tell me, where is fantasy bred?

[tempestsarekind]

I was watching PBS the other evening, and a movie critic on Charlie Rose suggested that we were due to see a lot more sci-fi/fantasy films because of Avatar. I remember someone saying something similar about LotR, and while we did get some novel/comic adaptations, did we get much in the way of original fantasy films? I can think of Mirrormask and

Comments

[lareinenoire]

The lack of fairy-related television shows is even odder when you look at how many books there are -- not just Lord Dunsany or Tam Lin, but modern fantasy (Holly Black, Delia Sherman, Pamela Dean, etc). Possibly it's because the average viewer immediately associates 'fairies' with Disney?

[tempestsarekind]

Exactly! It's a robust section of the modern fantasy genre, but rarely seems to make it out of book form.

Possibly it's because the average viewer immediately associates 'fairies' with Disney?

That makes me very sad! But I bet you're right. Which is a pity: fairies can be as weird and strange and frightening as vampires or werewolves!

[lareinenoire]

Which is a pity: fairies can be as weird and strange and frightening as vampires or werewolves!

Oh, I know! Even Terry Pratchett makes them scary.

[tempestsarekind]

I mean, vampires can turn you (can werewolves? Or is the debate out on that? I know they can in Being Human, which was unexpected to me), and ghosts can haunt you, and werewolves (and vampires) can kill you--but fairies make you crazy. They give you your heart's desire, and then they snatch it away and run off laughing. They take you outside of time. They steal your children. How is that not scary?

[owlfish]

The last faerie-esque movie I watched, on DVD, was Arthur and the Invisibles (2007). Before that, The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008). Not a lot, but some.

There are two Greek or Roman mythology movies out this year, which seems enough to call it a theme given they are moderatley big budget ones.

[tempestsarekind]

Greek and Roman mythology does seem to be having a bit of a resurgence, this is true. Maybe it's because of films like Troy and 300?