Though the movie is still in early stages of production, a few photos have been released. Revel with me.
(My personal favorite.)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Into the Woods
As more trailers and previews are released, the hype over Disney's newest movies Frozen and Maleficent grows. Although I also find myself getting excited over these new films, the majority of my excitement is devoted to Disney's film version of my favorite musical, Into the Woods, starring the fabulous Meryl Streep.
Thoughts of the Butler
Check out Josh Butler's theory: 30 Disney Movies that Share a World.
Some find it compelling, some find it creepy...
I think Josh Butler has a little too much time on his hands.
Either way, it is amusing.
The Diamond vs. The Rough
It wasn’t until
I was watching Aladdin for the
millionth time this past month that I actually saw Aladdin. Aladdin the man, that is. In comparison to all of the
other people of Agrabah, he stands out; simply put, he seems ‘Americanized.’ Although
Agrabah is a fictional setting, we can assume it is a part of the Arab world
due to the opening number “Arabian Nights”—Aladdin, however, doesn’t follow
this suit. In Saving Other Women from Other Men in Aladdin, Erin Addison notes that he is ”the only clean-shaven man in the movie,” “his skin is light,
and he flashes a big, boyish smile. He and Jasmine are the only human beings
with American accents and without conspicuously aquiline noses” (9). The
other characters all have darker complexions, more facial hair, and other
features associated with Arab countries. Why not Aladdin?
In fact, when
examining other Disney movies—especially those that include a Disney
princess—the main characters have American accents despite the culturally
dynamic worlds in which they live. Think of Ariel, Belle, and Mulan; their
accents are clearly American. Only the most recent Disney princess, Brave’s Merida, maintains her Scottish
accent. This begs the question: must all Disney heroes and heroines be
Americans?
Apparently, yes.
In Agrabah,
besides looking more Arabian, the background characters and regular citizens
all appear…extravagant. They swallow fire, juggle knives, and act rather
barbaric. Aladdin, in comparison, is a clever dreamer, a “diamond in the
rough.” Did Disney mean to go further with this statement to say that Americans
are the “diamonds” of the world, while others, particularly those in Arab
nations, are “the rough?” This conclusion is just a little too easy to draw. Of
course, Disney would never want a prince, a role model for children, to come
from this “rough,” and therefore the only logical conclusion is to Americanize the
hero. Right?
This final
validation comes when Aladdin finally secures his princess.
“I choose you,
Aladdin,” Jasmine says lovingly, to which he replies, “Call me Al.”
Alas, he is now
fully and completely American.
And yet, we still wonder why a large portion of the world thinks of America as a place full of greedy, egotistic, pompous, and imperious people. Maybe this "false" sense of superiority Americans feel is actually quite real and prevalent. Maybe we have just become blind to it.
Disney's spell strikes again.
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