In many ways, Hollywood has gone back to basics when it comes to inspiration for new movies, and the popularity of fairy tale-based films has increased. This weekend Joe Wright's Pan tells an origin story of Peter Pan and gives a modernized take on the classic story of the boy who never grew up.
Attempts to make fairy tale films have been both successes and failures, but there are ways in which modern directors can take these timeless stories and breathe new life into them.
One way in which fairy tales can be updated for modern times is placing these stories and characters in a new or unorthodox setting. Disney's Enchanted is a great example of this, as it takes the archetypical characters of the Princess Giselle and wicked Queen Narissa and places them in modern day New York City. This is a great example of how fairy tales can be modernized, as the different setting adds for more interesting exchanges and an added layer of humor to the story.
Additionally, films like Into the Woods or the Shrek series do a great job at brining characters from multiple different stories and having them interact, giving more room for the characters to play around within the vast universe of stories.
Telling a classic fairy tale through a different perspective can also make it more interesting for modern audiences. As these stories have been told in countless fashions, the perspective of an antagonist or secondary character can look at the events of the tale in different ways.
For example the Shrek films feature a plethora of iconic fairy tale characters, but instead of seeing the movie through each of these heroes' perspective, we see events from the point of view of the ogre Shrek. This allows for some clever jabs at the way in which fairy tales are written and shines these stories in a completely different light. (Another good example of this is the Ron Howard film Willow, in which the titular protagonist is not a brave knight or princess, but a diminutive dwarf who nobody expected to be a hero.)
However, in some cases its best to simply accept the source material and faithfully translate the original story. This year's Cinderella aspired to this, and though it differed very little from previous adaptations, it successfully handled the themes of the story and gave the best cinematic of the Cinderella story since the original animated classic. There's a reason why these stories are iconic, and films like the original Wizard of Oz continue to remain timeless, as each iteration is itself a product of its time. Faithful adaptations can cut to the very core of why the original fairy tale was popular in the first place and remind audiences of why the story continues to be relevant.
Some stories are destined to be told time and time again, allowing for countless interpretations and endless re-tellings. Despite being told many times, there are always ways in which to improve the translations. Fairy tale films are being produced now more than ever, and changing the setting, altering the perspective and standing with the original source material can add much to these timeless classics.
