Princess and the Frog Reading Response

In the novel Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability, the chapter called “Blackness, Bayous and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World” written by Sarah E. Turner explores the ways in which "Disney and its audiences negotiate the complexities inherent within the readings of [The Princess and the Frog] by drawing, in part, upon the theories of encoding and decoding as articulated by Stuart Hall in his seminal 1973 study" (83). When I first watched the film The Princess and the Frog, I never put much thought into whether I felt like it was conveying a racist message or not. I obviously realized the fact that Tiana, the princess, was the first black Disney Princess, but I did not believe there was any ulterior motive or reasoning behind this decision. I think because I watched it a long time ago I did not remember many of the details of the plot until I re-watched it for class. After reading Turner’s essay, she also helped jog my memory because she pointed out aspects of the film that I still did not pick up on after watching it. When I watch movies I guess I don’t really put much thought into and instead get carried away in the plot and the characters. I never think to analyze below the surface, but this essay does, and manages to make some solid points. I think the reason behind much of the controversial response to the film was fact that Tiana was not only Disney’s first black princess, but she was also the first princess whose life started in poverty. In comparison to the other Disney princess films, the princesses are born into royalty and grow up living in extravagant palaces. Tiana had to work hard to get the life she wanted to have. I think this was a mistake on Disney’s part to make Tiana this first black princess and also the first princess to start her life living in poverty. This can serve as proof that this film is racist since she is black and she is poor. It would have made a huge difference if Tiana was born into royalty like the rest of the princesses. Another aspect of the film that I think can support the claim that the film is racist is the face that the majority of the time in the movie, Tiana is a frog. Turner states in her essay that “human Tiana is only on the screen for the first twenty-nine minutes; frog Tiana takes up the next fifty-nine minutes, leaving only the final three and a half minutes for Tiana and Naveen to reappear in human form” (90). I did not even realize this while watching the film, but I cannot believe that it is true. These two points made by Turner helped convince me that there is a slight chance the Disney film The Princess and the Frog is in fact racist. A small part of me though still thinks that Disney did not mean anything of it and was just trying to create another one of their brilliant children’s movies.

Disney & Puppies

I don't know a better way to cheer yourself up and forget about coming back to school for finals week than watching this video from Buzzfeed. 

Puppies + Disney = Instant mood change

Here's the link!  

http://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/here-are-a-bunch-of-puppies-dressed-up-like-disney-character

Home Is Where the Heart Is: Pixar's Up Response

Pixar’s Up has been and always will be one of my favorite Disney films. I just cannot get enough of Russell and his cute little lisp. I also can’t get over how much Carl resembles one of the history teacher’s from my high school named Mr. Nappo. They are literally the same person in every way possible (looks wise and personality!). In Dennis Tylers, "Home Is Where the Heart Is: Pixar's Up", I thought he brought up two very interesting points about the film that I never paid close attention to before reading his article.  

 The first point of Tyler's that I found interesting was the idea of a gender role reversal in the film. In the beginning of the movie, when Carl and Ellie first meet when they are kids, Ellie is the more adventurous and brave one while Carl is the more passive one who likes to sit back and watch. This becomes obvious again when later in the movie they are getting married and Ellie grabs Carl aggressively to kiss him to make it official, leaving Carl a little blushed and embarrassed on the alter. These character traits remain consistent throughout the montage of their life together. Ellie is always the one willing to take risks and be proactive and Carl sort of follows along in her footsteps. This is definitely not typical of Disney films, as we know. Usually, the male characters take on the traits that Ellie portrays and the female characters (usually princesses) are much more like Carl. This is one of the aspects of Up that I really like. I love the fact that Ellie is the crazy daring character. It's refreshing for a change to have the woman take on that kind of role in a Disney film. I also think it’s incredibly cute how Carl follows her around like a puppy dog, doing what ever he can to make her smile. I feel like most of the time it is usually the girls trying to please the husbands.

            The second point of Tyler’s that I found interesting was his point about the normal lifestyle Carl and Ellie live. The families in Disney films are either members of the extreme upper class and live in palaces with servants, or in the extreme lower class and live in the streets scourging for their next meal. In Pixar’s Up, Carl and Ellie are the “depiction of normalcy – a white middle income couple” (Tyler 273).  They both work at the zoo and make moderate incomes. Neither Carl nor Ellie are heirs to thrones and have the responsibility of ruling a country looming in the backs of their minds. They live normal lives that many of us can compare to our reality. Russell also comes from a realistic family background that many kids can relate to. His parents are divorced, his dad has a girlfriend, and he spends his days trying to impress his dad and get his attention by being the best wilderness explorer he could be. I think a lot of kids with divorced parents go through this stage at some point, trying to gain the approval of a parent.
            For these reasons I think Up serves as one of Disney’s most relatable movies that has been made thus far.

Boston Bruins & Frozen

http://www.si.com/nhl/2014/10/27/boston-bruins-hospital-visit-frozen-costumes-dougie-hamilton

I thought this was pretty awesome. I love to see stuff like this especially involving anything Disney. Kudos to the Boston Bruins! 

Another Facebook Find...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/under-the-sea-wedding

Disney Villain Music Video

I found this Disney Villain inspired music video link on Facebook today! Disney and One Republic is a fabulous combo! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqrBsMFRaLA

Lion King Reading Response

            After reading the articles about The Lion King this week in class and listening to the discussion I have come to realize many interesting observations about the film that I had previously failed to notice. Sweeny's article included "dilemmas" that she believed the film possessed. The idea that Timon and Pumbaa were Disney’s first homosexual couple never crossed my mind until after reading Sweeny’s “ “What Do You Want Me to Do? Dress in Drag and Do the Hula?” Timon and Pumbaa’s Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma in the Lion King”. I always thought they were just best friends who did everything together. Some of Sweeny’s arguments were rather convincing. For example, the fact that they raised Simba together essentially as there own child is something that I did not really think much of until I recently re-watched the movie. I also did not notice that they lived on their own private oasis away from the rest of their own species or any other animals for that matter. Sweeny made the argument that this was because they were banished from their specie families and casted as outsiders. In her article, Sweeny referred to Timon and Pumbaa as “theatre queens” and claimed that just because the actors that provided the characters’ voices were gay, this automatically means that they are gay themselves. I think that this argument in particular was one of her weakest in the article.

I think at some points people can over analyze Disney films when in reality they are just simply meant to entertain little kids. When I was little I most definitely did not think that Timon and Pumpaa were dating. And I think that goes for every other little kid that watches The Lion King. I disagree with Sweeny’s argument claiming that Disney characters have sexuality. In my opinion I believe that Disney characters aren’t meant to have sexuality because that can just complicate things. I think a lot of the articles we have read in class so far this year have been written by authors who over investigate these Disney films and create arguments and critiques that are not actually there. I understand that in some cases there are underlying meanings to certain aspects of the movies and specific agendas created by Disney but in my opinion that idea that Timon and Pumbaa are a homosexual with one another is not valid. I do not think when creating The Lion King this was Disney intention. I think this is a prime example of an author over analyzing a subject and forming an argument out of nothing.

Feelings about The Lion King

After watching The Lion King over fall break with my mom I realized that the film is a lot scarier than I remembered! It's weird because it would make better sense to be more afraid when you were little, but I found myself forgetting parts of the plot and feeling genuinely scared at certain scenes of the movie.... (slightly embarrassing). But I did really enjoy watching The Lion King for the first time in a while, as did my mom as she promptly decided that she was going to plan a family trip into NYC in order to see the film on Broadway! Pretty excited even though it will be my second time seeing it. The music and costumes just never get old!

Dopey's Legacy Response

In the Karen Schwartz, Zana Marie Lutfiyya and Nancy Hansen's article, Dopey's Legacy: Stereotypical Portrayals of Intellectual Disability in the Classic Animated Films, the argument that certain Disney characters are meant to portray the mentally disabled in order to offer a sense of humor is made.

This article in particular focuses on one of Snow White's famous 7 dwarves, Dopey, and exploring his character "in the context of stereotypical portrayals and imagining of people with intellectual disabilities". I have never really picked up on any of what the article was saying about Dopey's characteristics and how he resembles an animal with his long drooling tongue or dog like floppy ears, and his inability to speak. When I was little, I always just thought that Dopey was like that because he was the baby of the group, and he was still learning how to be a dwarf. Also, I don't think I was fully aware of what being mentally disabled meant at such a young age, so I am not sure if I agree completely with what this article is saying. In my opinion, I don't believe it was Disney's intention to "perpetuate largely negative messages about intellectual disability that are harmful and damaging to the individuals so labeled". In creating characters such as Snow White’s Dopey, Cinderella’s Gus, and Beauty and the Beast’s Lefou, I think the main purpose was to provide some sort of comic relief to give little kids to laugh at when they are watching these movies.

Many of the points made in the article are fairly farfetched in my opinion. For example, when Beauty and the Beast’s Lefou is being talked about, a part of the move is mentioned when Lefou is posing as a snowman out in the freezing cold. The article states that this “leaves the viewer with the feeling that he does not have the sense to come in from the cold, and also that it is acceptable to sacrifice him in the freezing elements because he has not real value or worth as a human being”. To me, this argument is completely absurd and exaggerated and does not make any sense whatsoever. I think Disney incorporated this scene in the movie solely to add some humor to it. I know when I was little I probably laughed when this happened and didn’t think Disney was trying to convey the message that Lefou has no worth as a human being. Little kids do not think that deeply into things when they are watching Disney movies.

To sum up, this article did open my eyes about certain things that I was unaware of at first regarding the characters of Dopey, Gus and Lefou, but as I kept reading I slowly began to realize that many of the points that were made were dramatic and I did not agree with the majority of them. In my opinion, Disney was not looking to portray mentally disabled people with these few characters, but rather make little kids giggle.

Here is the picture that I took of the Mickey Mouse t-shirt from Forever 21! 

Reading Response

The one article that caught my interest the most was "In the Mick of Time, Reflection on Disney's Ageless Mouse" by Elizabeth A. Lawrence. I liked it because it made me realize the strong presence that Mickey Mouse still has on our society today. I also thought it was really cool how Lawrence talked about the evolution of Mickey, and the changes he underwent as technology advanced. I never knew how Mickey looked originally until I looked it up, and I was so surprised at how different he looked. The Mickey I grew up with and know has bright red shorts, striking white gloves, bright yellow shoes and bubbling big eyes. This Mickey was not in color, and did not have the same look in his face. He seemed much duller. In the article, Lawrence brings up the many transformations Mickey Mouse went through in order to become more “cuddly and juvenile” (68).  His “nose was made thicker and shorter, his ears were moved back to give him the appearance of having a rounded rather than sloping forehead, his eyes became far bigger, and his limbs softer and puffier” (68).  Another point brought up by Lawrence that I thought was particularly interesting was the effect of roundness. Lawrence claims in the article “roundness is the essence of the neotenous configuration. While thinking about this thought, it actually does make sense to me. It proves to be true in a lot of either animated films or television shows that the friendly, lovable characters are more curvaceous than the trouble making characters. I never realized how much thought goes into drawing a cartoon character until after reading this article. There is so much more that goes into it on the psychological aspect of things than I ever knew. It definitely worked though considering I still see Mickey Mouse in all different sorts of places.

On Thursday I went to South Point Mall for the first time since I’ve been here. I must have gone into at least 5 different stores while I was there. I would say three out of the five stores had sections either dedicated to Disney characters, or just had random articles of clothing that involved Disney some how. In Forever 21, there was a t-shirt with Mickey Mouse on it and I immediately knew I had to take a picture of it so I could blog about it. Lawrence mentioned in the article how “Walt Disney himself pointed out that his mouse was not a creation aimed specifically at children” (71). When I saw this Mickey Mouse t-shirt in Forever 21, a store primarily for high school and college kids, it made me think about this. Mickey Mouse items aren’t just being sold in stores for little kids. It is everywhere, and it is not going anywhere.

In Elizabeth A. Lawrence’s article, “In the Mick of Time, Reflections on Disney’s Ageless Mouse”, she talks about the evolution of Walt Disney’s famous Mickey Mouse, and how he has gradually transformed over time. Mickey Mouse is still with us in a lot of places today even though the generation he grew up with he dwindling down.

Buzz Feed Findings

Today while sitting on the bus I came across a BuzzFeed quiz titled "What Character Would You Play In A Disney Movie?", so of course I had to take it! After answering all of the Disney related questions I was actually pretty surprised with the character it designated me as. I got a Disney Princess! Here is the link to the quiz in case you wanted to see your results too!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/samstryker/the-most-magical-quiz-on-earth#15kzn7a

After reading this week's articles "In The Mick of Time, Reflections on Disney's Ageless Mouse", my interest in the evolution of Mickey Mouse grew, and I wanted to find out more. This article provides some great illustrations of Mickey Mouse and shows how much his depiction has changed with the newer technological advancements! Check it out! 

http://www.babble.com/celebrity/the-evolution-of-mickey-mouse-from-steamboat-willie-to-today/

Personal Narrative

Hi, my name is Grace Fallon and I am a freshman at Duke University. I am enrolled in a writing 101 class titled "Decoding Disney", and I'm keeping this blog because it a requirement of the course, but also to explore the ins and outs of Walt Disney and share my experiences and opinions on Disney related things!

I chose Decoding Disney as my writing 101 course because, well first and foremost, who doesn't love anything having to do with Disney? I am also interested in discovering the reasons behind some of Walt Disney's decision making regarding his films. How did his childhood affect his film production? Did he project his political and social views in his movies? I am looking forward to finding some answers, and sharing my own opinions and views as well. 

 I've grown up watching Disney films like almost every other child. I've idolized the beautiful and powerful princesses who are commonly the stars of the movies. I would have to say my favorite Disney movie is Mulan, and second favorite is The Lion King. I feel as though I chose Mulan as my favorite growing up because she was the most relatable to me. I was the biggest tomboy, played every sport I could fit into my schedule, and loved rough housing with my big brother Dan. I hated wearing dresses and brushing my hair. I loved the action in Mulan, and the fact that she was able to hold her own with all of those men is what I admired the most. I consider The Lion King as my second favorite Disney movie because it reminds me of my mom. My mom absolutely loves The Lion King, so I think I just followed in her footsteps when I was little. My family and I also saw The Lion King on Broadway in NYC and it was absolutely amazing. Lastly, still to this day I follow the wise words of Timon and Pumbaa, "Hakuna Matata"! When either of these two movies are playing on ABC Family, or any other channel for that matter, I cannot help but watch them even though I have seen them both too many times to count! 

The only time I have ever been to Disney World was when I was very young, so I can hardly remember what it was like. I do remember being terribly afraid of the people dressed up as the characters for some bizarre reason. Specifically, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast scared me the most! I would love to go back Disney World at some point so I can truly experience all that it has to offer. It would be so fun to get a big group of friends to go! 

I am so excited to learn more about the one and only Walt Disney, and to analyze his famous films through his eyes!