#hans en grietje

[adarkrainbow]

Lost media quest: H&G Epic Tales (part 3)

Last time I ended my post while exploring the defunct epictales.com website. There was one page of this website (preserved in the Wayback Machine) that I did not add in this post: the About page.

The About page not only describes the Epic Tales line, but also lists the full staff that worked on this project. Here is what the website contains:

EPIC TALES™ is a developer and publisher of interactive storybooks for the iOS platform. EPIC TALES presents its own unique interactive adaptation of the imaginative and magical stories found in fairytales, folklore and world mythology.

All of our tales are narrated by our central storyteller, a most likeable dwarf named Silvertongue who used his magic to let our books and stories come to life. Each storybook offers stunning hand-drawn animations, a revamped storyline, original music scores, and spellbinding interactive environments that are sure to draw readers deep into the story.

EPIC TALES allows you to not only enjoy magical worlds and enchanting tales, but to experience them more closely than ever before.

We, the people at EPIC TALES, are always inspired by stories that fuel our ideas and imagination. We are storytellers, animators, and composers that gladly indulge ourselves in folklore, mythology, and the many tales and stories that have captured our imagination for generations. The result is a talented team of people driven to create original storybooks that are filled with whimsical characters, spellbinding environments, and interactive surprises. By combining creativity with technology, and talent with expertise, we hope to constantly produce exciting tales that bring every page to life. EPIC TALES is a joint venture between Cloud Castle Interactive and Anikey studios.

EPIC TALES Paul Hanraets, Founder of EPIC TALES and producer

Albert ‘t Hooft, Partner and creative director

Paco Vink, Partner and lead artist, animator

TEAM MEMBERS Lou Attia, Narrator and voice actor

Martin van Spanje, Software engineer

Joost van den Broek, Music composer

Arjen Schut, Sound designer

Sjan Weijers, Background clean-up artist

David Muchtar, Animator

Jelle Brunt, Animator

Ruben Zaalberg, Animator

The website also briefly offers descriptions/curriculum of the staff members:

Paul Hanraets Paul Hanraets has been a creative entrepreneur since 2002 when he co-founded Red Road Media, a media agency specialized in video games. Successful projects undertaken by Red Road include: Benelux largest annual game event Gamexpo, the tv show GAME FACTS broadcasted by TMF/MTV and the freely distributed game magazine Games Guide. In 2008 Paul founded Cloud Castle Interactive and was involved in the development of smaller game projects which further awakened his passion for the creative industry. As an immediate result Paul founded EPIC TALES, a developer of interactive storybooks for IOS and GAMBITIOUS an equity based crowdfunding platform dedicated to the games industry.

Albert ‘t Hooft & Paco Vink Albert 't Hooft and Paco Vink both studied traditional animation at the Willem de Kooning Art Academy in Rotterdam before they founded Anikey Studios in 2007. Anikey is an award winning animation studio which specialises in hand drawn 2D digital animation. Anikey creates independent and commissioned animations for television, films and games which have an emphasis on story, characters and fun. Anikey's first two independent films 'Paul & the Dragon' and 'Little Quentin' won several awards at international film festivals. In addition on working on the new EPIC TALES titles, Anikey is developing the first hand drawn animated feature film in the Netherlands since 30 years.

Lou Attia Working with the likes of Disney and Sesame Street, Lou Attia has been a professional voice-over artist for over 15 years. After studying professional vocals in London, England, Lou landed a radio host position at 104.2 Nile FM in Cairo, Egypt where he became Creative Director and then Program Director of the station. Throughout his seven years on the air, during which his morning show went on to be the No.1 listened to radio show in a city of 16 million, Lou continued to do voice-overs for numerous commercials, shows and features. In 2010 Lou moved to Toronto, Canada where he is currently a full time voice-over artist, writer and TV show host.

Martin van Spanje Currently co-owner of LayerGloss Digital Publishing, Martin used to program and design on 8-bit Sinclair machines in the eighties. Then came Macs, digital audio, ten years of IT-projects and finally, iOS. Nowadays he lives his life surrounded by Objective-C code, and he sometimes thinks cornflakes look a bit like people. Oh, and he doesn't do Twitter.

Joost van den Broek Joost van den Broek is a producer, composer, arranger and keyboardplayer based in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Starting out as a keyboardplayer for several metalbands like After Forever touring all over the world, he finished his conservatory with honour in musicproduction, keyboards and classical arrangement. Since then he been working as a freelancer in his own studio on several productions, compositions and arrangements, for acts/events like: Ellen ten Damme, Symphonica in Rosso, Wende Snijders, Games in Concert, Ben Saunders, Qlimax. Epic moviescores and/or/in combination with (pop/alternative)rock is what defines his style the most.

Arjen Schut Arjen Schut is a sound designer based in Hilversum, The Netherlands. As a freelancer Arjen has worked on numerous projects, both on location and in his own studio. Arjen is involved in sound effect creation for all sorts of media, but has a strong focus on interactive and animation projects. International blockbuster Killzone 3 being one of the larger projects.

I have taken upon myself to contact some of these artists, just in case they were open about talking or sharing information about the animation they worked onto. Is it a bad idea, or a good one? I don't know but that's the most straightforward direction one can take. I will warn you if I ever receive any response, positive or negative.

I forgot to link before the official page, on the Anikey Animation website, for their work on Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales. Not only does it contain large, high-quality screenshots of the artwork, but their "Production" page also has one concept art for the storybook. They also list the credits of the app as such:

Title: Epic Tales - Hansel & Gretel

Release: 2012

Directed by: Albert 't Hooft & Paco Vink

Animation by: Jelle Brunt, David Muchtar & Ruben Zaalberg

Backgrounds by: Paco Vink & Sjan Weijers

Music by: Joost van den Broek

Sounddesign by: Arjen van der Schut

Producer(s): Paul Hanraets for Cloud Castle Interactive

AppAdvice still has a page dedicated to the application. There is also a review by the MacTrast website that is quite interesting because, while today the pictures contained within it are "dead files", in the Wayback Machine you can fetch them back, and they are pretty rare screenshots of the game! Here's an additional Dutch article I forgot to add earlier. Again, not much to add since they all basically just announce the game's release and rephrase the storybook's commercial description.

I also don't think I have added this to my previous posts, but Cartoon Brew also had a page for the app's launching, which contained this text:

The Hague, the Netherlands — April 24, 2012 — Hansel and Gretel – Epic Tales animated storybook is the first in a series of tales as told by Silvertongue, the likeable dwarf and storyteller, and is now available on the Appstore for IPad and IPhone.

Hansel and Gretel – Epic Tales animated storybook offers a world filled with whimsical characters ranging from pesky gnomes to witty dwarfs; from brave children to wicked stepmothers and cunning witches.

“But we are not just another fairytale App,” says Paul Hanraets, founder and producer. “What sets Epic Tales apart from other storybooks are the incredible production values. Each of Epic Tales storybooks are digitally hand-drawn by our award winning animators, and offer stunning 2d animations, professional voice acting, original music scores and ambient sounds by game industry veterans. These elements combined offer spellbinding interactive environments that are sure to draw readers even deeper into the story.”

“Of course, our alternating witty and wacky humour and the high quality of our animations are amongst the things that separates Hansel and Gretel from other storybooks,” says creative director Albert ‘t Hooft.”However, what ultimately distinguishes Epic Tales is the implementation of our central storyteller, Silvertongue the dwarf.” Using the magic of pesky gnomes, Silvertongue brings the stories to life and narrates them.”Silvertongue used to be quite the adventurer, travelling the world in search of the most intriguing tales and stories, and now looks after your storybook collection in his humble bookstore. He is a truly gifted storyteller who can take an audience from a gasp of fright to a roar of laughter in just the twist of a phrase.”

Epic Tales is a series of high quality, interactive fairytales that allows you to not only enjoy enchanting tales, but to experience their magical worlds more closely than ever before. Children will love the sense of wonder and discovery,while adults will certainly appreciate the clever and wacky humor.

A final piece to add to the dossier so far is Muchtar Productions' page for Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales. Muchtar Production is the WordPress website of David Muchtar, a 2D animator and illustrator who worked on the Epic Tales animation as a (I quote) "Rough and Clean-up animator". He notably put within his portfolio an important number of concept art for the game's character designs. But, as with last time, I will keep it for the NEXT post!

Or... an almost final piece. I wanted to keep this for a much later post, but I ultimately decided to share it here. I vaguely described before one unofficial source for content about "Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales". And that is an online review, a Youtube video, by a Youtuber named "Crazy Mike" specializing in app reviews. Here is the video, and the reason why this video is important (beyond it being the last remaining video review - unless I manage to get back the one from the defunct website) is because so far it is the only visual recording we have of the app outside of the trailers. Not only that, but at one point Crazy Mike opens the list of chapters within the app - which gives us a full glimpse of the story's main episodes, with thumbnails of each "tableau". Mind you, it is tiny details at the bottom of the screen so we can't get much of it... But with all the additional material I gathered, it will be a key element in my reconstruction of what the storybook looked like and was about.

[afatlotofchance]

Fishing for lost media! There used to be an animated storybook app on Apple. It was called "Epic Tales: Hansel and Gretel". It was originally a Dutch-American project so you might find it as "Epic Tales: Hans en Grietje" in its Dutch format. It was, as you can guess, an interactive storybook adaptation of the fairytale "Hansel and Gretel" and it was VERY cool because it was an actual animation effort. You had animated interactive screens intercut with full animation sequences in between, and it had this old timey Disney and vintage cartoon design and it was really great.

I do remember this fondly because they actually had a full scene of Hansel gaining weight, and growing fat. (He also gained a pig snout if I recall, because the witch also made him grow some porcine features?). Anyway there was this very precise interactive scene where Hansel had a cake as huge as him, just in front of his face, you had to tap on the cake and with each bite he grew a bit fatter, until the cake was gone and Hansel was chunky.

Unfortunately the application was REMOVED from all of the Apple stores, and nobody seems to have kept it anywhere so... Please if you have anything preserved of this app, be it video or screenshot or even just testimonies, please share! Because we had a nice case of little cute weight gain animation and it is just... gone forever without anybody noticing or preserving it.

Mind you there are still trailers, reviews and concept art of the app around - and in fact I will ask you to be quite careful about this because other people are currently searching for this lost app (it was how I came to know about it, on the non-kink side of things...). But the whole weight gain part is currently only preserved in memories and handful of Internet reviews apparently... So if anybody has anything to share, please do!

[lachendelama]

Kindertheater voorstelling in thema Sprookjes met Hans en Sneeuwwitje bij OBS De Tweespan in Lemmer. Iedereen kent Sneeuwwitje, maar zien mensen Hans wel staan zonder Grietje? En waarom zij deze twee samen op avontuur? https://lachendelama.nl/hans-en-sneeuwwitje-in-lemmer/ #sprookjes #voorstelling #kindertheater #hans #sneeuwwitje

[yorkiesinspace]

Hans & Grietje snowglobe

Toen Avec Creative hun nieuwe reeks snijmallen in kerstthema aankondigde deze zomer, was ik meteen helemaal verliefd op de set met de snowglobe. Maar helaas, net als vorig jaar, zijn de kerstsets niet te verkrijgen in België. Gelukkig was Annemieke bereid om een paar sets voor me te kopen in Nederland en dan op te sturen. Ze stelde voor om de snowglobe set te gebruiken voor het decemberthema van…

[kikkersparel]

thema november: Hans en Grietje

door op onderstaande link te klikken, kunnen jullie de foto's bekijken van het afgelopen thema:

[bengelsemakkers1]

Geluk in sprookjes - 'Hans en Grietje'

#jeugdboekenmaand

[aeronis108]

200 Words A Day #28

That was the Good Omens fanfiction, I hoped you liked it!

I have 22 days left until it's finally the 18th of January, so I really really hope I'm going to make it.

I still have to write the next ones, so that may take a little longer. I still have to do some school work today and I still need to eat, so I may not be able to finish every single one.

I have made a list of fairytales the Efteling has, so here they all are (the Dutch/original names are behind the English ones between brackets):

- Cinderella (Assepoester) - The Chinese Nightingale (De Chinese Nachtegaal) - The Dragon (De Draak) - The Indian Water Lillies (De Indische Waterlelies) - The Frog King (De Kikkerkoning) - The Little Mermaid (De Kleine Zeemeermin) - The Magical Clock (De Magische Klok) - The Emperor's New Clothes (De Nieuwe Kleren Van De Keizer) - The Red Shoes (De Rode Schoentjes) - The Troll King (De Trollenking) - The Gardener And The Fakir (De Tuinman En De Fakir) - The Wolf And The Seven Young Kids (De Wolf En De Zeven Geitjes) - The Six Servants (De Zes Dienaren) - The Six Swans (De Zes Zwanen) - Sleeping Beauty (Doornroosje) - The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass and the Cudgel in the Sack (Ezeltje Strekje) - Hansel and Gretel (Hans En Grietje) - The Bridal Dress of Guinevere (Het Bruidskleed van Genova) - A Little Match Girl (Het Meisje Met De Zwavelstokjes) - The Naughty Princess (Het Stoute Prinsesje) - The Gnome Village (Het Kabouterdorp) - Tom Thumb (Klein Duimpje) - Little Message (Kleine Boodschap) - Pinocchio (Pinokkio) - Rapunzel (Raponsje) - Rumpelstiltskin (Repelsteeltje) - Little Red Riding Hood (Roodkapje) - Snow White (Sneeuwwitje) - The Fairytale Tree (De Sprookjesboom) - Mother Hulda (Vrouw Holle) - The Flying Dutchman (De Vliegende Hollander) - Symbolica (Symbolica) - Baron 1898 (Baron 1898) - Dream Flight (Droomvlucht) - Python (Python) - George And The Dragon (Joris En De Draak) - Max And Moritz (Max En Moritz) - Villa Volta (Villa Volta) - Pagode (Pagode) - Piraña (Piraña) - Bird Roc (Vogelrok) - Sirocco (Sirocco) - Archipel (Archipel) - Carnaval Festival (Carnaval Festival) - Fata Morgana (Fata Morgana) - Fabula (Fabula) - Half Moon (but with a weird spelling of Moon) (Halve Maen) - Tin Lizzies (De Oude Tufferbaan) - People Of Lave (Het Volk Van Laaf) - Gondoletta (Gondoletta) - Diorama (Diorama) - Paper Gobbler/Greedy Gus (Holle Bolle Gijs) - Ghost Castle (Spookslot, this one has been removed after 44 years and will be turned into Danse Macabre, named after the soundtrack)

I am not sure if every single translation is correct lol. The Efteling might have English explanations on their website. I haven't included the Efteling Museum, any playground or square, because those felt a little pointless to include.

I think it will be obvious I won't do every single of these. Some of these don't even have a story behind them, I think (Gondolleta, Pagode, Diorama). There is one story which has been split into three different attractions; Bird Rock/Vogelrok, Sirocco and Archipel. If I were to write that one, I will include all of them in a single story.

Words: 538 (218 without any of the names)

[jurjenkvanderhoek]

EEN LEVENSVERHAAL IN PAARS VINYL

Het is een lied van symbolen, dat weet ik nu. Een zachte stem voert mij zingend naar tuinen tussen sneeuwwitte bloemen en kelken vol licht. De zon verwarmt en ik word gekust door de regen. Het schijnt een liefdeslied op het leven. De stem houdt van het leven, maar ziet ook valkuilen in dat zijn. Die hobbels op de weg hoor ik niet in het lied. Toen niet, in 1968. Maar nu wel, in 2022. De stem zingt mij nu wel de stadia van het leven, die ik toen ik jong was – een tiener nog – niet doorzag. Nu ik ouder geworden ben en het leven heb gezien, doorleefd, wordt mij veel duidelijk in het lied. Misschien dat Elly Nieman, getrouwd Zuiderveld, daarom nu pas het laatste couplet “De achtste tuin” aan het lied “De zeven tuinen” kon schrijven.

André van der Weide van NoorderLicht Project graaft het lied op en krijgt van platenmaatschappij Universal toestemming het bij te schaven en uit te brengen. Dan daagt hij Elly Nieman uit om een ‘Achtste tuin’ tekst te schrijven en haar bijna dood ervaring blijkt daarvoor een goede voedingsbodem, de juiste inspiratie. Van der Weide maakt vervolgens in de trant van de oude melodie een nieuw arrangement met andere instrumenten om de weemoed in klank te verbeelden.

In dat lied van toen doorloopt Elly als jonge vrouw zes tuinen. Van baby en peuter tot meisje, alles is vrede en liefde – pais en vree, er zijn geheimen natuurlijk en er is bekoring en verleiding. Aan die verzoeking toe te geven geeft spijt achteraf, het is het Bijbelse onderscheid en inzicht tussen goed en kwaad. Het verkeerde pad in lopen geeft heimwee, maar je had wel plezier op dat moment. De kater is berouw. En terwijl je die andere tuinen zo kon binnen wandelen, want je was die dag zo vrolijk, weerhoudt een loodgrijze muur jou de laatste tuin binnen te gaan. “Ik kan er wel heen, maar mijn angst is te groot, want achter die muur wacht de tuin van de dood.”

Elly Nieman schreef het lied nog voor haar bekering. In haar tienerjaren had ze zich, nadat een vriendinnetje plotseling was overleden, afgekeerd van het geloof. Ze verwarde de kerk met God toen en verzoende zich ermee nooit in de hemel te zullen komen. Nadat zij Rikkert Zuiderveld had ontmoet en met hem een relatie aanging, is ze samen met hem op zoek gegaan naar de waarheid en maakt kennis met verschillende religies. In die tijd schreef ze dit lied, van die zeven tuinen. Waarvan het eind zich in figuurlijke nevelen hult. Het enige dat daaraan zeker en vast is – klaar en helder is de dood, het einde, een streep onder het leven. Uit niets spreekt dat er nog iets anders dan de dood na die muur zal zijn.

In het lied proeft Elly aan het leven, ze doet zich als de Grietje van Hans tegoed aan het zoet en het zacht. Daarna eet ze van het leven en gaat door de tijd als christelijk bloemenkind, hippie van God. Dansend en zingend door de tijd. Nu ze heeft gesmuld van het leven is het goed zich te bezinnen, terug te kijken op wat nog moet worden afgerond. Eén van die onvoltooide zaken is het lied “De zeven tuinen”. Toen destijds was het af, klaar. Het haalde het album “Een ander land”. Ik zocht de plaat op en draaide de elpee op mijn platenspeler. Een heerlijk gekraak duidt erop dat ik de plaat ooit grijs heb gedraaid. Vooral het lied “Vreemde vogels” komt uit mijn herinnering nog weleens vrolijk boven drijven. De stem van Elly is door dat zwarte vinyl zacht en breekbaar, de muziek dromerig. Ik zweef met haar zo door de tuinen en beland met beide benen op de grond bij die muur, die loodgrijze muur van angst. Het duidde een periode, net als die andere songs van dat album. Hoewel er enkele gedateerd zijn, zijn andere tijdloos. De tuinen is daar één van. Vooral nu het is voltooid.

Want die achtste tuin is het gebied na de dood, de eeuwige jachtvelden, het hiernamaals. Met de dood is het leven wel eindig, maar nog niet klaar. De zevende tuin is de tuin van de dood, maar de achtste tuin is de tuin van de hemel. Toen Elly het lied schreef was ze niet zo zeker van dat leven na de dood. Nu is ze dat wel en kan er over schrijven en vol lof van zingen. In dat laatste couplet, dat eigenlijk de vervolmaking van het lied is maar een eigen arrangement heeft, omschrijft ze haar bijna dood ervaring. Iemand voert haar mee op vleugels van vuur hoog over de muur naar de tuin die nog moet komen. Maar eigenlijk vliegt ze over die tuin en belandt in de achtste tuin. Daar mag ze even gluren en ziet zilveren vogels en vliegende vissen, regenboogbeken en koepels van glas. Ze hoort engelenstemmen, fonteinen van woorden en zoete akkoorden. Maar ze mag er niet blijven, hoewel de verleiding groot is.

Het album “De acht tuinen” is een collectors item, een object voor de verzamelaar. Hoeveel plaatjes ervan geperst zijn weet ik niet, maar het is stellig geen grote oplage. De beide liedjes zijn geperst in paars vinyl en dat is niet zomaar omdat het een vrolijke tint is. De kleur paars namelijk staat religieus symbool voor boete, inkeer en vergeving. Op kant A van het 45 toeren plaatje vind ik het eerste lied terug, het hiernumaals. Even breekbaar gezongen als toen in de jaren 60 van de vorige eeuw. Geen wonder, het is hetzelfde lied, enkel enigszins digitaal bijgeschaafd. Op kant B staat de voltooiing of eigenlijk de voleinding, het besluit, de slotscène, het hiernamaals. De stem van Elly is hoorbaar doorleefd, het zacht dromerige is versleten. Maar het is geen afgesleten stem, de klank is nog voortdurend helder.

En de opmaak van de kleurige hoes waarin het plaatje zit is precies zoals ik me Elly Zuiderveld, geboren Nieman, voorstel. De jonge meid zit in een wit gewaad met een krans in het haar tussen de bloemen onder een regenboog. En wanneer de hekken opengaan van de schijnbaar achtste tuin danst ze kinderen met ballonnen aan hun hand tegemoet. Ze is zichtbaar ouder geworden, maar straalt nog steeds. Vlinders dartelen om hen heen, duiven vliegen in de lucht en vissen, ichthustekens: Jezus Christus, Zoon van God. De hoes en de plaat daarin verbeelden eigenlijk het leven van Elly Zuiderveld-Nieman. Het is een testament bijna. Daarin geeft ze haar hoop weg aan een ieder die het wil hebben.

De acht tuinen. Elly Zuiderveld-Nieman. Single in klaphoes. Uitgave NoorderLicht Music Publishing, 2021. Verschenen bij Noorderlicht Project, december 2022.

[jufmarleen]

H van heks en hans, hand.... de snoepwinkel openen en het nieuwe zoekboek over Hans en Grietje

[adarkrainbow]

Lost media quest: H&G Epic Tales (part 2)

In this second post (first one is here) I will collect and compile all the information I could find from the official outlets about "Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales".

First, the last "official" post of the Twitter account, in 2013, long before it got overtaken by some little girl, shared a link to an article on the Erasmus Rotterdam University website. The article is now gone, but it seems it was linked to the app being used in some sort of cultural program, because here was the title of the article, as described by the URL: www.eur.nl/ ese/ english/ information_for/ students/ bachelor_students/ bhc/ cultural_programme/ jagten_by_thomas_vinterberg/

There was also a certain big deal made on the official accounts about the price of the game being lowered "by popular demand" at 3.99 euros, 4.99 dollars.

The Twitter account shared a video of the Dutch news during which their application appeared as part of an example of (what seems to be the digital market boom within Dutch startups?). The video is still available here but we don't see too much of the application, just the initial "tableau", the first chapter, during which Hansel and Gretel sit by the stream in front of thir house. What we do see is that during the entire scene their father is chopping wood in the background, and we can spot two interactions possible in the tableau: touching a bird will make it fly in circle while chirping, touching the stream will make a fish (a trout I think?) jump out.

The exact date of the application's release was the 20th of April, 2012.

The Twitter account also shared an official "Release announcement" article that was posted on PrWeb. The article is down since, but it is available through the Wayback Machine. Here is what it said:

From pesky gnomes to cunning witches; from witty and wacky humour to eloquent storytelling Award winning animation studio announces EPIC TALES™, a new interactive storybook developer that goes beyond the classic fairytales.

Award winning animation studio Anikey and Cloud Castle Interactive proudly announce: EPIC TALES™, the interactive storyteller.

EPIC TALES is a new developer and publisher of interactive storybooks for the iOS platform (IPad, IPhone) and delivers a unique interactive adaptation of the imaginative and magical stories found in fairytales, folklore and world mythology. EPIC TALES allows you to not only enjoy enchanting tales, but to experience their magical worlds more closely than ever before.

“Fairytales just never seem to lose their magic, but having said that, what we envisioned for EPIC TALES was not to merely reproduce them; we wanted to go beyond that,” says Paul Hanraets, founder of EPIC TALES. “To conjure up new worlds and the peculiar creatures that inhabit them: with characters ranging from pesky gnomes to witty dwarfs; from a brave woodsman to a cunning witch. And as much fun as it is to revamp the classics, we also want to find those unsung folktales that have not yet been exhausted, to reveal their magic, and breathe life into the world around them.”

Each of EPIC TALES storybooks are digitally hand-drawn and offer stunning 2d animations, professional voice actors, original music scores, and spellbinding interactive environments that are sure to draw readers deep into the story. The alternating witty and wacky humour, the high production value, and the high degree of interaction are amongst some of the things separates EPIC TALES from other storybooks; however, what ultimately distinguishes EPIC TALES is the implementation of a central storyteller.

“The tales are narrated by Silvertongue, a most likeable dwarf,” Says Albert ’t Hooft, co- founder and producer of EPIC TALES. “Silvertongue, who once travelled the world in search of the most intriguing tales and stories, now resides in his humble bookstore where he personally sees to your storybook collection. Silvertongue is a gifted storyteller who can take an audience from a gasp of fright to a roar of laughter in just the twist of a phrase".

For their first storybook release EPIC TALES has chosen to bring off their version of one of the Brothers Grimm’s most celebrated fairy tales. EPIC TALES; the tale of Hansel and Gretel is expected to hit the Appstore January 2012 and will be available for IPad and IPhone.

About EPIC TALES™

EPIC TALES™ is a The Hague (Netherlands) based developer and publisher of interactive storybooks for the iOS platform, and delivers a unique interactive adaptation of the imaginative and magical stories found in fairytales, folklore and world mythology. EPIC TALES™ is a joint venture between award winning animation studio Anikey and Cloud Castle interactive.

If you want to check yourself here is the url:https://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8981778.htm. The website on the Wayback Machine notably contains an in-article save of the EpicTales.com website... A website I will be looking at in a minute.

Here are two more articles that covered the app. Unfortunately they are only available on the Wayback Machine now. (I will put a "d" in front of the URLs so that Tumblr doesn't turn them into active links): dhttp://iheartthisapp.com/hansel-and-gretel-epic-tales-animated-storybook-classic-childrens-story/ ; and dhttp://www.theipadfan.com/review/review-hansel-gretel-epic-tales-animated-storybook

The official trailer for the animated storybook contains this exact description of the interactive projective:

From pesky gnomes to cunning witches; from witty and wacky humour to eloquent storytelling, EPIC TALES™ is a new interactive storybook developer that goes beyond the classic fairytales…

EPIC TALES™ brings off an original and humorous version of the Brothers Grimm's most celebrated fairy tale. The tale of Hansel and Gretel is an interactive storybook that offers a combination of prime storytelling, brilliantly animated scenes, and dynamic interactions!

The Tale of Hansel & Gretel Feature Set:

Classical tale, original adaption

2D animations and cut scenes from Award winning animators

Beautiful hand drawn environments

Dynamic interactive surprises on every page

Professional storytelling and voice acting

Original music score and sound effects

Intuitive navigation

The tale of Hansel & Gretel tells of a young boy and his soft spoken sister who have been abandoned in a gloomy and remote forest. After being lost for days the children are lured into a house constructed of delicious candy and sweets. Foolhardily, the children fall into a trap set up by an old and cunning witch.

The Facebook account doesn't offer any much new info, as it pretty much doubles the Twitter account... Though they did posts screenshots of the positive reviews of the app which propelled it to the #1 rank of the Dutch Appstore at one point:

Plus a list of positive reviews from the United-States (honestly with how many reviews and notes this got, which means tons of downloads, how come nobody seems to have preserved the app today? That's crazy, somebody MUST have it stored in their iPad or iPhone somewhere!)

The Facebook account also shared links to many dead articles and missing reviews - that however can be found back on the Wayback Machine (praise our lord the Internet Archive for saving us of the digital oblivion)! Mind you these reviews don't bring much but they're still evidence. One is here: dhttp://thesmartphoneappreview.com/ipad/ipad-mini-review-hansel-and-gretel-epic-tales/. Another is here, a list of Dutch releases: dhttps://www.metronieuws.nl/entertainment/zonder-deze-spullen-kun-je-niet-op-zomervakantie/SrZlgD!2tXHqyT0qzBsg/. Finally, the Daily App Show had a page for this app - which contained a video-review of the storybook. The article doesn't exist anymore, though it is on the Wayback Machine. As for the video, the Wayback Machine seems to not have preserved it? That or my computer can't download it... I'll try to fetch this one another day: dhttp://dailyappshow.com/hansel-and-gretel-epic-tales-animated-storybook.

Finally, let's conclude this post by looking at the defunct Epic Tales website thanks to the Wayback Machine.

Here is what we could read on the Home Page:

Available on the App Store for IPad and IPhone. Our first release; Hansel and Gretel - animated storybook brings off an original version of the Brothers Grimm’s most celebrated fairy tale. The tale of Hansel and Gretel tells of a young boy and his soft spoken sister who have been abandoned in a gloomy and remote forest. After being lost for days the children are lured into a house constructed of delicious candy and sweets. Foolhardily, the children fall into a trap set up by an old and cunning witch.

Hansel and Gretel - animated storybook offers a combination of prime storytelling, brilliantly animated scenes, and surprising interactions!

Hansel and Gretel Feature Set: Classical tale, original adaption Produced and animated by award winning animation studio Professional storytelling and voice acting 23 chapters filled with beautiful hand drawn environments Over a 100 interactive and dynamic surprises Cinematic cut scenes Original music score and sound effects Intuitive navigation Options : Read to me, Read by myself or Play around

There was a "Titles" page (the use of plural indicates the then hope of creating a full line of animated storybooks).

It repeats the text copy-pasted above, while adding this:

Silvertongue, the dwarf Storyteller, will welcome you into his magical bookstore hidden deep within the swampland forest. Once inside the bookstore, Silvertongue will gladly display you his collection of tales that are available for purchase or free demonstration. Once you’ve selected and purchased your book, it will be added to your private bookshelf where Silvertongue will keep them safe for future reading. Besides exploring the store, Silvertongue offers you the chance to engage in some challenging mini-games that can be unlocked as a reward for helping him catch the pesky gnomes that dwell throughout his magical storybooks.

EPIC TALES™ Storyteller App is our free App for the iPad and iPhone. Within the App you have direct access to the bookstore, your own bookshelf, and various mini games.

EPIC TALES - Storyteller Feature Set: EPIC TALES Bookstore, titles for purchase or demonstration Private bookshelf Gnome Mini games 2D animations from award winning animators Professional storytelling and voice acting Original music score and sound effects Intuitive navigation

There was also a "News" page which contained a very interesting article pointing out that the release of "Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales" was notably made to match the 200th birthday of the brothers Grimm fairytales!

Let me copy-paste this article, called "Epic Tales celebrates 200th Anniversary of Grimm's fairy tales with Hansel and Gretel animated storybook"

Collaboration Between Award-Winning Animation Studio and Game Design Veterans Brings Classic Tale to Life On iPad and iPhone

“This version of Hansel and Gretel is a fully immersive, wonderfully engaging romp of a tale, complete with just the right amount of multimedia, professionalism and upstanding quality." – Luke Patrick, TheiPhoneAppReview.com

March 18, 2013 – Two hundred years after first being published, the magical and undeniable Brothers Grimm fairy tales continue to enchant and entertain children worldwide. Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales animated storybook celebrates this bicenntenial with the first in a series of classic, interactive tales from award-winning animation studio, Anikey, and the game veterans at Cloud Castle Interactive. For the month of April, the app will be available on the Appstore for iPad and iPhone for a special 200th anniversary price of $1.99, and thereafter will be priced at $3.99.

This EPIC Tales adaption stays true to the original Grimm Brothers' "Household Tales” – folklore laced with trepidation, morality, great joy and fun – but propels it into the 21st century. The storybook is digitally hand-drawn by award winning animators, and offers 20 chapters filled with over 100 dynamic and interactive surprises, professional voice acting, original music scores and ambient sounds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKvoy7QU_vc

Offering spellbinding interactive environments that will draw readers even deeper into the story, Epic Tales’ Hansel and Gretel’s world is filled with whimsical characters ranging from pesky gnomes to witty dwarfs; from brave children to wicked stepmothers and cunning witches. At its center is the narrator, Silvertongue, a truly gifted storyteller who can take an audience from a gasp of fright to a roar of laughter in just the twist of a phrase.

According to The iPhone App Review’s Luke Patrick, “This eBook is a monument to what can be accomplished within the realm of iPad design. Hansel and Gretel doesn’t just offer pages of content, but rather a fully engaging experience. There’s incredibly good voice acting for each and every chapter, as well as Disney quality animations. You’ll also get fully animated trailer sequences for key plot points, in addition to interactive elements hidden within the pages. This version of Hansel and Gretel is a fully immersive, wonderfully engaging romp of a tale, complete with just the right amount of multimedia, professionalism and upstanding quality." http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2012/08/hansel-and-gretel-ipad-app-review/

EPIC Tales’ Hansel and Gretel features include:

Classical tale, original adaption

Produced and animated by award winning animation studio

Professional storytelling and voice acting

23 chapters filled with beautiful hand drawn environments

Over a 100 interactive and dynamic surprises

Cinematic cut scenes

Original music score and sound effects

Intuitive navigation

Three Options : Read to me, Read by myself or Play around

“It is wonderful that The Brothers Grimm anthology, a collection of 86 folktales, is still read and beloved by children today, 200 years after its first publication,” said Paul Hanraets, EPIC Tales founder and producer. “We are honored to celebrate the bicentennial of these enduring and highly entertaining fairy tales with the re-release of our animated version of one of its most popular stories, Hansel and Gretel.”

"We didn’t cut any corners with Hansel and Gretel, and it has paid off. We are pleased that initial reviews have highlighted its production value, the high quality of our animations and our alternating witty and wacky humor,” said creative director Albert ‘t Hooft. “And, the layout of the pages is clean and intuitive with hidden interactive elements offering lots of surprises.”

EPIC TALES™ is a series of high-quality, interactive fairytales that allows you to not only enjoy enchanting tales, but to experience their magical worlds more closely than ever before. Children will love the sense of wonder and discovery, while adults will certainly appreciate the clever and wacky humor.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales animated storybook will be available on the Appstore for iPad and iPhone for a special promotional price of $1.99 in April, and thereafter will be priced at $3.99.Review copies upon request.

ABOUT EPIC TALES™ EPIC TALES™ is a The Hague (Netherlands) based developer and publisher of interactive storybooks for the iOS platform, and delivers unique, interactive adaptations of the imaginative and magical stories found in fairytales, folklore and world mythology. EPIC TALES™ is a joint venture between award winning animation studio Anikey and Cloud Castle Interactive.

There was also a "Contact" page, and an "About" page - however I will keep the "About" segment for a third post, because this one is getting slightly too big for now.

[mythischemiems]

[elizabetharzani]

Hans en Grietje Cafe window seat, 2019

[ilovetheater-nl]

Extra voorstellingen ‘Hans en Grietje, de sprookjesmusical’ op 27 en 28 april 2019 in Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen Afgelopen zondag vloeiden er in Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen enkele traantjes bij de cast van 'Hans en Grietje, de sprookjesmusical'. 

[augustus-goessens]

donkeys (volunteering) 23.04.17

[ichbinmeineeigenepuppe]

Hans und Gretl mal anders

https://www.orkater.nl/voorstelling/de-terugkeer-van-hans-grietje?language=en

[jufmarleen]

Ons thema startten we met een letter zoektocht voor de verstrooide heksen naar 2 kindjes  ‘Hans en Grietje’