Long Way North

A few days ago, I saw a trailer for a French animated film called "Long Way North", and I've been enjoying it for days. An aristocratic Russian girl named Sasha loses her grandfather, a great explorer of the North Pole. But she believes he's still alive, and risks all to go to "the top of the world" to find him. It looks absolutely heartwarming, and the word on the street is it's clean (a French movie that's family-friendly? Egad!)
So I just thought I'd share the inspiration.

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Online II

Some more shameless advertising for a few good webcomics.

Bird Boy
Beautiful world-building, gorgeous art, and a lovable unlikely hero. What more can you ask for?

Gronk: A Monster's Story
The story of an adorable, mischievous little monster being raised by a human (and a geek at that!)

Cucumber Quest
With rabbits as characters, it's like the spoof of every epic quest you've ever read.

I Am Otter
Not technically a web-comic. The delightful adventures of an otter and his teddy are hilarious.

My Milk Toof
Not "technically" a web-comic either. The charming misadventures of two teeth are always sure to brighten my day.

Beyond the Western Deep
I saved the best for last. I've long been a fan of Rachel Bennett's work, but even I didn't she was this talented! Incredible artwork, brilliant characters and a ripping good story.

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Merry Christmas

Picture by Walter Rane

 Veni, veni, Emmanuel, 

 Captivum solve Israel, 

Qui gemit in exilio, 

 Privatus Dei Filio. 

 Gaude! Gaude! Emanuel 

 Nascetur pro te, Israel.

O come, O come Emmanuel 

To free your captive Israel 

 That mourns in lonely exile here 

Until the Son of God appear. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! O Israel, 

 To you shall come Emmanuel. 

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A Guide to the Dwarves of The Hobbit

Created by Celtic Traveler via picmonkey.com. I do not own the pictures, fonts, or the rights to the movie, obviously.

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Mythical

If there's one collection of Greek myths I love, it's The McElderly Book of Greek Myths. It has to be one of the only collections I shall ever buy for my children.

The first reason, of course, is the narrative. Instead of treating the people scattered throughout the tales as stiff, black-and-white archetypes, Mr. Kimmel gives them character, explians their weaknesses and describes their strengths. He really makes them human (if human can be used to describe the mythical beings in the stories.)

Take this example from "Pandora's Box":

Epimetheus came home. He found Pandora lying on the floor...Her eyes were red from weeping.
The overturned box lay in the corner. He knew at once what had happened. "I am so sorry," Pandora said. "I broke my promise...I only meant to take a peek. Instead I ruined everything."
"Don't be sorry," said Epimetheus, taking her hand. "You made a mistake. That is all. the fault was mine. I should have explained what was in the box and why it had to remain closed."

It also has the occasional laugh, as shown in "Persephone and Hades":

Persephone let out a shriek. The ruler of the Underworld was frightening enough. Seeing him in
love was absolutely terrifying.

Even Medusa has depth. She is evil, to be sure, but only came down that path after becoming embittered by the curse that took away her beauty. 

And the romances are told in such a  beautiful way--even if most of them are tragic. (As a poster for the opera Orpheus and Eurydice once said: "Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy goes to Hades to get girl back.")

But the main reason I adore this collection are Pep Montserrat's illustrations. They add such passion and drama to the stories! The emotion in the pictures, coupled with Mr. Kimmel's writing really bring it all to life.

Take a look:

"Now is the time. Kill your father!"

I never wondered what Daedalus and Icarus might have felt
when they were imprisoned--until this illustration.

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Liebster Tag

Detail from The Hostage by Edmund Blair Leighton

I was tagged by the lovely Marian at All That is Gold.

Rules:
1. You must post eleven facts about yourself.
2. You must also answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in turn.
3. Tag eleven fellow bloggers.
4. Notify them that you've awarded them.
5. No tagging back.
6. And the eleven blogs you tag must have less than 200 followers.

FACTS
1. I am currently reading Les Misérables and loving it. (I hate the musical, however. Javert as the villain and not a mistaken civil servant? The Thénardiers as comic relief? C'mon.)
2. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That is, a Mormon. (And, no, we don't practice polygamy:)
3. I've ridden a horse bareback.
4. Norse mythology is fascinating to me, and despite enjoying The Avengers, I'm having a hard time with these new misconceptions about Thor, Loki, Heimdall, and Odin. It's kinda frustrating.
5.  Prehistory is also a fascinating subject for me.
6. I think every writer ought to own a multi-purpose black cloak. It helps enormously.
7. I plan on attending the midnight showing of The Hobbit. It will be my first.
8. While we're on the subject, I own a White Tree of Gondor t-shirt that I made myself.
9. I sometimes lapse into British and Scottish accents.
10. My favorite film composer is John Powell.
11. I'm still working with the concept that photography can be art. Sometimes I think I'm still stuck in Impressionist times.

QUESTIONS
1. Favorite vegetable?
Onions. (Do those count?)

2. Is there anything you like now that you used to dislike?
Van Gogh paintings. He was an unstable man (read: insane) but I have to admit, he could paint!

3. Monkeys--cute or creepy?
 Extremely, extremely creepy.

4. What do you do when you're bored?
Read and write, although I am trying to work on not surfing the internet when I'm bored. Waste of time, that.

5. Do you like to garden?
Uh, no. Not really.

6. What is your favorite color and why?
Green. Because of Erin gra mo chroi (Ireland of my heart).

7. Your favorite screen/literary couple?
Funnily enough, I'd have to choose a couple no one's ever heard of. Prince Aethelbald and Princess Una from Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. They go through so much for each other, and are reunited under such bittersweet circumstances that their happy ending is, I think, all the more poignant.

8. If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?
As long as I was some animal living at Redwall Abbey I'd be perfectly content.

9. What is your favorite dessert?
Anything chocolate and preferably made from flour.

10. Do you have any traditions you made up yourself?
Does listening to the Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack whenever I read the book count as a tradition?

11. Do you usually get snow in December?
Only up in the mountains.

MY QUESTIONS:
1. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
2. Are you a part of any geekdoms (ex. LOTR, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Marvel, etc.)?
3. Which literary/movie character reminds you most of yourself?
4. Most unpredictable book/movie you've ever read/watched?
5. Favorite music genre(s)?
6. What do you fear?
7. Name an exotic pet you'd like to have if it was legal (anything from tigers to foxes to unicorns).
8. Any books or movies you'd like to live in?
9. Last song you listened to?
10. Newest obsession?
11. Pick a superpower!


I tag:
ANYONE who thinks this looks like fun. But, specifically Sierra, Kirthi, Faerie Artisan, and Izori.

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Make Known His Wonderful Works II

Once more, I do not own, and the copyrights goes to the respective artists.

Who Touched Me by Gary Kapp

Utah

This Do in Remembrance of Me by Trent Gudmundsen

California

The Witness by Cynthia Dell Ellis

Idaho

Mountain of the Lord by Sandra Rast

Utah

Glory to God by Hilary Onyon

Utah

Lord of Hosts by Scott Lynn Sumner

Colorado

The Empty Tomb by Howard Post

Arizona

They Were All Filled by Walter Rane

California

Samuel: Hannah's Gift by Dawn Sorokine

Utah

While Mary Sleeps--Morning by Lester Lee Yocum

Washington

A Step of Faith by Michael Tom Malm
Utah

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Make Known His Wonderful Works Part 1

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held an international art contest, and I must say, I had no idea there were so many talented people in the world!
I think anyone could enjoy these beautiful art pieces, no matter what their religion.
Here are just a few.
(I do no own. All copyright goes to the artists.)

From Fear to Faith by Howard Van Lyon

Arizona

Balm of Gilead by Ann Adele Henrie

New York

Faith, Hope, and Charity by Jonathan Linton

Utah

Christ and the Fishermen (Lovest Thou Me More Than These) by J. Kirk Richards

Utah

 Conversion by Natalie Christensen

Utah

Feed My Sheep by David Andre Koch

Utah

As a Tender Plant by Jennifer Yvonne Paget

Utah

Draper Temple by Alan Rounds

Utah

Eternal Plan by Chalermchai Hanjakkham

Thailand

First News (of the Resurrection) by Rose Datoc Dall

District of Columbia

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Wonder

I recently checked out a book called "Simply Beautiful Photographs" from the National Geographic Society.
It is a stunning book that makes you filled with wonder. And I just thought that I would share my favorite photographs from the book.
Isn't the world beautiful?
I do not own the text or the pictures; all rights go to the National Geographic Society. Think of it as a preview for their book.

James L. Stanfield

Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, China

Young members of the Bayan Obo People's

Commune prepare for the coming day

James P. Blair

Dinaric Alps, Bosnia

A young man takes a break from work

on his family's farm to smile at the camera

Gordon Gahan

Anatolia, Turkey

A Turkish family peers out the window

of their train car

William Albert Allard

Trapani, Sicily, Italy

Sheep cross a pastoral scene

Michael S. Yamashita

Japan

Leaves cover the path on Natagiri Pass

Thomas J. Abercrombie

Foroglio, Ticino Canton, Switzerland

An old chestnut tree drapes its branches

over stone-clad buildings

Bill Curtsinger

Yarmouth, Maine

A dog looks curiously at an unexpected visitor

Mitsuaki Iwago

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

A mother and cub stare off into the

distance as the sun reflects off the grasses

Michael Melford

Kamchatka, Russia

An aerial view of the towering Kronotsky

volcano

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Dreamwork's Rise of the Guardians Trailer

So, the trailer's finally out for Dreamwork's Rise of the Guardians!
The animation looks stunning, but I wonder if the story will match up with the premise. I also wonder where Jack Frost is--he's not shown in the trailer and yet the only conception art I've seen of this movie involves him.

And I know that he's not the dark villain shown in the trailer, as the plot line clearly states that the villain is the bogeyman.
So, we'll see.
In the meantime, enjoy the trailer!

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One Painting To Rule Them All

Extremely random.

Artist is unknown.

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The Lost Thing

I've always been a fan of Shaun Tan, ever since I picked up The Arrival in the library.
So when I heard that his short film The Lost Thing won Best Short Film last year, I was happy for him.
It wasn't until recently that I got my hands on the book that the short film was based on. And it wasn't until recently that I watched it.
It's beautiful. If anything deserved to win, it's this. It's true to Shaun Tan's book and even adds a few things of its own. I loved the music, and the animation is wonderful. It perfectly fit the story of childhood creativity lost and found.

You can watch it below:


 I also noticed a few things added into the shortfilm from his other books.

This Lost Thing resembles an animal from The Arrival.



If you look closely at the newspaper, you can see an article titled "The Amnesia Machine", a story from Tan's book Tales from Outer Suburbia.

One of the Lost Things shows the cycle of a flower on its screen; a flower that resembles one from The Arrival.

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