Mar 20, 2012

TV Shows for Lolitas: Once Upon A Time

Let's talk about Disney does live action in a modern town for a moment.

I'll start off by saying that I have some very mixed feelings about this show. I was very excited when I first saw the promotions. Years ago I fell in love with a mini series called 10th Kingdom - an earlier modern world meets fairy tale show with great writing and special effects that were less so. The Once Upon A Time promos promised a brand new, shiny and special effect-y soul twin to this older show. Oh, I recognized the plot would be different, but the spirit would be the same.

That promise was broken in the pilot by the very Disney versions of the tales. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney in quite ridiculous amounts. However, when you're expecting something based on the original tales it's similar to strawberry sauce when you expected marinara. It's not that it's bad, but you were set for something altogether different. I realize now I had very little call for this expectation and had I done any research about the channel airing the show I would never have them in the first place. But that is not what happened, and I left off after the pilot.

Now, sometime last month I began to see fan art from some of the artists I keep up with. It happened to be interesting enough for a second chance to be given. I still disliked the pilot, though a good deal less once I knew what to expect. Something in the way it was done made the characters seem flat, which I felt lasted for a couple episodes. However, the fan art had given me a clue - Skin Deep. So I would watch at least so far as to see this episode. Gradually the show built and I began to enjoy parts of it.

I've never found the addition of cheating into a romance to add anything positive to any story, even less so when it seems to be done to add edginess. However, that was the only aspect of the story I disliked. What I very much enjoyed were the creative takes on the different back stories - Cricket, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella - and the little cameos like Pongo.

But lets really be honest here. I'm considering that I like the show for only one reason.

Sorry, but it's my favorite Disney movie and it's Chip.

I actually would recommend the show even to those not prone to watching something just for the adorable shipping, especially those that enjoy the happier tales and stories the reshape and play with those tales. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then this is something you may want to give a try.

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