Snow White

The first phase of the multi-stage unveiling of the Fantasyland makeover has moved into "soft opening" mode in advance of an official unveiling later this month at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Photos: Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom Three years in the making, the new Fantasyland at Orlando's Walt Disney World resort adds a Little Mermaid dark ride and a Seven Dwarfs roller coaster while updating the classic Dumbo ride and recreating the village from "Beauty and the Beast.

Moviegoers may be impressed by "Snow White and the Huntsman's" computer-generated trolls, flying fairies and mythical beasts. But it could be Colleen Atwood's complicated, handmade costumes that really steal the show. The film's Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) may be losing her grip on the title of fairest of them all, but she nevertheless tops the cast's best-dressed list. In some cases, some of Ravenna's 20 outfits (counting several multiple versions of the same gowns) took weeks to construct, though they might appear on screen for only a few seconds.

'Snow White' What: Ballet Preljocaj When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, downtown L.A. Tickets: $28 to $110 Information: (213) 972-0711 or musiccenter.org

MARLOES SANDS, Wales - Nearly a hundred soldiers on horseback sprinted across the beach here last fall, dodging arrows and catapulted fire balls. Despite many casualties, the charging "Snow White and the Huntsman" army was determined to storm the castle of the evil Queen Ravenna, who not only can suck the beauty out of young women but also transmogrify into a murder of crows. Assessing the battle from an all-terrain vehicle was Rupert Sanders, a commercial director making his first feature film.

Early in"Snow White and the Huntsman,"several droplets of blood fall to the frozen ground in extreme slow motion, a sample not only of the menace to follow but also of first-time director Rupert Sanders' truly painstaking attention to detail. The shot was the last sequence filmed by the veteran commercial director, and no matter how hard the crew tried, the production's artificial serum never had the proper viscosity or splatter. "It just looked like raspberry jam," Sanders said.

Encased in a coffin, waiting to be brought back to life: That's how Snow White spends a good portion of the folk story that bears her name. There's no such downtime for the princess in the snappy retelling "Mirror Mirror," a fractured fairy tale that occupies the divide between Disney and Grimm. A booster shot of testosterone lends kinetic kick to director Tarsem Singh's visually inventive interpretation, without shortchanging the requisite froufrou or sugarcoating the story's dark Oedipal heart.

I've been to Disneyland hundreds of times over the last two decades and have been writing the Funland theme park blog for about four years now. As a result, people are always asking me how to do everything at Disneyland in a single day. The short answer is you probably can't. It can be a struggle for even hard-core fans with military assault-like strategies. The longer answer is there's lots of ways to maximize your time in the park and get on the most rides possible. PHOTOS: How to do Disneyland in a day So in honor of Disneyland's 24-hour Leap Day celebration , here are my seven tips for tackling Disneyland in a day: Tip 1: If you're trying to get the most out of your day at Disneyland , I always recommend arriving just before the park opens in the morning, staying until the park closes at night and taking a long break in the heat of the afternoon at your hotel pool or cocktail bar. It may sound like a long day, but you'll get more done in the first two hours and the last two hours of your day than if you spent 15 hours straight at the park.

Snow White of the classic Walt Disney animated feature, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 11:30 p.m. Sunday at 6910 Hollywood Blvd. The ceremony marks the 50th anniversary of the motion picture, said Johnny Grant, honorary mayor of Hollywood who will be master of ceremonies for the event.

The Gypsies in a Trunk acting troupe will begin another series of plays for families June 1 with a version of "Snow White." Performances will be held at 4 p.m. June 1 at Rancho Simi Park in Simi Valley; at 11:30 a.m. June 8 at the Community Recreation Center in Camarillo and at 4 p.m. June 8 at Barranca Vista Park in Ventura. All performances are free and will be held outside. Blankets are suggested and snacks are welcome.

"Snow White" is fairy-tale light in the Falcon Theatre's cozily familiar production. It's the kind of breezy comic diversion that had been the theater's most usual children's fare until its most recent season, featuring the anarchic Troubadour Players' circus madness, "Funky Punks With Junk in Their Trunks," and avant-garde French duo Blue Palm's poetic theater-dance piece, "Childhood."

Early in"Snow White and the Huntsman,"several droplets of blood fall to the frozen ground in extreme slow motion, a sample not only of the menace to follow but also of first-time director Rupert Sanders' truly painstaking attention to detail. The shot was the last sequence filmed by the veteran commercial director, and no matter how hard the crew tried, the production's artificial serum never had the proper viscosity or splatter. "It just looked like raspberry jam," Sanders said.

"Annie Hall" inspired women to learn how to tie a tie. "Flashdance" set off a craze for ripped sweat shirts. And "Pulp Fiction" made the classic white shirt a hot fashion item. But how many people know the names of the costume designers who inspired these film-to-fashion moments? (For the record, they are Ruth Morley, Michael Kaplan and Betsy Heimann, respectively.) When it comes to inspiring others, costume designers rarely gain fame or fortune, even when films and TV shows spin off commercial cosmetics and clothing lines based on their work.

Encased in a coffin, waiting to be brought back to life: That's how Snow White spends a good portion of the folk story that bears her name. There's no such downtime for the princess in the snappy retelling "Mirror Mirror," a fractured fairy tale that occupies the divide between Disney and Grimm. A booster shot of testosterone lends kinetic kick to director Tarsem Singh's visually inventive interpretation, without shortchanging the requisite froufrou or sugarcoating the story's dark Oedipal heart.

Snow White was driving hastily through West Hollywood, swerving her SUV out of a lane of cars jammed in traffic. Opportunities to make U-turns on Santa Monica Boulevard don't come frequently, so Lily Collins - who plays the classic fairy-tale princess in Friday's"Mirror Mirror" - pulled a quick illegal maneuver to minimize her time in the car. "It would have taken forever otherwise," the actress said in the parking lot of the French...

'Snow White' What: Ballet Preljocaj When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, downtown L.A. Tickets: $28 to $110 Information: (213) 972-0711 or musiccenter.org

It would be easy to see the U.S. premiere of Ballet Preljocaj's avant-garde production of "Snow White" ("Blanche Neige"), with music by Mahler, costumes by fashion legend Jean Paul Gaultier and a Thierry Leproust-designed set, as an attempt to capitalize on the current fascination with the darker take on traditional fairy tales that have been cropping up on TV sets and hitting theaters. The American premiere is this weekend at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, but the scheduling is a coincidence, says the artistic director and choreographer of the edgy French ballet company, Angelin Preljocaj.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, what's the best Snow White of all? Perhaps not "Snow White: A Tale of Terror." But Showtime's gothic, darkly comic, creatively mounted, lush new adult version of this classic Grimm Brothers fairy tale is a worthy alternative to the cuddlier "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." None of that kid stuff here. This is the unauthorized story that had to be told, the story that timid Disney wouldn't dare tell.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"--the movie--isn't the only Walt Disney landmark available again. There's also "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the soundtrack album. And it, too, is a delight. Where the 1937 "Snow White" movie has the distinction of being Disney's first full-length animated feature, the "Snow White" album was also a historic first: the first genuine soundtrack release.

The first phase of the multi-stage unveiling of the Fantasyland makeover has moved into "soft opening" mode in advance of an official unveiling later this month at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Photos: Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom Three years in the making, the new Fantasyland at Orlando's Walt Disney World resort adds a Little Mermaid dark ride and a Seven Dwarfs roller coaster while updating the classic Dumbo ride and recreating the village from "Beauty and the Beast.

I've been to Disneyland hundreds of times over the last two decades and have been writing the Funland theme park blog for about four years now. As a result, people are always asking me how to do everything at Disneyland in a single day. The short answer is you probably can't. It can be a struggle for even hard-core fans with military assault-like strategies. The longer answer is there's lots of ways to maximize your time in the park and get on the most rides possible. PHOTOS: How to do Disneyland in a day So in honor of Disneyland's 24-hour Leap Day celebration , here are my seven tips for tackling Disneyland in a day: Tip 1: If you're trying to get the most out of your day at Disneyland , I always recommend arriving just before the park opens in the morning, staying until the park closes at night and taking a long break in the heat of the afternoon at your hotel pool or cocktail bar. It may sound like a long day, but you'll get more done in the first two hours and the last two hours of your day than if you spent 15 hours straight at the park.