Disney Remixes: story book styles brainstorm

Topic: For my topic, I will be focusing on the original versions of some of my favorite Disney movies. I will find four different fairy tales that have original folk backgrounds that have been made into Disney movies. Two of the stories I want to include are The Little Glass Slipper and The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood . Both of these stories were written in French by Charles Perrault and then were translated into English. I chose Perrault's versions of the stories because I like how much detail he includes. Even though it makes the stories longer, it creates a much more vivid scene and this is something I enjoy while I'm reading. I do not think I will have any trouble finding stories since Professor D.L. Ashliman, a retired professor from the University of Pittsburgh has created such an extensive database of folktales that I can reference. My criteria for picking stories is to pick stories that have been turned into Disney movies that the U.S. population is familiar with.

Bibliography: 
1. The Little Glass Slipper, from The Blue Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang (1891) 
2. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, from The Blue Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang (1891)

A modern take on Cinderella
Photo created by: Krystn Palmer (2009)

Possible Styles:
1. Immortals Among Us- I think for the stories that had an important character die, it would be cool to keep them around. For example, in The Little Glass Slipper, Cinderella's mother has died. I think it would be cool to incorporate the mother and add her in. I read a German version of the story where the mother was still incorporated through a tree that was planted in the garden; however, I would like to incorporate the mother as an actual character in the story. Like maybe the mother is with her at the ball in spirit and helping her in that social situation? Maybe, I could show Cinderella nervous, about to walk in and her mother is with her to give her advice and reassurance?  

2. Public Relations Consultant- This story telling style is so interesting to me. I am an advertising major but as part of my classes, I have had to take some PR classes and have learned how to write press releases, etc. I think this could be a really cool story telling idea because it puts a fun spin on the classic fairy tales, but would also help me in my public relations writing. For The Little Glass Slipper, I could write a plan about how the kingdom is embarrassed that they have lost the princess, but they are doing everything they can to find her in a safe and swift manner. For The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, I could take one of two approaches. The first idea I had was to write about how the old fairy cursed the princess but the kingdom does not need to worry because she will only sleep and the steps the kingdom is taking to protect the new princess, etc. Another idea I had was to write a plan for once the princess is actually asleep. 

3. Characters Grown Old- I think its a cute idea to tell these stories like the two parents are looking back, telling their children how they met. Since most of the stories are about a prince coming to save the princess in some way, I think this story telling style would be very easy to apply to each of these. I could also then develop the children as characters since they would be older.

A family reminiscing
Photo by: Rhonda Baer and acquired from The National Cancer Institute

4. OU Campus- and more specifically Greek life. I think it would be cool to tell the story in a way that relates to my experiences at OU. I am a part of a sorority so I think it could be cool to write as if Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were too. In addition, my boyfriend and I actually met at a fraternity party, so I think it would be cool to make Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty meet their future husbands at a party and tell the stories like they are a part of the modern day dating scene and nightlife at OU. For example, rather than the prince hosting a ball in The Little Glass Slipper, it could be a formal. As for The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, the entire sorority house would fall asleep with her instead of the kingdom. 

5. Fake Twitter- I could make a fake Twitter account for the characters and live tweet their experiences. An example would be to live tweet The Little Glass Slipper and have Cinderella tweet the ball and then once she got home. I think this could be another really fun way to add a modern spin to these classic fairy tales. I could also tweet from the perspective of the princes, the step-sisters, or other characters in the story. 

6. And the moral of the story is...- Since most of the fairy tales have morals connected to them, it could be fun to do the Tech Tip idea of creating a poster for the image of the fairy tales to illustrate the message. This could be a cool way to add some visual creativity.