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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (1991) in Movies
Nov 22, 2020
Beauty and the Beast is an example of animated Disney at the top of their game, and stands proudly amongst the string of high quality outputs from Disney during the tail end of the 80s and through the 90s.
The aesthetic is quintessential Disney fairytale material, alternating between the bright and colourful un-named village that Belle lives in, to the dark and gothic castle where The Beast resides. The animation is wonderful, especially when it comes to characters. Characters such as Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts are bought to life in such a vibrant manner, it's another argument for why the live action adaptions will never quite capture the same magic, and the likes of Belle, The Beast, and Gaston are memorable and visually iconic Disney inhabitants.
The story is straight down the middle for this kind of thing, but it's crowd pleasing, heart warming, with a perfect helping of melancholy, a formula that has always been Disney's bread and butter along with catchy songs. I struggle to get on board with musicals for the most part but some of the music demonstrated here is superbly written and occasionally beautiful.
Beauty & The Beast is classic Disney through and through. It's truly timeless and will be enjoyed for generations to come.
The aesthetic is quintessential Disney fairytale material, alternating between the bright and colourful un-named village that Belle lives in, to the dark and gothic castle where The Beast resides. The animation is wonderful, especially when it comes to characters. Characters such as Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts are bought to life in such a vibrant manner, it's another argument for why the live action adaptions will never quite capture the same magic, and the likes of Belle, The Beast, and Gaston are memorable and visually iconic Disney inhabitants.
The story is straight down the middle for this kind of thing, but it's crowd pleasing, heart warming, with a perfect helping of melancholy, a formula that has always been Disney's bread and butter along with catchy songs. I struggle to get on board with musicals for the most part but some of the music demonstrated here is superbly written and occasionally beautiful.
Beauty & The Beast is classic Disney through and through. It's truly timeless and will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Crave (Undone, #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
I vow. I crave. I give in. I used to be a nice, normal girl. I had dreams. Good, happy dreams of...
Are you looking for a book that may bring the meaning of Christmas home to children through the eyes of a Christmas Tree? Bruce the Spruce: A New York City Fairytale About the True Meaning of Christmas Trees is excellent. Children will learn about the true meaning of Christmas Trees.
We meet Bruce the Spruce, and he wants to be the attention of the crowds. Will he learn a lesson and what he did for this job to learn his lesson in gratitude? We follow him on his journey from when he was taken and put on to the street to where he ends up.
Children will learn about being grateful and what you cherish. Will Bruce understand what it means to be a Christmas Tree? I enjoyed how this book ended; Children and parents will love this book. The author did a fantastic job with the plot of this story. The pictures are well done. I just loved how Bruce reacted and showed his emotions.
This book is excellent to have on your bookshelves for the holiday season. This book should be read close to Christmas or leading up to Christmas. I show the meaning of Christmas to children and adults as well.
We meet Bruce the Spruce, and he wants to be the attention of the crowds. Will he learn a lesson and what he did for this job to learn his lesson in gratitude? We follow him on his journey from when he was taken and put on to the street to where he ends up.
Children will learn about being grateful and what you cherish. Will Bruce understand what it means to be a Christmas Tree? I enjoyed how this book ended; Children and parents will love this book. The author did a fantastic job with the plot of this story. The pictures are well done. I just loved how Bruce reacted and showed his emotions.
This book is excellent to have on your bookshelves for the holiday season. This book should be read close to Christmas or leading up to Christmas. I show the meaning of Christmas to children and adults as well.
Beauty's Beasts
10.0
Rate It
Book
I am not a woman. But I am also not a man. I won't pretend to be something I’m not, but those...
Dark Fantasy Reverse Harem Why Choose? Romance Fairytale Retelling
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Unraveling of Luna Forester in Books
May 7, 2024
87 of 220
Kindle
The Unraveling of Luna Forester
By Marisa Noelle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When his best friend Luna is found catatonic after a devastating house fire, Matthew begins to fall apart.
“Take care of them, Matthew.”
“Always.”
“Protect my secret.”
“Of course.”
That’s the promise he made to her only three nights ago. A solemn vow to protect their large found family of humans and supernatural creatures alike.
Fated to love her for the rest of his life, and unwilling to break his solemn vow, Matthew knows the only person who can help Luna is her grandmother. Through the woods they must go, just like a fairytale. But the forest is filled with deadly peril: poisonous black moss, chimeras, and worst of all, members of their family who don't want them to continue.
As they are picked off one by one, Matthew races to get Luna to safety, all the time doubting everything he thought was true.
Can Matthew untangle the twisted threads of Luna’s secret before he himself unravels?
Well this was a little bit of a special read. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it before. So well written it was a truly haunting journey through a young girls mind helped along by some special friends.
Kindle
The Unraveling of Luna Forester
By Marisa Noelle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When his best friend Luna is found catatonic after a devastating house fire, Matthew begins to fall apart.
“Take care of them, Matthew.”
“Always.”
“Protect my secret.”
“Of course.”
That’s the promise he made to her only three nights ago. A solemn vow to protect their large found family of humans and supernatural creatures alike.
Fated to love her for the rest of his life, and unwilling to break his solemn vow, Matthew knows the only person who can help Luna is her grandmother. Through the woods they must go, just like a fairytale. But the forest is filled with deadly peril: poisonous black moss, chimeras, and worst of all, members of their family who don't want them to continue.
As they are picked off one by one, Matthew races to get Luna to safety, all the time doubting everything he thought was true.
Can Matthew untangle the twisted threads of Luna’s secret before he himself unravels?
Well this was a little bit of a special read. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it before. So well written it was a truly haunting journey through a young girls mind helped along by some special friends.
Red Kingdom (Fairy Tale Retellings #2)
Book
Little Red Riding Hood reimagined with a dark and realistic twist. Princess Blanchette’s world...
Historical Fantasy Romance Fairytale Retelling Medieval
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
The timeless children’s tale of Jack and the Beanstalk gets a high-tech update in the new film Jack the Giant Slayer. Directed by Bryan Singer, the new version mixes in special effects with romance, action, and humor to provide a refreshing update of a fairytale that should appeal to adults and children alike. Nicholas Hoult stars as Jack, a simple farmer who’s raised by his uncle after the passing of his father. As a boy, Jack enjoyed the tales of long ago, especially those of the time when giants came down from the sky and attacked the earth before being thwarted by King Eric and his magical crown.
One day while in town to sell a cart and horse and earn much-needed funds for his uncle, Jack has a chance encounter with Princess Isabelle, (Eleanor Tomlinson), which leaves Jack’s starstruck. Unbeknownst to Jack and Isabelle, there is a dastardly plot afoot as the evil Count Roderick (Stanley Tucci), plots to rule the land once he has married Isabelle. The fact that the Princess has no interest in marrying Roderick is of little interest to the King (Ian McShane), as he is anxious to provide continuity for his kingdom following the loss of his wife. While Isabelle pleads her case with her father, Jack ends up in possession of beans which, he’s told, are magical.
Upon seeing what Jack has returned with, his uncle storms off into the night hoping to sell some of Jack’s remaining family possessions in order to make the money Jack had failed to acquire. While alone, Jack again encounters the Princess, who has decided to run away rather than be forced into a marriage she does not want. As if on cue, one of the magic beans that Jack had obtained earlier becomes wet in the rain storm and whisks the cottage and Princess into the heavens high above. The King and his men send a group of guards, under the leadership of Elmont (Ewan McGregor), to ascend the beanstalk and return the Princess. Jack and Roderick also accompany the soldiers, each with their own agenda.
Upon scaling the massive stalk, the group soon discovers that they are in the realm of giants long thought to be the stuff of legends. Complications arise which forces Jack to take command of the very perilous situation and soon finds himself battling not just to save the Princess but also for the very survival of the kingdom and surrounding world.
The film has some nice moments and while the CGI stuff may be a bit childish to some, it is important to remember that this is a fairytale and as such you are not going to see a lot of character depth and intricate plot twists. Instead, the film relies on a very likable cast made up of matinée quality villains and bad guys and some very nice visual effects to convey its simple but effective formula. Hoult follows up his leading role in “Warm Bodies” effectively and with several high-profile projects in the near future, seems poised to be a leading man to keep an eye on. The supporting cast does a very good job, especially McGregor and McShane who bring a gleeful energy to their roles as does Tucci as a villain who has everything short of the twirling mustache and black hat.
The 3-D offered some very good moments in the film and really enhanced some of the battle scenes in the film. Parents with younger children may want to note that there are some elements that may be frightening to very young children but for the most part this is a kid’s film. That being said, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the movie. It’s certainly better than I expected and was, in my opinion, the best live-action retelling of fairytale in recent memory. We did get a chance to review the film in the IMAX format which certainly allowed for the impressive visuals of the film to have an even greater impact. If you’ve ever been a fan of the story then you definitely will want to take a trip up the beanstalk for this nostalgic, yet highly enjoyable, interpretation of the beloved classic.
One day while in town to sell a cart and horse and earn much-needed funds for his uncle, Jack has a chance encounter with Princess Isabelle, (Eleanor Tomlinson), which leaves Jack’s starstruck. Unbeknownst to Jack and Isabelle, there is a dastardly plot afoot as the evil Count Roderick (Stanley Tucci), plots to rule the land once he has married Isabelle. The fact that the Princess has no interest in marrying Roderick is of little interest to the King (Ian McShane), as he is anxious to provide continuity for his kingdom following the loss of his wife. While Isabelle pleads her case with her father, Jack ends up in possession of beans which, he’s told, are magical.
Upon seeing what Jack has returned with, his uncle storms off into the night hoping to sell some of Jack’s remaining family possessions in order to make the money Jack had failed to acquire. While alone, Jack again encounters the Princess, who has decided to run away rather than be forced into a marriage she does not want. As if on cue, one of the magic beans that Jack had obtained earlier becomes wet in the rain storm and whisks the cottage and Princess into the heavens high above. The King and his men send a group of guards, under the leadership of Elmont (Ewan McGregor), to ascend the beanstalk and return the Princess. Jack and Roderick also accompany the soldiers, each with their own agenda.
Upon scaling the massive stalk, the group soon discovers that they are in the realm of giants long thought to be the stuff of legends. Complications arise which forces Jack to take command of the very perilous situation and soon finds himself battling not just to save the Princess but also for the very survival of the kingdom and surrounding world.
The film has some nice moments and while the CGI stuff may be a bit childish to some, it is important to remember that this is a fairytale and as such you are not going to see a lot of character depth and intricate plot twists. Instead, the film relies on a very likable cast made up of matinée quality villains and bad guys and some very nice visual effects to convey its simple but effective formula. Hoult follows up his leading role in “Warm Bodies” effectively and with several high-profile projects in the near future, seems poised to be a leading man to keep an eye on. The supporting cast does a very good job, especially McGregor and McShane who bring a gleeful energy to their roles as does Tucci as a villain who has everything short of the twirling mustache and black hat.
The 3-D offered some very good moments in the film and really enhanced some of the battle scenes in the film. Parents with younger children may want to note that there are some elements that may be frightening to very young children but for the most part this is a kid’s film. That being said, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the movie. It’s certainly better than I expected and was, in my opinion, the best live-action retelling of fairytale in recent memory. We did get a chance to review the film in the IMAX format which certainly allowed for the impressive visuals of the film to have an even greater impact. If you’ve ever been a fan of the story then you definitely will want to take a trip up the beanstalk for this nostalgic, yet highly enjoyable, interpretation of the beloved classic.
David McK (3540 KP) rated The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia, #5) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Firstly, is this the third Narnia book, or is it the fifth?
The answer to that is whether you go by chronological setting (in which case it's the third), or by publication date (it's the fifth).
This is also a story that I didn't remember reading as a child; however, when I was recently re-reading it I was finding plot elements to be a little-bit-more-familiar than I was otherwise expecting: perhaps I did, and had just forgotten.
Unlike [b: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe|100915|The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)|C.S. Lewis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1353029077s/100915.jpg|4790821], this does not follow the Pevensie children, but rather the journey of a young boy named Shasta who discovers he was adopted and is running away to Narnia when his adoptive father is about to sell him into slavery; running away alongside/with the help of the talking horse Bree. Along the way they fall in with a girl named Aravis and her talking horse Hwin, who are also making the same escape.
While I've heard arguments recently that, in this book, CS Lewis is displaying his own racist xenophobia ('fair and white ... accursed but beautiful Barbarians'), personally I think that is reading too much into what is simply intended to be a children's Arabian Nights esque fairytale
The answer to that is whether you go by chronological setting (in which case it's the third), or by publication date (it's the fifth).
This is also a story that I didn't remember reading as a child; however, when I was recently re-reading it I was finding plot elements to be a little-bit-more-familiar than I was otherwise expecting: perhaps I did, and had just forgotten.
Unlike [b: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe|100915|The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)|C.S. Lewis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1353029077s/100915.jpg|4790821], this does not follow the Pevensie children, but rather the journey of a young boy named Shasta who discovers he was adopted and is running away to Narnia when his adoptive father is about to sell him into slavery; running away alongside/with the help of the talking horse Bree. Along the way they fall in with a girl named Aravis and her talking horse Hwin, who are also making the same escape.
While I've heard arguments recently that, in this book, CS Lewis is displaying his own racist xenophobia ('fair and white ... accursed but beautiful Barbarians'), personally I think that is reading too much into what is simply intended to be a children's Arabian Nights esque fairytale
J Elizabeth Klug (21 KP) rated I'm Not Cinderella in Books
Dec 14, 2019
I received this book as a gift from my best friend who insisted I read it. (Thanks, Krystal. Darn you!) I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.
The story follows Brinlee, a 17-year-old girl from Idaho, as she accidentally switches places with Cinderella after finding a secret door in her attic bedroom. While stuck in this fairytale world, Brinlee threatens the happily ever after of this beloved tale; now with new mysteries surrounding the characters, Brinlee is determined to uncover those secrets. Along the way, she meets some new friends and finds unexpected love.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Especially given the fact that I almost gave up on it. It started out slow and didn’t really hold my attention until about halfway through, at which point the story took off including an unexpected twist that had me hooked and anxious to see how it would play out.
Once the story picked up, I found it hard to put down. However, I was slightly disappointed with the ending and the introduction or revelation of the identities of characters that were only vaguely introduced to begin with.
Overall, I found it to be a good clean read that I would recommend to any fan of Cinderella.
The story follows Brinlee, a 17-year-old girl from Idaho, as she accidentally switches places with Cinderella after finding a secret door in her attic bedroom. While stuck in this fairytale world, Brinlee threatens the happily ever after of this beloved tale; now with new mysteries surrounding the characters, Brinlee is determined to uncover those secrets. Along the way, she meets some new friends and finds unexpected love.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Especially given the fact that I almost gave up on it. It started out slow and didn’t really hold my attention until about halfway through, at which point the story took off including an unexpected twist that had me hooked and anxious to see how it would play out.
Once the story picked up, I found it hard to put down. However, I was slightly disappointed with the ending and the introduction or revelation of the identities of characters that were only vaguely introduced to begin with.
Overall, I found it to be a good clean read that I would recommend to any fan of Cinderella.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2318 KP) rated Pumpkin Spice Peril in Books
Apr 29, 2020
Exhibiting a Murder
Over the years that best friends Mel Cooper and Angie Harper have run Fairytale Cupcakes, they have made friends with some of their customers. Near the top of that list are husband and wife artists Peter and Rene. Every Friday, Peter comes in to pick up cupcakes for Rene, who is currently putting the finishing touches on a major art installation to be unveiled in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mel and Angie are providing the cupcakes for the opening night party. However, the night before the big event, someone dies under suspicious circumstances. Has Mel been pulled into another murder?
While the murder happens a little late in the book, the time is well used to introduce us to characters and provide plenty of conflict. I was never bored, and that only increased once the murdered happened and Mel started uncovering secrets. The series regulars all sparkle as always, and I enjoyed getting to spend time with them. The new characters are just as strong. The book has a more somber tone than some of the others in the series, but it fits the events of the plot. Don’t worry, there are still some good laughs along the way. We get four new cupcake recipes at the end that sound delicious. I raced through this book like always. This is another fun entry in one of my favorite series.
While the murder happens a little late in the book, the time is well used to introduce us to characters and provide plenty of conflict. I was never bored, and that only increased once the murdered happened and Mel started uncovering secrets. The series regulars all sparkle as always, and I enjoyed getting to spend time with them. The new characters are just as strong. The book has a more somber tone than some of the others in the series, but it fits the events of the plot. Don’t worry, there are still some good laughs along the way. We get four new cupcake recipes at the end that sound delicious. I raced through this book like always. This is another fun entry in one of my favorite series.