Picture Book Marathon: Day Fifteen

I doubt that it'll surprise anyone to know that I saw Tangled yesterday. It was, therefore, naturally, fairy tale homage time.

Queen Bee, one of the many Grimm Fairytales, tells the story of three brothers who go off to find their fortunes. The youngest stops his two older brothers from stamping on an ant's nest, kicking (or actually killing, but that's all a little too grim) ducks and smoking out a bee hive. Then, upon reaching the castle, they are set challenges which, if they do not complete, they will be turned to stone. The first is to pick up the princess' thousand pearls, scattered in the woods. The youngest brother gets his ant friends to help. Then they have to collect the key to the princess' bedroom from the middle of the lake. The ducks help out there. Finally, once in the bedroom, they have to pick out the youngest princess who looks identical to her two older sisters, the only difference being that the oldest ate some sugar, the next ate some syrup, and the youngest ate HONEY. See where it's going? The Queen Bee helps out and the youngest princess is chosen. The magic of it all turns the brothers and everyone else back to life and they all live happily ever after, all marrying their respective princesses. THE END.

I really enjoyed Tangled. I think that it's the best Disney movie since The Lion King. Maybe even since Beauty and the Beast. Yes. Bold. One of my favourite things (aside from the look, the lighting, the hilarity, the lack of talking animals, the ceramic unicorns, the tight plot, the fancy 3Dness, the lanterns with the fancy 3D, Alan Menken generally, the mime...) was the design of the inside of Rapunzel's tower which she had painted because she was so bored. It was beautiful and ornate, yet simple, so I took it as my inspiration. It came out pretty much as I had imagined- somethings better, some more things not quite as good but hey- that's what I'm doing this for anyway.

I should mention, reluctantly, that my Mum thought that this should be called 'You can't have my beehive. Let's go to that castle'. I have managed to not find it funny so far today. I will strive to not find it funny tomorrow as well.

I should also mention, in retrospect, that the castle was not my own invention. I tried and failed. Neuschwanstein which is seriously replicated in Tangled was my inspiration today. I love it. I did a presentation on it at university. Poor mad Ludwig. Such vision. So many swans. So much Wagner.