Pocahontas Reflection

I had never even seen Pocahontas before I watched it for this class and I do not think I was really missing out. This movie almost felt like watching a documentary and seems like one of those obligatory movies Disney had to make to show its respect for Native Americans. However, something I did enjoy in this movie is that Pocahontas chooses her family instead of love. When John Smith is shot and has to go back to England to get treated, he foolishly asks her to go with him. John Smith probably would have died on the boat back and Pocahontas would be stuck in England without knowing the culture, or anyone there. She would have abandoned her family for nothing, so I am very proud of her for choosing the realistic prospect and not letting herself be influenced by love, as John clearly was. 

I was surprised at the violence in this movie. I could not believe that there was a real death of a non-villainous character in the movie: Kocoum. It was shocking that Disney would include a real murder with a gun in a Disney movie. If there is death in Disney movies, usually it's the villain that dies and usually in a magical or non violent way, like by falling off a cliff or being poisoned. 

I also found the skin color of the white people interesting in this movie. The villain, Governor Ratcliffe, had reddish skin, while a good character, John Smith, had normal colored skin for a white person. Even though the movie villainizes the white people for once in a Disney movie, they did not even make the villain truly white. Also there were some things in the movie I could see Native Americans taking offense to, such as, the talking tree. While Native Americans are very connected to nature and believe all living things have a spirit, they might find it a bit offensive to take it to the extreme and accuse them of believing a tree can actually talk to them. I could see that being interpreted the wrong way; however, it is a children's movie after all. Also, I noticed in one of the first few scenes that all of the Native American women looked the same- the only differentiators being weight and hairstyles. I think the animators could have put a little more time into that scene. 

Russell Means, an Ogala/Lakota Sioux Indian and the first national director of the American Indian Movement, plays the part of Powhatan, Pocahontas's father in the movie. I find this very surprising because I did not look this up until after the movie because when I was watching I kept thinking about how Powhatan did not sound Native American at all. I guess this shows what I know about Native American culture and their accents. 

I found the revolt against Governor Ratcliffe at the end of the movie very unrealistic. In real life, the movie would have ended with the British army slaughtering the Native Americans leaving no survivors. But this is Disney so that is not what happens in the movie.

Aladdin Reflection

So Jasmine is the Disney princess I got when I took the quiz. I am excited to see how true her character really is to my personality because I do not remember this movie- like at all. It's interesting how man in turban in the beginning breaks the fourth wall in order to explain historical setting/context of movie. This was probably a good idea because the target audience of the movie (kids) probably do not know much about this background information.

The beginning of the movie is a bit scary as it starts from the villain's point of view, something most Disney movies do not do. I never really hear of Aladdin as any kids favorite Disney movie which is understandable because Jafar is a pretty scary villain. I find it interesting that Aladdin has a narrow face, a pointy chin, and steals: all traits of a villain. I think Aladdin does not look like the typical hero with and wide jawbone because he is poor which makes him a different kind of hero in the eyes of Disney.

Aladdin equates being rich in the beginning of the movie with happiness because he is poor and does not know that money will not change his state of mind. When Jasmine is in her backyard she opens a bird cage and sets all of them free. This is very clear symbolism for her because she feels she is trapped and tries to run away to set herself free. In the movie Aladdin and Jasmine each possess freedom, but they have different kinds of freedom. Aladdin has "freedom to" in the beginning of the movie, meaning he has the freedom to choose what he does and Jasmine has "freedom from," meaning she has the freedom from making choices and gets to live lavishly as a princess in the castle. Aladdin thinks he wants this "freedom from" until the end of the movie when he finds out he is to be the sultan and does not want this responsibility. He ideally wanted to be as rich as a sultan, but does not want the actual job.

Aladdin cracks open a watermelon with his knee in the movie- thats not very realistic. How hard would it be to have him throw it on the ground or something a little more believable?

And like all typical Disney movies, Aladdin makes a deal to get the person he loves and gives up what the romantic interest found to be a redeemable quality in them. Aladdin asks The Genie to make him a typical prince, exactly what Jasmine does not want in a mate- she wants love. This is just like how Ariel gives up her voice in The Little Mermaid when Prince Eric only wanted her for her voice.

This movie reminds me of the story of Purim so I looked it up and similarities between Disney movies and the torah/bible have been drawn. In the story of Purim, Haman, the King's evil advisor, wants to hang Mordechai and Queen Ester steps in and tells the King of his evil plan. Haman manipulates the King just like how Jafar hypnotizes the Sultan with his snake staff.

This link has more information on the comparisons.

About the discussion of race in this movie, it is interesting how there are many references to Western culture in the movie, especially seen in the character of The Genie. The Genie pretends to host game shows and even throws Aladdin the Macy's Day Parade. They even have the reporter with ear muffs from the parade in the movie, equating Aladdin's richness and success with Western themes.

Cigarettes are not Disney Friendly!

So yesterday on my way back to Duke East Campus from the airport, my friend who split an Uber with me asked me how I liked my Writing 101 class, as he needs to choose a topic for his writing class next semester. This was a big mistake on his part because for the rest of the 20 minute ride I lectured him about how Disney is secretive and evil and puts stereotypes out into the world and minds of children. I even had him hold my phone's flashlight up while I whipped out my Disney book, Team Rodent by Carl Hiassen. I went through every chapter summarizing the malicious and secretive ways of Disney, but by the end of the car ride, I still don't think he was too convinced, which is why I was overjoyed to get this text at 8:43 a.m. today:

He saw this post on Reddit and when he understood this Disney being evil theory was more than just a topic at school, but an actual conversation out there in the world, he finally believed me.

The post is a picture of Walt Disney with his two fingers out almost, as if he were holding an invisible cigarette. And invisible it is to us but it wasn't to him! The caption reads: "At Disneyland all photos of Walt Disney have his cigarettes photoshopped out."

The photo shopped picture is on top, and the original (bad quality but the only they could find) is on bottom:


This is a zoomed in picture I took of the original to more clearly see the cigarette:

Now I understand photoshop works both ways and the "original photo" could in fact be the photoshopped one; however, with his awkward hand positioning and after all I now know about Disney secrecy, I believe the Reddit post.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

TAKE THE QUIZ HERE!

I got Jasmine. I don't even really remember Aladdin too well- I definitely need a refresher. Now I have another method for procrastinating... good.

Disney is Buying Twitter...? No Thanks

There has been much speculation on the prospect of Disney acquiring Twitter. Twitter has been on the hunt for a company to buy it because its stock prices are slumping and it is having trouble attracting new users and advertisers. Disney is very interested in Twitter and will probably end up with it, but I will keep hoping this does not happen. The article, "The Happiest Buy on Earth? Disney Interest in Twitter Sparks Speculation", quotes Farhad Manjoo, "'Disney is the happiest place on earth', he says, 'Twitter is for the worst people on the planet.'" This quote really says it all. Twitter is simply not innocent enough for a company like Disney. Twitter is the setting of vulgarness and arguing. Twitter has racism and stereotypes you may have never even heard of. Some people who use Twitter are in fact "the worst people on the planet." Twitter is home to some of the dumbest, meanest, and most ignorant humans who all think what they have to say is very important. Other companies that Disney owns are more controllable, such as Pixar and ESPN. Those companies are very professional and the content is all completely controlled and monitored. Twitter cannot be babysat to the same extent because it is a social media website. There is a professional side to Twitter too; however, celebrities can lash out and act immature at any second. One of the presidential candidates (Donald Trump) even writes provocative tweets- too provocative for the innocent and politically correct Disney company.

Another thing- Disney is taking over the world. Twitter might be full of creeps and politically incorrect humor, but that is the way I like it. When I cannot focus, I scroll through my Twitter feed laughing at people attempting to recreate the currently popular dance move, or using a popular meme to make different variations of the joke. I fear if Disney takes over Twitter, they will clean up the vulgarity and realness of Twitter, the things that make Twitter fun. There was also the point that if Disney controlled Twitter, it might be difficult for other companies to further their own interests through Twitter advertisement. Disney could simply shut out its competitors from using Twitter as a medium for social advancement. Besides that, Disney having jurisdiction over a social media website freaks me out a little. Disney can use propaganda in places where we know and expect it to be, like in commercials or stores, but to further their company through a safe place for people to interact frightens me. The propaganda will be strewn throughout Twitter in a surreptitious and subtle manner so that tweeters will not even know they are being manipulated.  

However, Disney buying Twitter does make sense logistically. Twitter is trying to get into more live streaming of things like the NFL and it streamed the presidential debate recently. This is something I can get behind because things like the presidential debate should definitely be streamed through a medium everyone has access too, and a free one at that. As a college student, I do not have a TV and was worried I would not be able to watch, which as a citizen with the right to vote, would be scary if I was completely uninformed because my vote counts just as much as the informed voter. Sports also should be free to watch because it something we all share in the US and around the world that brings us together. Disney owning ESPN would be able to help Twitter in the area of live-streaming. Twitter is hoping adding more rights to live-streaming will increase the stock which is plummeting quickly.

If Disney does buy Twitter and cannot manage to save the company, this will hurt the stocks of both Disney and Twitter. This would be the first successful merge of its kind if the deal works out in favor of both companies. A company owning a social media website seems almost Big Brother-like to me, and after reading many articles and books on Disney for my writing course, that is usually what Disney is going for. I, for one, do not want Disney in control of my life. I love Disney movies as much as the next person, but the entire company being in my face all of the time would be too much to handle. I want to be able to see Disney in the serving size I desire- not forced on me or ruining the things I love (Twitter). The world will be better off if this deal between Disney and Twitter falls through.

Reflection of The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie so watching this was no chore. It is, however, not as easy to critique because it is so good and it is always fun to poke holes. It was interesting watching again after reading the articles for class about evil. Ursula has a manly voice and is fat like Warner stereotypes most villains. When I was watching I also noticed words like "flotsam" and "jetsam" which I did not know their definitions until I studied for the SATs.

It was interesting that Disney created the character of the witch which is half woman half octopus, a legend I have never heard of before; however, everyone has heard of mermaids. 

Watching this movie again I also noticed Sebastian is Jamaican. I am curious to know why that is. Are crabs common in Jamaica? Nevertheless, he reminds me of my Jamaican house keeper/ babysitter growing up. Also, I found his name interesting because it would be much better suited on a sea bass. 

It was also funny in Ariel's song how she imagines that on land they do not reprimand their daughters. When Ariel saved Eric I got really excited because for once the girl got to save the guy. Go Ariel! Also I fully agree with Sebastian's song, "Under the Sea." I'm sorry but who in their right mind wouldn't want to be a mermaid? It's what I always pretended to be when I went swimming when I was growing up. Me and my friends had a whole mermaid game based on the TV show H20. 

It was weird that there were barely any mermen shown in the movie. Obviously Ariel would want a human boy if there were barely any mermen around. Her statue that was given to her of Eric was a bit stalkerish though. Also, she chose a boy she barely knows over her entire family and all of her friends, and her dad still gives his life for her. 

Ursula teaches me in this movie that to get a man, its better not to talk. Good thing in this movie she is at least the villain and we know not to trust what she says. Still the theme does not improve much from Cinderella. Eric only loves a girl because of the sound of her voice and was about to marry another girl than Ariel because she could sing well, even though he and Ariel had developed a connection. 

I love the sound track for this movie. I could sing these songs all day- in fact I will probably be singing them for the next week. Luckily, my roommate loves them too and will probably sing along with me. I couldn't pick a favorite if I tried but my top three are, in no specific order other than chronological: "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea," and "Kiss the Girl."

It is interesting that in the original story the movie was based on, Ariel was the only one not fascinated by items from ship wrecks. The only thing she did cherish, similarly the movie, was the creepy statue (almost like a shrine).

The original story is also very creepy because the mermaids try to drown lost ships to take their things on board. This closer resembles the story of what actual sirens/mermaids are said to be like in urban legend. Also the witch tells Ariel walking on legs will feel like walking on sharp knives. I think I like the Disney version better...

Reflection on Cinderella (1950)

I had forgotten how much I love this movie so thank you Decoding Disney and Professor Andres for bringing back this childhood memory. I took some notes on my thoughts during the movie and cannot believe all of the stuff I missed when I was a child- it's certainly better watching this now and being able to really understand and appreciate the film.

Okay so when the movie started I couldn't stop picturing the mice and birds as real mice and birds. I would have freaked out if there were that many mice living in my room. I guess that's why i'm not qualified to be a princess. Princesses are kind to all living things. Cinderella even feels bad for Lucifer when he gets hurt- does she have a mean bone in her body?

I also laughed when I saw Bruno running in his sleep because my dog does the same thing- then I got sad because I miss my dog. The relationship between Lucifer and the mice reminded me of the cartoon Tom & Jerry and I'm almost wondering if the tv show was a rip off of Cinderella... Hmmm...

When Cinderella's shoe fell off when she was going up the stairs to bring the sisters their breakfast-that had to be foreshadowing. At first I was thinking because her step mother hates her she doesn't buy her shoes that fit her and she has to use hand-me-downs which would be the reason her shoe falls off at the ball, but then I realized the fairy godmother made her shoes so I don't quite understand why shoes made perfectly for her by magic would fall off twice: once at the ball and again at her wedding. Which happened way too quickly if you ask me but I'm not going to get into that. The whole "they don't even know each other how can they be in love" argument has been done to the max. I am just going to accept it at this point.

On to more important things, like why doesn't Cinderella's mouth move when she is singing to the prince. I wasn't sure if she was singing in her head or out loud until he started singing along too. And that comment that the girl mouse makes when they are making Cinderella's dress, "Leave the sewing to the women." We can't ignore that one. It was 1950 and this line makes this very apparent.

Okay the thing that really irks me is why do the glass slippers not turn back to normal at midnight like everything else? But I did find it funny that Cinderella is where the popular twitter expression came from: "If the shoe fits." I am so out of touch with my Disney roots that I had completely forgotten where the expression originated. If you aren't familiar, i'll explain. When you subtweet on twitter, sometimes people think what your tweeting is about them, so twitter accounts made a joke out of it that "if the shoe fits" they should also be offended by the tweet.



In conclusion, what I learned from this movie is that if your pretty it doesn't matter if your poor. I have tried to come up with a different lesson but I can't find one that sums up the movie better than that.