Fairy-Tale Reanimation Wanted for Better Futures
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/imaginingtheimpossible.128895Keywords:
fairy tale, adaptation, reanimation, Paddington, the magic fishAbstract
Among genres of the fantastic, fairy tales are set apart in their traditional and most popular versions by the hope they seek to elicit through magical transformations and expectation of happy endings. Their success testifies to their paradoxical functions as pathways showing the route to a ready-made adult life but also imaginative solutions to problems experienced by those who are small, vulnerable, or different. The proliferation of adaptations in the contemporary fairy-tale web signals the need to revitalize fictions in danger of losing their appeal as generators of hope. We consider two fairy-tale adaptations—a graphic novel and a feature film—and their wondrous reanimating strategies, specifically revitalizing the genre’s crossover appeal and recognizing relations across differences. Our approach recognizes that fairy tales can open up possibilities for being and acting in the world that are not confined to socially sanctioned paths.
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