The "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" Book Tag // a dive into the characters and similarities to Stargate (1994)

Hello and good tidings, all you explorers of stories!

This month the movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) turned 25 years old! And when it comes to this movie, I am a HUGE fan. Let's see, it has:

• Blue being the main design color for the Atlanteans (which I approve of heartily) 
• An original story for Disney in the style of Jules Vernes's work (only maybe copied from something else...stay tuned for my theory on that.)
• One of the best examples of a large cast of characters being done right where they all have their unique personalities and skills to contribute which makes each memorable.
• A self-awareness of the explorer/white savior dynamic that other films (*cough* The Road to El Dorado *cough*) are lacking, and an examination of what it means to interact with other cultures (which they could do with this fictional world in ways that are not disrespectful!) 
• Great quotes and comic relief.

Not to say it doesn't have its fair share issues (and surprises, such as one of the highest body counts in a Disney movie?), but it navigates a new territory in story, characters, and themes that Disney had not explored before. 

All that's to say, it's a delight. And I'm not the only one who thinks so, as Sally Silverscreen at 18 Cinema Lane put together a book tag to celebrate that this movie has been around for a quarter of a century (just multiply that by 340 and we get Kida's age). I'm filling it out today to join in the celebration.

Remember that excellent huge cast of characters I mentioned earlier? Each of the questions based on one of the characters! Because of that, there are SPOILERS for the movie. This movie is super nostalgic for me so I wouldn't recommend revealing the twists to yourself if you haven't seen it.

Questions:

Milo Thatch: 

Throughout the film, Milo never gives up on finding Atlantis, even when he originally faced scrutiny from the Smithsonian Institute’s board of directors. What book series do you see yourself not giving up on?: 

I didn't give up on The Queen's Thief series - by Megan Whalen Turner even though I was super tempted a time or two. But it paid off because the last book was my favorite!

As far as a series that I am still in the midst of reading go, the sequels in the Emily series - by L. M. Montgomery are #1 on my Goodreads list. I read the first book, Emily of New Moon (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4), in 2019 and keep meaning to continue the series. It hasn't happened in the last 7 years but that doesn't mean my resolve is crumbling at all!

Another one would be to read all of Agatha Christie's books. I only read a Hercule Poirot book every few years people might have thought that I've given up, but that's the not the case at all. I'm just savoring them!

Kidagakash "Kida" Nedakh:

While recounting the state of Atlantis, Kida says, “We [Atlanteans] are like a stone the ocean beats against. With each passing year a little more of us is worn away.” Which book would you save from becoming lost to time?:

The Kite Runner - by Khalid Hosseini. This is a hard, hard book. It deals with very horrific things and dark circumstances but has stuck with me even 5 years after I read it. Due to some of the subject material it has been challenged to be a banned book so I would like to save it from being lost in time in that sense. There have been criticisms that certain groups are portrayed in an overly negative light which I have no place to speak about, but aside, it is one of the most stunning works I've ever read and really opened my eyes to perspectives so vastly different from mine.

Audrey: 

As a gifted mechanic, Audrey is tasked with making sure the Ulysses submarine and the team’s vehicles run smoothly throughout the expedition. What book had a pace you thought ran smoothly?: 

Etiquette & Espionage - by Gail Carriger is not your typical "protagonist goes to a new school" book. It's cheeky and fun and has lots of mysteries and lessons for Sophronia to complete. I gobbled it up so quickly and am already working on the second book. And as a bonus that speaks to Audrey's character, there are lots of mechanical goodies as it fits in the steampunk genre.

Also, Audrey is one of my favorite characters EVER and I feel like I forget about her and need to apologize.

Vinny: 

One of Vinny’s most memorable lines is “Hey look, I made a bridge” after creating a pathway using dynamite. What literary worlds would you like to see bridged together?: 

LOVE this question (and a moment to do with "nitroglycerin" takes the cake for my favorite line of the whole film). 

My combination is not going to make a lot of sense, but I just really, really, really want more Lemony Snicket books. Because I've basically read all of them and I want more. Another book series that really reminds me of those books is The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place - by Maryrose Wood. Lemony Snicket's world is here on earth, but has a timeless quality because no reference to the actual timeframe is made. There are cars and skyscrapers and submarines and movie theaters but it could really be anytime post-1960s? Meanwhile, Miss Penelope Lumley and co. are firmly in Victorian London. 

To combine this world let's say Miss Lumley and the Incorrigibles (and Simon Harley Dickenson) somehow are transported to the future and it's up to Lemony and crew (the cast from the All the Wrong Questions series) to get them back. Because I think it would be cute to see Jake cooking food to coax Alexander, Beowolf, and Cassiopeia to eat. And Penelope being fascinated by Pip and Squeak and their driving. And Moxie trying to get interviews which only Simon takes to heart because he's used to the press as an actor. And meanwhile Lemony is the only one doing any work at the Black Cat Cafe to try to get them home.

OH and each of the characters of the respective worlds being confused about the relationship so they think Penelope is somehow related so they call her Miss Lemony instead of Miss Lumley. 

It would just be fun and cleverness would abound.

Doctor Joshua Sweet: 

According to Disney Wiki, Doctor Sweet was the first character to show Milo kindness during the Atlantis expedition. Which book character would you give kindness to?:

Owen from Becoming Naomi Leon - by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Owen is ADORABLE and PRECIOUS and legit the sweetest kid in the universe but people can be mean to him because he's a FLK (funny looking kid) due to his limp. He's so good natured he doesn't hold the teasing against anyone but that doesn't mean he should have to endure it. I just want to get him ice cream every day and help him practice riding his bike.

And if I'm hanging out with Owen that means I'll be with Naomi, too! I'd tell her she's awesome and brave and I would gush over her soap carvings.

Gaetan "Mole" Molière: 

When Milo meets Mole, he discovers Mole’s dirt collection, with each particle of dirt coming from different parts of the world. If you could collect dirt from a book’s world, where would you go?:

In Between Jobs - by W. R. Gringell there are three worlds: the main world we live in, Behind (where fae, vampires, and many other magical creatures are), and Between (which is how the worlds are bridged). Things from Between are more illusions than anything else. You're not supposed to take things from Between but that doesn't stop Pet and even though I'm a rule follower I would want to take some to see what it could later turn into.

Cookie: 

On Cookie’s chest is a tattoo of “all 38 states.” Which book would you choose out of the states represented in Cookie’s tattoo?:

From the screenshots I can find of him showing off his tattoo it's hard to see what's there, but it looks like at least: Wisconsin, West Virginia, Florida, and Texas? Those are the distinguishable shapes, then the rest of them are a bit blurred together so I'm not sure where the divisors are.

The Last Bus to Wisdom - by Ivan Doig revolves around Montana, but there's also a sizable bit where our main character Donal is on the bus to Wisconsin then when he gets there it's not how he expected it would be.

Mrs. Packard: 

According to Disney Wiki, “Packard is hardly involved during the journey to Atlantis” yet as the Officer of Communications, Mrs. Packard plays a vital role in the Atlantis expedition. Which underrated book character do you wish received more recognition?:

In The Chronicles of Narnia, the Pevensie children and Eustace and Aslan and Caspian are all very well known characters. But as the series goes on even more are introduced yet aren't as talked about as much. For example, Digory and Polly from The Magician's Nephew. I LOVE Polly. I think she's so plucky and down for anything and gets annoyed at Digory at all the right instances. Digory is also a dear. Because it's the 6th book in the series (fight me) maybe people don't get around to it and so these two are just unknown instead of underrated. Maybe with Greta Gerwig's version coming out soon they'll get some more love!

Meanwhile, as far as a character getting more recognition from the author and therefore more "screen/page time" in a book, Margaret's brother in North & South - by Elisabeth Gaskell. His role is so brief that I don't even remember his name (should we guess John? That seems typical of the period). He's only there for a couple of chapters (if that!) and serves the plot point to introduce some misunderstandings and I understand why he can't stick around but I kind of wish he could've been there for Margaret for a little longer because she's going through a time where she really needs some support. Because I'm not there to comfort my girl!

Preston B. Whitmore: 

Because of his funding, Mr. Whitmore is the reason why the Atlantis expedition happens in the first place. If you possessed a large sum of money, what book related purpose would you use the money for?:

Textbooks for students are such a tremendous expense so I would like to set up a way that they could get them for cheaper! With some subjects that are evolving, after a few years textbooks aren't even the most current knowledge so it's painful to buy them for hundreds of dollars when they can't be resold.

(Also, was it just me or did anyone else think Cookie and Mr. Whitmore were the same person for the longest time?  It was only a few years ago that I watched it and realized they were COMPLETELY different characters. They both just seemed like old white guys to me? The rest of the cast are so diverse in race and drawing style and I just associated those two as the same person.)

Kashekim Nedakh and the Queen of Atlantis: 

         

Kashekim and the Queen of Atlantis play important roles in Kida’s story, despite spending most of the movie apart. Which book couple do you wish had gotten to spend more time together?:

I feel like I bring this book up in every tag that I do, but it's gotta be All the Crooked Saints - by Maggie Steifvater. I'm in a particularly celebratory mood when it comes to this book because I finally got my younger sister to read it and then she got one of her friends to read it, too! Daniel and Marisita spend most of the book separated and we hear retroactively about some of the time they'd spent together but I want to see those scenes play out.

This is a perfect book, though, so nothing needs to be changed. I can just imagine it (and maybe make some fan art...).

Helga: 

As one of the villains, Helga is not intended to be a likable character. In your opinion, what book possesses an unlikable female character?:

Leda Fox-Cotton in I Capture the Castle - by Dodie Smith. She's not in it that much but her antagonistic role serves to show what a person looks like who only uses others for themselves (the lesson that Cassandra is learning). She does it well and I really, really, REALLY dislike her for it. Poor Stephen.

Commander Rourke:

In Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Rourke desired to locate a book called the Shepherd’s Journal. Once found, he removes one of the pages from the Shepherd’s Journal in an effort to use that page for bad intentions. Which book would you not want to see fall into a fictional villain’s hands?:

The Count of Monte Cristo - by Alexandre Dumas. Because it's a honking big book and if a villain wanted to use it as a blunt weapon they surely could. 

It's also about revenge and if you don't get through all 1200+ pages you might think that it is encouraging it. I even stalled out part way through, so I imagine a fictional villain who's really busy might not put the effort into finishing it and might be encouraged to poison people and whatnot in imitation of Edmond.

Thanks to Sally for putting those questions together! If you're a fan of Atlantis, feel free to fill it out yourself! For those of you who have seen this (which should be all of you if you made it past my spoiler warning), do any of you remember the sequel? 

I low-key loved the 2nd one growing up. Do I remember the plot? No. Do I remember that it gave me nightmares? Yes. Is it still super nostalgic? Absolutely. All I remember is that they go to a bunch of other climates like a desert and a blizzard and lava? I think I have both films on VHS that I should dig out and coax my player into working. (Editor Chloe here, turns out I don't have the sequel, so it's probably lost to time!)

I'm not sure if the sequel even has continuity or a resemblance to the original, but last year I found another movie that I think is the prototype or inspiration for Disney's work. Do you remember how earlier I said it was maybe copied from something else? My theory is it was inspired by Stargate (1994).

This movie came out 7 years before the animated adventure, but the entire time watching it I kept making connections between the two. Especially through the character archetypes and dynamics. I've only seen Stargate the once while Atlantis has been dozens of times, so I won't go into a huge analysis, just some images to demonstrate my point.

Both are action/adventures films where a group sets out to explore a far away lost culture where they discover new technologies and that the culture isn't lost at all but still alive.

Both promotional posters have pyramids/triangles and beams.

Our protagonist is sandy-blond nerd with round glasses who is the only one who knows the forgotten language.

Army green and ulterior motives? (these characters do veer in different directions but both of strong chins)

Benefactors who give the linguist the benefit of the doubt. (remember how I apparently associate old white men? I guess I associate anyone with white hair who's not an Atlantean.)

Names starting with the same letter aside, it's up to them to protect their people.

Kida is a more developed character than Sha'uri, but they both have conflicts with their fathers about trying something new instead of sticking to the way it has always been done.

sooooooo...what do you guys think?

Do you see the similarities between Stargate and Atlantis: The Lost Empire? Stargate branched off into a TV show and other movies so the first film is most likely where the similarities end, but maybe Atlantis's sequel took notes from those, too!

Do you have an Atlantis character you relate to the most? What worlds would you branch together? Any other beloved direct-to-video sequels you love? Thanks for reading!

Chloe the MovieCritic

Chloe out.

The Oddly Specific Things I Love in Books Tag // ingredients, chess, and mishaps...what could possibly go wrong?

Hello, friends!

I wanted to get one more post in before the end of February and tags just so happen to be the perfect thing for that, and the lovely Sarah Seele has provided exactly what I needed!

Oddly Specific Things I Love in Books Tag:

The Rules:

1. Link back to the tagger: who for me was the delightful Sarah Seele! 
2. Share the graphic on your blog.
3. Share the outline on your post.
4. Share a detail you love about the season of summer into fall: below!
5. List at least 7 random/specific things YOU love to read about in books, big or small.
6. Tag 7 people! 

Seeing as how I was tagged for this in November, one would think that I'd have ample time to make observations about such specific things I love to read about. One would be correct, but I also did not write those things down...so they are lost in the abyss of my mind. So I've started over, documenting everything this time, which resulted in this post.

This year I've been in a very big reading slump and have so far not finished a single book, which grieves me deeply, but I hope this will get me back into it! I've tended recently to live in movies more than literature so let's break out of that!

Maybe I should hide what I'm reading in a magazine.

My Favorite Thing about Summer into Fall:

The month of September seems to last longer than any other month, filled with celebrations and cooling days and work which fills and fulfills the days.

The Oddly Specific Things:

1. First person, present tense 

This is my absolute favorite way to experience a story: to be inserted directly into what is happening to the character and ready for action! It feels so personal and intimate as we are experiencing things the moment that the character is and we get to see their immediate reactions.

We get to read their thoughts and ponderings and sense that the past is lurking under the surface as it slowly is revealed.

It's just solid. 'Nuff said.

2. A quest with a long list of ingredients

A cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow sorry, that's a movie.

My face when I see what the next step to take is.

While the quest for The One Thing is fun, I like when there are steps. Such as finding ingredients for a potion; this is what got me barreling through the first two Land of Stories books, The Wishing Spell and The Enchantress Returns. My younger sister thought they were boring/predictable, oh the horror! But I like making lists and then being able to check things off, so even if some of the items seem obvious then it's in a way that says "look, we know this one it will be easy!" (though it seldom is) that puts me at ease even if the end stakes are higher.

Or if it's not ingredients to get, I also love rules to follow (see below for me being the rule follower) and this can show how far off track the story has gotten, which is delicious. The Narnia book that I've read the most, The Silver Chair, does this excellently.

This doesn't have to be fantasy either, as The Q - by Beth Brower uses a list so well, and changes the stakes even more by not telling the reader what the list is. 

3. Chapters that are just a couple of sentences

A great way to highlight something notable happening.

All the Crooked Saints - by Maggie Stiefvater does this in chapter 5 and I remember that it's chapter 5 because it makes an IMPACT. I have read books with some terribly long chapters *glares at The Count of Monte Cristo* and usually I wish there could be a little break.

Because, you see, I'm a rule follower (lawful neutral for the win) and it feels like I'm breaking a rule if I just stop at a random spot on a page. I'll do it from time to time, but it always makes me feel like I've committed a faux pas. It also depends on how much I respect the book because on books that I don't like I don't really mind doing it.

I just quit reading a book (which I will return to one day) which in addition to having loooooong chapters, had loooooooooooooooooong paragraphs that would go on for PAGES and that also stressed me out, because worse than stopping in the middle of a chapter is stopping the middle of a PARAGRAPH. Unimaginable. But I had to do it many times.

This isn't to say long chapters don't work! North & South - by Elisabeth Gaskell has some long chapters and there was one that I read in a single sitting that to this day that was the most focused I've ever been in my life. I was locked in. I just really really like when a big thing is highlighted by having its own brief chapter. It makes me happy and also satisfied because I just read a whole chapter.

4. Characters with names that either speak to their personality and they are struggling to live up to

As a writer, every single one of my characters has a name for a reason, and while it can be an obvious ploy, I love it. If every one was like this that could be intense, but a couple of my favorites include:

• Hercules Beal from The Labors of Hercules Beal - by Gary D. Schmidt: the book is about Herc grappling with his namesake as he tries to do homework assignments that mimic the Greek legends. Herc is PRECIOUS and so much greater than the original Hercules in terms of heart.

• Wren from Wild Bird - by Wendelin Van Draanen: I just LOVE how this title is then directly referring to Wren. She hates the name and doesn't want to feel like a delicate little bird but is learning how to take flight herself. I looooooove this book (my computer is probably not loving my excessive use of the "o" key tonight so if words start to be missing it that means my computer has given up) and the challenges she goes through are inspiring.

• Stanley Yelnats III from Holes - by Louis Sachar: Our protagonist Stanley is always cursing his ancestor who got him into this mess (being unlucky due to being a no good pig stealer), which happened to be the first person who thought of naming a Yelnats child Stanley because Stanley is Yelnats backwards. The book is about him not just following in his family's footsteps as he breaks the mold while breaking ground. Literally.

• Ulysses from Flora and Ulysses - by Kate DiCamillo: Ulysses is a squirrel, but he feels that his name makes him invincible.

Then I have a couple whose names are spoilers which is also fun and brilliant, because all of a sudden they live up to their name and so it is revealed and ACK good times.

If you're my favorite character, you're not invisible to me!

5. Characters getting themselves into lighthearted mishaps

My sister and I were talking about morally grey characters yesterday on the phone and I've decided that I don't like the traditional literary examples of morally grey characters where they just mope around and find temporary people to fill the void before throwing them away like a used tissue.

What all these characters claim to be doing...

Instead, I love characters who are grappling with conflicts. Or I especially love characters who get in trouble from doing well meaning things...just not thought through. Characters who are trying their best but making bad decisions.

Anne Shirley, of Anne of Green Gables fame, is the QUEEN of this and one of the reasons I read those books again and again. Dying hair, falling through roofs, making questionable food and drink, she does it all. As it is, my moping looks a lot different than the literary works, and I'm instead more likely to get myself into ridiculous situations.

Just the other day I had this WHOLE thing with my boss's car and how her dog wouldn't get out but I needed to go pick up a lady and---

And you guys probably don't need to hear all of that. Just read some Anne of Green Gables or Hercules Beal for things right up this same alley. Some people might say that's what sitcoms are made out of, and that's true, but I don't need to see it on a screen, I can just read it on the pages of some of my favorite books.

Especially because I sympathize with these precious souls because I had (*cough* have) a fear of getting in trouble when I was little which usually led me to do crazy things and then--you guessed it--get in trouble. I love to see the way characters rely on their friends to help them get out of these situations, too!

6. Math and/or chess

What can I say, I'm a nerd at heart? Even in my studies of math I couldn't leave chess out of the picture. I'm addicted to Alice Through the Looking Glass. Including chess or math elements will make me remember a book when i would otherwise have forgotten it, as even though I didn't like Everything, Everything - by Nicola Yoon I still think of it by "life was explained through math!" It made me smile.

Then there's the precious Doug Swieteck in Okay For Now - by Gary D. Schmidt who lists out the stats for everything. Or Harriet Manners in Geek Girl - by Holly Smalle drifts into math tidbits every once in a while in the mix of her other adorably geeky knowledge base.

Math can be an element in movies, too, but it often feels like just the technical jargon that people use to wave their hands and just say that it works. Meanwhile, in books I've seen it used as more introspection and subtle commentary on how the word fits together. It just happened in the audiobook that I'm listening to and I was squealing for joy. Which the people who encouraged me to read this book, including Sarah Seele, should be happy to hear. Chess is more successful in movies, but when they had the ultimate opportunity to give Alice Through the Looking Glass justice they made it about time?? Time?? Where is my chess??

7. An ode to stories

This happens in movies, too (as mentioned in my last review), but it feels especially meta when you're reading a book talking about how books are life-changing and how stories are an essential part of our being.

This can happen if there's a story within a story, and some books that do that excellently are My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - by Fredrik Backman and The Forgotten Magic of Zoey Turner - by Erin Stewart.

Likewise having a character who is a writer is a joy. Jane Penderwick from The Penderwicks - by Jeanie Birdsall made me want to be a writer, so that's the power words have.

Those are the oddly specific things I love! I'm curious about what these people love, so I'm tagging:

- Katie Hanna of I'm Charles Baker Harris (and I can read)

- Olivia of Meanwhile in Rivendell

- Sally of 18 Cinema Lane

- Heidi of Along the Brandywine

- Samanthawise Gamgee of Bookshire

- Sam the Library Mouse

- and YOU! If you're reading this, feel free to steal it!

Thanks for reading! When have you encountered these oddly specific things? Do you like them? Where can I find more chess? Do you think lists make a story predictable?

Chloe the MovieCritic

The We Love Fairy Tales Week Tag! // having a crisis over a dream cast for my favorite picture book

Hello, friends!

I hope you're having a magical day. This week we're celebrating all things fairy tale with Hamlette's We Love Fairy Tales Week! She's had an ode to all kinds of stories through the "we love" format for many years now and our favorite childhood fables are the theme this year. Today I'm answering the questions in the tag!

The Questions:

1.  What's your favorite fairy tale?

Based on how I will watch anything with Cinderella in the title (then usually regret it), one would think that would be my favorite fairytale. It is my kryptonite as I love to see the same story told over and over again but in different settings. What can I say, I have a ball with it!

CinderSabrina?

Maybe Cinderella is my subconscious favorite, but I usually say Beauty and the Beast as I love the idea of falling in love with what's below the surface. This theme comes up in other fairy tales, like The Black Bull of Norway!

But those are themes. My ALL TIME favorite fairy tale is The Four Gallant Sisters, which is an adaptation by Eric A. Kimmel and Tatyana Yuditskaya of TWO Grimms fairytales: "The Four Skillful Brothers" and "The Twelve Huntsman." 

I always thought it was its own thing, and just learned about the dual inspiration yesterday! I read both original stories and while I think The Four Gallant Sisters is iconic and sails above the individual stories, there is quite a hilarious line in "The Four Skillful Brothers": 

"'Come with me and be a thief.' ' 

No,' he answered, 'that is no longer regarded as a reputable trade...'"

Why makes me wonder...was thieving ever a reputable trade? I guess it depends on who you talk to.

2.  If you could cast any actors and actresses ever in a movie version of that fairy tale, who would you pick?

Because The Four Gallant Sisters is probably unknown, here's a quick premise to show you the roles I'm trying to cast!:

When their mother dies, four sisters disguise themselves as men and go out into the world to learn a trade, resulting in a tailor, a hunter, a thief, and an astronomer. Four years later, they get back together and their talents capture the eye of the king, but the queen thinks something is off about them. Tests and adventures ensue...complete with a dragon. What's not to love?

The question gives some grace by adding in the word "ever" which means this doesn't have to be realistic, it doesn't have to be the right age or time of their life to do these roles. However, my brain won't accept it any other way and I went for as accurate as possible. Hence, this post is out later than I'd hoped, but that's also because I was trying to do it while watching the Olympics, and let's just say getting distracted by the Olympics is the best excuse ever.

People aren't actually going to make this happen, but a girl can dream, can't she? 

The oldest sister/the tailor: Tallulah Greive. I've only seen her as Princess Gwen in Cinderella (2021), and I love how spunky and sassy she was. I think she would have some great needling comments (get it, 'cuz she's a tailor? sorry, my puns are terrible today) and have great energy to be the leader of the sisters, if you will. She's a little bit older than the rest of the gals I have cast, but I think that could lend itself to the other sisters looking up to her.

The second sister/the hunter: Freya Parks. This sister gives me the same energy as Scarlet from The Lunar Chronicles, being someone who can have a loud personality but also let her shots speak for her. I really like Freya's intense performance as Hester in The School for Good and Evil (2022) and I'd like to see that same attitude here.

The third sister/the thief: Sophia Lillis. One of my favorite parts of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) is Doric's escape from the palace, and I totally want to see a similar scene here with the invisibility belt (did I forget to mention that all of the sisters have fantastic tools at their disposal?). She has a quieter presence which could go well with sneaking around. It makes it more notable when she does speak up, and her sisters should then listen to her warnings.

The youngest sister/the astronomer: Isis Hainsworth. The youngest sister needs a bit of an ethereal look to her--starry eyes and full of wonder, if you will. I liked what Isis did as Aelis in Catherine, Called Birdy (2022) and therefore want to give her a bigger part here!

I made it extra difficult for myself by trying to make the sisters look alike but I am also the first to know that sisters do not always look alike in conventional ways, such as hair and eye color. I really had to restrain myself from just making all of the sisters look like the illustrations and instead play to the personalities, so the fact that I didn't cave to that is a success!

The queen: Penelope Cruz. The queen is such a key character in this story with how she's trying to prove that these "men" are not what they seem and I think Penelope could pull off her being skeptical brilliantly. She's a little younger than in the book, but I think her magnificent presence is what counts.

The king: Javier Bardem. Now that I'm thinking of it, the king and the prince might be the same person, but I just want to see the dynamic duo of Cruz and Bardem in more things, so we'll split the role. Then we can set this kingdom in a fantasy-esque Spain.

The prince: Álvero Rico. I have to be honest here and say I have not actually seen Álvero Rico in anything. But I needed someone who could reasonably be Cruz and Bardem's child, even with the correct age. And it was very important to me that everyone was actually Spanish (totally didn't have someone who was Italian in the role of the prince for a hot second there...). I have seen quite a few Hispanic actors with Latin American roots, but no one seemed the right age. So, he's what I got from looking through lists of "Spanish actors in their late 20s/early 30s." He looks a little more intense than what I was originally going for, but I think he could be a good surprise!

You can tell I'm a little too immersed in K-dramas right now, because as soon as I thought of casting the princess from far away I went to my K-drama casts without a hesitation. In the story I believe it is a princess and her four brothers, yet as much as I LOOOOOOOVE my k-dramas, it's actually really rare/unheard of to have FIVE siblings in Korean culture. So maybe they're cousins instead of siblings? That still feels like a weirdly big family, but just roll with me on this and we can figure out the logistics later when I'm getting paid to cast this, haha.

The princess: Kim Se-jeong: This is purely because I'm watching a k-drama with her at the moment (Business Proposal) and I find her fun and spunky but also able to have slower moments. She just captures one's attention immediately which I think is important for her small role. Which we should totally make bigger, though, if we're making this into a movie anyway.

The brothers/cousins: Kang Tae Oh (Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Doom at Your Service), Cha Eun-woo (True Beauty), Lee Chae-min: (Crash Course in Romance), and Kim Min-gi (True Beauty). I will not consider myself well versed in K-dramas until I have seen 10, so this is a very biased pick of just some people I like, were the right age, AND kind of looked similar enough to possibly be related distantly. I don't actually like Kim Min-gi's performance that I've seen, but he was the youngest that I could find and he previously played an annoying youngest brother, which, I figured, could work here.

There you have it! My childhood favorite picture book come to life. Or, at least, giving my dreams a visual element...for now...

3.  Do you have a favorite fairy tale movie?

Into the Woods (2014). I love the aesthetic, I love the casting, I love the songs, I love all of it. That's all that needs to be said.

4.  Do you have a favorite book that retells a fairy tale?

I have a favorite book that retells a fairy tale 6 times: The Rumpelstiltskin Problem - by Vivian Vande Velde. I talked about briefly years ago, but I'm still thinking about it as it was so fun and creative. That's the joy of fairy tales retellings, is that we get to ask some "what ifs?" and here it's not confined to one, but many!

5.  If you got to be in a stage or film production of a classic fairy tale, what fairy tale would you want to be in, and who would you like to play?

My sisters and I used to act out plays of fairy tales for our parents on their anniversary, and my favorite role was when I was the Narrator in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I might also have been the prince; there were only 3 of us, so we had to double up the roles. Our most creative moment was that we decided to narrate the building of the coffin in darkness and just use sound, so for "sawing" I was scratching a cardboard tube with my fingernails. Maybe I should work in sound design.

Nothing quite can top that, but I do think it would be fun to be a villain of some sort. Let's say it's a stage play of Rapunzel, and I'll be the "Mother Gothel" character. We can do some fun rigging--complete with all safety mechanisms--and stage combat to make it look like I push the prince out of the tower.

That's my curtain call.

6.  Do you like fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers best?  Or someone else's?

We had this book when I was little which had fairy tales from all over the world. From there, I remember my absolute FAVORITE fairy tales were the ones from Czechia/Slovakia. Do I remember what they were about? No clue. I just remember being blown away, even though I was only all of...9 years old? I just remember thinking they were THE BEST.

 I just went and dug it out and it was book 1 of The Young Folks' Shelf of Books series, Fairy Tales and Fables.

For this blogathon I thought I should go through and count all of the collections of fairy tales that we have but one glance made me think otherwise. You should just know that we have A LOT. It's reminding me again and again of my love for fairy tales. Generally, I'd say I like the themes from Hans Christian Andersen a biiiiiiiit better than the Brothers Grimm.

This was another favorite, so well done, Arthur Rackman 

7.  What more obscure fairy tale do you think more people should know about?

I've been thinking about The Three Sillies a lot recently and think it is very applicable in today's world. It's about a guy who, after an incident, thinks his fiancee and her family are ridiculous and says he won't marry her until he finds three other such silly people in the world. That's not necessarily my favorite, but it talks about thinking things through but also giving people some grace when they get stuck on things. I have the neurodivergent urge to get stuck on things a lot and am grateful for the people around me to talk me through some of these things.

The Tinder Box is another perennial favorite of mine, that as wacky as it its, I feel like I reference it a lot? I mean, explaining crazy fairy tales is one of my favorite pastimes, actually, but people wouldn't have to sit through that if they already knew it. It's about a solider and a witch and a princess and three HUGE dogs. It's a good time.

Amazing illustrations help.

Oh, or the actual ending of The Little Mermaid! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the 2023 version, but just for cultural understanding I think it could be beneficial if people knew the original tale, so then they can appreciate the changes that are made in retellings!

And, sadly that's the end of the tag!

But have no fear, there will be all kinds of fairy tale goodness all week long! Just make sure to check out the master post HERE so you don't miss anything!

What do you guys think? Has anyone else heard of "The Four Gallant Sisters" or its source material? Would you watch a movie of it with my cast? Does anyone else want to dramatically (but safely!) push someone out of a tower? Do you have multiple collections of fairy tales?

Thanks for reading! May you all live, "happily ever after!"

Chloe the MovieCritic

The Smashing & Dashing 2025 Character Awards! // feat. movies and shows, too, because I can't help it

Hi, friends!

I've already listed out all the books I read in 2025 and all the movies I watched in 2025, but it isn't enough to just say them, I want to talk about the characters.

I know, I know, I should stop talking about 2025 and just move on with the new year. The thing is, though, that I experienced about 100 different stories last year, from words on a page to people on a screen! One doesn't just get over that.

With the recent announcement of the Oscar nominees for this year, I'm in the mood to give out some awards myself. Therefore, I'm going to fill out the Smashing & Dashing 2025 Character Awards! Credit to C. G. Drews of PaperFury for creating the tag ages ago, and to Katie Hanna and Sarah Seele for always reminding me about it. Their posts are awesome, you seriously need to check them out. I'm just a copycat.

But me being me (i.e. too obsessed with a visual format), I'm going to be including characters from movies and TV shows, so each question will get a book answer and a movie/TV show answer.

Additionally, I'm going to try to only use each story once as I have a ton to choose from. Wish me luck!

Just because I'm talking about these characters does not mean that I like the stories they are from, but they should get props all the same. Let's get into it!

1. Most Relatable Character

Book: Harriet Manners from Geek Girl. I'd related to her in the TV show, and this year I related to her just as much in the book. I want to read the rest of the series ASAP. She's awkward but adorable and I want to strive to have her compassion.

Movie/TV show: Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries. She's just wants to do her job and experiment with poisons and not be bothered by people. I'm not into poisons, but there were so many times that I felt what she was feeling, especially when Jinshi is trying to be sparkly and flirty and Maomao has her priorities in a different place. 

#notimpressed

2. Most Pure Animal Companion

Book: Paganini, who is a rabbit, from the Vanderbeekers books! Those kiddos also have a sweet, sweet dog, but I can't think of his name right now.

Movie/TV show: This has made me realize how few animals I see in movies and that makes me sad. The cow from The Rare Breed (1966) is pretty stinking cute. His name is Vindicator, which doesn't quite live up to how adorable he is, but that's fine. The poor guy has been dragged all over the place, from England to the Wild West!

3. Fiercest Fighter

Book: Agatha from The School for Good and Evil. She and her best friend Sophie are stuck in a magical school and Aggie will stop at nothing until they're out of there, and she has tons of obstacles to face, like Sophie herself.

Movie/TV show: Evelyn from Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). If you've seen the film I don't think any explanation is needed. If you haven't, just know that Evelyn is facing both physical and emotional battles.

4. Am Surprised That I Loved You??

Book: Lord Peter Whimsey from Gaudy Night. I'd read Whose Body? a couple of years ago and did not like Peter. Here, I had several times where I was cheering for him. He'd mellowed and had a deeper side and we met his nephew which explained a lot.

Source

Movie/TV show: Mary Yellan from Jamaica Inn (1939). This is surprising because I'm not usually a fan of her Maureen O'Hara's acting, but I sympathized with her immediately (debut for the win!) because she's just trying to find a new home and instead immediately gets thrown into conspiracies.  

5. Best Sassmaster

Book: Hercule Poirot from The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot. I already talked about this, but he says such cutting things to Hastings and I love it. I should've written down more of what he said because at least once per story he had me giggling. 

Movie/TV show: Myeol-mang/Kim Sa-ram from Doom at Your Service (2021). ACK. I LOVE my sassy boy. I mean with iconic blue/green hair the sass has to live up to the look. He's the personification of doom itself, and has been nihilistic for a while until he found someone to bother. Then the sass comes out full force when he's in front of Dong-kyung. For example, he can hear peoples thoughts and the first time we see him, someone has bumped into him and thought, "wow, he's handsome" which Sa-ram immediately answers out-loud with "I know." 

And now my computer dashboard is covered in gifs of him that I don't know what to do with, so another one is going into this post. It's the only rational thing to do.

That sassy smirk!

6. Best Antihero

Book: André-Louis from Scaramouche. He does some heroic things, but the term might fit him because he doesn't believe what he's saying, he's just using a means to an end? I already compared him to Anne Elliot, so check out that post for more about him.

Movie/TV show: Charlie Babbitt from Rain Man (1988). He's a jerk, he's selfish, he's greedy, and to top it all off he's kidnapped his brother. Then he grows and goes through some character development and does unexpected things so that I was cheering for him.

7. The Best Friends Of All

Book: Betsy and Tacy. Tacy is bashful (sorry, I will never get over that being the one word used to describe her) but not around Betsy! They trust each other and will do anything for each other. Even skipping school, kind of.

Movie/TV show: My dudes Arjun, Kabir, and Imran from Zindagi na Milegi Dobara (2011)! They have their issues (especially two of them have beef with each other) but they work through it (with Kabir's help of being the peacemaker) and I love them. 

8. Best Villain To Hate

Book: The Snow Queen from Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy! She is horrible to the sweet Marvelous Boy and I just want to keep him safe.

Movie/TV show: Velma Von Tussle from Hairspray (2007). She's HORRIBLE. Yes, I guess the word I use to describe villains is horrible as I've used it for both these gals, but it's true!

9. Award for Best vs. Worst YA Parents

I don't really read enough YA to say, so we're just going with parents in general. And having four seems like a lot, so I'll have one from a movie/show and one from a book.

Best: (Book) Peter and Kira from Beartown. This book in and of itself can capture such a spectrum from best to worst for parenting, and in addition to being amazing parents, Peter and Kira are now one of my favorite couples of all time. They go through absolutely horrible things and have to figure out how to keep their family together and how to feel whole again.

Worst: (Movie/TV show) Do Min-Ik's mother from The Secret Life of My Secretary (2019). Her son isn't really her son, but he loves her and they act like they are related and all Min-Ik wants in life is to be loved by her. Early on there's this moment where the mother is telling him who he should date (for mergers in the company) and he asks, "If I do this, will you accept me as your own?" and she callously replies: "Her family will, at least." CRUEL.

10. Ship Of All Ships In 2025

Book: I'm really struggling with this one, now that I've already used Peter and Kira. But they don't even really qualify as a ship because they got together long before the book started. 

Aaaaaaaaaand, I've got nothing that I haven't already used, which is pretty sad. But, I do complain every time I read romances, so maybe it should be expected. I have to dip into my rereads from last year, so in that case it would be my All the Crooked Saints couples. Forever and ever, Beatriz and Pete. Forever and ever, Marisita and Daniel. *hugs them*

Movie/TV show: Let's see how many times I can get away with talking about k-dramas...I'm giving this award to my DARLING Woo Young-Woo and Lee Jun-ho from Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022). Just thinking about them I want to CRY because it's the cutest of all cute things and ACK. I can't. I watched most of this series in 2024, but in the three episodes that I watched in 2025 I cried several times just looking at Jun-ho's face. Real, body shaking, sobbing, tears. 

Find yourself a person who will listen to you talk as much as Jun-ho will listen to Young-Woo talk about whales. 

SOULMATES

11. Most Precious Must Be Protected

Book: Poppet and Widget from The Night Circus! I ADORE these twins and would do anything for them. They have premonitions that make them worried and it makes me say OH BABIES and just want to feed them hot chocolate and treats and keep them away from it all.

Movie/TV show: Pugsley Addams from Wednesday is a sweetie and I need him to be more careful because as it is, he doesn't think things through. He himself may not be the most precious from everything I watched, but he's definitely the one who most needs to be protected. HE JUST WANTS A FRIEND. And baby doesn't realize that a zombie is not an ideal friend. I want him and Agnes to become BFFs. Is that too much to ask? And she's got her head on her shoulders better than he does, so she can help protect him, too.

12. Honestly Surprised You’re Still Alive

Book: Sophie Foster from Legacy, book 8 of Keeper of the Lost Cities. The girl just goes through a lot, and it's amazing that she's made it this far, what with multiple near-death experiences in every book. Book 10 hasn't come out yet, so I can still be worried for her.

Movie/TV Show: Barry Allen from The Flash. I'm only 2 seasons in with 7 to go and I have no clue how Barry has lasted this long. I get it, he has supernatural recuperation skills, but dude. He basically breaks bones every day of his life and I just feel bad for the poor guy. And I'm fairly sure it's just going to get worse as the seasons go on.

13. Award For Making the Worst Decisions

Book: Poor Zoey from The Forgotten Magic of Zoey Turner. I relate to her, she's really trying to make her life better, but she does that in ways that hurt other people. She just needs a hug and a cupcake and someone to read her stories.

Movie/TV show: All of the characters in The Mummy (1999). I feel like banging my head against a sarcophagus watching them do things that they were told not to do. Like going back to the creepy haunted place. Or leaving each other alone when they are being hunted by supernatural beings. Come on, guys!

This was a valid reaction, though.

14. Most In Need Of A Nap

Book: Poly from Spindle. I know, she's been asleep for a couple of hundred years, but that wasn't good sleep. And besides, I get tired just reading about whatever Luck is doing without explanations, so I can only imagine being around him would want me to have a nap, too.

Movie/TV show: Brian from The Breakfast Club (1985). Poor baby is just trying to get good grades and escape from the pressure and is instead put into detention. And made to do all the work, which is totally unfair.

Honey, if you drink that Coke you won't be able to take a nap.

15. Want To Read/Watch More About You

Book: I want more of all of the stories in The Chronicles of Harris Burdick. More new stories, continuations to the old stories, all of it.

Movie/TV show: This is going to be a hot take, but I wanted more of Roger's mother, Mrs. Thornhill in North by Northwest (1959). I was vibing with that movie at the beginning when it was Roger trying to prove to his mother that he's not crazy and I wanted that to be the whole movie. I don't need Eve or anyone else, I wanted just the two Thornhills on a wild adventure. 

And with that, the awards have all been given out! Do you know any of these characters? How well do you think they deserve these awards? How would you describe best villains? Any one have any good k-drama suggestions (I just finished a new one and I need help)? Who are your favorite sassy characters?

Thank you for reading!

Chloe the MovieCritic