This guide was inspired by a question recently posted by link on this spot. The user was looking for ways to put a twist on fairytales. I began to write an answer, but my answer soon developed into an article. So here it is.
Note that these aren't specifically for fairytales; they can be used on any old, well-known stories. After listing some ideas on how you can put a twist on such stories, I'll give a few examples of movies that have done used one or more of these ideas.
1. Swap the genders of the traditional characters.
Do any of the characters behave especially "typical" for their gender? Do they follow any stereotypes that would be made more interesting and surprising if they were the opposite sex? This option allows you to put all those cliché gender roles to a more original use.
2. Set it in a different time period.
A popular way to parody stories that are hundreds of years old is to set the new version in the modern day. This is sometimes done so that the audience can relate to the characters easily, but it also pushes the writer to think carefully about their new setting. What would and wouldn't work in the modern day, compared to the original story's setting? Another option is to set the story merely in another past time period, or, if you're feeling extra imaginative, set your story in the distant future!
3. Set it in a different location.
This one is very similar to the above suggestion; once again, a change of setting might cause you to change certain parts of the story. Note that this is a risky one. You might not want to do this if the story's nationality is especially important to the plot or message, otherwise this could come across as racist. However, on the flip side, if a story's location does not matter, you could change its setting to wherever you live and throw in some accurate cultural representation!
4. Focus on someone other than the original protagonist.
In other words, make a different character the new protagonist! Tell the story from a support character's perspective, or put the villain in the spotlight. This is a very simple yet very popular idea. If you are fond of a minor character in a fairytale, why not try writing in first person from their perspective? It can be very interesting and very fun!
5. Change an event or two from the original story, just because you can.
Some fairytales are actually pretty gruesome, and so a lot of adaptations decide to go with a more child-friendly ending. Other stories, however, hardly stay true to the original tale at all and the writer only uses the original as a basis. Think about how true you want to stay to the traditional version; do you want to just put your own spin on things here and there, or do you want to base just a portion of your own version on the original, and otherwise write something new?
Examples of movies that have used one or more of these techniques:
Nickelodeon's Rags (2012 movie): A parody of Cinderella that combines #1 and #2 (and somewhat #3 in that it is set in America).
Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996): Uses #2 and still manages to stick to the original script (for the most part).
Disney's Maleficent (2014 movie): A re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty that uses #4 and turns the villain into the main character.
Disney's The Lion King 1 & 2 (1994 & 1998): Shakespeare plays with African wild animals; the first being based on Hamlet and the second on Romeo & Juliet. Both movies make use of #3 and #5.
In fact, a lot of Disney classics put a twist on fairytales. Walt Disney had a rule that the company still follows; good must always triumph over evil. Some of the original stories that their movies are based on have surprisingly tragic endings, and so many Disney movies use technique #5 to ensure that they do what Walt Disney told them to a long time ago! A few of their classics also use #3 (e.g. Aladdin being set in Arabia instead of China).
(Of course, there are other movies that have done this, and you're welcome to list more in the comments, but I'd better not get carried away!)
Also, if you're interested in this sort of thing, I recommend Gregory Maguire as an author that you need to check out if you haven't already! He writes novels for adults that make great use of #4. He wrote the Wicked books, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Mirror Mirror, and his most recent book, After Alice.
Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted and Fairest are a couple of other book examples that reimagine famous fairytales.
Note that these aren't specifically for fairytales; they can be used on any old, well-known stories. After listing some ideas on how you can put a twist on such stories, I'll give a few examples of movies that have done used one or more of these ideas.
1. Swap the genders of the traditional characters.
Do any of the characters behave especially "typical" for their gender? Do they follow any stereotypes that would be made more interesting and surprising if they were the opposite sex? This option allows you to put all those cliché gender roles to a more original use.
2. Set it in a different time period.
A popular way to parody stories that are hundreds of years old is to set the new version in the modern day. This is sometimes done so that the audience can relate to the characters easily, but it also pushes the writer to think carefully about their new setting. What would and wouldn't work in the modern day, compared to the original story's setting? Another option is to set the story merely in another past time period, or, if you're feeling extra imaginative, set your story in the distant future!
3. Set it in a different location.
This one is very similar to the above suggestion; once again, a change of setting might cause you to change certain parts of the story. Note that this is a risky one. You might not want to do this if the story's nationality is especially important to the plot or message, otherwise this could come across as racist. However, on the flip side, if a story's location does not matter, you could change its setting to wherever you live and throw in some accurate cultural representation!
4. Focus on someone other than the original protagonist.
In other words, make a different character the new protagonist! Tell the story from a support character's perspective, or put the villain in the spotlight. This is a very simple yet very popular idea. If you are fond of a minor character in a fairytale, why not try writing in first person from their perspective? It can be very interesting and very fun!
5. Change an event or two from the original story, just because you can.
Some fairytales are actually pretty gruesome, and so a lot of adaptations decide to go with a more child-friendly ending. Other stories, however, hardly stay true to the original tale at all and the writer only uses the original as a basis. Think about how true you want to stay to the traditional version; do you want to just put your own spin on things here and there, or do you want to base just a portion of your own version on the original, and otherwise write something new?
Examples of movies that have used one or more of these techniques:
Nickelodeon's Rags (2012 movie): A parody of Cinderella that combines #1 and #2 (and somewhat #3 in that it is set in America).
Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996): Uses #2 and still manages to stick to the original script (for the most part).
Disney's Maleficent (2014 movie): A re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty that uses #4 and turns the villain into the main character.
Disney's The Lion King 1 & 2 (1994 & 1998): Shakespeare plays with African wild animals; the first being based on Hamlet and the second on Romeo & Juliet. Both movies make use of #3 and #5.
In fact, a lot of Disney classics put a twist on fairytales. Walt Disney had a rule that the company still follows; good must always triumph over evil. Some of the original stories that their movies are based on have surprisingly tragic endings, and so many Disney movies use technique #5 to ensure that they do what Walt Disney told them to a long time ago! A few of their classics also use #3 (e.g. Aladdin being set in Arabia instead of China).
(Of course, there are other movies that have done this, and you're welcome to list more in the comments, but I'd better not get carried away!)
Also, if you're interested in this sort of thing, I recommend Gregory Maguire as an author that you need to check out if you haven't already! He writes novels for adults that make great use of #4. He wrote the Wicked books, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Mirror Mirror, and his most recent book, After Alice.
Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted and Fairest are a couple of other book examples that reimagine famous fairytales.
Hi!! This is my own mermaid spell. don't send any rude messages if it doesn't work.
What u need:
. water
. salt
. symbol (bracelet, necklace , sorry but u can't really use earings)
. 2 sea shells (has to be from the sea)
.spoon
.bowl or cup
Put the salt in the bowl or cup of water then stir for about ten seconds then dip the bottom of each shell in the water. Then rub them on your legs. After that blow on each leg for about 5 seconds. Then hold your symbol while saying this:
Mermaid witches of the sea please listen to my deepest wish and plea I wish to be a mermaid with the tail colour..(colour) and the power of....(power)just one drop of water will transform me but let me not see the moon for it will transform me into a mermaid for 24hours.oh mermaid witches of the sea please make my wish come true so more it be. Dip your symbol in the water lick it don't take it off.
What u need:
. water
. salt
. symbol (bracelet, necklace , sorry but u can't really use earings)
. 2 sea shells (has to be from the sea)
.spoon
.bowl or cup
Put the salt in the bowl or cup of water then stir for about ten seconds then dip the bottom of each shell in the water. Then rub them on your legs. After that blow on each leg for about 5 seconds. Then hold your symbol while saying this:
Mermaid witches of the sea please listen to my deepest wish and plea I wish to be a mermaid with the tail colour..(colour) and the power of....(power)just one drop of water will transform me but let me not see the moon for it will transform me into a mermaid for 24hours.oh mermaid witches of the sea please make my wish come true so more it be. Dip your symbol in the water lick it don't take it off.
Ms. Farogonda asked for the winx to come down to her office. when the winx reached ms. farogonda's office she told them that diana wants to speak wth one of you. she didnt tell me who but she told me to pick two extras. ms. farogonda can i go, bloom asked her. flora will be going along with musa and aisha ms farogonda told them. hmph bloom pouted, can we at least go with them bloom said quikly. fine all of you girls can go and im bringing the specialist. ok stella said in a sing song voice. lets go said the winx. they met the RF boys outside and went in the owl. winx: WINX BELIEVIX
AT THE AMAZON
flora: let's get going
aisha: see ya winx
bloom: meet back here in an hour k
ok bloom musa said
( diana appears in front of them)
GUARDS take them away
what??!
(to be continued)
AT THE AMAZON
flora: let's get going
aisha: see ya winx
bloom: meet back here in an hour k
ok bloom musa said
( diana appears in front of them)
GUARDS take them away
what??!
(to be continued)
Tears,
a combination of helplessness and anger,
a combination of joy and gratitude.
what different meanings it holds!
sometimes of love,
sometimes of hate.
with what different feelings we cry!
but those tears are the same.
they dwell inside the eye,
ready to attack,
the peace of our heart.
to flood the face,
with undoubted love and care,
with undoubted anger and hate,
with undoubted pain and despair.
pain? yes, and despair too!
the breakdown of our heart,
the dawn of the truth,
leading to flood the face,
with our sentiments undoubted.
It’s the color of you
You always wore it
It’s the color we shared
As we hid from them
With it we showed our true selves,
Though no one cared
Our orange book bags
Were our shields from some of the pain
We protected each other
But it wasn’t enough
We were like two orange crayons
When everyone else was green
Then you left me alone,
All I had was our color orange
As they hit me
I took peace in knowing
You were in the orange field in the sky
You always said was there.
The orange of the sun set
Is your smile
Even though you left too soon
Orange…
Now it’s my color
My way of remembering you
Now I am the lone orange in the rainbow
Without you here
I protect my own
Though I wish you were here
Now orange is my color
A color for your bravery
A color for my survival
Orange will forever be our color
Even though death took you away
Forever orange for you,
Sweet Cassidy.
You always wore it
It’s the color we shared
As we hid from them
With it we showed our true selves,
Though no one cared
Our orange book bags
Were our shields from some of the pain
We protected each other
But it wasn’t enough
We were like two orange crayons
When everyone else was green
Then you left me alone,
All I had was our color orange
As they hit me
I took peace in knowing
You were in the orange field in the sky
You always said was there.
The orange of the sun set
Is your smile
Even though you left too soon
Orange…
Now it’s my color
My way of remembering you
Now I am the lone orange in the rainbow
Without you here
I protect my own
Though I wish you were here
Now orange is my color
A color for your bravery
A color for my survival
Orange will forever be our color
Even though death took you away
Forever orange for you,
Sweet Cassidy.
Violently, the ground shook,
As the mountain exhaled black smoke.
Overwhelmed, they ran for cover,
Those left began to choke.
Cherished, were the possessions left behind,
Melted and scattered as ash.
Beloved, the children lost,
They couldn’t make a swift dash.
Darkened, the cloudy heavens above,
Black clouds fell from the sky.
Covered, the people escaping,
With no way out they began to die.
Lost, the souls of the trapped,
A snatched half-chance at life.
Fallen is Pompeii;
Civilisation, love and it’s people’s cries.
As the mountain exhaled black smoke.
Overwhelmed, they ran for cover,
Those left began to choke.
Cherished, were the possessions left behind,
Melted and scattered as ash.
Beloved, the children lost,
They couldn’t make a swift dash.
Darkened, the cloudy heavens above,
Black clouds fell from the sky.
Covered, the people escaping,
With no way out they began to die.
Lost, the souls of the trapped,
A snatched half-chance at life.
Fallen is Pompeii;
Civilisation, love and it’s people’s cries.