The Shoemaker

This is for the Disney club hero-sidekicks contest. Based on the fairy tale The Elves and the Shoemaker, my story takes place a few generations later.


Synopsis:
The girl is Alana, who is a typical rebellious daughter, that knows of the past where elves made shoes, but then were set free by the clothes given to them by the kindly shoemaker and his wife. All elves are excellent at making things and shoes are always a favourite, but they have been forbidden by the elf leader, Alana's father, who is rather paranoid and doesn't want to mix with humans.

Alana's sidekick is Mousy, the mouse who is too small for her family and not accepted. The two misfits get along well and while Mousy is easily frightened she follows Alana, for she is the one who has always been kind to her. Mice are also forbidden by Alana's father for a mouse was known to chase the elves causing terror generations ago, which is another rule Alana is willing to break.

Alana continues to hide out in a shoemaker's house and often goes about doing stitching and helping to propel the work along, simply because she enjoys it. But then children visit the house and Alana is seen! She quits her work, but still spies on the working table. Then clothes are left out for her! She wants to wear the dress that was made, but is worried about being seen, for what if her father is right and they are truly dangerous? Alana cannot help herself however (and despite Mousy's warnings) and puts the dress on. Then the children find her as she is escaping in it. They trap her in a jar and it takes some time before they release her, but they all become friends. Then it is up to Alana to show that there can be peace and the elves do not have to spend their lives in hiding, though it is difficult to convince her father and the elves become divided with Alana's mother taking her side instead of her father's. Mousy is also trying to help by getting the mice to stop chasing elves, and hopefully everyone will find peace and Alana won't have so many rules to break!


All I can say is this has been fun, and though I did the line work as soon as the contest was announced I never got around to finishing anything until this weekend...the procrastinator I can be. But it was fun designing Alana and the cartoony mouse Mousy.