Sunday, December 8, 2013
This semester
This class was not like I expected. But different, as I've learned a lot recently, does not (and in fact mostly never) means bad. I've actually really enjoyed this class for multiple reasons. I learned so many things about not only Disney, but on critics and society. It seems to me that critics like to over-analyze every single detail. But often, that is part of the art of English and Literature. Re-watching and discussing popular Disney films brought up so many different thoughts that I never would have thought of before. Pre-Decoding Disney, I never would have thought of how many problems the setting of The Princess and the Frog could cause. It just simply never crossed my mind that these movies aren't only watched by Disney kids. Adults grew up with Disney as well and they have just as much love for it as the five year olds watching it today. I can see that feelings change about movies as time goes on. Some movies that were favorites aren't, and some that weren't liked, are now loved. But, we must acknowledge that Disney is a growing art and it will continue to grow with the generations to come. They will love Disney just as we have and probably for many different reasons. But Disney is still Disney.
Friday, December 6, 2013
The voice behind it all
http://celebs.answers.com/tv/7-cartoon-characters-that-you-may-not-know-were-voiced-by-celebrities?param4=fb-us-mo-gut#slide6
Who knew?! Just something I found interesting. I never knew any of the voices of most of these characters.. it's kind of surprising!
Who knew?! Just something I found interesting. I never knew any of the voices of most of these characters.. it's kind of surprising!
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
You can do it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvSPgKr4spU
Tis the season y'allll.. Just a little inspiration to get you through finals.
Plus...It's almost Christmas Break and it's killing me not being able to watch 25 Days of Christmas!!!
Tis the season y'allll.. Just a little inspiration to get you through finals.
Plus...It's almost Christmas Break and it's killing me not being able to watch 25 Days of Christmas!!!
Masks of Mickey
Going back and reading "Masks of Mickey" got me thinking.. why is Mickey the 'cover' of Disney? Although we focus on the princesses a lot, in my personal experiences whenever I think of Disney, I think Mickey and Minnie. People aren't as "crazed" now as they were before because these characters aren't new anymore. Still, they are the real stars behind it all.
But why hasn't Disney done anything to change these stars? In Brockways article, he talks about how Mickey started as a real mouse and transformed, and even matured in animated personality, over the years until he found success. In a way, he grew as the generation did. But, why hasn't there been a "renovation" Mickey and.. will there ever be? Will there be another "mask" of Mickey? It's something to think about. As the generations continue, Mickey gets lost in the past. Unlike Brockway says, he is subtlety still here in shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "I'm waiting on that breakthrough moment when Mickey shines again. As I said already, he is the true star. And like Brockway puts it, "Future generations will encounter him again." (33)
But why hasn't Disney done anything to change these stars? In Brockways article, he talks about how Mickey started as a real mouse and transformed, and even matured in animated personality, over the years until he found success. In a way, he grew as the generation did. But, why hasn't there been a "renovation" Mickey and.. will there ever be? Will there be another "mask" of Mickey? It's something to think about. As the generations continue, Mickey gets lost in the past. Unlike Brockway says, he is subtlety still here in shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "I'm waiting on that breakthrough moment when Mickey shines again. As I said already, he is the true star. And like Brockway puts it, "Future generations will encounter him again." (33)
Sunday, December 1, 2013
The Notebook by Disney
Disney's Transformation of the Little Mermaid
I found Regina Bendix's article very interesting as it provided a lot of comparison between Anderson and Disney's version of The Little Mermaid. Perhaps what was most interesting was not all of the differences that I already noticed after reading the tale, but all of the differences that I had not noticed. This article was informative at showing how each tale was extremely different from one another even though they both had the same plot. What confused me about this article was, where is Bendix's argument? Is this supposed to be an informative article?
Either way, I found it interesting how Bendix focused on the perception of sexuality in each of the tales. I did not notice that in Disney's version, there are barely any female characters compared to Anderson's tale. Also, I found it shocking how Anderson's tale had a symbolic reference to the loss of virginity. However, I can see why Disney neglected this in their version. As the article notes, Disney still keep a bit of sexuality in the movie by the way they dress Ariel. Her seashell mermaid bra is anything but prudish.
Overall, I can see why Disney had to change a lot about Anderson's tale before showing it to the public. There would be far more controversy and the "happy ending" that Disney is known for wouldn't be apparent. Honestly, I think Andersons tale is way too harsh and "peerlessly mythic" for an audience of such a young age (281).
Either way, I found it interesting how Bendix focused on the perception of sexuality in each of the tales. I did not notice that in Disney's version, there are barely any female characters compared to Anderson's tale. Also, I found it shocking how Anderson's tale had a symbolic reference to the loss of virginity. However, I can see why Disney neglected this in their version. As the article notes, Disney still keep a bit of sexuality in the movie by the way they dress Ariel. Her seashell mermaid bra is anything but prudish.
Overall, I can see why Disney had to change a lot about Anderson's tale before showing it to the public. There would be far more controversy and the "happy ending" that Disney is known for wouldn't be apparent. Honestly, I think Andersons tale is way too harsh and "peerlessly mythic" for an audience of such a young age (281).
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Princess and the Frog
In Gehlawat's article The Strange Case of the Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race, I found a lot of over-analyzed information. I truly think the author thought too much into The Princess and the Frog. The movie is the start of change. It shows a slow transition for Disney. This article says that by making the main characters into frogs, it avoids the racial issues. In my opinion, it's even better that Tiana And Neveen are frogs
majority of the movie because it shows that race doesn't matter. Like we talked about in class, you can still tell the background of a character just by the way they are portrayed (even if they are an animal, a car, or anything else other than a human). If the movie would have shown Tiana as a black sassy character the entire time, someone would have had a problem with it being a racist movie. I think Disney did a lot of research and succeeded in both covering the issue while making sure it wasn't over-dramatic.
This article starts off over-analyzed in the very beginning. It talks about how the setting isn't properly portrayed and how the time period was before World War I where there were segregation laws on trains that were passed. Honestly, this information is useless. This is a Disney movie aimed at children. No child has any idea about any of this. Therefore, it does not matter and these parts are not fully relevant. No child will watch the movie and say this is racist because they are sitting in the back of the train! The movie did a wonderful job showing that race is not an issue (especially by showing Charlotte and Tiana as friends their entire lives). It also teaches a lot of other morals besides race which is why I think it will (and should) be considered a classic.
This article starts off over-analyzed in the very beginning. It talks about how the setting isn't properly portrayed and how the time period was before World War I where there were segregation laws on trains that were passed. Honestly, this information is useless. This is a Disney movie aimed at children. No child has any idea about any of this. Therefore, it does not matter and these parts are not fully relevant. No child will watch the movie and say this is racist because they are sitting in the back of the train! The movie did a wonderful job showing that race is not an issue (especially by showing Charlotte and Tiana as friends their entire lives). It also teaches a lot of other morals besides race which is why I think it will (and should) be considered a classic.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World..
After watching The Princess and the Frog for the first time, I was shocked by how different it was from every other Disney princess movie. At first, it may have been due to the race difference. However after reading this last article I realized it wasn't the race that made it so different. It's the way that this movie captures the American Dream perfectly. It truly is the Horatio Alger story, as the article touches on.
It's kind of shocking to think about how much this movie actually doesn't focus on race. Sure there are parts and one or two comments that could focus on racism, but for the most part it deals with our blindness to racism. I loved the way Sarah Turner used this term in the article. She specifically mentions how Disney confronted multiple people before making final decisions for the movie from the name to the job of the main character, showing that they didn't want to step on anyone's toes unlike in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I also noticed how most of this movie the characters aren't even in human form. They are frogs for majority of the film (around 50 minutes as the article says) which also shows how we are all equal. Anyone can live the American Dream.. anyone!
While the article starts to compare this movie to other princess films, I realized that this movie has a beginning just like The Cinderella Story (a Warner Brothers film). Both movies start with a story told by their parents about working hard and going on in life but not forgetting about the most important things. This yet again shows another example of how The Princess and the Frog is a universal and colorblind movie.
Overall I really enjoyed this article and agreed with most of the points argued. I got lost when Turner brings up the lack of historical information, but other than that it was extremely interesting and supports the success of this Disney film.
It's kind of shocking to think about how much this movie actually doesn't focus on race. Sure there are parts and one or two comments that could focus on racism, but for the most part it deals with our blindness to racism. I loved the way Sarah Turner used this term in the article. She specifically mentions how Disney confronted multiple people before making final decisions for the movie from the name to the job of the main character, showing that they didn't want to step on anyone's toes unlike in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I also noticed how most of this movie the characters aren't even in human form. They are frogs for majority of the film (around 50 minutes as the article says) which also shows how we are all equal. Anyone can live the American Dream.. anyone!
While the article starts to compare this movie to other princess films, I realized that this movie has a beginning just like The Cinderella Story (a Warner Brothers film). Both movies start with a story told by their parents about working hard and going on in life but not forgetting about the most important things. This yet again shows another example of how The Princess and the Frog is a universal and colorblind movie.
Overall I really enjoyed this article and agreed with most of the points argued. I got lost when Turner brings up the lack of historical information, but other than that it was extremely interesting and supports the success of this Disney film.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Saving Other Women from Other Men
Our last article by Erin Addison was very interesting. It brought up a lot of points in Aladdin that I never noticed before. Overall, I enjoyed the article because it made me realize how influential American culture is..even across the world. It made me realize how just like success, "freedom" is defined very differently to everyone, not just for Aladdin and Jasmine.
There were two parts of the article I found most interesting. I questioned where Addison says Jasmine “is too ‘assertive’ for Arab men, who are confused or annoyed by her.” Where in the movie is there support for this? It seems that Jasmine is the one who is picky and having problems with the men, not the other way around. After all, she is the princess and I’m sure any man would deal with her assertiveness if it gave them power. Lastly, I found it interesting where Addison says “it is her beauty—not her brains—which propels the love affair.” How is this true? Jasmine does a few smart things, such as hop over the wall, which impresses Aladdin. Just because she didn’t notice Aladdin disguised as a prince doesn’t mean she is dumb. She never had a chance to meet people so how is she supposed to know he is a street boy? I disagree with this statement because I don’t think it is her mere beauty that captures Aladdin’s attention.
"Whereas romance is a means to other ends for Aladdin, for Jasmine 'freedom' is romance."
There were two parts of the article I found most interesting. I questioned where Addison says Jasmine “is too ‘assertive’ for Arab men, who are confused or annoyed by her.” Where in the movie is there support for this? It seems that Jasmine is the one who is picky and having problems with the men, not the other way around. After all, she is the princess and I’m sure any man would deal with her assertiveness if it gave them power. Lastly, I found it interesting where Addison says “it is her beauty—not her brains—which propels the love affair.” How is this true? Jasmine does a few smart things, such as hop over the wall, which impresses Aladdin. Just because she didn’t notice Aladdin disguised as a prince doesn’t mean she is dumb. She never had a chance to meet people so how is she supposed to know he is a street boy? I disagree with this statement because I don’t think it is her mere beauty that captures Aladdin’s attention.
"Whereas romance is a means to other ends for Aladdin, for Jasmine 'freedom' is romance."
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Alice in Wonderland art
Scrolling through Instagram, I came across this. Seeing as I wrote my last paper on Alice in Wonderland I thought it was pretty incredible. Art is no longer on paper now a days! Take a look..
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The "New" Man
I really enjoyed reading out current article, "Post-Princess Models of Gender: The New Man in Disney/Pixar." I especially enjoyed the main parts of the article proving the male characters to have more feminine aspects about them today than they have in the past. It made me think about the men in my life now as I compared them to the typical man back in the 20th century. I've come to the conclusion that this article (to me) is spot on. Men aren't the same as they were back then. They are still considered (somewhat) the "alpha" but much more vulnerable and dependent on women. If you think about it, they were always dependent in some ways. Before they mainly relied on women to do the cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the family whereas now they rely on women for more than that.
Looking at figures such as my father, brother, and even my boyfriend, I can see exactly what Gillam is talking about. However, I don't see it as much in my father as in the latter two. This shows the transformation of men and their behaviors that Gillam is talking about. My brother is a sweetheart and would do anything for his family. He gets hurt and let down and although he tries not to show it, you can see the parts of him that are hurt unlike my father who is especially good at having the same emotion no matter what. Also, I can see it in my boyfriend. Some things he shares with me that bother him really shock me because it always seemed like some things only bothered girls and guys could care less. I am starting to see this isn't always true. On the other hand, you can never hurt my father's feelings. Maybe he just has a good personality and mindset about things like that. Or maybe, it is because he is from a different generation. The men today definitely show more "feminine aspects" than the men of previous generations. So, it only makes sense that the male Disney characters transform with the generations they are born with.
Gillam's Article
Looking at figures such as my father, brother, and even my boyfriend, I can see exactly what Gillam is talking about. However, I don't see it as much in my father as in the latter two. This shows the transformation of men and their behaviors that Gillam is talking about. My brother is a sweetheart and would do anything for his family. He gets hurt and let down and although he tries not to show it, you can see the parts of him that are hurt unlike my father who is especially good at having the same emotion no matter what. Also, I can see it in my boyfriend. Some things he shares with me that bother him really shock me because it always seemed like some things only bothered girls and guys could care less. I am starting to see this isn't always true. On the other hand, you can never hurt my father's feelings. Maybe he just has a good personality and mindset about things like that. Or maybe, it is because he is from a different generation. The men today definitely show more "feminine aspects" than the men of previous generations. So, it only makes sense that the male Disney characters transform with the generations they are born with.
Gillam's Article
Disney Income
While reading one of our articles "In ages of Animated Others: The Orientalization of Disney's Cartoon Heroines From the Little Mermaid to The Hunchback Of Notre Dame," I noticed a footnote that caught my attention. It said that in 1994 the net income of Disney was estimated at $1.1 billion dollars.. $1.1 billion dollars! Just imagine what it would be today..
Searching the web, I came across this article from 2012. The profit alone for 2012 estimated to be $5.7 billion!
The article had a few other interesting points.
The article focuses on 2012 but tells us that 2013 will be a "transitional year". Also, it tells us how in 2015 Disney is hoping to transform into more of a Star Wars look. Can you imagine that? Here's a little "preview"...
Disney earnings
Searching the web, I came across this article from 2012. The profit alone for 2012 estimated to be $5.7 billion!
The article had a few other interesting points.
The article focuses on 2012 but tells us that 2013 will be a "transitional year". Also, it tells us how in 2015 Disney is hoping to transform into more of a Star Wars look. Can you imagine that? Here's a little "preview"...
Disney earnings
Saturday, September 28, 2013
The Disney Vault
After multiple conversations in class, I grew curious as to what the "Disney Vault" was. Although last class we talked about it, I wanted to know more. I recently read the article linked at the bottom of this post, and it made me wonder. The article talks about how the Vault is a "marketing promotion" used by Disney. It shocks me hearing that people paid up to $100 for movies they thought they would never have a chance to buy again. One hundred dollars is a lot of money today to spend on a movie, imagine what it was like thirty years ago. How much is a movie truly worth? Is there that much extra footage that we NEED to buy this movie that we probably already have or can buy online for $5? The Disney Vault has created a new image for Disney movies.
And although it may have been extremely successful in the past, what about today? The Vault is starting to stop being as effective as it was in the past. So, what does Disney have up their sleeve next? Will they be able to put another twist on marketing? And most importantly, will it work?
The Disney Vault
Monday, September 9, 2013
My most recent connection to Disney..
Senior year I was
able to experience a trip of a lifetime.. literally. I thought it was
typical for every high school student to experience a 'senior trip' to
Disney World. Coming to Duke, I have realized I was wrong. I've only
heard of a few similar stories. If you didn't get to experience one of
your own, I'll share with you a bit of mine...
It started with a 3am alarm on May 27th, 2013. I was to arrive at my school by 4 am to process/check baggage. It didn't matter if I was running on an hour of sleep.. I was going to Disney World with my entire graduating class! Exciting much?! I was as giddy as a child on the night before Christmas. Six hours later and I was finally in the happiest place in the world. No stops at the hotel. No time to change.
We had complete freedom (besides a curfew). Day to day we could go to the parks we wanted for as long as we wanted with hopper passes. It barely rained and it was, of course, magical. The trip even included a trip to Universal for the day (sorry this isn't all Disney). One of my fondest memories was a mile sprint back to the bus as my group of 9 almost missed the bus from Universal to dinner. Teachers were calling us and students were waiting on the bus, but we had just made it into the new Despicable Me ride. There was no way we were getting out of line after an hour wait. So, we took the risk and even after minutes of heavy breathing and a round of applause as we walked onto the bus, I wouldn't take it back for anything.
Nights were even more amazing. Whether all 300+ of us congregating in Disney All Star Sports Resort's pool or watching the spectacular fireworks/ nighttime show in Magic Kingdom, there wasn't a dull moment. I am now able to connect each park to a different memory and find a smile cross my face. I will NEVER forget the memories of this trip with people I've spent 18 years of my life knowing.
Here are a few pictures of the trip! When I get my class photo at the Resort downloaded, I'll be sure to upload that too!
It started with a 3am alarm on May 27th, 2013. I was to arrive at my school by 4 am to process/check baggage. It didn't matter if I was running on an hour of sleep.. I was going to Disney World with my entire graduating class! Exciting much?! I was as giddy as a child on the night before Christmas. Six hours later and I was finally in the happiest place in the world. No stops at the hotel. No time to change.
We had complete freedom (besides a curfew). Day to day we could go to the parks we wanted for as long as we wanted with hopper passes. It barely rained and it was, of course, magical. The trip even included a trip to Universal for the day (sorry this isn't all Disney). One of my fondest memories was a mile sprint back to the bus as my group of 9 almost missed the bus from Universal to dinner. Teachers were calling us and students were waiting on the bus, but we had just made it into the new Despicable Me ride. There was no way we were getting out of line after an hour wait. So, we took the risk and even after minutes of heavy breathing and a round of applause as we walked onto the bus, I wouldn't take it back for anything.
Nights were even more amazing. Whether all 300+ of us congregating in Disney All Star Sports Resort's pool or watching the spectacular fireworks/ nighttime show in Magic Kingdom, there wasn't a dull moment. I am now able to connect each park to a different memory and find a smile cross my face. I will NEVER forget the memories of this trip with people I've spent 18 years of my life knowing.
Here are a few pictures of the trip! When I get my class photo at the Resort downloaded, I'll be sure to upload that too!
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| Blizzard Beach! |
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| Magic Kingdom! |
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| Epcot! |
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