The Show is Shot in San Diego, CA.
Real World scenes are shot in Coronado while Dream World sequences are shot in national parks all over San Diego County. If you take a trip to "America's Finest City", make a day out of it and visit the most popular location spot in Mission Trails Regional Park (as seen above).
The show's primary wardrobe color revolves the color black. Each character, in every scene, incorporates the color with each of their styles. Fans are new to a darker version of Fox but familiar with Mina's dark side from the books. This is done on purpose to reflect a much darker tone to the characters and their personal struggles and possible dark fates. While a lot of the colors in the Dream World are elaborated to display the beauty of a fantasy, the dark wardrobe counters it, reminding both Mina and the audience that reality can hit any waking moment.
The Good. The Evil. And the in between.
Fox drives the story with her secrets. Her inner conflicts cause her to stand firmly between the light and the dark (so it seems) but being in the middle has its price. Producers wanted the villain to be Fox's match. Although Fox may struggle, she is strong and hard to take down. Xander is more experienced in the art of evil and knows how to manipulate people's minds. Mina is the weaker of the three, making her decision to stand against the forces of evil that much more important and meaningful but evil comes in different forms and it's a master of trickery. Be careful who you trust!
The Story is Inspired by Fairytales
Even in the upcoming Pilot, a fairytale nod was thrown in
there. The idea of the box, which has yet to be revealed, was inspired by Hans
Christian Anderson’s The Tinderbox
about a soldier who comes across a box that offers him three magical dogs to do
his bidding. Will there be magical dogs in Fox?
Highly doubt it but the commentary of the tale according to multiple sources
touches a similar core meaning to the series:
“It
celebrates youth over age and it has the energy and hope and satisfaction of a
traditional folk tale whose young hero overcomes adversity and ends a
contented, successful adult."
Another hidden theme, as obvious as it may seem, is Sleeping Beauty and Snow White by Brothers Grimm. Since
this all takes place in a dream world, the idea of the heroine sleeping or
being unconscious during this adventure takes form in Mina with Fox replacing
the handsome prince who must wake her from her slumber. An apple, also plays an important part to the story.
But Fox has a dark side as we all have come to realize
through teaser posters and other than her name, there is also something
animalistic about her. A young, intelligent beauty falls in love with a dark
yet gentle soul- sound familiar? We did mention she shares a name with an
animal, right? The series is also
influenced by Beauty and the Beast
with Mina Abrams taming Fox’s dark side. It happens to also be Monroe Hayden’s
favorite.
Mina is also naive and curious, not to mention passionate
enough to take her love with her into dream land so she can win the heart of
the one she loves. In Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, the mermaid’s passionate love for her human
causes her to give up her own voice to venture into the world above for a
chance to win her prince. Something tells us, Mina will be making a sacrifice
somewhere in the series. All heroines do.
And last but not least, Neverland was a place most children
dreamt of. It was a place where you never had to grow up yet spending time
there ironically made you psychologically grow up faster. The Dream World
replaces Neverland and Fox takes Peter Pan’s place while Mina takes a walk in
Wendy’s night slip (figuratively speaking).
Not a Typical Girl Show
This is a female driven show that isn’t about a woman’s fascination with fashion or her appalling addiction to men who treat her like crap. It isn’t about two women fighting over the same guy or plotting their revenge on the guys who broke their hearts or causing problems with other female characters by spreading secrets. It firmly separates itself from that stereotype of how women are portrayed in the media; you’re either the dumb girl who is desperate for a man- a relationship, or you’re the bitch who got dumped and wants pay back. None of that is in Fox and a lot of it has to do with the fact that the characters are both women who are essentially attracted to one another which offers a different route in avoiding those stigmas that Hollywood created.
They’re not dating but there is something there yet at the same time there are so many layers to Fox and Mina’s relationship that it’s just so much more complicated than a love story. These two have a friendship that is being tested. And one of them is hiding who they are- which adds another layer of complications. And the other one is unwilling to let go of her fantasy of the other. The show portrays these women as human beings with real issues. Yeah, the issues are fairly juvenile because the characters are young but it’s a theme that resonates throughout everyone no matter what age you are or what gender you are. Everyone finds themselves developing feelings for someone and then creating this fantasy in their head of what it would be like to be with them. It’s one of the many things that keep us young at heart and the show has broken that label of a typical ‘girl show’. Maybe it has to do with that extra interest of it being a girl on girl thing? You decide!
