Films
Beastly - Susan Cartsonis (Producer), Daniel Barnz (Director)
Based on the novel ‘Beastly’ by Alex Flinn this film is a modern retelling of the story Beauty and the Beast set in Manhattan. This film is produced by Susan Cartsonis and directed by Daniel Barnz. The films target audience is teens and young adults up to older viewers rated PG13. Kyle is a vain New York teen that is beautiful on the outside but inside he’s ugly, he plays a prank on the outcast of the school a believed witch who then casts a spell on him making him as ugly on the outside as he is in his soul. He must find love within a year or he will be of his hideous appearance forever. He then saves a school mate Lindy from a drug dealer and requests to keep her in his apartment to protect her. Their connection grows over time and eventually Lindy loves him and the spell is broken and he is returned to his former self however beautiful on inside and out. It is a great modern adaptation on the original Beauty and the Beast story with elements of modern settings such as the city, apartment instead of castle, and use of social media to show a change or growth through a status update or deletion of account.
(215px‑Beastly_new_n.jpg, n.d.)
The producer Susan Cartsonis has produced many other enchanted or mythical movies such as ‘Aquamarine’ and ‘The Mistress of Spices’ so is wellknown for her portrayals of love stories in chick flick type movies such as this.Strengths of this resource are the availability and presentation through film as I feel this is a great way to share the adaptation with a new audience who may not be into reading if it were in text form such as a novel. It also holds true to some of the elements which are from the original Beauty and the Beast such as Roses being used in the garden he grows in the apartment building and the rose tattoo which depicts when his year to find love is up. It also gives a modern and realistic view of guidance through the characters of the blind tutor and the house maid rather than the magical household objects; however in this adaptation they guide the Beast rather than Beauty. I feel it doesn’t hold as much richness to the original Beauty and the Beast story because of its modern take. The imaginary world that is usually in such a story is too close to real life these days in it's settings to feel taken on a journey into another place.
This adaptation will be useful for study in the adaptations of beauty and the beast allowing comparisons to be made between the novel and film based versions of the story aswell as comparing a modern version with an older. It will allow study of the how beauty and beastliness is portrayed in people of today’s world and the different ways or avenues in which people can show their ugliness.
Based on the novel ‘Beastly’ by Alex Flinn this film is a modern retelling of the story Beauty and the Beast set in Manhattan. This film is produced by Susan Cartsonis and directed by Daniel Barnz. The films target audience is teens and young adults up to older viewers rated PG13. Kyle is a vain New York teen that is beautiful on the outside but inside he’s ugly, he plays a prank on the outcast of the school a believed witch who then casts a spell on him making him as ugly on the outside as he is in his soul. He must find love within a year or he will be of his hideous appearance forever. He then saves a school mate Lindy from a drug dealer and requests to keep her in his apartment to protect her. Their connection grows over time and eventually Lindy loves him and the spell is broken and he is returned to his former self however beautiful on inside and out. It is a great modern adaptation on the original Beauty and the Beast story with elements of modern settings such as the city, apartment instead of castle, and use of social media to show a change or growth through a status update or deletion of account.
(215px‑Beastly_new_n.jpg, n.d.)
The producer Susan Cartsonis has produced many other enchanted or mythical movies such as ‘Aquamarine’ and ‘The Mistress of Spices’ so is wellknown for her portrayals of love stories in chick flick type movies such as this.Strengths of this resource are the availability and presentation through film as I feel this is a great way to share the adaptation with a new audience who may not be into reading if it were in text form such as a novel. It also holds true to some of the elements which are from the original Beauty and the Beast such as Roses being used in the garden he grows in the apartment building and the rose tattoo which depicts when his year to find love is up. It also gives a modern and realistic view of guidance through the characters of the blind tutor and the house maid rather than the magical household objects; however in this adaptation they guide the Beast rather than Beauty. I feel it doesn’t hold as much richness to the original Beauty and the Beast story because of its modern take. The imaginary world that is usually in such a story is too close to real life these days in it's settings to feel taken on a journey into another place.
This adaptation will be useful for study in the adaptations of beauty and the beast allowing comparisons to be made between the novel and film based versions of the story aswell as comparing a modern version with an older. It will allow study of the how beauty and beastliness is portrayed in people of today’s world and the different ways or avenues in which people can show their ugliness.
Beauty and the Beast – Walt Disney
(beauty-and-the-beast-movie.jpg, ? )
This is the third film of Disney Renaissance period produced by Walt Disney this version of Beauty and the Beast is based on the fairytale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. The film has won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy as well as being preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural, historical and aesthetical significance. The film is rated G and has been adapted to screen for children of all ages.
Set in France the film begins with an arrogant prince who rejects a begging woman (enchantress) offer of a rose as trade for a place to stay for a night transferred into a Beast and whom imprisons in his castle a young woman named Belle. Belle whose father is an inventor gets lost on his travels and is attacked by wolves’ whereby he finds the Beasts castle. The Beast keeps the father hostage and when Belle arrives to find him she offers herself in his place. The Beast must win Belles heart before his twenty-first birthday and the rose has wilted in order to return to being a prince otherwise remain forever as Beast, this become but not without trouble through the love interest Gaston who is also after Belle.
The strengths of this animated film is the presentation which is magical and takes the audience into a fanciful, enchanted world through the use of motion picture, musical scores and songs which encapsulates the viewer. This resource offers study into adaptations for children and is useful in comparing with other literary forms. There are many themes that can be examined and compared from the resource including characters, settings, morality, vanity, change and growth.
This is the third film of Disney Renaissance period produced by Walt Disney this version of Beauty and the Beast is based on the fairytale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. The film has won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy as well as being preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural, historical and aesthetical significance. The film is rated G and has been adapted to screen for children of all ages.
Set in France the film begins with an arrogant prince who rejects a begging woman (enchantress) offer of a rose as trade for a place to stay for a night transferred into a Beast and whom imprisons in his castle a young woman named Belle. Belle whose father is an inventor gets lost on his travels and is attacked by wolves’ whereby he finds the Beasts castle. The Beast keeps the father hostage and when Belle arrives to find him she offers herself in his place. The Beast must win Belles heart before his twenty-first birthday and the rose has wilted in order to return to being a prince otherwise remain forever as Beast, this become but not without trouble through the love interest Gaston who is also after Belle.
The strengths of this animated film is the presentation which is magical and takes the audience into a fanciful, enchanted world through the use of motion picture, musical scores and songs which encapsulates the viewer. This resource offers study into adaptations for children and is useful in comparing with other literary forms. There are many themes that can be examined and compared from the resource including characters, settings, morality, vanity, change and growth.
Comics
Beauty and the Beast – Meagan Kearney
(beauty comic.jpg, 2012)
Meagan Kearney's comic series Beauty and the Beast is an online story of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. It is full of simplistic black and white drawings and speech bubble narrative.
So far in the comic series available is chapter one in which the story begins with Beauty and her two sisters Virtue and Temperance waiting on Virtue's husband to return from looking for their father who took a trip to sell goods. Virtue the older sister is a soon to be mother. Temperance the daughter who is never lost for words. and Beauty is the bright and beautiful youngest of the three. Claude returns with their father who is disorientated from the cold and chill. He is rested and speaks of his return through the trees where he thought he seen his wife Elise and followed her into the gates. There he picked a rose as a gift for Beauty as she had asked for something common place such as a rose in winter. Temperance requested rubies and pearls and Virtue satin bibs and silk diapers. They find bags father had been carrying on the floor and inside find many jewels and discuss whether buisnness was well or where they could have come from. The father spoke of a Beast who he had promised he must offer his life for within seven days for the tresspassing and theft of the rose. Hearing this Beauty felt guilt for requesting the item which cost their father to incur such a debt and took the oppurtunity during an argument where Virtue had false labor pains and the midwife was called to leave the cottage and pay for her fathers debt in his place.
Below is a YouTube video of the trailer for Meagan Kearneys beauty and the Beast web comic series.
(kearneymeg, June 26, 2012).
(beauty comic.jpg, 2012)
Meagan Kearney's comic series Beauty and the Beast is an online story of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. It is full of simplistic black and white drawings and speech bubble narrative.
So far in the comic series available is chapter one in which the story begins with Beauty and her two sisters Virtue and Temperance waiting on Virtue's husband to return from looking for their father who took a trip to sell goods. Virtue the older sister is a soon to be mother. Temperance the daughter who is never lost for words. and Beauty is the bright and beautiful youngest of the three. Claude returns with their father who is disorientated from the cold and chill. He is rested and speaks of his return through the trees where he thought he seen his wife Elise and followed her into the gates. There he picked a rose as a gift for Beauty as she had asked for something common place such as a rose in winter. Temperance requested rubies and pearls and Virtue satin bibs and silk diapers. They find bags father had been carrying on the floor and inside find many jewels and discuss whether buisnness was well or where they could have come from. The father spoke of a Beast who he had promised he must offer his life for within seven days for the tresspassing and theft of the rose. Hearing this Beauty felt guilt for requesting the item which cost their father to incur such a debt and took the oppurtunity during an argument where Virtue had false labor pains and the midwife was called to leave the cottage and pay for her fathers debt in his place.
Below is a YouTube video of the trailer for Meagan Kearneys beauty and the Beast web comic series.
(kearneymeg, June 26, 2012).
Novels
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Beauty: a retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast - Robin McKinley
This book provides an adaptation to the original Beauty and the Beast story. It has been written for young adult readers. The story unfolds from Beauty’s merchant father taking a single rose from the beast’s garden and as revenge the beast demands his life or his daughter’s willingness to live with him forever, Beauty whose real name is Honour lives up to her name in all its meaning when she insists on going to live with the Beast to save her father’s life and honour her father’s wrong doing towards the Beast. The Beast himself is a caring man whom has been enchanted in the castle for hundreds of years only wishing for the enchantment to be lifted in ceasing the opportunity, this comes with Beauty whom grows throughout the story and intrusts the Beast which leads to her falling in love with him.
Robin McKinley is a Newbery medal winning author whose poetic prose has been shared through many other stories written for young readers. Robin McKinley’s stories are known to depict heroines who have an inner strength and go through personal growth and changes ultimately for themselves but in which also benefit others as in ‘Beauty’.
The strengths of this book are the way it shares the internal voice during change and growth in decision making. Weaknesses of the book are that the ending is not as gripping as the mid story and ends in a luck lustre typical happily ever after way. It is widely available in libraries and bookshops however I have only managed to find a preview online through Google.
This book would be useful for study in the adaptations and comparison between the different depictions and relationships between Beauty and her family as well as the relationship betweenBeauty and the Beast. McKinley’s version of the story gives a softer approach to simple human interactions.
This book provides an adaptation to the original Beauty and the Beast story. It has been written for young adult readers. The story unfolds from Beauty’s merchant father taking a single rose from the beast’s garden and as revenge the beast demands his life or his daughter’s willingness to live with him forever, Beauty whose real name is Honour lives up to her name in all its meaning when she insists on going to live with the Beast to save her father’s life and honour her father’s wrong doing towards the Beast. The Beast himself is a caring man whom has been enchanted in the castle for hundreds of years only wishing for the enchantment to be lifted in ceasing the opportunity, this comes with Beauty whom grows throughout the story and intrusts the Beast which leads to her falling in love with him.
Robin McKinley is a Newbery medal winning author whose poetic prose has been shared through many other stories written for young readers. Robin McKinley’s stories are known to depict heroines who have an inner strength and go through personal growth and changes ultimately for themselves but in which also benefit others as in ‘Beauty’.
The strengths of this book are the way it shares the internal voice during change and growth in decision making. Weaknesses of the book are that the ending is not as gripping as the mid story and ends in a luck lustre typical happily ever after way. It is widely available in libraries and bookshops however I have only managed to find a preview online through Google.
This book would be useful for study in the adaptations and comparison between the different depictions and relationships between Beauty and her family as well as the relationship betweenBeauty and the Beast. McKinley’s version of the story gives a softer approach to simple human interactions.
Picture Books
Beauty and the Beast - Walter Crane
This book is an illustrated picture story book including three tales which are illustrated in colour by wood graver Walter Crane. The stories in the book are devised or refurbished by French authors. Walter Crane known as the father of illustrated books in Victorian time has a photographic memory and uses his own visual and personal experiences to interpret the words of the story in his wood carving illustrations for the story Beauty and the Beast, Princess Belle- Etoile and The Yellow Dwarf. In this version of the beauty and the beast story set in Victorian times a rich merchant with three daughters loses his wealth and retires to a cottage. On return from a journey the father picks Beauty a rose in which a hideous Beast armed with a weapon demands his life or a willing daughter instead. Beauty travels willingly in his place to spare her father’s life. Living in the Beats palace she takes the company of apes and monkeys who wait upon her as maids and servants. She slowly began to like the Beast more and more but would deny his requests for marriage. She requested to go home to see her father and the Beast obliged for no longer than two months giving her a ring to place on a table in order to be able to return. Her father and brothers begged her to stay a few days longer and she accepted until having visions of the dying Beast. Upon returning to the castle she utters her love to the dying Beast and breaks him from the magicians spell.
Walter Crane illustrates the characters and setting of the beauty and the beast story in a Victorian setting with very Victorian looking characters in their facial characteristics and dress. The background in his illustrations is less enchanting and more royal in nature and very detailed.
Strengths of this resource are that it includes two other versions of the story which are in different contexts and with differing plots and characters. This resource would be useful for research material on the story of beauty and the beast by looking at the differences in the plots of the stories as well as the illustrator’s expression of the characters within the story in a particular period of time or for comparisons of archetypes.
This book is an illustrated picture story book including three tales which are illustrated in colour by wood graver Walter Crane. The stories in the book are devised or refurbished by French authors. Walter Crane known as the father of illustrated books in Victorian time has a photographic memory and uses his own visual and personal experiences to interpret the words of the story in his wood carving illustrations for the story Beauty and the Beast, Princess Belle- Etoile and The Yellow Dwarf. In this version of the beauty and the beast story set in Victorian times a rich merchant with three daughters loses his wealth and retires to a cottage. On return from a journey the father picks Beauty a rose in which a hideous Beast armed with a weapon demands his life or a willing daughter instead. Beauty travels willingly in his place to spare her father’s life. Living in the Beats palace she takes the company of apes and monkeys who wait upon her as maids and servants. She slowly began to like the Beast more and more but would deny his requests for marriage. She requested to go home to see her father and the Beast obliged for no longer than two months giving her a ring to place on a table in order to be able to return. Her father and brothers begged her to stay a few days longer and she accepted until having visions of the dying Beast. Upon returning to the castle she utters her love to the dying Beast and breaks him from the magicians spell.
Walter Crane illustrates the characters and setting of the beauty and the beast story in a Victorian setting with very Victorian looking characters in their facial characteristics and dress. The background in his illustrations is less enchanting and more royal in nature and very detailed.
Strengths of this resource are that it includes two other versions of the story which are in different contexts and with differing plots and characters. This resource would be useful for research material on the story of beauty and the beast by looking at the differences in the plots of the stories as well as the illustrator’s expression of the characters within the story in a particular period of time or for comparisons of archetypes.
Beauty and the Beast - Freire Wright This illustrated picture book by Wright (1984) tells the story of Beauty and the Beast similar to the original version. A rich merchant with three daughters the youngest a blonde known as ‘the little beauty’ loses his fortune and must move to a cottage for a simple country life. Beauty works tirelessly taking care of the home and her father whilst her sisters are lazy. The father goes to meet with a ship thought lost at sea and leaves the cottage; on his return he passes through the woods to find the Beasts castle and takes shelter for a night. On his way out he plucks a rose from the Beasts garden, the Beast then says he must pay with his life or give one of his daughters who must come willingly within one month. Beauty offers herself willingly and departs for the castle. Beauty at first fearful of the Beast grows to trust him even tho he would ask her to marry him often. Beauty is granted a wish to go home and spend a week with her father tho she must return by placing a ring on the table. Beauty returns to find the Beast close to death and conveys her love for him, breaking a wicked fairy’s spell cast on him long ago and changing him back to a prince. Beauty destined to become a great Queen and her sisters turned to statue. The author Freire Wrighthas written and illustrated many other picture books including ‘Noah’s Ark’ and ‘Seven in one blow’. This particular book ‘Beauty and the Beast’is beautifully illustrated and presents a different visual take on the original Beauty and the Beast story showing a blonde Beauty and a werewolf looking Beast. This book would be useful at comparing the small differences between this and the original version of the Beauty and the Beast story through plot and also through comparing the different ways authors illustrate or portray the characters in the story through illustrations in picture books or film. |
Artworks
(beauty and the beast ju, n.d.)
Beauty and the Beast - Judy Riggenbach
Judy Riggenbach is a graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology's Art and Design program. Ocean and water play a large part in her paintings as she is an experienced and enthusiastic sailor as well as her affluent use of people and places in her subject matter however, her love is in the field of fantasy illustration. She has a daughter who is a New York Times Best Selling Author that specializes in young Adult and Children's Fantasy also another influence.
This particular piece is glazed watercolour on paper 18.000 x 24.000 inches. The piece shows a blue Beast and a red headed Beauty very different to other representations of a blonde or brunette beauty. The beast has elf like ears and is much more like an avatar. The background and fore ground display an enchanted garden with the Beast and Beauty entwined on a swing together.
The original piece of artwork is currently for sale available to buy direct from the artist from the fineartamerica.com website. This piece of artwork offers just one example of the different resources available in artistic format for analysing and comparing an artist’s representation of Beauty and the Beast characters and settings with illustrations in picture books or animations in motion pictures.
Judy Riggenbach is a graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology's Art and Design program. Ocean and water play a large part in her paintings as she is an experienced and enthusiastic sailor as well as her affluent use of people and places in her subject matter however, her love is in the field of fantasy illustration. She has a daughter who is a New York Times Best Selling Author that specializes in young Adult and Children's Fantasy also another influence.
This particular piece is glazed watercolour on paper 18.000 x 24.000 inches. The piece shows a blue Beast and a red headed Beauty very different to other representations of a blonde or brunette beauty. The beast has elf like ears and is much more like an avatar. The background and fore ground display an enchanted garden with the Beast and Beauty entwined on a swing together.
The original piece of artwork is currently for sale available to buy direct from the artist from the fineartamerica.com website. This piece of artwork offers just one example of the different resources available in artistic format for analysing and comparing an artist’s representation of Beauty and the Beast characters and settings with illustrations in picture books or animations in motion pictures.