Forgotten Fairy Tales
Did you know that there's a story that may have inspired The Legend of Zelda? That it includes a precursor to the Sanderson Sisters (in my opinion)? Skelator? A furry, kind version of Smiegel? And best of all, a clairvoyant pig? Have you guessed the story?
It's been years (decades?!) since I've seen The Black Cauldron and somehow none of the above occurred to me until I re-watched it as an adult. It's one of those rare Disney animated movies that didn't do well and has seemingly hidden away from view. I think when I saw it as a kid, I thought it was somehow related to The Sword in the Stone. I was an early lover of Swords & Sorcery (Willow anyone?) Needless to say, it had nothing to do with The Sword in the Stone, it was scarier than I was prepared for, and I erased it from my memory along with The Great Mouse Detective.
Here's some stuff I wish I'd known at the time:
It was based on a series by Lloyd Alexander that has 5 books!
The lead female role was a magical princess, not a scullery maid.
This movie was actually meant for teenagers.
Seeing it again made me wonder. While I will admit it is a seriously flawed movie--like what exactly is Gurgi? A dog? A raccoon? A Fluppy? (Points to anyone who gets that reference)--I can see how the books would have appealed to me. How many stories do we miss out on because it didn't find an audience? (Does anyone else remember The Halloween Tree? Here Come the Grump?)
Are there any stories that feel as though only you know about them because they've been forgotten?