Culture goes POP!!
From my brother, aka my lifelong cohort in dissecting all things pop culture: A list of the most racist moments in Disney.
Some of these I agree with, like the number in Peter Pan (I was beyond shocked the last time I watched that movie) and the black centaur in Fantasia (which Disney wisely edited out of the rerelease). Others, like King Louie, I don't see. King Louie was voiced by Louis Prima, who was white (Italian-American, in fact), and he used his actual voice. King Louie is a caricature of him, hence the name and the title "King of the Swingers," which Louis Prima was referred to at the time. In fact, one of the primary criticisms of The Jungle Book when it came out was that the voice actors were merely playing themselves.
I've always wished I could see Song of the South, because I adored my Brer Rabbit picture book when I was a wee bit of a thing, and Splash Mountain is my favorite ride. Alas, Disney will not release it, because even they think it is offensive. However, from the various clips I have seen over the years, including the youtube clip posted on this list, I really don't see how it's offensive. It just... happens to be about an emancipated slave who tells stories. Correct me if I'm wrong, because I obviously haven't seen the whole thing. I guess I'd like to be able to judge for myself.
At the same time, it irks me to see people commenting on the list saying things like "And everyone can see they are a different skin color, they are not white. It's a cute line saying he blushed and he was red. It wasn't offensive, and if it is, then you need to get a clue. IT'S A KIDS MOVIE." Because this is what we need to teach kids-- that white is the norm, and everything is okay as long as it's "cute." YES PLEASE LET'S PERPETUATE IGNORANCE.
Most of these sorts of things-- and not just Disney, things going all the way back to Biblical times-- have to be taken in the context of the time they were created in-- holding the past to the standards of the present is hardly productive. Still, it's very interesting to discuss, I think.
Despite the negative reviews, I find myself somewhat curious about the new Broadway musical of The Little Mermaid. I did some perusing of photos and youtube videos and websites. The costumes and set design are highly questionable-- Ariel just looks like she has two tails, and it's quite weird. But apparently they reworked the ending so that Ariel defeats Ursula herself, instead of relying on Prince Eric, so that's pretty cool. And the musical incorporates a fact that was edited out of the movie- that Ursula was King Triton's sister. Which I knew, randomly enough, from the children's book adaptation that I had. I guess it was drafted from the script prior to the editing. I think the idea of the troubled sibling relationship adds some depth to the story (and, let's face it, it could use some more) and makes Ursula's anger and jealousy somewhat justified.
Yes, I know I think about Disney movies too much. We all have our hobbies.
On another note, I watched Stardust last night, and really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would, actually. I liked the book, but I didn't really love it, and the film didn't exactly fare well at the box office or with critics, so my expectations weren't that high, but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and genuinely magical it was. It had a very different feel to it than the book. This is probably partly due to my undying affection for Claire Danes, and partly to the revising/addition of a lot of the dialogue. In any case, I recommend watching it.
Have I mentioned how excited I am about the Coraline movie? Veeeeerrry excited.
Not much to report in my real life... the slumber party with the nieces went really well. There was much consumption of Oreos and pizza and hot cocoa, and dress up and cartoons and running throughout my apartment pretending to beat koopas with Aisling's toy sword. I love those kids.
Some of these I agree with, like the number in Peter Pan (I was beyond shocked the last time I watched that movie) and the black centaur in Fantasia (which Disney wisely edited out of the rerelease). Others, like King Louie, I don't see. King Louie was voiced by Louis Prima, who was white (Italian-American, in fact), and he used his actual voice. King Louie is a caricature of him, hence the name and the title "King of the Swingers," which Louis Prima was referred to at the time. In fact, one of the primary criticisms of The Jungle Book when it came out was that the voice actors were merely playing themselves.
I've always wished I could see Song of the South, because I adored my Brer Rabbit picture book when I was a wee bit of a thing, and Splash Mountain is my favorite ride. Alas, Disney will not release it, because even they think it is offensive. However, from the various clips I have seen over the years, including the youtube clip posted on this list, I really don't see how it's offensive. It just... happens to be about an emancipated slave who tells stories. Correct me if I'm wrong, because I obviously haven't seen the whole thing. I guess I'd like to be able to judge for myself.
At the same time, it irks me to see people commenting on the list saying things like "And everyone can see they are a different skin color, they are not white. It's a cute line saying he blushed and he was red. It wasn't offensive, and if it is, then you need to get a clue. IT'S A KIDS MOVIE." Because this is what we need to teach kids-- that white is the norm, and everything is okay as long as it's "cute." YES PLEASE LET'S PERPETUATE IGNORANCE.
Most of these sorts of things-- and not just Disney, things going all the way back to Biblical times-- have to be taken in the context of the time they were created in-- holding the past to the standards of the present is hardly productive. Still, it's very interesting to discuss, I think.
Despite the negative reviews, I find myself somewhat curious about the new Broadway musical of The Little Mermaid. I did some perusing of photos and youtube videos and websites. The costumes and set design are highly questionable-- Ariel just looks like she has two tails, and it's quite weird. But apparently they reworked the ending so that Ariel defeats Ursula herself, instead of relying on Prince Eric, so that's pretty cool. And the musical incorporates a fact that was edited out of the movie- that Ursula was King Triton's sister. Which I knew, randomly enough, from the children's book adaptation that I had. I guess it was drafted from the script prior to the editing. I think the idea of the troubled sibling relationship adds some depth to the story (and, let's face it, it could use some more) and makes Ursula's anger and jealousy somewhat justified.
Yes, I know I think about Disney movies too much. We all have our hobbies.
On another note, I watched Stardust last night, and really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would, actually. I liked the book, but I didn't really love it, and the film didn't exactly fare well at the box office or with critics, so my expectations weren't that high, but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and genuinely magical it was. It had a very different feel to it than the book. This is probably partly due to my undying affection for Claire Danes, and partly to the revising/addition of a lot of the dialogue. In any case, I recommend watching it.
Have I mentioned how excited I am about the Coraline movie? Veeeeerrry excited.
Not much to report in my real life... the slumber party with the nieces went really well. There was much consumption of Oreos and pizza and hot cocoa, and dress up and cartoons and running throughout my apartment pretending to beat koopas with Aisling's toy sword. I love those kids.