The Lion King Cast Breaks into Song Mid-flight

Lol I would die. This would actually make my week if I was on this flight. Watch the cast of The Lion King burst into song mid-flight. 

http://blogs.disney.com/disney-playlist/2014/04/01/you-have-to-see-this-video-of-the-cast-of-the-lion-king/?cmp=SMC%7Cblgomd%7CPlaylistMarch%7CFB%7CLionKingPlane-Playlist%7CInHouse%7C040114%7C%7C%7Cesocialmedia%7C%7C%7C

Analysis of Sarah E. Turner's Article "Blackness Bayous and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World" in Princess and the Frog

Sarah E. Turner's Article "Blackness, Bayous, and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World" explores the extent to which Tiana's race influences her character and her reception by the audience in Disney's The Princess and the Frog. She presents a lot of great ideas and does a great job of being objective and respectful of various opinions and interpretations of the film.

She starts off by explaining Stuart Mill's analysis of production and reception; she explains that decoding a text "enables an alternate reading in opposition to the dominant reading embedded within the discourse of the text" (84). Using this as a framework for her essay, Turner asserts that the dominant message of The Princess and the Frog is one of colorblindness meaning that Tiana just happens to be a princess that is black, not a black princess. Turner contradicts this popular reading of Princess Tiana by asserting that Disney's intention was to diversify its princesses; she supports this by saying "Tiana must be black in the same way that Mulan was Chinese, Jasmine was Arabic, ..." (84). I completely agree that it is foolish to suggest that race is not a factor in The Princess and the Frog. Like, Are you kidding me??? It's set in 1920s New Orleans, Tiana slaves away in a restaurant all day while her white best friend Lottie gets everything she wants without any work, Tiana lives in the ghetto, she OF COURSE can't get her shit handed to her like most Disney princesses, she has to work SUPER hard (and I mean actual work) to achieve her dream of owning her own restaurant, and she is told that a "woman of her background" has no business owning a restaurant/can't handle it. Now tell me that race isn't a factor.

I appreciate how Turner explores a view that displaces race. For instance, she understands and references arguments that illustrates how Tiana's desire to own a restaurant and her success in the end "reaffirms tenets of hard work and capitalism" (86). She also hints that the audience, regardless of color, feels a close connection to Tiana because of the loving, caring nuclear family that we all can relate to. While I understand this appeal, it makes me sad that Disney has to incorporate moments that evoke sympathy, compassion, and understanding from the audience probably in the hopes of being able to look past Tiana's race. Needing to include moments that will make you appreciate and want to root for the black princess. I understand why Disney does this, but it's sad that they have to.

Turner also points out how interestingly Tiana's mom, Eudora is someone that puts her down from her dream. Not necessarily out of malice, but out of love and the intention to protect. Eudora implies that she rather Tiana marry and go out and give her some grand babies than slave every day in the hopes of owning her restaurant one day. Like, okay you should be hella proud that your daughter wants to do more with her life and not just settle for confinement to domesticity. Eudora needs to get her crap together. Okay, random side note though, why do all of their names have to be so out there? Why can't they be names like Jean, or Rebecca, or anything that doesn't sound stereotypically black?

Okay another thing I appreciate about this article is that Turner addresses the lack of discourse on Tiana's physical attributes. Turner supposes that "while a feminist reading of this absence of beauty references would suggest a positive and progressive shift, thus providing little girls with a role model more concerned with material success that physical beauty, the absence becomes more s complex when race is introduced" (89). So true. You can't win either way. The film devoid of beauty references  supports feminist messages while simultaneously being offensive for not letting Tiana receive the physical glorification and praise that every other Disney princess gets. I'm quite offended, seeing that  beauty references for Tiana and depicting her as successful are not mutually exclusive categories. The complete absence of beauty references except for a five word comment from Lottie may offend the audience and imply that black bodies are not beautiful.

Okay, happy she included this point, but IT MADE ME REALLY UPSET because what happened is messed up. Turner writes that for the animated film award at the Oscars, each character gave a brief monologue about their film, yet when it came to The Princess and the Frog, it was Naveen and Louis that appeared. Tiana was "visibly absent and silenced" (92). Like I actually don't understand it. Especially seeing how liberal Hollywood and the film industry is, why is this necessary/how do your exclude the main character of the movie? #sometimesdisneymakesmeupset #butistillloveitforsomereason.

Last thing, the ambiguous skin color of Prince Naveen just kills me every time. Like Disney what are you even doing. I guess I can't criticize seeing that if he's black, people will be all like "why does he have to be black" and "Disney's against miscegenation" while if he's white it'll be like "why can't Tiana be with a black man" or "why is Tiana being the white man's whore." Sadly Disney can't win and I guess I approve with Disney's middle ground color that is "safe and sanitized." I don't think either Disney or audience members are ready for Tiana being set with a clearly identifiable race. Lol we're not there yet.

Overally, I really lied Turner's article and it made think more intently about The Princess and the Frog and anything that leaves me thinking and intrigued gets an A+ in my book! Read her article if you ever have time!



Peace Love Disney :)

What Disney Princess are You?

What Disney princess are you? Take this quiz at http://www.buzzfeed.com/mccarricksean/which-disney-princes-are-you#.dqoZPEbEE.  Lol I got Princess Aurora. Supposedly I am shy and reticent and it takes a while for me to open up, but when I do I am a lifelong friend! Lol actually pretty accurate. Try it!

Peace Love Disney :)

Disney Meets Walking Dead

OMG THIS IS ACTUALLY PERFECT! Who thought Disney characters could look so badass! This artist recreates our beloved Disney characters to be on the show "The Walking Dead." So great. Lol please look at this:

http://www.geeknative.com/45002/disney-characters-survive-walking-dead/

Funny Paused Scenes of Disney Movies

Lol is all I have to say. Check out this post featuring paused scenes of Disney movies. Priceless.

http://www.tickld.com/x/15-reasons-why-you-should-never-pause-a-disney-movie-12-is-priceless

Disney Princesses with Different Races, SO Cool

Artists recreates Disney princesses by changing their race! Not gonna lie, I like some of these new princesses better. Check this out:

http://www.eonline.com/news/541540/an-artist-reimagined-disney-princesses-with-different-races-and-the-results-will-blow-your-mind?cmpid=sn-111021-facebook-na-eonline

Not gonna lie though, Sleeping Beauty looks creepy, the depiction of Asian Cinderella is kind of racist, and Pocahontas is already Native American/a real person??? However, Belle looks SO COOL and SO DOES JASMINE (except ya can't change Raja to Mufasa, duhh)

Hilarious Villainous Snapchats

Just read Buzzfeed's article "23 Fabulous Disney Villain Snapchats" and literally cannot stop laughing. Lol Gaston's tinder pic and Ursula's "all about that bass pick" is priceless. Do read, you will not be disappointed.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/disney-villain-snapchats?sub=3466720_3953595#.rf1VGJMJJ

Girl goes to Disney EVERY WEEK!

Major props to this mom that hand sews her daughter Disney a TON of Disney costumes and takes her to Disney EVERY week (so envious of this little girl; her life=life i want)! Anyways, her outfits are super cute and she looks adorable modeling them at Disney and you check out the article with al of the pictures! :)

http://www.boredpanda.com/cute-toddler-takes-on-disney-world-characters-as-mini-sized-versions-of-them/


Peace Love Disney :)

Belle Repulsed by Gaston

You TELL 'EM BELLE!!!

*Taken from disneyladieslastnight tumblr post

Lessons and Morals of Beauty and the Beast: Good or Bad?

Looking for a blog post to reference for my research paper, I stumbled across Bayan Jaber's blog post (https://bayanjaber.wordpress.com/ml-papers-2/critique-of-disneys-beauty-and-the-beast/) analyzing Beauty and the Beast. Viewing the film with an objective, open mind, I feel Bayan Jaber introduces cool points that most viewers of B & B fail to consider.

For instance, Bayan suggests that kids may be negatively influenced by the submissive portrayal of women in Beauty and the Beast. For instance, Bayan illustrates that Belle is bossed around by the Beast; he confines her to a room and refuses to let her eat unless she eat with him. Despite this, Belle continues to be friendly to the Beast and is tolerant of his poor behavior. I agree with Jaber that Belle is experiencing emotional abuse and is letting the Beast dictate her life (not that she has much of a choice). Though the movie ends with a compassionate, humbled Beast and Belle's getting her happy ending, it is easy to overlook the violence Belle suffered by the Beast in the beginning of the film. Jaber hints that this may cause children to unconsciously accept this relationship between Belle and the Beast. While this is true, even more so I feel that it serves to disempower Belle and convey that patriarch dominates. That the needs of the male comes first and the women is subject to these needs regardless of her own. Having research feminism and empowerment in Belle in B & B, I agree with authors that argue against a feminine portrayal of Belle and propose that suffering domestic violence is okay if it means pleasing your man. You can argue that this is reading too much into the film and that the Beast eventually changes his behavior for the better; however it is the lack of acknowledgment given to this abuse and the manner in which this abuse is excused by the Beast finding his soft side (with the help of Belle), that makes this problematic.

Also, I REALLY liked Jaber's interpretation of inner beauty and appearance in the film. We admire the Beast for becoming compassionate and gaining the love of Belle, thus it is nice to see that he can return to his human form and live a happy life with Belle. Jaber, on the other hand, offers that if the Beast really grew to appreciate inner beauty, why would he need to go back to being a "handsome prince"? The point of the film is supposed to be that looks are not important, however the Beast's good looks are restored at the conclusion of the film. His "inside" being good corresponded to his "outside" looking good, thus Jaber calls Disney out for implying that "people beautiful on the inside aren't attractive on the outside..." After considering Jaber's viewpoint, I feel B & B would have been more meaningful if Belle's declaration of her love for the Beast was too late and both her and the Beast decided that it didn't matter as long as they loved each other. 

I enjoyed reading Jaber's post because it is easy not to pick up on these subtleties and alternate interpretations when you've watched the movie over and over, considering it to be an innocent children's film that wanted to show a cute love story. As innocent as Disney may seem, commentaries like these may suggest otherwise and I look forward to watching more of my favorite Disney films with an objective eye!

Peace Love Disney :)

Disney Movies Interrelated!

Entertaining the linkage between Disney movies is crazy to me! How do I miss these things?!? Check out this link yourself and see if you're convinced!

http://disneytheory.com/2013/08/25/thedisneytheory/

Depiction of Characters in Disney's Mulan. Are they Accurately Portrayed?

So I saw this blog post on stereotypes and questioning of feminine empowerment in Mulan. Titled, Disney's Mulan: A Dark Film Rife with Racism, Sexism, and Questionable Morals (check out the link here: https://disneyminna.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/disneys-mulan-a-dark-film-rife-with-racism-sexism-and-questionable-morals/), blogger Minna introduces some interesting perspectives on the main characters.

For one, I always thought (and still think) that the Emperor, Chi Fu was so chill and badass! Like so badass! He has chill facial expressions, chill lines, and his presence is commanding (okay isn't he like a Chinese version of Dumbledore???)! Minna, on the other hand, acknowledges the more stereotypical aspects of Chi Fu that are often dismissed due to comedic effect. She writes that he "is drawn like a racist caricature...has pronounced and heavy accents...is annoying and pompous...sounds like he is quoting from slips of paper inside fortune cookies." Honestly, everything she writes is so true. His wise yet cliche sayings can be construed as cheesy and all-knowing and his voice has a strong Chinese accent compared to the neutral voiced Mulan and Li Shang. Coupled with his visibly darker skin compared to Mulan and Li Shang, his depiction seems caricatured. Should he have been less visibly Asian (like Russell in Up) or would it have been offensive to do so? Either way, Disney can't win but it's fun to ponder these things!

Similarly, the depiction of Shan Yu as animal-like/inhuman is not cool. Minna points to his "grey-face and yellow-eyes with long, pointed fingernails like claws, and pointed fang-like teeth...[he has' seemingly super-human strength, and is constantly hanging from trees and roofs..." Minna sarcastically hints that it's okay for Disney to do this of course because he's a villain, however, considering America's intense, disastrous histories with Asian countries, this could be more of a biased and ignorant image of how "bad Asians" are perceived.

Lastly, I agree with Minna that Mulan is empowered during the film for being the bravest, most courageous soldier and being able to hang (and outshadow) the guys, I disagree that Mulan's only successes were derived from being male. At the end of the movie, she has transitioned back into her girl self for the defeat of Shan Yu and the recognition she receives from China for saving the country. In this sense, I think it would be better to state that her initial acceptance into the army and the training she received there was only made possible due to her male disguise, seeing that the movie concludes with an admiration and honoring of female Mulan. 

Anyways, overall I thought this was an intriguing blog post that drew my attention to stereotypes I had not seen before. Check it out if you have time/watch Mulan cause who doesn't want to watch Mulan!


Peace Love Disney :))