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After Tangled, Disney Animation is closing the book on fairy tales.
Dear Failbots currently heading up Disney,
If you don’t feel that princesses draw enough of a crowd because kids are more interested in Transformers and Iron Man, then here’s a thought. Instead of closing the book on princess movies, write the damn princess who is a kickass heroine who has depth and is compelling, give her an interesting plot and surround her with other memorable characters. Tiana was awesome but her sidekicks weren't memorable at all, and we totally noticed you recycling the crocodile animation from Peter Pan. Don't even front. (Better song selection would be nice too.)
If the times are changing, then change with the times and update your princesses and give them stories that are just as awesome as the ones you give the boys. Don’t abandon them. Write better stories.
Also, I find the idea that the correct response to little girls wanting to be hot at the age of 5 or 6 is to encourage that instead of giving them alternatives to be very disturbing. If that is what society values right now, then don't take away alternative narratives. IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. Don't take away the possibility of little girls finding their own Mulan, Jasmine, Belle, Tiana or [insert favorite Disney princess here].
BOYS ALREADY GET EVERYTHING. LET US HAVE THIS.
No love,
the management
Dear Failbots currently heading up Disney,
If you don’t feel that princesses draw enough of a crowd because kids are more interested in Transformers and Iron Man, then here’s a thought. Instead of closing the book on princess movies, write the damn princess who is a kickass heroine who has depth and is compelling, give her an interesting plot and surround her with other memorable characters. Tiana was awesome but her sidekicks weren't memorable at all, and we totally noticed you recycling the crocodile animation from Peter Pan. Don't even front. (Better song selection would be nice too.)
If the times are changing, then change with the times and update your princesses and give them stories that are just as awesome as the ones you give the boys. Don’t abandon them. Write better stories.
Also, I find the idea that the correct response to little girls wanting to be hot at the age of 5 or 6 is to encourage that instead of giving them alternatives to be very disturbing. If that is what society values right now, then don't take away alternative narratives. IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. Don't take away the possibility of little girls finding their own Mulan, Jasmine, Belle, Tiana or [insert favorite Disney princess here].
BOYS ALREADY GET EVERYTHING. LET US HAVE THIS.
No love,
the management
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But you know what? I can't blame only boys. Woman are absolutely participating in this shit, too. Not all of us (clearly), but every little girl who dresses up like a whore and every mom who lets her contributes to the problem. Ugh. The entire thing just pisses off my already pissed off shit. Meh.
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My generation had it awesome. We had Goonies, Neverending Story, Sandlot, Little Giants, the Big Green, Little Rascals, Matilda, Now and Then, Casper, Flight of the Navigator, Huck and Finn, and all these amazing live action just for kids movies to go along with the annual Disney Princess Movie.
This generation has Harry Potter, Twilight, Transformers, and the Marvel Comic book movies. I'm not saying that these are exclusively boys or that they aren't good movies. But they aren't kid movies. As far as just-for-kid movies are concerned they have Pixar and Dreamworks and that's it. And Dreamworks is terrible at keeping things for kids, How to Train Your Dragon being the exception. Pixar's great and all, but it'd be nice to have alternatives to choose from.
This fucking sucks.
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And yeah, some of the Pixar movies deal with adult themes, but I guess the difference is that they do it in a caring fashion that still breaks things down for kids. It's sort of like Big Bird learning about what death means because of Mr. Hooper, you know? It doesn't talk down to kids, which I can appreciate.
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I read the story a lot? In the book?
I really need to see that movie.
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Basic plot line is that girl dresses up as a boy to fight in the Chinese army when her aging father gets drafted. (Mulan is one of the cooler figures in Chinese Mythology). Watch the movie. It is AMAZING.
Also, Shang is HOT.
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It's scary enough that Disney has the rights to John Carter of Mars I am very, very afraid that the Martian Princess is about to undergo some radical de-botifacation to make her family friendly.
If the term "rebel princess" seems familiar, it's because George Lucas totally based Princess Leia on her.
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I'm not saying that what Disney offers is for everyone. What I am saying is that there are so few kids movies out there, and even fewer catered SPECIFICALLY to little girls and offering them role models, however simplistic they may be.
Also Disney has exposed kids to fairy tales and mythologies from different countries all packaged under the framework of princesses. Think about it: Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Beauty & the Beast, Hercules, Little Mermaid, Princess and the Frog, Aladdin. Yes it's flawed, and no they don't get everything right, but the power of simply having multiple narratives in the mainstream cannot be overestimated. Diversity of the stories we see/read at a young age is what keeps people from being ignorant from their own boxes.
Eliminating princess movies is not the answer. Writing them better is.
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Word. If you had seen the staggering number of little girls dressed as princesses for Halloween, just . . . wow. The demand is not going to go away. Little girls are just going to go to Hanna Montana or whatever half-dressed flavor of the month is cool with the tween set. ARGH.
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Oh, goodness please no. This prospect just...makes me a whole lot of upset for too many reasons to even start going into, and I don't wanna get all worked up right now.
Suffice it to say, if I have daughters, I'll hope that they're tomboys. Or at least self-secure and down-to-earth enough to NOT gobble up the latest pop-culture icons.
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Well thanks. But it's entirely scary. Really. Not that boys aren't scary. Ack. Parenting is so scary. Yet also? THE BEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE!!!
So there's that.
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Now go look up and watch that video. I guarantee you'll be humming it all night.
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/cynicism
To be honest though, you're real with your kids. You teach them how to CARE about people, and how to live their lives accordingly. Wisely and compassionately. I think those are the things that really matter the most.
(P.S. but can I real quick just tell you how PRECIOUS it was watching Karate Kid with A (my little cousin) today when afterward she got up and proceeded to show off her imaginary awesome martial arts skills? ♥ Idk how now but I felt like that related to this topic. Somehow.)
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Also, Karate Kid is now mentioned in this post. This is officially my favorite post of November. Probably because it's also the only post.
Wow I fail.
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Hee. :)
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"Mom didn't play with Barbies."
And thank you. Goodness, I try. That I can say. Oy.
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I mean, I think there have been some awesome Disney princesses. Honestly, Disney movies have a lot more to offer than Iron Man or Transformers. Kids are exposed to a lot of things we weren't at a really early age. Y'know, most of the movies you mention as being for kids were really geared toward boys. I think that it's also the movie going audience in general and the amount of people who are going toward DVD/TV instead of going to the movies.
Boys do get everything. I mean, Disney princesses are one of the only things that are not made for male consumption (although they can totally watch - gender equality FTW). However, I do think that Disney in general is focusing more on tv/interactive entertainment than traditional film.
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And yes, things are totally geared towards boys, and young adults actually, I think.
I hate the abandonment of 2D animation. I think of Avatar the Last Airbender, of all the Studio Ghibli stuff, and I wonder how anyone can think that 2D traditional animation can be boring and/or not as effective as 3D animation.
Also, hi. Long time no chat. I've been ridiculously MIA so most of that is me, but it's good to hear from you.
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Part of the reason why Princess and the Frog didn't do well is because of the insane racism in this country and the anti-movie campaign before the film even came out. Just so awful.
OMG ME TOO. I mean 2D animation has a life that...3D doesn't have. 2D isn't trying to look real, which makes it feel more real, if that makes any sense.
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That and I also think that the storyline itself wasn't as strong as it could be. The sidekicks weren't very memorable (aside from Tiana, Charlotte was the only one I really *liked*), Naveen was totally a himbo, and the villain was creepy but not really engaged with Tiana herself until the end. Also, I wanted better/more songs I could sing along to. The movie gets props for keeping one of her parents alive though. Yay? LOL. Tiana is actually one of my favorites of the Disney princesses, but not the best Disney movie.
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If you've never gone I love videogum.com
Dude, I thought the villain and the shadows were WAY creepy. He didn't really engage with either of the characters but his vision to Tiana was just cruel. Naveen was a himbo but he also needed a good woman to teach him to suck less. I got wibbly when Ray died and then the star and... Yeah I know, I'm easy.
I liked how it embraced jazz, but yeah, the music wasn't so memorable.
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*is cynical*
I'm sorry the world is so wrapped up in profits that not even fairytale princesses can escape the ramifications. :\
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Sigh. I know. Sucks.
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Oh, and I've been meaning to tell you for about three years (I exaggerate) that the gifs you CREATE are THE BEST. Like, those gif icons you made for leigh57? Priceless. (They suck up my time like whoa. Sometimes I stare at them for like 5 minutes before I realize it.)
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Gif making is one of things I love doing because all it takes is the right video. Gif icons are tricky cuz of the size restriction, but that just adds to the challenge. ;)
Also, this post now has Friends, Mulan's "I'll Make a Man Out of You" and a short analysis on Princess and the Frog. Clearly this is a quality post.