulbadour. The sorcerer then battles with Aladdin with the more powerful Genie of the Lamp but Aladdin and Princess Badroulbadour win in the end and live happily ever after.

Fun Facts:

Scott Weinger, the actor who voiced Aladdin, also played DJ Tanner's boyfriend on Full House.

Jasmine was the first Disney Princess to be voice by two actresses, Linda Larkin provided her speaking voice and Lea Salonga provided her singing voice.

Lea Salonga also provided the singing voice for Mulan and was Fantine in Les Meserables: The 25th Anniversary (my mind has been blown).

Snow White

What a better way to start Princess Week than with the original Disney Princess herself: Snow White?

As with any of the original fairy tales (Especially the Grimm's Fairy Tales), Snow White's story has taken many alterations since it's original debut in 1812 with the Brothers Grimm in Germany. Although there are many alterations, the very basic plot remains the same.

Snow White is an extremely beautiful princess with a very jealous stepmother. The stepmother demands a huntsman to take her into the woods and kill Snow White after the queen's magic mirror tells her that Snow White is the fairest in all the land (so she can eat her lungs and liver for dinner, GROSS). The huntsman takes pity on her and let's her go.  Snow White then find seven dwarfs living together to help her.  When the queen discovers that Snow White is alive and well, she creates a poisoned apple that Snow White eats and falls into a coma. The dwarfs place in a glass coffin until Snow White's prince arrives (and takes her back to his kingdom where the ride jostles the apple out of her throat) and kisses her awake (in the Disney version). The queen then dies by being burned alive (not in the Disney version). They then live Happily Ever After.

Grimm's Fairy tale

Snow White has multiple movies made about her such as the popular Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released in 1937 but also has a  play, special appearances, spin off's (Sydney White), is known worldwide, and even video games!

The most recent adaptations of Snow White include Once Upon a Time, an ABC original series that puts fairy tale characters into reality due to a curse cast by the evil queen (I HIGHLY recommend you watch this), Mirror, Mirror (this one has Julia Roberts), and Snow White and the Huntsman (this one has Kristen Stewart, I may avoid this as long as possible).

SUCH A GOOD SHOW

Kristen Stewart looking bored 

Looks Promising

Like most fairy tales, Snow White is very gruesome (the dying of the queen, wanting to eat the liver and lungs, etc.) but was transformed by Walt Disney for a children's film and also preserved the original fairy tale (to some degree).

Fun Facts:

The total cost of Snow White was 1.5 million dollars and Walt Disney had to mortgage his home in order to pay for the extra costs. The film then pulled it 8 million dollars at the box office.

Adriana Caselotti voiced Snow White for Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  and was blacklisted by Disney so that the voice of Snow White could not be ruined by being hear too much. She had one voice over, uncredited in The Wizard of Oz with the line "Where for out thou, Romeo?' in the Tin Man's song (source).

Happily Ever After <3

Princess Week

Is this for real? Are all of our Disney Princess-loving hearts going to burst with joy?

The answer my friends is yes.

Disney, Target, and the beloved Julie Andrews have come together to create National Princess Week April 22-April 28.

To assist in the celebration I will be honoring a Disney Princess a day.

Please note that these are not all princess

Julie Andrews

Now for the hard decision of picking only 7! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DISNEY PRINCESSES THERE ARE?!

There are 10 official Disney Princesses BUT I don't think that Mulan counts. Mulan was just a badass. But hey, who am I to judge who is and who isn't a princess?

Personally, I count 14 but then again I could have missed someone or excluded someone... and then there are the non-Disney Princesses...

Also! Here is Julie Andrews discussing Princesses.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

I hope the weather is wonderful and you get to go to a parade or do something fun!

Disney Collection: Alfred Angelo

So, I believe it is fair to say that I have looked at hundreds of wedding dresses online.  It is also safe to say that one collection always brings me back, Alfred Angelo's Disney Bridal Collection. 

They have two series of princess dresses (suited to each Disney Princess of course!) for Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, Tiana, and Rapunzel. I stumbled upon these amazing wedding dresses when I thought to myself one day "Humm.. I wonder if anyone has ever created a Disney wedding dress?"  Imagine my delight when I Googled it and there they were!

Cinderella

The second series of the dresses are out now (3rd for the Cinderella dresses) and I must admit I was disappointed.  I have a strong preference for the first series rather than the second (with exceptions of Jasmine and Belle second series).  These dresses are fairly priced and come in sizes 0 to 30W

Belle  Advertisement   

Due to copying I could not post all of the photos of the dresses that I wanted to.  I encourage you to go to the site if you love Disney princesses as much as I do or wedding dresses for that matter!