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.

True or False: Pocahontas

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas_%281995_film%29#Plot

The movie Pocahontas came out in June of 1995, when I was about one and a half. I am told by my parents that I first watched the movie when I was six. They told me that I wanted to watch it because my school was putting on a play about the Native Americans and first Thanksgiving. I was probably really excited to see a Disney movie about something that I was learning in school (now I know that the movie Pocahontas is actually about the settling of Jamestown, not the first Thanksgiving). The movie is, after all, loosely based on the story of the real life Pocahontas, the daughter of famous Native American chief Powhatan. Since I was young and impressionable when I first watched the movie I inevitably took every single detail in that movie as 100% verifiable fact. I mean, why would Disney lie to me? When I first found out that Disney’s version of Pocahontas wasn’t completely accurate, I think a little part of my childhood was shattered. Since then, I have never been able to see the movie the same way. This was still true when I watched the movie most recently. I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn’t see it the same way as I did when I was younger. All I could think about was how none of the events portrayed in the movie happened the way Disney said they did. In a quest to try and recapture some of my shattered childhood I set out to do a little research on how much of the movie was actually true. Though I did find out that many Native American groups all over the country criticized Disney for the historical inaccuracy of the movie, I also found out (thanks to this website) that there is actually a lot of verifiable truth to the movie. Of course the whole story was massively sugar coated and there were some parts that were flat out untrue (Pocahontas definitely didn’t learn how to speak English in 30 seconds and she probably didn’t have talking willow tree for a grandmother), but hey it’s a Disney movie.

All historical inaccuracies aside, I noticed that the movie does do a pretty good job at trying to teach kids tolerance. In true Disney fashion the movie mainly does this through song. The song “Colors of the Wind” shows that, just because someone looks, thinks, or acts differently than what you are accustomed to, it doesn’t mean that they are any lesser of a person than you are. The angry chanting song “Savages” attempts to show the error of the ways of both the European settlers and the Native Americans for assuming that everyone who is different from them is a “savage.” I admire the attempt in this song but I do think it evenly distributes the accusations of prejudice amongst both the Native Americans and the European settlers, when the lion’s share of those accusations should rest on the European settlers.

One other thing I noticed in this movie was that Capitan John Smith and Pocahontas do not actually ever end up together. They clearly fall in love, but are separated when John suffers a gunshot wound to the hip at the end of the movie and has to return to England. When I saw John Smith sail away on that boat and leave Pocahontas behind I nearly lost my mind. This was a clear switch from normal Disney protocol; in all the Disney movies I have seen so far the dashing young hero ALWAYS gets the girl. Disney probably broke this sacred tradition in the name of preserving some of the historical accuracy of the movie. In real life, though Pocahontas and John Smith do meet and become “friends,” Pocahontas actually marries another Englishman named John Rolfe.

Empire State of Mind: Oliver and Company

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

Oliver and Company, released in 1988, is the tale of an orphaned kitten in New York City who joins a gang of dogs in order to survive. I’d like to start off by expressing my shock and bewilderment at the storyline – a kitten joined a gang? That said, I actually found the movie charming, and quite enjoyed it.

Oliver and Company provides a valuable lesson for kids in loyalty and love. After being “initiated” into the gang, by helping to steal some hot dogs, Oliver becomes part of the family. Being previously orphaned, Oliver was thrilled to be a part of a family. But that family wasn’t perfect – Fagin, the human “owner” of the dogs, was in debt to a loan shark named Sykes and had no money to feed the animals or provide proper care for them. Nonetheless, Oliver and the dogs love him and remain by his side through his troubles.

Then, when Oliver is mistakenly trapped in a city limo, he is adopted by the limo driver and its occupant, Jenny. Jenny is able to provide Oliver with food, a house, and all the affection in the world. Oliver, not used to the special treatment, is enamored with Jenny but is soon “rescued” from Jenny by the dogs. When Oliver expresses how kind Jenny was and how he hadn’t wanted to leave, the dogs are initially angry and feel Oliver has been ungrateful. However, when Oliver and Jenny are captured by the evil Mr. Sykes, Fagin and the gang come to their rescue and reunite Jenny and Oliver for good.

Picture from this website

Fagin also provides an example of good character for children, and is a great illustration of the saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. When the dogs rescued Oliver back from Jenny, Fagin discovers that Oliver had a wealthy owner. Desperate for money, he initially decides to hold Oliver ransom in order to pay back Sykes. But upon meeting Jenny, and seeing her despair over losing Oliver, Fagin gives him back for free. Despite his what I would call “sketchy” appearance and history of petty theft, he was essentially a good and caring person.

Although the ending was admittedly sappy, I really adored the movie. Perhaps my history of working at the SPCA has made me develop a soft spot for homeless animals finding homes, but I think anyone would find the ending touching. After being rescued from Sykes, Jenny and Oliver are reunited to live happily ever after. But Oliver, having learned a lesson in loyalty himself, vows not to abandon the gang. As Oliver leaves with Jenny, he and the gang promise to keep in touch.

Every 90s Kid is Simba: The Lion King

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

                The Lion King is just one of those Disney movies you HAVE to watch when you’re growing up; it’s almost a cultural obligation. This movie came out in June of 1994 and the first time I remember watching it was when I was about 7, but my parents told me I first watched it when I was about 4. I remember liking the movie a lot when I was a kid and I am told that my brother and I watched it so many times that we actually wore out the VHS tape. After watching it again I am pleased to report that I still love the movie.

                This time around I really noticed how much of a true coming of age tale Lion King is and how it shows how all of us grow up and change over the years. For the first third of the movie Simba is young and carefree, like an elementary school kid. From the song “I Just can’t Wait to be King” it is evident that the only reason he is excited about his eventual role as king of the Pride Lands is because he thinks that when he is king he will be able to do whatever he wants. That song pretty much describes how all young kids feel about adulthood. They can’t wait to grow up because then they will be able to do whatever they want. They envision adulthood as this great stage of this life when you can eat ice cream for dinner, write on the walls, and stay up really really really late, because no one tells a grown up what to do. Little do they know that adulthood comes with these nasty little things called responsibilities.  After that, Simba becomes a teenager, and suddenly the only motto he lives by is “Hakuna Matata” (no worries). During this stage of his life all he does is hang out in his own little oasis of delusion with Timon and Pumba (he literally lives in an oasis in the middle of the desert). In the back of his mind he has a vague idea of the responsibilities that come with growing up but he is afraid to face them, so he just ignores them instead. At the end of the movie Simba finally mans up, confronts his past, accepts his responsibilities, and becomes an adult. He even settles down and has a kid of his own.

                One thing I also noticed about the movie is that Simba’s selfish uncle Scar, who ends up murdering Simba’s father so that he can be king, has the same philosophy that Simba had as a kid. At one point Scar actually says the words “I am a king, I can do whatever I want,” in exactly the same way that Simba said them in the beginning of the movie. In this way it seems that Scar represents the consequences of never truly growing up and realizing that you have responsibilities to yourself and those around you. This contrasts with the attitude of the older Simba, who eventually realizes that he has a responsibility to the rest of the lions to step up and rule his kingdom.

                The last new thing that I noticed about The Lion King is that there are a lot of scenes without dialogue. My favorite of these scenes is the iconic opening of the movie. Everyone who has seen the movie can instantly recognize that opening scene with the sun rising behind the silhouette of an African banyan tree, just in time for “The Circle of Life” to play in the background. This scene goes on for almost five minutes without any words. I know that five minutes may not seem like a long time, but for a movie that is marketed to the only age group with the collective attention span of a small rodent, it can seem like an eternity. I really like these scenes, and I think the fact that I liked them even as a little kid is a testament to the fact that sometimes saying nothing at all says everything.

The opening and ending scenes of the movie: notice how (1) they have no dialogue, and (2) the opening part with Mufasa and the ending with Simba look almost exactly the same, which I guess goes with the whole “Circle of Life” theme

The Series: Toy Story and Toy Story 3

Toy Story Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ToyStory

Toy Story 3 Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story_3

In my next movies, Toy Story and Toy Story 3, Disney/Pixar created an underground civilization of toys that only pretend to be lifeless when there are humans around. In “reality”, each toy has its own personality and role in the society. For instance, Sarge leads his army men on recon missions downstairs and reports back to Andy’s room via walkie talkie, RC (the remote control car) provides transportation for the other toys, and Mike (the Playskool microphone) provides the sound system for the “town meetings”. But these movies weren’t just about the inner workings of a secret society, hidden amongst the multitude of plastic toys are stories we can all learn from – at any age.

In the first Toy Story, the toys strive to establish their individuality and identity, as well as struggling to learn how to reconcile their differences. The movie begins with Andy’s birthday party, and there is constant fear among the toys of being replaced or outshined by a new toy. Woody’s worst fears are realized when Buzz Lightyear arrives and takes his place as Andy’s favorite toy. Initially there’s a great deal of conflict between Buzz and Woody, but they’re eventually able to resolve their differences for Andy’s sake. Most of the toys are able to gradually define themselves as they go along on the adventure, but Buzz has a sort of mid-life crisis when he realizes that he’s just a toy and that there are millions like him. By the end of the movie he is able to determine his individuality be realizing that he’s one-of-a-kind to Andy. Heartwarming, but not exactly original.

Toy Story 3, the second sequel to Toy Story, follows Andy as he prepares for college and plans to leave his toys behind. It's a classic coming of age tale for Andy as he moves on to another stage of his life – as our graduating class is about to do. I guess this should have provided me with a personal connection to the storyline, but I still quite disliked the movie. Despite it being a feel-good story of good triumphing over evil (Woody and the gang finally overthrow Lotso, the tyrannical purple teddy bear) along with an uplifting message of female empowerment (Barbie transforms from, well, Barbie, to a clever and strong female character), I found the movie boring and predictable. I understand it’s a children’s movie and that the storyline can’t be overwhelmingly complicated, but that’s not an excuse for the unbearable dullness of this feature.

Upon telling people that I didn’t like the Toy Story movies, I’ve received various reactions from rage – “blasphemous!” screamed one classmate – to puzzlement and confusion. The trilogy is obviously perfectly timed for our generation as we grow from kids to young adults, and from the feedback I’ve gotten about the movies I appear to be the only member of said generation that didn’t like them.

   

First picture from this website; second picture from this website

A Pleasant Blast from the Past: Cinderella

Full Movie Plot (1950): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella_%281950_film%29#Plot

I was worried when I started watching Cinderella. I really wanted to like the movie. I distinctly remember loving it when I first saw it at 7 years old and I really didn’t want to shatter my childhood memory of the film by hating it now.  I was a little scared when the movie started because I couldn’t help but notice the similarities it shared with Snow White, a movie which I hated after watching the second time. Both movies more or less start with a storybook opening to a young, beautiful, women cleaning an extremely large castle while dressed in rags. Just as I was beginning to lose hope, Cinderella surprised me.

The first thing that I liked about the movie was that, unlike Snow White, Cinderella did not appear to enjoy being forced to cook and clean for others 24/7. From the way Cinderella sings of her hopes and dreams it is apparent that she knows that she deserves more than to be confined to a stove and broom for the rest of her life, which I think is an OK message to send out to the millions of girls who will continue to watch this movie for generations to come (it isn’t ideal but it is definitely better than Snow White). Cinderella also remains hopeful of somehow being able to better situation, despite the cruelty that is inflicted upon her by her evil stepmother and evil step sisters. I think her attitude is summed up by when she utters the sentence “well there’s one thing, they can’t order me to stop dreaming.” I was a little disappointed that Cinderella doesn’t try to lift herself out of her predicament, but I was comforted by the fact that she does approach each day with a positive attitude and tries to take advantage of whatever little victories life gives her, like the opportunity to attend the royal ball.

I also like that even though Cinderella does end up marrying into royalty, it is not something that she always dreamed of doing. When thinking about her predicament her first thought is “I will not spend the rest of my life cooking and cleaning for others” not “one day I am going to marry a rich prince so I won’t have to cook and clean for others.” Though the movie is centered on Cinderella’s trip to the royal ball where she first meets her handsome prince, marrying the prince seems like an unexpected bonus, not Cinderella’s sole goal in life.

One thing that I definitely did not notice when I watched the movie as a little kid was that the story is actually pretty relatable, especially to teenagers. I know what you’re thinking right now, how is a story with a prince, a fairy godmother, and an evil step-mother even remotely relatable? Hey, I didn’t say it was realistic, I said it was relatable. We’re teenagers and though we may not have an evil step mother, we do have schoolwork, chores, and sometimes even jobs. When all of these obligations start to pile up it can leave us feeling a little like Cinderella: overworked. All Cinderella wants to do is party and blow off a little steam. She just wants one carefree night of fun, and if she happens to meet prince charming there, well who’s to say she shouldn’t enjoy it.

Maybe this trailer for the popular movie A Cinderella Story will help you see what I mean about Cinderella being relatable. It has the plot of Disney’s Cinderella, but is set in a modern day high school. 

The Mom Seal of Approval: The Princess and the Frog

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

The Princess and the Frog is, to my knowledge, the newest Disney princess movie (with the exception of Tangled which just came out on DVD a few days ago). Even though the movie came out right as I turned sixteen I still went to see it in theaters with a few of my friends and I loved it. When Amy and I decided that we would add it to the list of movies that we would be watching for this project I still wanted to watch it in some way that was different from how I had seen it the first time. So I watched it with my mother. Let me pause for a second to explain why this is a big deal. My mom hates animated Disney movies. To some, saying someone hates Disney films is the equivalent to saying that they hate puppies and the laughter of small children; Disney movies are supposed to be too cute to hate. Nevertheless, it took about a half hour of pleading, reasoning, and puppy dog pouting to convince my mom to watch Princess and the Frog. 

I am pleased to say that my mom actually liked the movie and it may have even relieved some of the deep seeded hatred she has for animated Disney movies. I think that one of the reasons that she actually liked this Disney princess movie is the fact that it is so different from many of Disney’s earlier princess movies (i.e. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella). The most noticeable difference between Tiana (the main character of the movie) and other Disney Princesses is that Tiana is black. She is in fact Disney’s first black princess. Everyone made a huge deal out of this fact when the movie first came out and similarly it was a pretty big deal with my mother. This is understandable because when my mom was growing up there were almost no African American characters in any of Disney’s movies (with the exception of maybe Song of the South…but that’s a whole different story). Disney didn’t really start coming out with many animated movies starring characters of different ethnicities until the 90s when they released movies like Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Mulan. I enjoyed it too, and for some reason it made me picture my own kids sitting down and watching The Princess and the Frog someday. 

But the differences between Tiana and the earlier Disney princess go far beyond race. It is plain to see from the contrast between Tiana and her rich friend Charlotte that Tiana does not share the same complacent attitude that the earlier Disney princesses do. While Charlotte clearly has the “someday my prince will come” attitude that is indicative of many Disney princesses, Tiana is more driven and less focused on the naive notion that sooner or later a handsome prince will come and sweep her off her feet. Also while Charlotte is pampered and has everything in life handed to her by her rich father, Tiana is ambitious and dreams about someday owning her own restaurant and works two jobs in order to reach that goal. Clearly Tiana does not buy into the fairytale notions that the early Disney Empire helped create, which is a sentiment that she shares with my mother. The one thing that Tiana does have in common with earlier Disney princesses is that she comes from humble beginnings. However, Tiana’s humble beginnings are not inflicted on her by an evil stepmother or evil stepsisters but by the poverty of the 1930s, which makes the story seem a tad bit more relatable. 

The movie also surprisingly touched on a key issue: the perils of money and greed. The villainous, money hungry, Shaman character, known as “the Shadowman” demonstrates the corrupting power of money, and the charming prince who is cut off from his parent’s fortune demonstrates the perils of wasteful spending. Nevertheless, despite the new twists, there were still some old Disney clichés. There was the benevolent fairy godmother type elderly lady (Mama Odie), a deceased parent, lots of talking animals, and of course a handsome prince who slowly falls in love with (and eventually marries) the lovable main character. The clichés weren’t necessarily a bad thing though. I felt that Tiana’s hardworking attitude teaches kids that they have to work for their dreams and not just wish for them to happen, but the Disney clichés and the “happily ever after” ending teaches them not to be too cynical, which is a message I think my mom appreciated too.

For the few things I left out this review by Kerry Lengel of the Arizona Republic kind of sums up a few of my other thoughts about the movie.

pricture from: http://www.parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/princess-and-the-frog/



A Sedated Princess: Sleeping Beauty

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty_(1959_film)

Watching Sleeping Beauty this past weekend was definitely a blast from the past. Although I remembered liking the movie, I had forgotten the entire storyline – understandable, I suppose, since the last time I saw it was around age five or six. For those of you like me who need a basic refresher, the gist of the movie is that Princess Aurora is cursed by an evil queen to prick her finger and die before her 16th birthday. However, the last of Aurora's three fairy godmothers had not given Aurora her gift yet, so she gave baby Aurora an "adjustment" to the curse. Instead of dying after pricking her finger, Aurora would fall into a deep sleep, only to be awakened by her true love's kiss. However sappy, cliché, and medically improbable the storyline, one has to admire the romanticism. I must say I did enjoy the movie the second time around, but I noticed plenty that I wouldn't have as a five-year-old.

As in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs there was plenty of sexism even if you overlook the central idea that Princess Aurora has to completely depend on a man to save her.  As Sleeping Beauty grew into a teenager, she was growing into what I guess was supposed to be the epitome of beauty – big doe eyes, hair as "golden as the dawn", lips as "red as the rose", and a waist the diameter of a quarter. While our standards of beauty have thankfully changed at least somewhat since then, I still don’t think it's the greatest message to give to little girls. With eating disorders and poor body image hitting girls at younger and younger ages, I think girls' role models should promote healthy body weights and wider parameters for beauty. Sleeping Beauty represents a stereotypical early Disney princess, and therefore a lack of diverse races, personalities, or body types. A degree of sexism is also present in the fairies that raise Princess Aurora. The red and green fairies, Flora and Fauna, are conventional “ladies”; they’re politically correct and more interested in the pretty things in life, like music, baking, and dresses. The blue fairy, unlike her sisters, is disagreeable and uninhibited. She is therefore portrayed as clumsy, unattractive, and generally manlier. In this Disney film, females are clearly divided into two categories: they are proper and ladylike, or ugly and virile.

Another thing I noticed while watching the movie for the second time was the shockingly poor judgment of Princess Aurora. After encountering a strange boy in the woods, she strikes up a conversation, sings a song with him, and invites him over to her house for her birthday party. At first she’s hesitant because she’s been taught not to talk to strangers, but upon remembering that she’s met him before – in a dream – she’s completely open with him and tells him where she lives. Fortunately for Princess Aurora, in a pleasant twist of fate the man she meets in the woods is a prince (and one she’s actually scheduled to marry) and not a serial rapist or anything like that. Once again, our Disney princess isn’t proving to be the best role model for young girls.

So, all in all, I enjoyed the movie for its simple, whimsical plot and for old time’s sake; however, I was shocked at how poor a role model Princess Aurora was. For all the Disney-princess-loving little girls’ sakes, I hope they find some more appropriate role models ASAP.

Picture from this website

Kickin' it Old School: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_%281937_film%29#Plot

To kick off the first entry for our Disney project I thought I would start out with some pure old school Disney. Just as a little background for anyone who didn’t know, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Disney’s first full length animated film, which is about as old school as Disney gets. The film, based on a story by The Brothers Grimm, came out in 1937 and has remained an animated classic over the generations.

Even though the movie came out about 56 years before I was born I still watched it when I was about 5 or 6. At the risk of committing some sort of Disney blasphemy I have to say that I really didn’t like Snow White when I was little, and after watching it again at 17 I can clearly understand why. The movie must have bored me. Considering my short attention span and the fact that Snow White really does nothing throughout the entire movie but cook and clean for the seven dwarfs and ingest a poisonous apple it is a miracle that I even sat through the entire movie. Even though I would like to believe that my attention span has improved somewhat since I was five, I still found the movie a tad bit boring. There is no denying that Snow White and the myriad of furry woodland animals that follow her around throughout the movie are adorable, but that doesn’t conceal the fact that they don’t really do much.

Unlike when I was five, my revitalized disliking of the movie is due to more than simple boredom; while watching the movie I found myself deeply annoyed at its misogynistic themes. As soon as Snow White sees the unkempt house that the seven dwarfs live in she kicks into ultimate cliche mothering overdrive. She cleans their entire house, cooks them food, and even forces them to take baths before they eat by threatening to withhold their supper from them. Snow White is also completely devoid of ambition and is content to live out the rest of her young life as a live in maid for the dwarfs. The only thing she wants out of life is for a prince to come and sweep her off her feet. She fondly sings of her undying love for the handsome prince of a nearby kingdom despite the fact that the two had only spoken for a grand total of two seconds in the movie. I doubt she even knew his name. Yes I know this is a fairytale children’s movie but I at least expected the two love birds to have an actual conversation before Snow White falls so deeply in love with him that she willingly rides off into the sunset with him at the end of the movie without so much as a second thought. The only thing this guy had to do was sing her a song at the beginning of the movie and show up at her funeral with a horse.

Since this movie was made in in the 1930s I guess I should have expected this. In the 1930s women were not expected to go out on their own adventures or solve their own problems, they were expected to cook, clean, and wait for their prince to come and sweep them off their feet. 

picture from this website