One Last Goodbye!

Blogging has been so much fun, but even good things come to an end :( 

Here's one last goodbye from me and the whole crew!

Thank You!

Concluding Post

Before this course, I really questioned how anyone could possibly think that Disney is evil.  In my mind, I’ve always associated Disney with goodness, innocence, and pure happiness.  My memories of Disney encompassed the songs, my favorite princesses, my favorite movies, and of course, Disney World.  As a child, I focused on the superficial qualities of the company, not realizing any wrongs committed by the company or faults within the films.  However, now reliving the beloved childhood Disney movies, it’s easy to see how Disney could be considered evil – racism, gender stereotyping, etc.  It is degrading in The Little Mermaid to watch Ariel sacrifice her voice and family to be with a man she just met.  It’s racist in Aladdin to depict the villains with darker skin tones.  It’s rudimentary in Cinderella to portray the idea that the sewing and the cooking should be left to the women.  All of these ideas demonstrated in Disney’s classic films are wrong.  However, I’m not saying that these messages aren’t evil – they definitely are – but I don’t think that there should be so much criticism for these films considering the target audience is comprised of young children who most likely don’t even notice or understand the negative messages. 

On the other hand, I have more problems with the evil within the company itself – the business side.  In the corporate world, Disney’s main goal is to make a profit, like any other company’s goal would be, however, when Disney makes a decision solely based on money, it disappoints me.  As a popular, child-oriented franchise, there should be more of a focus on social responsibility, which can tie into the films produced.  In this aspect, Disney should take more social responsibility and work to portray more positive messages and use its popularity to educate instead of focusing on the most marketable films, characters, and merchandise.  Also, many articles we have read discussed how Disney is devouring the world, and I believe this is true.  I see it happening.  Disney owns so many other branches of entertainment ranging from ESPN to Pixar and so many more.  Although I still love the Disney company, I don’t believe that there should be one company that has a monopoly over the entertainment world.  This immense corporate power is evil in itself.

As for my definition of evil, it has definitely changed as this course has went on.  At first, I judged characters based on appearance – the ones with the fierce eyes, dark cloaks, deep voices, and overly muscular bodies are obviously the bad guys.  In most cases, these characters are the bad guys, but what if they aren’t?  Evaluating the stereotypes of villains throughout this course has made me question whether or not we can actually base the behavior of an individual based on their looks – it seems wrong, and it probably is wrong.  Watching movies like Wreck-It-Ralph prove why we have to get to know characters before we rashly decide who is essentially good or bad.

My transformation in my understanding of evil is seen comparing essay one to essay two.  Although I maintain the same idea that individuals labeled “Heroes” or “Villains” are not trapped within these positions and can act however they choose to act or become whoever they choose to become.  Heroes can become villains and villains can become heroes, as much as ordinary characters can become heroes or villains as well.  At first I argued that evil and goodness were intrinsic qualities that everyone contains, and based on certain events (ex: loss of a loved one), one may give into the villainous characteristics they already contain.  However, in my more recent arguments, I believe that no one is born good or evil, which means that no one has the inherent qualities for heroism or villainy.  Instead, individuals are perceived to possess good or evil based on superficial qualities like appearance and then have the choice whether they commit evil acts or work towards becoming good individuals.

Best Disney Songs Ever

Since this course and this blog is sadly coming to the end, it is important to recap the BEST Disney songs from all of its movies - songs are definitely what Disney does best!

Wreck-It-Ralph

Watching Wreck-It-Ralph for the second time made me seriously question how I failed to remember the movie after the first time!  This is honestly one of the best, well-thought out, and emotionally gripping Disney movies I have ever seen.  If you have never seen it, stop reading immediately, and please go watch it!!  Since this movie was made in 2012, the first time I watched it, I was not that young, but I would say that this is definitely one of those films that you re-watch as an adult and gain so much more out of it than you would as a child.  From the very beginning to the very end of the film, lies deeper meaning, understanding, and lessons about self-image and acceptance – by others, and most importantly, by yourself.

Since it is always better to end on a good note, I am going to start off by commenting on my least favorite characters: I absolutely despise Gene, Turbo, and all the other characters in Sugar Rush, besides Vanellope.  First of all, Gene is rude, exclusive, and just flat out annoying.  He provoked Ralph in the first place, which leads to Ralph ruining the 30^th anniversary cake, and ruining the party.  However, everyone just blames poor Ralph L.  Also, Turbo is just the meanest, most selfish, and most irritating character in the film and that’s pretty much all I have to say about him – he truly deserves the punishment he receives at the end.

Now onto the characters I love: RALPH.  Ralph is a character that is so easy to sympathize with, and shocker!, he’s considered a villain in the video game world.  However, every time he is upset and comments on how he is confined to his bad guy role instead of being given the chance to be the good guy for once, I truly feel for him.   In fact, we see that he is a good guy, despite what others might think of him, when we see him give up his food to homeless video game characters.  He has empathy and good intentions, and that’s why it’s so easy to relate to, sympathize with, and support the “villain.” 

On a technical note, I love how this film connects the arcade world with the real world.  For example, whenever we see the video game characters travel to and from each arcade game, we see a small light move through the wires.  Also, when it is daytime and the games are on, we see the film from both the human point of view and the video game world point of view.  I think it is well-crafted and interesting to see the main characters of the film from a different perspective, the roles that they are trapped in playing and how they appear to the outside world.

My favorite scene of the whole movie is at the end where Ralph states that he loves when the people lift him up and throw him off the building, because when that happens, he’s able to gain a glimpse of Sugar Rush, and see Vanellope.  And don’t even get me started on when he comes to the realization that he doesn't need a medal to prove he's a good guy – if Vanellope likes him, he must be good.  I watched this movie with my friend, and she started crying at this one moment – I was almost there, I was definitely teary-eyed though.

Since Ralph can’t get his own medal, I love how this movie is named after the bad guy instead of the good guy:  Wreck-It-Ralph as opposed to Fix-It-Felix.

Let’s not forget the Bad Anon Chant:

"I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be, than me."

The last sentence is a message that everyone should learn and always remember.

Happy Belated Birthday Mickey!

Another reason I love snapchat, and have reason to believe that the creators of snapchat are absolutely obsessed with Disney!...Happy Belated Birthday Mickey!!! 

My Response to Davis

Usually, when reading various Disney-related articles, it is relatively easy to identify the author’s view on a certain topic and either agree or disagree.  However, while reading excerpts from Amy M. Davis’s novel, Handsome Heroes and Vile Villains, I had no opinions based on her responses to the movie.  Then it occurred to me that the author herself doesn’t even demonstrate an opinion.  I feel that she did nothing to add to the general conversation.  She mostly just summarized the movie, which, if you recently watched the movie like we just did, this article is very repetitive.  By not adding to the conversation, she leaves us with no reason or motivation to read further.

However, since her writing was mostly plot summary, it was helpful for scenes that I forgot about, or ideas that I didn’t connect together while watching the movie.  For example, she points out that “the sound of gunfire - a sound which, later, Tarzan mistakenly will think is called ‘Clayton’ - is a further symbolic linkage between Clayton as a character and the violence and destructiveness of those who hunt big game.”  During the movie, I never realized that Tarzan associated Clayton with the sound of a gunshot, but the connection makes so much sense for the character that Clayton is. 

In many ways, Clayton in Tarzan is exactly like Ratcliffe in Pocahontas.  Both characters are ignorant, aggressive, and abhorrent of any civilizations that are different than their own.  Davis even states that Clayton is “ignorant of the jungle’s secrets and its true beauty,” which is similar to how the white settlers in Pocahontas view the Native Americans as savages, simply because they have not been exposed to their culture before.  In fact, Tarzan and Pocahontas are essentially the same story, except one story is centered around animals and the other story is centered around humans.

I think it is very weird how the author mentions how after Tarzan visits the treehouse, he comes out walking upright, dressed in a suit, but doesn’t comment on the fact that Tarzan all of a sudden abandons his past.  I think that it’s very interesting in fact that he’s more similar to a princess than a typical male character, where he’s willing to abandon everything he knows to follow his true love.

 One of the few points Davis makes, that I disagree with, is when she asserts, “In his first encounters with humans, two things become obvious: he is incredibly intelligent and curious, and he is in love with Jane.”  However, I would argue that Jane seems more in love with Tarzan than vice versa.  Tarzan shows a lot of interest in Jane, but I believe it weighs more heavily in terms of curiosity than actual feelings of love and affection.  Since Tarzan has not seen or interacted with any humans in his life, it makes sense how he is incredibly intrigued by Jane.  Since that they both demonstrate an immediate connection to each other, I do find it a little odd that Jane instantly falls in love with Tarzan, who at many points resembles a gorilla more than a human.

Also, I really like how the author explicitly says that he we can’t blame Disney for the theme of man conquering land that isn’t theirs (where Tarzan stays and becomes King of the jungle as a result).  In fact, she points out, “cannot be laid at Disney’s feet: it is part of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1914 novel, and was cemented in over eighty other films.”  I think that it’s important that she makes it a point to remind us of this because I feel that many people tend to attack Disney for ideas in their movies that society may not agree with.