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Troll Hunter
(André Ovredal, 2010) amusingly emulates
Blair Witch
’s approach,
as student film-makers discover trolls are real, yet subject to a government
cover-up. Unlike the elusive witch, these folk monsters are substantiated via
impressive CGI footage whilst remaining essentially one dimensional. The
idea that fairy tale characters exist in our world is an increasingly popular
motif in contemporary entertainment, featured in various films and TV series
including
Once Upon a Time
and
Grimm
– with precursors such as
Buffy
and
Supernatural
– and is, again, very postmodern.
17. See the article at http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/21/entertainment/
la-et-1121-tangled-20101121 for further details about Disney Animation
studio’s claims regarding
Tangled
and their interest in creating Flynn as a way
to appeal to boys.
18. Bruno Bettelheim approves Rapunzel for mobilizing her ‘rescue’ through her
own body – an idea
Tangled
extends in using her hair to liberate herself from
Notes to Chapter 6
193
captivity and illuminate the way out of a dark cavern (as well as healing
wounds) although it is an asset that must ultimately be forfeited.
19. As journalist Rebecca Armstrong wryly points out, objecting to the gender
reversal in Raimi’s prequel and imagining the same treatment in other plots,
‘Perhaps there’s a case for recasting some fairy tales so the glass slipper is on
the other foot. Raphael in the tower, imprisoned by a warlock, whose only
joy in life is the brave princess who scales his beard every night. Sleeping
Beau, so damn hot that his jealous stepdad tries to poison him. Or maybe
he should just let the witches of Oz be the stars, rather than the wizard.
It worked the first time round after all’, www.independent.co.uk/voices/
comment/female-protagonists-in-fairy-tales-imagine-if-the-witches-of-oz-got-
their-due-8537973.html, posted Sunday 17 March 2013.
20. According to Hill (2013a) the film originated through screenwriter Mitchell
Kapner, eager to make a pitch, summarising Baum’s sixth Oz novel,
The
Emerald City of Oz
(1910), to Roth and inspiring particular interest about
exploring the Wizard’s background. The resulting film ignores all other fea-
tures of the book, which Zipes notes is especially significant in convincing
Dorothy to stay in Oz, with Baum emphasising its utopian quality as a land
where poverty does not exist, everyone has sufficient food and clothing, and
the nation’s wealth is intended for everyone’s benefit – a utopian society
(with apparent socialist features) that is clearly absent from the film’s depic-
tion of a matriarchal tyranny (Zipes, 2011: 285–6).
21. The postmodern aspects of the film include a self-reflexive announcement
of the genre’s conventions in the opening and some amusing intertextual
casting (such as
The Princess Bride
’s Cary Elwes serving as the villainous
Uncle Edgar), yet its truly progressive feature is an ‘enlightened’ heroine who
speaks out against exploitation, campaigns against separatist policies such as
forcing elves to be entertainers, using giants as slaves, and demonising ogres,
defends her darker-skinned friend from bullying, and finally leads a coalition
of the marginalised to become ‘a nation of equals’. Another overlooked fairy
tale film featuring Hathaway is
The Princess Diaries
(Garry Marshall, 2001).
Drawing from a series of books by Meg Cabot, a similar intent to overturn
convention is displayed via a young woman who aligns being a princess with
the power to achieve change, rather than having fancy dresses or wooing a
prince. In the sequel she notably overturns the constitution by refusing to
marry, insisting on ruling in her own right. While such films appear to have
been critically ignored because they are aimed at teenage girls, one could
argue that this is precisely why they are so important, providing refreshing
alternatives to the usual ‘Disney princess’ model in creating empowering
role models for young women – and setting an example Disney has started
to emulate.
22. The game also features an older Alice, suggests Wonderland is her damaged
psyche, and similarly makes the Jabberwock a servant of the villainous
Red Queen.
23. For details about how long Disney’s ‘Snow Queen’ adaptation was in devel-
opment, and a sobering reminder of the revision initially proposed, see Hill
(2013b). As Hill relates, the original conception was an ice maiden who is
eventually defrosted by a suitor, an idea Eisner was apparently very taken
with, yet which was thankfully not developed. http://jimhillmedia.com/
194
Notes to Epilogue
editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2013/10/18/countdown-to-disney-quot-
frozen-quot-how-one-simple-suggestion-broke-the-ice-on-the-quot-snow-
queen-quot-s-decades-long-story-problems.aspx#.UmbFXxZPrTQ.
24. The elimination of the villain, conspicuously emulating Gaston’s demise
in
Beauty and the Beast
, is also notable, providing an intertextual nod to
Disney’s back catalogue, and similarly repudiating male abuse of power.
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