The Street Rat Prince: Aladdin

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_%281992_Disney_film%29#Plot

I saved watching the movie Aladdin for last, mostly because it is tied for my favorite movie ever with Mulan. It came out in 1992 (one year before I was born) and I first remember watching it at 8 years old, though I am sure I started watching it much earlier than that. I also vividly remember watching the sequel Aladdin and the King of Thieves and the spin off Aladdin TV show that used to come on the toon Disney TV Channel, so I guess it is apparent that I really liked this movie when I was little.

                When I told one of my friends that I was going to watch this movie she replied “Aladdin… isn’t that the movie where that kid lies about being rich and then gets a girl?” Needless to say this comment put a bit of a damper on my whole Aladdin experience. After watching the movie I realized that she was right. Aladdin does lie to Jasmine repeatedly by telling her that he is a prince when he is really an orphaned “street rat” and in the end, despite all his lying, he ends up marrying Jasmine anyway. This was a little upsetting. Here I was at 17 figuring out that one of my favorite movies as a child encouraged lying. After thinking about it for a while I realized that the lying isn’t the point of the movie, what should (and did) stand out was the fact that Aladdin had to lie in the first place. From the very beginning the movie makes a point to show that Aladdin is a “good guy.” A character describes him as “a diamond in the rough” and someone whose “worth lies far within.” The only problem is that he is poor, and because of that nobody will give him a break. This is made abundantly clear by the song “One Jump Ahead” which features the clever and charming Aladdin fleeing from a group of violent guards who chase him for stealing a loaf of bread in order to avoid going hungry.

Aladdin only lies to Jasmine because no one takes him seriously because of his lack of wealth. I think the real point of the movie is to make the viewers realize that sometimes people allow unimportant things such as money and wealth to get in the way of someone’s true character. In the end, Aladdin realizes that he cannot keep up his charade and eventually comes clean to Jasmine, who still chooses to marry him even though he is only a lowly street rat. All of this goes to show that though money and status do matter far too much to some people, there will always be those who are able to appreciate a person’s true character.

                One other thing I noticed about this movie is that, though many consider Jasmine to be one of the traditional “Disney princesses,” she is still very strong willed and confident. Though lesser Disney princess (like Ariel, Snow White, and Cinderella) spend their free time day dreaming about a handsome prince coming to sweep them of their feet, Jasmine resists her father’s attempts to marry her off to one of her various wealthy, royal suitors. Jasmine also yells at her father, Jafar (her father’s evil advisor), and Aladdin for fighting over who she should marry, telling them that she is “not a prize to be won.” Jasmine clearly values her freedom of choice and control over her own life and cares more about character than wealth or royal blood, which I think makes her a better role model for young girls than a lot of the more traditional Disney princesses.  

Not Like Every Other Disney Movie: Finding Nemo

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finding_Nemo#Plot

Finding Nemo is the one Disney movie that I honestly think is geared towards both children and their parents. The story centers around a little clownfish named Nemo and his over protective father, Marlin. At the beginning of the movie Nemo is kidnapped and Marlin has to journey all over the ocean in order to find him. Marlin’s over protectiveness is due to a tragic accident that occurred when little Nemo was just an egg. This incident almost caused Marlin to lose Nemo, and he is so terrified by losing his son again that he smothers him.

Though Finding Nemo is clearly a kid’s movie, I am not sure small children will understand this whole concept, so maybe it is geared towards kids who are a bit older. I was about ten when I first watched it (it came out in 2003), and I don’t think that whole concept really hit me until when I was little older. For the kids who do understand it, I think it is a great message to put in a kids movie. A lot of the tension between Nemo and his father stems from the fact that his father is so overprotective. Nemo views his father as annoying and unreasonable, but he fails to understand that his father is the way he is because he really cares about him. I think a lot of kids can relate to this. I know that when I was younger (and sometimes even now) I got annoyed at my parents for not letting me do the things that I wanted to do. As I got older I realized that my parents only put restrictions on me because they love me. Knowing this doesn’t make it any less annoying, but it does help relieve some of the tension, because I am able to take a step back and look at things from my parent’s point of view. I think part of what makes Finding Nemo so great is that the whole movie takes place from a concerned parent’s point of view, so it gives kids a chance to see what it is like to care about someone the way Marlin cares for his son Nemo and the way their parents care for them.

That being said I do not think that anyone can fully empathize with Marlin until they have actually had kids (maybe I’ll have to watch this one again sometime with my own kids), which is why I say that this movie is geared towards both parents and children. During his journey, Marlin begins to realize the harm that he is doing to his son in being too overprotective. He realizes that, despite his good intentions, he has been stifling Nemo’s independence and holding his son back. Dori, a kind and quirky fish who helps Marlin find Nemo, sums Marlin’s realization up with the words “if you never let anything happen to him, well then nothing will ever happen to him.”

I posted these scenes because I think they accurately sum up what Marlin learns about parenting. Sometimes he needs to just stand back and let Nemo do his own thing. I think this message is geared more towards parents than children. It shows parents they have to let their kids make their own decisions and learn from their own mistakes for them to reach their full potential. In order for them to fly you have to let them jump.

All of this gives Finding Nemo more of a serious quality than most other Disney movies. Don’t get me wrong the movie did have a lot of funny moments, but its lack of light hearted songs and classic romance makes it a lot different from the other Disney movies I have watched. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Not Your Average Princess: Tangled

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangled

The movie Tangled, released by Disney in 2010, is a variation of the story of Rapunzel, from the Brothers Grimm. In the film, Rapunzel is kept locked in a tower by Gothel (whom she thinks is her mother) because of her hair's magical healing powers. Gothel follows the typical Disney princess villain pattern – she is an older woman who’s jealous of the princess and tries to take something from her, in this case, Rapunzel’s fountain of youth. This, however, is where the stereotypical Disney princess story goes out the window. Neither Rapunzel nor “Flynn Ryder” is a conventional Disney character, so this story was anything but ordinary.

Rapunzel first breaks the Disney mold by displaying a keen business sense and an ability to think for herself. When Flynn Rider enters the tower and gives Rapunzel “the smolder”, she doesn’t swoon; rather, she’s confused by his vanity and self-assurance. At this point, she offers him a trade – she’ll give him his crown back if he takes her to see the floating lights she’s been wanting to see – and stands firm against his bargaining tactics. This is a rare occurrence in early Disney films – I don’t remember that last one I saw in which the princess didn’t swoon at the first sight of her prince and then become putty in his hands. Recently, however, Disney seems to have altered its female characters. In addition to the increase in ethnic diversity since the 1990’s, Disney has drastically decreased the average complacency of its princesses. With stronger female characters (like Mulan, Tiana, or Rapunzel) emerging, Disney proves it’s making a change. It seems pretty obvious to me that this amendment is a vast improvement, and that little girls will be getting better messages from the princesses they so adore.

Flynn Rider proves to be even less of a traditional Disney character than Rapunzel; as a thief and a trickster, he’s hardly Prince Charming. At the beginning of the movie he attempts to maintain the façade of a standard Disney prince, trying to smooth-talk the girl or win her over with his puppy dog eyes and expensive male haircut. But, as the movie goes on we learn more about him – that his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert, that he’s secretly insecure, that he’s a thief because of his poor upbringing – and he turns out to be unlike any Disney character before him. Throughout their journey, Rapunzel reveals the true Eugene and through this bond, falls in love with him. I was glad to see a male character finally have to show a little personality and put in some work before the girl falls in love with him.

Although the end result of the story is the same – the guy gets the girl and they live happily ever after – the path there was definitely not conventional. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and have to say that it was refreshing to see two unique characters shaking up the stereotypical Disney storyline and creating a unique and innovative movie.

The BEST Disney Movie Ever: Mulan

Full movie plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulan#Plot

I watched Disney’s Mulan while visiting Carnegie Mellon University, which seems fitting because it is the alma mater of Ming-Na, who is the voice of the movie’s main character. After doing a little research I found out that the movie is based on the very real Chinese legend Hua Mulan, an eighteen year old Chinese woman who goes to war in place of her elderly father.

But enough with the cute fun facts, now to what I actually thought about the movie…

Mulan might just be my favorite Disney movie. Ever. It came out in 1998, when I was about five, and I distinctly remember first watching the movie at my grandma’s house when I was eight. I liked it when I was younger because it wasn’t just about wearing a princess dress and finding prince charming. It was an interesting story expertly peppered with funny bits of slapstick comedy, the perfect recipe for a great children’s film. Plus it had its fair share of fighting scenes, which I think I enjoyed because I was a bit of a tomboy when I was younger.

The one thought that I kept having while watching the movie was that FINALLY, after sixty plus years of making animated movies, Disney actually managed to crank out a movie that sends out a positive message to young girls. Yes, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid are all great Disney movies, but they aren’t exactly what I would call paragons of feminism. Though Mulan does have its faults it clearly sends out the message that women shouldn’t be regarded as second class citizens because they are just as valuable to society as men. Right in the beginning of the movie with the song “Honor to us All” and Mulan’s trip to see the village matchmaker Disney actually acknowledges the oppressive gender roles that assert that women’s only purpose in society is to look pretty and find a husband. I found the fact that Disney acknowledged this issue (in their own light-hearted, sing-songy Disney way) extremely surprising, as in earlier movies Disney made a habit of avoiding this topic. Though in the beginning Mulan tries to conform to the traditional gender expectations, she ends up shattering them by sneaking off to join the army. The ironic song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” pokes fun at the notion that only men are capable of excelling in the army. During the song, Mulan initially struggles with her combat training, but she works hard and refuses to give up, which eventually leads to her surpassing all of her male counterparts. OK, so at first she does have to dress up as a man in order to be taken seriously (an issue that some feminist critics find disconcerting) but in the end Mulan eventually sheds her disguise and saves China as a woman, prompting the emperor and half the population of China to bow to her in respect.

I also enjoyed Mulan because it doesn’t possess the typical Disney “prince charming” cliché. Yes, Mulan does fall in love with a handsome young general during her stint in the army, but, unlike other Disney characters, she doesn’t drop everything and blindly chase after him. In the end, he actually ends up chasing her. The best part is, when he finally finds her, they do not immediately get married nor do they ride off into the shimmering sunset together in order to begin living “happily ever after;” Mulan simply asks him to stay for dinner with her family, which is the way it should be.

Not A Modern Role Model: The Little Mermaid

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid_(1989_film)

The Little Mermaid, released in 1989, was the first film in what was called the Disney Renaissance, which was Disney's return to power in the animated movie world. After having their movies beat out by competitors', Disney produced The Little Mermaid which went on to beat competitors’ records and become the highest-grossing animated movie for that time. The Little Mermaid was a critical turning point for Disney; it renewed the public's faith and interest in Disney by capturing them with the story of Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreamed of someday walking on land and marrying a prince.

At the beginning of the movie we meet Ariel, the 16-year-old daughter of King Triton, who is unhappy with her life under the sea and wants to be human.  She's not interested in just being the king's daughter and living a life of luxury; she wants something more out of life. Initially, her curiosity and nonconformity reminded me of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but she soon changed. One night, Ariel swims up to the surface (against her father's orders) and sees Prince Eric on a boat. Soon after that, she becomes obsessed with him. She still wants to be part of the human world, but now it's only to marry Prince Eric. It seems that after seeing (not even meeting) the man she wants to marry, she suddenly loses all her ambition. She gives up her voice and her life under the sea in order to make a desperate attempt to get Eric to marry her. Nowadays, people would call her crazy for being so desperate, Prince Eric probably wouldn’t be so charming, and Ariel would most likely end up on the show 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom. I guess Ariel was supposed to be a role model to girls for following her dreams, but in modern-day America, she’d be looked down upon (or super famous on a reality show, but that’s kind of the same thing).

Ursula, the sea witch and villain of the story, forced me to notice a pattern in Disney princess movies. It seems as though whenever there is a beautiful young princess, there is an old, jealous woman trying to take something away from her. It’s happened countless times – Ursula tries to take away Ariel’s voice (and freedom), the evil stepmother tries to enslave Cinderella, the Queen tries to kill Snow White so she can be the “fairest of them all”, and Maleficent tries to kill Aurora out of pure hate. It’s a subtle detail but it could have a fairly large influence on how well kids like the movies. In this psychological strategy, Disney is able to ally itself with the kids by depicting adults as the villains. Nickelodeon has used a similar strategy in past years (depicting adults as either stupid or cruel) and been wildly successful. I’m not saying that the sole reason Disney movies are successful is that they have old women as villains; I’m just suggesting that the character choices that Disney makes are meaningful and somewhat clever.

As a whole, I found the movie enjoyable – there were funny characters and a fun soundtrack – but I’m not sure Ariel is a suitable role model for young girls. She disobeys her father, runs desperately after a guy she doesn’t even know, and in the end gets everything she wants. The movie was great, but this Disney princess is not a suitable role model.

 

A Good Message: Beauty and the Beast

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(1991_film)

Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, is the story of Belle falling in love with a young prince who was previously transformed into a hideous beast. As a human, the prince was spoiled and bitter, so when he refused to help an elderly woman seeking shelter from a horrible storm, she turned him into a beast and all his servants into furniture and household items. She also gave him a rose which would bloom until his 21st birthday; he had to learn to love and be loved by his 21st birthday or he would remain an ugly beast forever.

The movie emphasizes that beauty stems from inside and that appearances are of peripheral importance. Gaston, the local hero, embodies the sinful qualities of lust and hubris and is justly punished. Midway through the movie, I noticed an instance of “dante-esque” retributive justice. After Gaston corners Belle in her home and expects her to marry him (because of his dastardly good looks), Belle unlocks the door he cornered her against and dumps him into the mud with the pigs. Gaston is put into the mud like a pig because of his egotism, greed, and lust for Belle – three unattractive and self-indulgent qualities.

Gaston is also finally punished for his hubris; upon hearing of Belle’s love for the Beast, he storms the castle and challenges the Beast alone. Despite having a small army on his side, Gaston arrogantly assumes he’s such a good hunter that he can kill the Beast by himself. After fighting with the Beast, and having his life spared by him, Gaston makes a final attempt to kill the Beast, but loses his balance and falls off the side of the castle to his death. Gaston’s unfortunate ending serves as a warning to kids against such hubris and arrogance; it is his own vanity and self-centeredness that ultimately leads to his downfall. In my opinion, Gaston is more like a typical Disney prince than the Beast; he expects to come in and win over the princess with his handsomeness and charm. So it’s not that this story is different because it lacks a typical Disney prince, rather it lacks a typical Disney princess. Belle rejects the archetypal Disney male in favor of a real, deep character.

 

In the same way that Gaston is a bad example, Belle sets a good example for young girls. Unlike most other Disney princesses – Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White – Belle didn’t fall in love with a charming, handsome prince. She was patient and caring enough to see through a less attractive exterior and get to know what turned out to be a kind and genuine person. Belle understood that beauty is only skin deep, and instead of marrying Gaston and being miserable she met her soul mate, who (bonus!) turned out to be a prince. Belle’s kindness and sincerity was rewarded in the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and thought it provided a simple but important message for kids and adults alike. Our modern society has shifted recently and become overly preoccupied with appearances. Truthfully, it wouldn’t hurt any of us to take a step back and realize there are more important things in life.

Like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast has been remade recently. The new movie, Beastly, follows the story of a modern-day Belle falling in love with a “beastly”-looking boy.

The Sky Is Falling: Chicken Little

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Little_(2005_movie)

My next self-assigned movie to watch was Chicken Little, and I admit, I wasn’t particularly excited about it. I was pretty sure I knew the story. A chicken screams out that the sky is falling, but it’s not; the town panics and chaos ensues; the chicken is mocked; etcetera, etcetera.  As I predicted, I wasn’t much interested in or entertained by the plot or the actual character Chicken Little; however, throughout the movie there  were several bits of social commentary that I thought were pretty funny (although they were probably overlooked by most of the target audience).

What I noticed first was Chicken Little and his astonishingly stereotypically nerdy group of friends – in animal form, of course. Chicken Little was the tiny, nerdy kid; Abby Mallard (the ugly duckling) was the ugly girl with braces and a big heart; Fish was the headgear-wearing nerd who no one really understands; and Runt (the pig) was the overweight kid. The contrast between the cool and uncool kids is clearly displayed in gym class, where the coach eagerly declares that the dodge ball game will be “popular vs. unpopular”. Foxy Loxy and the rest of the cool kids then go on to pummel and humiliate the nerds to the entertainment of the malicious gym teacher. This may not be the most realistic example of school life, but it’s still pretty funny because as younger, less mature kids, there probably was a certain degree of animosity between popular and unpopular. 

The next statement about society that I probably wouldn’t have noticed as a kid was the ridiculousness of the media’s scope. After Chicken Little run the school bell in the tiny town of Oakey Oaks and mistakenly declared that the sky was falling, the media caught on to the story and ran with it. Less than 30 seconds after the incident, there were 10 reporters in his face demanding answers to their questions. There were then reports of the incident on the radio and in the newspapers, and to round it all off there was a comical self-referential “Chicken Little – The Movie” billboard. Poor Chicken Little is criticized from all sides by the all-consuming media.

The funniest part of the movie in my opinion was Turkey Lurkey, the mayor, and his secret service agents, which appear to be the brains of the operation. In what I believe is a comical mockery of American politics, Turkey the Mayor is unable to make any decisions for himself – he instead blindly follows the cue cards that his staff hold up for him. While at the baseball game attempting to root for the Oakey Oaks team he clearly follows his directions to “follow the crowd”, “weep hopelessly” (when Chicken Little is called to bat with the game on the line), and “switch loyalty” (when Oakey Oaks pulls off the win). The inability for him, as a politician and leader, to make decisions regarding cheering for a simple baseball game, is what I found most comical.



Picture from this link



As a kid, I probably would have enjoyed the movie for its silliness and slapstick action sequences, but as a young adult I enjoyed it for a different reason. Overall, I wasn’t much interested in the character of Chicken Little or the actual plot of the movie; however, the comical stereotypes and amusing social commentary were enough to make the movie worth watching.