A Humble Message from a Blockbuster Movie: "Have Courage and Be Kind"

I think that she [Cinderella] learns to turn the other cheek with strength. She has no sense of self-pity, no sense of being a victim. She makes her own choices, she doesn’t indulge in her own pain or hardships. She looks at the world with compassion. I find her such good company because she’s so un-showy, and yet she’s so charismatic. I think she really knows herself.

-Kenneth Branagh, director of Cinderella

A young and beautiful Lily James portrays Ella.

A couple of nights ago, my daughter, Mary, and I went to see Disney's new live-action Cinderella film, directed by Kenneth Branagh (it was my second time seeing the movie, Mary's first.)

BRAVO, Mr. Branagh (Sir)!!!!

The humble message of this fairytale - to "have courage and be kind" - danced right off the screen like a shining beacon of light.  It's a message that will never grow old, and that all young people - boys and girls - in our modern times can certainly benefit from!

Dancing with the Prince (Richard Madden)

If you haven't been exposed to the fairytale of Cinderella beyond Disney's 1950 animated version, go here to read my daughter's past post (she has some experience with Cinderella - she loved many picture book versions of the story as a child and portrayed Cinderella as a princess at Disneyland Paris for nine months!)

It takes Courage to be Kind...
Cinderella is a different kind of heroine than most kids may be used to. Like many modern-day female characters, she is strong and courageous, but Cinderella's strength of character stems from patience and love. Most of all, she is kind. As my daughter wrote in a past post (here in 2010) about this fairytale character:

"Cinders" is a beautiful and lovely girl, who, even in what should be her moments of greatest despair, never loses hope, respect, patience, or love. Children can relate to and learn so much from this story. While we may not have all grown up with an evil stepmother and mean, tormenting stepsisters, or had only animals for friends, and endured patiently - until one day we stumble upon our fairy godmother who helps us meet our prince and makes all our dreams come true - any person can empathize with this story. In various ways we've been there - we've all lived through a painful situation in life. But who can say that they offered kindness, respect, and love in return for the harsh treatment or hatred that might have been given?

The tale of The Little Glass Slipper has never gone out of style!
Disney's new film was beautifully done, and I am so happy with Branagh's decision to keep it a traditional telling.  The true heart of the tale is there, complete with darkness and light, the sadness balanced with a happy ending.  Regarding the film's on-screen scenes dealing with the death of both of Ella's parents, Branagh said:

The responsibility of introducing loss on that profound level to children made me understand why fairytales perhaps should not be dismissed [as trite]. They become ways in which we manage these very difficult life issues when we’re involved in talking to our children.

Some of my personal favorite things about this movie:

• Sir Derek Jacobi as the King!
• Gus-Gus was there, and chubby.
• Cate Blanchette's green-with-envy gowns, and her porcelain complexion that, at 45, rivaled 25-year old Lily James' glowing face - wow!
• The on-screen transformations of the pumpkin, mice, lizards, and goose into their respective magical roles involved in Cinderella's conveyance to the ball.  The visual effects were amazing!
• The lavish sets.
• All the literary and biblical symbolism (go here for an excellent article).
• The film score. Make sure you stick around for all the credits - you'll hear songs from the Disney animated film, sung by Lily James and Helena Bonham Carter!

In defense of Cinderella...
As expected, there has been some negative feedback about the movie; but I've been happy to read several positive essays and reviews about this new live-action film. Two I'd like to specifically mention are Cinderella, the Fool For Christ by Gabe Martini, and The Audacity of Cinderella by Rebecca Reynolds.

My daughter's favorite Picture Book versions of Cinderella...

MARCIA BROWN'S sumptuous watercolors illustrate the Charles Perrault fairytale.

RUTH SANDERSON'S retelling (and don't miss her adaptation of The Twelve Dancing Princesses).

K.Y.CRAFT'S illustrations are reminiscent of opulent 17-18th Century France.

SUSAN JEFFERS' adaptation has very natural looking artwork.

WALT DISNEY'S, by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by MARY BLAIR.

THE EGYPTIAN CINDERELLA, by Shirley Climo, illustrated by RUTH HELLER.

Arthur Rackham, Illustrator from a "Golden Age"

source

The first few decades of the 20th century have become known as the "Golden Age" of book illustration, when improvements in printing technology allowed publishers to produce lavish colour illustrations for the first time. 

Of all the artists who became famous in this period, by far the most popular was Arthur Rackham, who still maintains his hold over the public imagination a century later. [source]


Today marks the date of Arthur Rackham's birth on September 19, 1867, in London, England.  

His book illustrations are known for their luxurious color and fine detail.  Following a popular trend of the time, they were highly desired as Christmas gifts in signed and limited editions.

Rip Van Winkle (1905)

It was the publication of Rip Van Winkle in 1905 that put Rackham on his course to fame.

Following were Peter Pan In Kensington Gardens (1906), Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (1907), Cinderella - in one color plate and 60 silhouettes (1919), and a host of other popular titles. 

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens  cover (1906)

"A Mad Tea Party"
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1907)

Cinderella (1919, here)

Rackham invented his own unique technique which resembled photographic reproduction; he would first sketch an outline of his drawing, then lightly block in shapes and details. Afterwards he would add lines in pen and India ink, removing the pencil traces after it had dried. With colour pictures, he would then apply multiple washes of colour until translucent tints were created.  

He also expanded the use of silhouette cuts in illustration work... (source) 

Arthur Rackham's Cinderella (silhouette source)

With Rackham's death in 1939, his range and consistent high quality of work has remained unrivaled. His last book, Wind In The Willows, was published posthumously in 1940.

 Wind in the Willows (1940)

To read an excellent 8-part series about Rackham and see many more of his gorgeous illustrations, go here.

FROM ONE MARY TO ANOTHER...A LOOK AT THE ARTWORK OF MARY BLAIR (A guest-post by Mary Honore)

A post by my daughter, Mary, who spent nine wonderful months "working" for Disneyland Paris...


“This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about Love.” (from CINDERELLA, illustrated by Mary Blair, told by Cynthia Rylant)

Who could resist reading a story that begins with these magical words?? Luckily for us, these words are the beginning of not only a well-loved story, but also the perfect description of the life of the children’s book illustrator featured in today’s blog: Mary Blair.

Mary Blair was an artistic pioneer and talent her entire life, but it is her work for the Walt Disney Studios that is most well known throughout the world today. If your children have ever experienced the magic of the “It's a Small World” attraction at Disneyland, or watched such classic Disney films as Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland, they will absolutely love Mary Blair’s illustrated works! Mary was both fearless and untraditional when it came to color styling and concept art, so much so that even though none of Mary’s actual drawings are directly shown in Disney animation, her work gave her renown throughout the studio, and Walt Disney favored her vivid artwork and unique vision above many other artists. Her bold designs and bright images hold a special appeal for children, making her illustrations both compelling and familiar.


FOR AGES 4+:  In recent years, Mary Blair’s artwork for the three Disney animated films listed above has been collected and published as children’s stories, with creative re-tellings by various contemporary children’s book authors. Children are captivated by the beautiful, colorful, and un-fussy drawings—a feast for the eyes! Combined with loving and thoughtful telling, these books are sure favorites for any child’s library!


CINDERELLA  (told by Cynthia Rylant) A romantic and idealist from the very youngest age, books about the rewards of waiting for true love always stuck with me as a child and even into my adult life. I think that this particular telling of the classic fairytale is an excellent way of teaching children the virtues of prudence and charity. As an example of its beauty, allow me to share with you my favorite quote from the book: “Who can say by what mystery two people find each other in this great wide world?” (*note: see my previous post about Cinderella for more wonderful tellings of this beautiful story!)

Cinderella watching, as her pumpkin becomes a coach!

Cinderella's coach arrives at the ball!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (told by Jon Scieszka) If you feel that Lewis Caroll’s original novel is a bit too mature for your younger children, this rendition of his story is the perfect way to introduce them to Alice’s whimsical Wonderland. I especially love the quirky tea party images and the very bright colors throughout the entire storybook!

Alice at the Mad Hatter and March Hare’s Un-Birthday Tea Party

PETER PAN (told by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson) The classic J.M. Barrie novel, Peter Pan, has held a dear place in my heart since 8th grade, and I have read it again and again! However, children may not pick up on Barrie’s satire and subtleties in his original work, so a picture-book telling is a much more appropriate beginning to this classic tale of responsibility and growing up. The very geometric illustrations capture all the beauty of the Neverland, and the rather child-like character of the drawings is quaint and lovable.

Peter with the Mermaids (front cover)

 FOR AGES 1-4:  Blair also worked as an illustrator for the Little Golden Books for a short while, illustrating I CAN FLY, BABY'S HOUSE, THE GOLDEN BOOK OF LITTLE VERSES, and THE NEW GOLDEN SONGBOOK. “Charming” is truly the best possible description of these adorable illustrations, and they will especially be appreciated by toddlers and very young children, but also by the adults who have the pleasure of sharing them!

The author and her mom at Shakespeare and Co. bookstore in Paris

...and in the rain at the Luxemborg Gardens, Paris!

The author at work at Disneyland Paris...

A SPECIAL POST BY MY DAUGHTER, MARY...about Cinderella

"I am a 'girly-girl' through and through. As a child, I loved dolls, ballet, tea parties, dress up, and fairy tales...something we always did together as a family, and that we were also encouraged and even required to do on our own, was to read. And, being the 'dainty' girl I was, one of my favorite stories of all time was CINDERELLA.

My mom found different adaptations of the story, featuring various storytellers' and illustrators' perspectives. I loved the story so much and I think I've always understood it as a tale of endurance. It seems that many fairytales are just that; however, I feel that Cinderella is in fact a true fairytale in the sense that the power of the story, the characters, and the morals of the tale, will live forever, even if it never took place in history. And not only that, apart from the Fairy Godmother (who really just bedazzled everyone a bit - as "Cinders" did all the real work), this rags to riches story could actually have (and has many times) happened in the real world.

You see, "Cinders" is a beautiful and lovely girl, who, even in what should be her moments of greatest despair, never loses hope, respect, patience, or love. Children can relate to and learn so much from this story. While we may not have all grown up with an evil stepmother and mean, tormenting stepsisters, or had only animals for friends, and endured patiently - until one day we stumble upon our fairy godmother who helps us meet our prince and makes all our dreams come true - any person can empathize with this story. In various ways we've been there - we've lived through a painful situation in life. But who can say that they offered kindness, respect, and love in return for the harsh treatment or hatred that might have been given? Children can often relate to the circumstances the princess finds herself in, yet the story teaches them to aspire to act and forgive like Cinderella (as she came to be called).

I watched the Disney CINDERELLA animated movie two or three times as a child, and certanly when I pictured her in my head, it was the face of this timeless and beautiful classic that I saw looking back at me. But even with its charm, enduring characters, beautiful animation, and enchanting score, the film can't take a child to the same place that the storybook can. In the film, the hard work is done for us (and what a work of imaginative genius it is!) allowing us the luxury of sitting back for an hour or two while we enjoy the tale unfolding before us. Yet, with the storybook, even with pictures, we learn to live and relate in a whole new way, as our imaginations do the hard work to lead us to the "happily ever after" on the last page.

Guess who?

I had the great privilege of representing Disney's Cinderella at the DISNEYLAND PARIS Theme Park in France for 8 months last year. I cannot tell you what a joy this "job" (though I laugh to call it that) was to me, and how much I learned about children there. So many of these little dears were concerned for me: for how my stepsisters had been treating me lately? For how hurt my feelings must have been when my stepmother said such mean things? For how sad I must have been for all those years up in my tower, all alone, only able to dream of happiness? They understood my story - my life - that it had been difficult and full of trials. And some of them even related in ways that made me very sad. Yet, with this heroine they always had the example of hope, of graceful acceptance, and everlasting endurance.

So, even as a woman now, I think I shall love this story forever! After all, it couldn't be pure coincidence that CINDERELLA was my favorite fairytale, my first Barbie, my favorite movie, my favorite Halloween costume, the centerpiece of my 10th birthday cake, my "model" for my first high school prom (which I attended with my very own Prince Charming - yes, we got married!), and my favorite job ever. But without the storybook, and the love for the special young girl - who was 'no less good than beautiful' - that it sparked in my imagination, none of this could have meant what it has, and that's the truth!"

The author and her Mom in front of Cinderella's coach, Disneyland Paris.

MARY'S favorite illustrators of CINDERELLA:

-MARCIA BROWN (sumptuous watercolors);

-RUTH SANDERSON (haven't actually read this one, but her adaptation of THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES is incredible!);

-K.Y.CRAFT (illustrations are reminiscent of opulent 17-18th Century France);

-SUSAN JEFFERS (very natural looking artwork);

-WALT DISNEY'S CINDERELLA, by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mary Blair;

-THE EGYPTIAN CINDERELLA, by Shirley Climo, illustrated by Ruth Heller