K is for Kingdoms

I'm so excited that we've finally made it to the letter "K", because today I'm going to talk about two of my absolute favorite fairy tale adaptations (I say the word "favorite" a lot, but today I seriously mean it). And it all starts once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away . . . 

Which is where today's post begins. With Kingdoms. Because every story needs a good setting, and the setting of nearly every fairy tale starts in an enchanted kingdom somewhere. And while all our favorite fairy tales probably don't exist in the same one, wouldn't it be interesting if they did? Certainly someone thought so, and thus began the creation of two absolutely terrific stories. 

The first is the Hallmark Entertainment mini-series, The 10th Kingdom. It's the story of Virginia Lewis and her father Tony who are transported through a magic mirror from New York City to the fairy tale world, known as the Nine Kingdoms. There Tony and Virginia have to help a Prince thwart the Evil Queen after she turns him into a dog and places an impostor on the throne. 

But the most interesting part about the mini-series it the introduction to all the Nine Kingdoms. They are as follows:

1. The kingdom ruled by Cinderella
2. The second is known as the Wolf Kingdom, and is run by Queen Riding Hood the III in the North, and Gretel the Great in the South. 
3. The third is called the Troll Kingdom and is, predictably, ruled by the troll king. 
4. The fourth kingdom is ruled by the House of White (the descendants of Snow White). 
5. The fifth is ruled by the Naked Emperor, who has yet to wear actual clothing. 
6. The sixth is ruled by Queen Rapunzel, and the entire land remains in a state of slumber. 
7. The seventh is run by Olaf the Elf King. 
8. The eighth kingdom is ruled by the Ice Queen, and is filled with ice and snow. 
9. The ninth is ruled by Dwarves and is in alliance with the Forth Kingdom. 
10. Last but not least, the Tenth Kingdom (for which the series is named), is New York City itself.

Cool, right? It's a great set up, and an even greater story. One which I highly recommend to any fairy tale lovers out there. Especially those who also like adaptations like Shrek. And speaking of Shrek, the next kingdom I'd like to talk about is the . . .  

The Kingdom of Far Far Away. It is definitely one of the most clever kingdoms I've ever seen. Based on Beverly Hills, KoFFA is full of puns and parodies. As you walk up the main street (modeled after Hollywood Blvd.) you see stores such as Abercombie and Witch and Ye Olde Foot Locker. You can also check out the homes of the creme de la creme, like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. One look at it makes me think, screw California. I want to go hang out with Shrek, Donkey and Gingy at Baskin Robinhood or Farbucks Coffee!

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This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme (in case you didn't already guess) is Fairy Tales. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you'd like to check out the other participants, simply click here.