The reading for this week comes from a book we have read from before called The Emperor's Old Groove. Chapter 12 is called "Pocahontas: The Disney Imaginary" and author Pushpa Naidu Parekh presents many different arguments compiled through research about the film's historical accuracy. I struggled to find the author's thesis, as I do not think that it exists. I noticed that this work was more of a compilation of other authors' arguments rather than Parekh really trying to make any sort of claim. This does not mean that the piece was not thought-provoking, as I found myself really thinking about some aspects of the film and what it suggests when prompted by Parekh. For example, Parekh mentions how the age difference between Pocahontas and John Smith is so extreme that there is "unlikely romantic bonding between the English and the natives." This fact along with how the movie was supposed to take place over two years just baffles me and really shows the inaccuracy of the film. Another aspect of this piece that got me thinking was on page 168 when the author says: "Isn't her subjectivity merely an instrument for enlightening the narrow-minded English settlers?" I took this as a question as to why are the opinions of white people always so important? Why does Pocahontas feel the need to explain her culture to the white people so that they understand rather than just living her life? This idea goes along with the examples given from The Tempest and The Heart of Darkness in which Parekh compares Pocahontas to because the whites are worshipped in these stories as well.
Stylistically Parekh overdoes it with the amount of quotations she includes in the piece. Like I mentioned before, it is almost hard to tell what the author is arguing because so much evidence is presented. I will say that the author connects the evidence really well. From weaving quotes into sentences and including many signal phrases, it is clear where the information came from. Also, Parekh's use of connecting sentences is impressive, including one that stuck out to me: "The same paradigm operates in Disney's romantic adventure tale of John Smith and Pocahontas." This strategy allows for direct comparison between other works and the one in focus.
Towards the end of the essay we start to see Parekh's "so what?" She mentions how Disney is affecting our kids today through explaining our behavior as consumers: "They rarely realize their participation in in the commodification of this ideal through the consumption of Disney paraphernalia, like Pocahontas toys and beach towels." She seems to take the same side as Giroux here, that Disney does have a huge impact on today's kids and has a moral obligation to have a positive on them. Because of this, I like how she ends her piece with how children "must be empowered to define the construction of their imaginary landscape instead of becoming passive spectators of the Disney imaginary." This conclusion does a good job of summarizing what I think is her main point and applying it to the outside world.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Monday, October 24, 2016
Reflective Post: Obsessive Disney Fans
Recently, Disney decided to expand their wedding options for those looking to spend a defining moment in their relationship in a theme park surrounded by characters created to excite children. In this article, I learned how Disney now allows you to get married at the castle after the park closes, for a more intimate setting I suppose. According to the article, Disney hosts more than 1,200 weddings a year, and the change in the wedding policy at the park came from couple's requests for more options. There are several reasons for this high demand, including the overwhelming amount of resorts and things to do for guests as well as the special couple. If you are going to make people travel for the wedding, why not give them plenty to do? Couples pay good money for this experience, as discussed in the article: "You can book a wedding with four guests on the beach of the Polynesian Village Resort, with a solo violinist and an hour's worth of photography, for less than $3,000. More elaborate events can go well into six figures." Personally, the idea of getting married at Disney World does not appeal to me, but obviously it is very popular. In fact, the fact that people want to kickstart their adult life with someone by celebrating at a kid theme park baffles me. I decided to look in to why Disney is so popular amongst adults and what creates their obsession. After all. it is the most magical place in the world.
So, why are adults still obsessed with a company whose target audience is children? In this PopSugar analysis of why adult women love Disney, it is argued not only that the target audience of Disney is not just children, but also that adults still obsessed with the franchise are not immature nor silly, but rather just nostalgic and comfortable admitting how happy Disney makes them. In a study done by the creator of the article of people who ranked their love for Disney as at least a four on a scale of one to five, the author found these statistics:
What that tells us about the obsessed population is not much, however what stands out to me is how many of them do not have kids. You would think that someone so in love with Disney would want to share this love with a tiny human, but the numbers do not lie. Then, I thought, this could be because these Disney lovers have not actually grow up yet, but it turns out that most of these adults love Disney because of the happiness and nostalgia that surrounds it, rather than any of the reasons kids love Disney. In search of more specific reasons why adult women love Disney, I came across this list of reasons why the movies still appeal to adults. In said list, the six reasons given are adult humor, grown up themes, adult messages, education, soundtracks, and escapism. It is true that much of Disney humor does in fact go over the heads of many children, so the movie could be a cause of laughter for more mature audiences. The soundtracks are also understandable because the songs are made to be catchy. These songs remind adults of the "good ole days" and often can spark other good memories as well. As the list points out as well, many of these movies have grown up themes and messages. Disney movies that suggest how hard it is to grow up are popular for these adults because they identify in feeling this way. The idea of escapism agrees with the other article in that many of these adults use Disney as a way to remember their happy childhood and forget about their adult problems for a little while. This seems like a healthy way to cope, and if Disney movies and attire helps you get through the day then go for it! Disney fanatics come in many different forms, from wearing Disney, to traveling to Disney, to even decorating their houses like Disney. The idea of magic is something that people love to hold on to when confronted with real world adult problems and I admire those who turn to something healthy like Disney to bring happiness in their lives rather than choosing an unhealthy path. Besides, what's so wrong with being a kid at heart anyway?
Midterms...continued (because they never end)
Advice I should probably start following. Good luck everyone!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Reading Response: Putnam
In Amanda Putnam's "Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films," Putnam discusses villains in Disney movies and how many of them have qualities that stretch between both the female and male norms. She questions how this affects children, her thesis being: "When gender-bending traits are assigned strictly to villains, then tension arises in terms of determining what, exactly, Disney is preaching so heartily and so frequently to its preschool choir" (Putnam 148). I think her thesis is clearly stated and that makes it easy for the reader to identify the argument. Putnam starts her essay with a personal anecdote in which her daughter says "I want to watch one without a mean lady" (147), suggesting that there is a correlation between villains and gender identity. She goes on to give evidence of these transgendered villains and how they contrast with the good characters.
One thing she acknowledges is how "most of the heroes and heroines of the beloved Disney film franchise are hyper-heterosexual--they fall in love, get married, and as we understand it, live happily ever after" (147). It is important to recognize what is love and gender to these heroes compared to what it is for villains. The princesses for example, are able to move gracefully and live perfectly, whereas the more evil characters, such as the evil step-sisters in Cinderella struggle with typical girl characteristics. Putnam continues by describing how physically many of the villains have characteristics that fit for the opposite gender of which they are supposed to be. Evidence of this came from the Pocahontas villain Governor Radcliffe who wears bows in his hair, carries a puppy, and wears all purple. Similarly, Scar and Jafar appear to wear makeup on their face in their respective movies. The stepsisters and stepmother in Cinderella have rigid facial features and a more masculine look to them. The problem with these distinct differences between the good and the bad is that it suggests that transgender people are inherently different from the heroes and therefore are bad. Putnam does however acknowledge the opposition, that Disney's differences in good and bad help the intended audience "recognize more easily who is 'good' in these films--and who is not"(151). The problem here though is that while it may help the intended audience differentiate between the good and the bad side, it still suggests that those who do not identify with their birth gender are the bad people. We see in our lives today how relevant this argument is to raising children, and even in North Carolina where House Bill #2 discriminates against transgendered people. I personally think that Disney should do something to combat this issue because it is not okay to send implicit messages about something this important to our young children. Overall, Putnam does a good job of supporting her claim. While she does make some hasty generalizations about all of the Disney movies, she does well supporting her claim within the context of her movie selections.
One thing she acknowledges is how "most of the heroes and heroines of the beloved Disney film franchise are hyper-heterosexual--they fall in love, get married, and as we understand it, live happily ever after" (147). It is important to recognize what is love and gender to these heroes compared to what it is for villains. The princesses for example, are able to move gracefully and live perfectly, whereas the more evil characters, such as the evil step-sisters in Cinderella struggle with typical girl characteristics. Putnam continues by describing how physically many of the villains have characteristics that fit for the opposite gender of which they are supposed to be. Evidence of this came from the Pocahontas villain Governor Radcliffe who wears bows in his hair, carries a puppy, and wears all purple. Similarly, Scar and Jafar appear to wear makeup on their face in their respective movies. The stepsisters and stepmother in Cinderella have rigid facial features and a more masculine look to them. The problem with these distinct differences between the good and the bad is that it suggests that transgender people are inherently different from the heroes and therefore are bad. Putnam does however acknowledge the opposition, that Disney's differences in good and bad help the intended audience "recognize more easily who is 'good' in these films--and who is not"(151). The problem here though is that while it may help the intended audience differentiate between the good and the bad side, it still suggests that those who do not identify with their birth gender are the bad people. We see in our lives today how relevant this argument is to raising children, and even in North Carolina where House Bill #2 discriminates against transgendered people. I personally think that Disney should do something to combat this issue because it is not okay to send implicit messages about something this important to our young children. Overall, Putnam does a good job of supporting her claim. While she does make some hasty generalizations about all of the Disney movies, she does well supporting her claim within the context of her movie selections.
Weekly Beauty and the Beast
Simply cannot go a week without referencing Beauty and the Beast so here is some humor for you:
The New Dole Disney
Dole, the produce company, has recently decided to partner with Disney for branding purposes. Click this link to learn more. Can you imagine the Disney princesses or Yoda telling you to eat your fruits and veggies? We will see!
Friday, October 14, 2016
Aladdin Live Blog
Observations and commentary of aspects of Aladdin:
As Giroux pointed out in the first piece of his that we read, there is a huge distinction between the good and the bad characters in the movie. Aladdin and Jasmine have very white features and do not have Middle Eastern accents, whereas Jafar and the other people in the town out to get Aladdin are shown with very thick accents and features that tend to line up more with Middle Easterners. In regards to what this means about race, this movie suggests that being of a different race compared to much of the audience is bad and creates evil.
I also think that the movie portrays the people of the town of desperate in how they sell their goods. The way they show the merchants marketing their products and being so angry about thieves suggests that the town is poor and dependent on this small economy. This could be accurate, however I do not know enough about the Middle East to comment on whether or not it accurately depicts the culture there. However, I do think that there are some generalizations made in the movie, such as how people throughout the town are shown doing acupuncture, hot stone therapy, and fire swallowing. To suggest that so many people in the Middle East follow these type of healing strategies is a stretch and is probably not too accurate to the true culture. There is also Arabian music throughout the background of the movie and I feel that the creators could have been a little more creative here.
When Jafar is first introduced we see him with a beard and a shadow over his face--a common way of introducing a villain. The lion type figure also has glowing eyes, and unique eyes suggest evil as well. Later we see how Jafar's face is often darker than his body, giving the illusion of makeup, which suggests another transgendered villain like Governor Radcliffe.
Jasmine is being forced into a marriage like Pocahontas, however Jasmine's problem is she does not feel like she is a prize to be won. When Jasmine runs out into the town and gets caught stealing because she does not understand what money is, she follows Aladdin's lead by mimicking someone with a mental illness. I am not sure if anyone has noticed this before, but I think it would be interesting to see how or if other Disney movies integrate mental illness, because in Aladdin, they simply mock it.
I have watched this movie several times and every time I watch it I always lose interest right before they meet the genie. However, this time I tried to stay focused, and noticed that the genie is very similar to the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. Both are heavier and blue, and both make wishes come true to help the main characters. I liked making this connection and am curious to see if it applies in other movies as well.
Overall, I do not have strong feelings for or against this movie because I think it is sort of bleh. It does not suggest good things about race but it also is not the worst of them all (*cough cough* Cinderella).
As Giroux pointed out in the first piece of his that we read, there is a huge distinction between the good and the bad characters in the movie. Aladdin and Jasmine have very white features and do not have Middle Eastern accents, whereas Jafar and the other people in the town out to get Aladdin are shown with very thick accents and features that tend to line up more with Middle Easterners. In regards to what this means about race, this movie suggests that being of a different race compared to much of the audience is bad and creates evil.
I also think that the movie portrays the people of the town of desperate in how they sell their goods. The way they show the merchants marketing their products and being so angry about thieves suggests that the town is poor and dependent on this small economy. This could be accurate, however I do not know enough about the Middle East to comment on whether or not it accurately depicts the culture there. However, I do think that there are some generalizations made in the movie, such as how people throughout the town are shown doing acupuncture, hot stone therapy, and fire swallowing. To suggest that so many people in the Middle East follow these type of healing strategies is a stretch and is probably not too accurate to the true culture. There is also Arabian music throughout the background of the movie and I feel that the creators could have been a little more creative here.
When Jafar is first introduced we see him with a beard and a shadow over his face--a common way of introducing a villain. The lion type figure also has glowing eyes, and unique eyes suggest evil as well. Later we see how Jafar's face is often darker than his body, giving the illusion of makeup, which suggests another transgendered villain like Governor Radcliffe.
Jasmine is being forced into a marriage like Pocahontas, however Jasmine's problem is she does not feel like she is a prize to be won. When Jasmine runs out into the town and gets caught stealing because she does not understand what money is, she follows Aladdin's lead by mimicking someone with a mental illness. I am not sure if anyone has noticed this before, but I think it would be interesting to see how or if other Disney movies integrate mental illness, because in Aladdin, they simply mock it.
I have watched this movie several times and every time I watch it I always lose interest right before they meet the genie. However, this time I tried to stay focused, and noticed that the genie is very similar to the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. Both are heavier and blue, and both make wishes come true to help the main characters. I liked making this connection and am curious to see if it applies in other movies as well.
Overall, I do not have strong feelings for or against this movie because I think it is sort of bleh. It does not suggest good things about race but it also is not the worst of them all (*cough cough* Cinderella).
Pocahontas Live Blog
Some observations and commentary as I watched Pocahontas:
It is shocking how the characters in the movie address the Native Americans in such harsh ways. John Smith says, "Can't let you guys have all the fun" when talking about fighting the Indians. The natives are also called "filthy heathens" and "savages" to describe uncivilized people. One man says "if any Indian tries to stop me, I'll blast em." How is this in a children's movie? That honestly shocks me. Not only does it have extreme racial undertones but it is extremely violent and does not seem like a typical Disney happy themed movie.
Governor Radcliffe is shown with a mustache, bows in his hair, a purple hat, purple outfit, and dog in hand. All of these characteristics demonstrate the transgendered villain that Putnam displays in her piece that we read for class. His vice is his greed. He also is always in charge but never actually does the hard work himself until the end, where he ends up messing everything up anyway by shooting John. He is not capable of fulfilling these "manly" qualities. As said in the movie, "A man is not a man unless he learns to shoot."
Pocahontas is originally displayed up high on a rock with her hair flowing, flowers around her, and every camera angle imaginable. She is also able to gracefully dive off a huge cliff and white water raft and be alive and perfect, which is an amazing feat. C'mon Disney, can we be a bit more realistic here? Pocahontas is similar to most of the other Disney princesses in regards to her animal friends that help her along the way. She also has a mentor who is actually a tree. I do not like what this suggests about Native American beliefs and I think they could have done a better job portraying Native American beliefs.
Pocahontas is encouraged to marry within her tribe by her father who explains that her suitor would "make a great husband. He is loyal and strong and will build you a good house. You will be safe from harm." While this suggests that women need a man to be strong and protect them, I will cut it some slack considering this movie was made in 1995 before people actually understood sexism and feminism.
I will praise Pocahontas for the song "Colors of the Wind." I think it is the one thing in the movie that is nice because it encourages people to open their minds and look for adventure.
Overall, the end of the movie is respectable because of the mixing of the two races and the newfound understanding of each culture. However, this is not to say that the racist comments and assuming beliefs from the culture go unnoticed and should not be analyzed. Pocahontas was created as a Disney princess for diversity but never made into an actual princess in the movie. Using a diverse character to avoid backlash for the Disney name is not something that should be praised.
It is shocking how the characters in the movie address the Native Americans in such harsh ways. John Smith says, "Can't let you guys have all the fun" when talking about fighting the Indians. The natives are also called "filthy heathens" and "savages" to describe uncivilized people. One man says "if any Indian tries to stop me, I'll blast em." How is this in a children's movie? That honestly shocks me. Not only does it have extreme racial undertones but it is extremely violent and does not seem like a typical Disney happy themed movie.
Governor Radcliffe is shown with a mustache, bows in his hair, a purple hat, purple outfit, and dog in hand. All of these characteristics demonstrate the transgendered villain that Putnam displays in her piece that we read for class. His vice is his greed. He also is always in charge but never actually does the hard work himself until the end, where he ends up messing everything up anyway by shooting John. He is not capable of fulfilling these "manly" qualities. As said in the movie, "A man is not a man unless he learns to shoot."
Pocahontas is originally displayed up high on a rock with her hair flowing, flowers around her, and every camera angle imaginable. She is also able to gracefully dive off a huge cliff and white water raft and be alive and perfect, which is an amazing feat. C'mon Disney, can we be a bit more realistic here? Pocahontas is similar to most of the other Disney princesses in regards to her animal friends that help her along the way. She also has a mentor who is actually a tree. I do not like what this suggests about Native American beliefs and I think they could have done a better job portraying Native American beliefs.
Pocahontas is encouraged to marry within her tribe by her father who explains that her suitor would "make a great husband. He is loyal and strong and will build you a good house. You will be safe from harm." While this suggests that women need a man to be strong and protect them, I will cut it some slack considering this movie was made in 1995 before people actually understood sexism and feminism.
I will praise Pocahontas for the song "Colors of the Wind." I think it is the one thing in the movie that is nice because it encourages people to open their minds and look for adventure.
Overall, the end of the movie is respectable because of the mixing of the two races and the newfound understanding of each culture. However, this is not to say that the racist comments and assuming beliefs from the culture go unnoticed and should not be analyzed. Pocahontas was created as a Disney princess for diversity but never made into an actual princess in the movie. Using a diverse character to avoid backlash for the Disney name is not something that should be praised.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
New Film Reviews Coming Soon...
Expect to see my take on Pocahontas's perfect life and Jasmine and Aladdin's complex relationship.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Belle Sightings!
To continue with my theme (and obsession) of Emma Watson as Belle, I'd like to update you on the progress of the movie. Just released were the first pictures of Belle in the new adaptation of the movie and they are stunning.
It is amazing how much Watson resembles Belle's character in the animation and I cannot wait to see this! More updates to come!
It is amazing how much Watson resembles Belle's character in the animation and I cannot wait to see this! More updates to come!
Reflective Post: Race Representation in Disney Movies
After reading a piece by Giroux, we discussed in class about some of the racial problems in Disney movies. Giroux mentions how the evil characters in Aladdin all have features of someone from the Middle East, yet Aladdin and Jasmine have more caucasian features, such as lighter skin, suggesting that evil comes in the form of being different or foreign. Giroux also describes a lyric in a song in Aladdin that originally stated: "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face. It's barbaric, but hey, it's home," but was changed to "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense" after extreme backlash. These cultural and racial problems also exist in The Lion King, where the sneaky hyenas are given inner city ghetto sounding voices to further portray them as bad. Also, Pocahontas has dealt with some criticism of how accurately the Powhatan culture was portrayed. See this link for more details. Another example that I never really thought about until reading it here was the cultural implications behind the Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp. The cats are known for causing chaos and in their song they sing with broken English and a Chinese accent, along with the slanted eyes that the animators gave them. The idea of having the villains be different than the heroes makes sense because they want children to be able to recognize which side is which. However, the characters should be made different through size or hair color rather than racial features because suggesting that evil is rooted in cultural ideas other than our own is teaching children to not accept others whom are different.
Take a look at this timeline of Disney princess movies, keeping in mind that it leaves out Tangled, Brave, and Frozen.
One thing to notice here are who these princesses are and why they are considered princesses. Some of them marry princes, some of them were set to become the princess. Pocahontas, however, is considered a Disney princess but never actually becomes a princess. They do not even have princesses in the movie, nor does she marry a prince. The same goes for Mulan, who is named a Disney princess, yet does not get married (at least in the first movie) at all, nor does she come into any sort of power. My guess is that Disney realized that all of their past princess were caucasian, and anticipated some sort of controversy if they did not create princesses of other cultural background. I can tell this because neither of these characters fit the mold of a princess, yet they are lumped in to create diversity. Don't get me wrong, there does need to be diversity in our group of princesses, however I think the characters should fit the mold more than the do. It's interesting how readily Disney hands them the princess title yet still is trying to figure out what to do about Anna and Elsa from Frozen. You'd think they would expand the group accordingly.
Princess Tiana is notably the first African American inducted into the elite princess squad. As shown in this article however, Disney was criticized for this move as well. While I do think it took a surprisingly long time to have a black protagonist in a Disney movie (and you could argue that Barack Obama becoming president is what signaled to Disney that the middle class was okay with this transition), some of the criticism Disney has to deal with is unbelievable. Apparently, not having Tiana fall in love with a black man is racist. This is where I draw the line on the Disney criticism. It is easy to constantly find errors in Disney's judgment, but couldn't you just as readily argue that Tiana and her prince represent a strong interracial marriage? There are some arguments that are simply taken too far and I think it is important to stay somewhat objective when analyzing the race relations in these movies.
Lastly, I would like to comment on this new phenomenon of artists changing the princesses races. Here we see an example titled: "If Disney Princesses Were Different Races."
While I think the intention is to show how beauty is not only in the form of Caucasian characters, I do not see how changing their skin colors and adding a few details can all of the sudden change a race. With race comes culture, and I think by changing these characters, artists are simplifying the meaning of race and taking away from its deep complexity.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
The Little Mermaid Live Blog
A little background on my memory of The Little Mermaid: I do not remember anything. It has been so long since I have seen this movie and I do not remember the plot at all. I am excited to watch it with a set of objective eyes and see what I notice.
This movie is so dated. 1989 to be exact. The graphics here at the beginning are like someone drew into a picture book and flipped the pages. Wow. It is amazing to see how far technology has advanced if you think about all of the new movies like Frozen and Brave.
The movie opens with a song and the opening credits roll with Ariel's "Part of that World" in the background, a little foreshadowing of the saddest song in the movie. I feel so bad for this girl! She just wants to go on land!
When the sisters are singing and dancing at the beginning it is hard not to notice how feminine they are. They all wear girly colors and dance around singing with high pitch voices. This is a huge contrast with how Ursula is introduced. Ursula is first shown as just a pair of eyes, a common way to show villains in Disney movies and cartoons. She takes on very confusing masculine and feminine traits. For example, she is overweight, large, and has a manly voice, yet she is very sexualized and wears a lot of makeup. I think this makes sense because powerful men are seen as manly and big and powerful women are seen as beautiful, put together, and sometimes sexual. She possesses both genders' powerful traits making her a terrifying villain.
Flounder is a great character. He is portrayed as a naive, young little guppy, but ends up being a helpful, loyal friend.
King Triton starts as a strict, protective father, but his sensitivity gets in the way at the end when he converts his daughter's tail to legs in the name of love. This would be another example to add on to my post about parents in Disney movies, as the father is the sensitive one in this movie.
When Ariel first sings "Part of that World" she sings, "bright young women, sick of swimming," suggesting that she knows her worth, yet when she falls in love with Prince Eric, she completely turns into a typical crushing girl with nothing else on her mind besides a boy. The stereotype bothers me because she was okay without him before, but when he comes into her life she all of the sudden needs him. A lot of Disney movies unfortunately suggest that women need a man, and I do not like this mentality.
One really thought out moment in this movie is how all of the creatures are dancing in "Under the Sea," yet Ariel originally said in her song that they could not dance without feet. This issue continues to bother me. Someone should have checked that.
Another evil figure in the movie is the eel. The eels have one white eye and one yellow eye, suggesting villainy. They do not play a huge role in the movie but they do intervene to stop the kiss between Ariel and Prince Eric once.
When Ariel is making her deal with Ursula, it hurts me that she chooses a boy over her family. I do not think that is a good example to set for children. In Ursula's song, Ursula says, "She who holds her tongue gets the man." That is an unacceptable line in a children's movie. These movies should be teaching children to stand up for themselves and ask for what they want, yet instead this movie suggests that going with the flow is the better way to go.
When Ursula is at her highest peak of villainy (when she gets the trident), she grows very large, her voice gets deeper, and her eyes turn red. These are more extreme examples of her already extreme characteristics.
Ultimately, the dad saves the day and his sensitivity leads him to give Ariel her legs back. I like that the father was the hero instead of Prince Eric. With the deal with Ursula we expect Prince Eric's true love kiss to break the spell and give her legs but instead her family came to the rescue. While there were problems in the movie, Here we see the idea developing in Disney of an outsider solving the problem rather than the boy saving the day, which is a popular theme in Frozen that is often discussed.
Cinderella Live Blog
When I was only four years old, I insisted on watching Cinderella every single day for about a year straight. My father, who stayed home with me at the time, gladly rented the movie from Blockbuster every day to keep me happy. I am excited to revisit such a crucial film from my childhood and try to figure out why I was so obsessed with it.
So far, I like how the story is set up as a book with drawings. Even now that draws me in, and it shows how the movie is based off of an original fairy tale.
When the stepsisters and stepmother are first shown, both of the stepsisters' eyes are looking down and they have very large noses. The eye similarities between villains really interest me, and I noticed that the stepmother and the cat both have green eyes big eyes. Also, the stepmother at the beginning fades into just eyes as she fades into the darkness.
Cinderella is shown singing to animals and always communicating with animals. This is very weird. I understand the appeal of the talking animal idea, but Cinderella rarely communicates with humans and it is quite sad. This further shows how disconnected she is from the human world. It is also bizarre how much Cinderella's voice sounds like a grown woman. She does not sound like a teenager or even a young woman when she talks. This confuses me because you'd think they would want to portray Cinderella as innocent and pure to evoke empathy for this poor girl trapped in her home, yet they give her a more mature voice. I would be interested in discussing this further.
The stepsisters are seen trying to be good singers, great musicians, and beautiful people, yet Cinderella already possesses these qualities. I do not like this aspect of the movie because it makes it seem like Cinderella gets the guy because she is perfect in life. The stepsisters, while they are awful people, are probably good at other things yet their mother wants them to fit the perfect mold of a woman. This bothers me a lot because the ideal is so unrealistic. However, Disney is changing with these ideas so I can appreciate that.
I'm about halfway through the movie and I have come to the conclusion that this movie is terrible. First of all, the cat and mouse antics are so boring and are impossible to pay attention to because there are no words. I'm not even convinced that these scenes need to be in the movie! The storyline is also pathetic. Cinderella and her prince fall in love in 0.2 seconds and no one seems to question that this is supposed to represent true love. Every little girl wants their Prince Charming, but why? They don't even know each other! There is so much unnecessary rhyming in the movie as well. I am already sick of Disney movies where these girls need a man to save her from her situation. The Little Mermaid was the exact same way because she needed Prince Eric to have a reason to be on land.
All in all, I have no idea why I liked this movie so much. It would be interesting to ask a child what they love about this movie and see what they say. In my opinion, the movie fails to hold any of my attention and the love between the prince and Cinderella is as fragile as the glass slipper. I prefer the Hillary Duff or Selena Gomez versions any day.
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