Can I say something even crazier? :D
I saw Frozen in theaters on Thanksgiving, and while it had flaws, I have already heavily recommended it to a few people.
( I think I might have said this before? Dashed hopes. )
( I think I might have said this before? Dashed hopes. )
1 - I've been waiting 14 years for this. Idina Menzel played Circe on an episode of Disney's Hercules and sang a great song. I've always said she deserves to have a big theatrical number in a Disney movie, and here we are. My GOODNESS it was glorious!
2 - Do you watch Once Upon a Time (or have you seen the end of the first seaon)?
3 - That was great! Kristoff wasn't Flynn, and I think that was important because yes, there was a lot of Tangled in this for all the reasons you listed. I like comparing the Disney princesses, what they have in common and what their differences are. There's a lot of rebellion in them, as we see in Anna, but she's got more of a dorky enthusiasm which is something we see more recently with Rapunzel (not as much Merida or Tiana) that was entirely absent in the Classic Trio (which emphasized grace) and those of the 90's (who had youthful enthusiasm that was tempered by either intelligence or sense of duty).
I'm not the kind of person that needs everything explained, and in some cases, the fact that there are just these accepted magical forces of nature makes it all the more wonderful, but the trolls did feel off to me. They should've helped Elsa more when she was a child, and as for in the present day, at least the Head Troll got down to business. The others...well, maybe their behavior is a cultural thing?
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1 - Idina Menzel totally deserved it. She was jsut so. perfect. She was in the Hercules TV show? That I have to find!
2 - I haven't watched Once, I admit. I don't mind spoilers, though, what happened? Should I try to make time to see it?
3 - I like that they're letting the Disney Princesses be more relate-able on that level. You know, dorky and clumsy and enthusiastic. But I was also glad that they let Elsa become a queen, even though we get a little less of her personality outside of the fear. And while Anna's clearly straining against her constraints, it's pretty clear that she never disobeys exactly. Mot of her action happens when suddenly there are no rules and she has to figure out what to do by herself. Anna and Rapunzel would probably get along great. Did you see the screencap of Rapunzel and Eugene cameo from the beginning of the move?
I didn't really mind the fixer-upper song, but I was still really frustrated with how badly Elsa's childhood was handled. It's clear that before the troll warning her parents just accepted her magic usage, and then all of a sudden it was this terrible, dangerous secret. I suppose accepting that the troll culture is just pretty alien from human culture and a lot of it can be blamed on miscommunication does redeem them somewhat. I also have to remind myself that as an adult (and not exactly the target audience) I'm much more likely to want to protect the children from any unhappiness. Real kids normally take this stuff more in stride.
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1 - The episode is called "Hercules and the Song of Circe".
2 - You should DEFINITELY watch Once Upon A Time. Classic Disney, fairy tale, and literature characters dealing with adult issues. Best of both worlds. And you'd be totally searching out Captain Hook fanfics. Without going into all the details, a character is put into a sleeping curse at the end of season one, and it's the true love's kiss of his mother that awakens him. I liked that variation on it, same as what Frozen did.
3 - Relatability is very important, but it is a trade-off when it comes to taking some of the "classic" aspect out of fairytales. I love Anna, though, she slides across the floor! That's a good point about her not disobeying. She and Rapunzel, interestingly enough, have the same being locked up thing but are kind of complete opposites in terms of parents. Anna has her parents her entire life until she comes of age, but it isn't until Rapunzel comes of age when she meets hers. What screencap?
Anna's childhood was okay, but Elsa's was bizarre. They did kind of take a leap to make it so that Elsa's powers had to be a secret and something to be feared/concealed. I have the EXACTLY SAME RESPONSE to some kids movies and child protagonists. I'm way more worried about them than I ever was when I watched them as a kid and would wish they'd tell an adult when they get into trouble.
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2 - That is AWESOME. I hope this trend of "non-romantic love" continues in other places. I'll put the show on the list, although other things (catching up with Arrow) are going to have to take priority for a while. Honestly, the biggest reason I wasn't watching it is because I was so ticked they weren't just adapting Fables. >.>
3 - Rapunzel and Eugene are in the crowd before Elsa's coronation! Which basically reinforces the fan idea that Tangled and Frozen take place in the same universe.
My roommate pointed out last night that it was probably more Elsa's parents that were to blame in terms of her mentally unhealthy childhood. Which is a good point. But it's obvious that the movie doesn't want us to see them as the bad guys, even though they handled that situation badly.
I mentally urge child protagonists to go talk to adults while reading all the time, now that I'm oooold. Harry Potter, you are eleven years old DO NOT GO INTO THE THIRD FLOOR CORRIDOR GO CALL MCGONAGALL.
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Wow that's awesome! Better than House of Mouse, Kingdom Hearts, or even Sofia the First, now we have cameos in movies! (although some other Disney cameos muddle things, like Bambi's mom showing up constantly).
I guess the parents were just kinda there to get the plot rolling. As for Harry, Dumbledore is too aloof, and he obviously couldn't trust Snape, but you are certainly right about McGonagall.
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Bambi's mother cameos are just horrifying. I much prefer adorable happily-ever-after cameos.
Always trust McGonagall!
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As for Bambi's mother...it's like Cain and Abel in Sandman, her role is to die, that's why she's famous and that's why she'll keep coming up. I like happy cameos too, but I'm having trouble remembering them...even Pumbaa was dead and mounted on a spit in Hunchback.
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