it does not follow the standard Hero's Journey story

It's a Secret Princess story! I don't think Joseph Campbell did anything with feminine archetypal narrative structures. This is the kind of thing I was actually planning on doing my thesis on, if I'd gone to grad school. (I want to go back to school and get my Masters in folklore. What a waste of money that would be, huh?) But it's fascinating. A folklorist named Maria Tater recently wrote a book called The Turnip Princess, about some folktales that escaped the influence of the Grimm brothers, and they show the female heroes in a different light than the fairytales we're used to. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I don't think Joseph Campbell did anything with feminine archetypal narrative structures.

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz follows Campbell's structure pretty closely.

A girl can go on a Hero's Journey. A boy can be a Secret Prince(ss). While they are different, there really isn't any intrinsic "feminine" and "masculine" difference between these epic stories; the difference is culturally imposed, by a male-dominant culture that has trouble seeing girls as active agents in their own lives. Snow White and the Huntsman - which was also a better movie than the reviews would have you believe - was about a Princess who became a Hero to save the kingdom. Luke Skywalker was a Secret Prince, even in the first movie, where Prince = Jedi. Arthur was a Secret King. The Hero goes on the journey to prove himself and to become his truest self. He may become or be revealed to be royalty, but he typically doesn't start out that way. The Secret Princess doesn't have to do great deeds or fight to prove she's really the rightful ruler; she's usually proven by something intrinsic to herself. Arthur pulled the sword from the stone without any real effort; Luke's identity was revealed by his father; Jupiter's royalty was proven by her genes. Their story is usually what they did before their specialness was revealed; what they prove is how good and noble-hearted and righteous they are, to deserve the crown. (I wonder how much of that narrative structure we got from the Grimm's moral spin on the folktales they scavenged. I know in many folktales, girls are portrayed as brave and clever, just like boys are.) If the Princess becomes a Hero, it's usually either to fight on someone else's behalf or to win back her kingdom (in the process saving all the common folk from the rule of the Evil Queen). Jupiter Ascending is clearly set up for a sequel, though we may never get it, in which the tale of Jupiter continues beyond her coronation and her fight for her peoples' lives, into her effort to change the system from within. That would be great to see. That would be different.

A shirt for the Jupiter Ascending fans: [link]

ETA: To clarify, I think it's a funny take on the meme. I haven't seen the movie, so this is in no way a commentary on that.

Cinderella Report: Pretty, pretty costumes. Cate Blanchett is as fabulous as she can be given what she had to work with. That's about it. I may have to see Jupiter Ascending this weekend to get a better story and script.

megan! What about the Frozen short?

It was okay, but it doesn't really work as a stand-alone, though I imagine everyone seeing Cinderella has probably seen Frozen. There were some clever moments, but I would have rather had more of a complete story than the song they included.

I saw the trailer for Cinderella and was cracking up at the casting of Rose from Downton as Cinderella and Daisey as one of the stepsisters. Then Robb Stark as Prince Charming was almost too much.

Daisy was great. I stopped watching Downton at the end of Season 3 (or 4? After Mary has her baby). So I barely remembered Cinderella was in it.

More importantly, I did in fact go see Jupiter Ascending today and totally agree it has gotten a bad rap. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Also, re DebetEsse's JA foley issue: As far as I could tell based on the folds she puts the sticky side towards his cut. To attach it to his clothes maybe? Which doesn't make much sense but would explain the sound.