Disney is not always "happily ever after'

A male passenger on one of Disney's cruise ships was discovered dead in the water. Disney Wonder set sail for a five-night cruise out of Miami and on Thursday, February 26, it stopped at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line's private island. The man's cause of death is unknown and Disney is currently collaborating with the Bahamian authorities to investigate this case.

Fun fact: there are no lifeguards on Castaway Cay's adult beach (very responsible, Disney).

BREAKING NEWS: Elsa arrested after local police department becomes fed up with snow

The Gainesville Police Department's officers have been on the hunt for Elsa from "Frozen" for the past two weeks! Her crime? Causing so much snowfall (which, personally, I have no complaints about). Elsa did not put up much of a fight and turned herself in Tuesday Morning.

According to Corp. Kevin Holbrook, Elsa will be sent on vacation to somewhere "nice, sunny and warm in hopes that spring will be just around the corner". Unfortunately, this means no more snow days :( 

Safe travels, Elsa!

THE OSCARS! (and Disney)

Regretfully, I did not get to watch the Oscars this year - damn you, homework! However, I have been keeping up with the news of best dressed stars (guilty pleasure) and the awards that various films and actors have won.
It has come to my attention that for TWO years in a row, Disney Animation has won an Academy Award at the Oscars for "best animated feature". Last year, Disney won for it's popular film "Frozen" and this year "Big Hero 6" snagged the win. Since Disney bought Pixar in 2006, the company has swept up the most animated feature Oscars! #powerofDisney

Reading Response to Disney's (Sub)Version of Andersen's The Little Mermaid

As I was reading "Disney's Sub/version of Andersen's The Little Mermaid",  I was surprised at how bitter Trites was with Disney's version of this fairy tale. She criticized the story as being sexist and Ariel as a needy, male-dependent, manipulative character. According to Trites, Ariel requires a man to feel complete and her motivations to become human is superficial.

While I do see the validity in this argument, I can also understand Ariel's desire to pursue the prince and sacrifice her voice to become a human. She is of a young age (sixteen years old) and at this age, it is easy to mistake lust and infatuation for love, which often leads to reckless thoughts or actions. In Ariel's case, I don't think she was exhibiting the fact that she's "incapable or autonomy", but rather blinded by this new, fascinating emotion she was experiencing. Furthermore, at the mere age of sixteen, it is hard to picture the long-term consequences of an impulsive decision.

I think Trites is being too critical of Ariel and Disney's version of "The Little Mermaid". This is not to say that it does not have its issues (as mentioned in my previous blog post on my response to the film about why Ariel has to sacrifice being with her family) but I would argue that we need to cut Ariel some slack. She was innocent, naive, and filled with ideals of what her life would be on this land of humans with magical items. Ariel's wish is understandable because the grass seems greener on the other side.

Another flaw in Trites' critical essay is her argument against the prince. Trites asserts that the prince remembers the beautiful voice and physical attractiveness of his savior and wants to marry her. He does not attempt to get to know Ursula's personality, but marries her on the bases of her attractiveness and the fact that she possesses the voice of his rescuer. However, the film portrayed the prince as being under some kind of trance or hypnotic enchantment after hearing Ursula's voice (a.k.a. Ariel's voice). After reading this piece, I was kind of disappointed at Trites' reasoning and thought some of the assertions were unwarranted.

It now costs over $100 to get into Disney's Magic Kingdom!

As of tomorrow, it will now cost $105 to enter Magic Kingdom! RIDICULOUS, RIGHT?!?!
This is big news because Disney has become the first theme park to break the $100 barrier for its entrance fee. Of course, Disney will steadily raise prices because there will always be guests willing to pay that amount to spend a day in the "magical world" surrounded by Disney characters, rides, and merchandise. Disney World broke attendance records over the holiday season and profits continue to increase.
However, I would choose Six Flags over Disneyland because
a) it's more affordable
b) it has fun/scary rides
c) Disneyland is overrated for the entertainment/rides it provides

Maybe if everyone boycotts Disney will stop making its entrance fees ridiculously high. There are children from financially struggling households who will never be able to enjoy the Disney theme park experience because how on earth will their parents be able to afford $105 tickets for their children + themselves?? sigh. rant over.

The Little Mermaid

I had read The Little Mermaid as a picture book when I was young, but I've never seen the movie. Side note, some of my friends ask me why I even took this class because I'm not familiar with many of its films and characters. I would just like to point out that I chose this class because I was interested in dissecting and discussing the influence of the Disney empire! I don't think one necessarily needs to be a Disney fan to be in Decoding Disney...

Anyway, I digress - back to the blog post about my response to the film The Little Mermaid. I enjoyed it so much more than Snow White. The storyline, the animation, and the soundtrack all saw huge developments since Snow White. Ariel is the typical teenager - curious and mischievous with the tendency to disobey orders from the parental figure. She has a kind heart but is naive (as showcased by her decision to make a deal with Ursula). Also, I loved the soundtrack! The songs "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" are my favorites. I thought all the songs contributed to the development of the storyline as well as having catchy melodies.

One complaint I have with this fairy tale is the fact that Ariel gave up her most prized possession (her beautiful voice) for a chance to be with her one true love. I don't think that a sixteen year old is capable of knowing what "love" is, especially with a man she has only seen once. Furthermore, I was unhappy with King Triton's decision to make Ariel a human. Why couldn't the prince become a merman? Why is it the female who has to sacrifice being with her family and abandon her species?

1 day + 3 Disney Theme Parks

On Valentine's Day, a couple visited ALL THREE Disney theme parks!

They started from Tokyo Disneyland at 9:50am

hopped on a flight to LAX to snap a quick picture at Disneyland...

  then flew to Orlando and made it to Disney World 20 minutes before the park closed

I think this was totally insane and totally awesome. The total trip took 28 hours, but they did it :) I want to do something as crazy as this one day. I'm sure this will definitely be a trip to remember for this lovely couple!

Disney Jewelry Collection @ Pandora

I was browsing through the Pandora website because I wanted to treat myself to a new ring! It's so hard to go shopping as a college student...
a) I don't have a car
b) I don't have a license so even if I had a car, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere
c) Southpoint is far :/
d) Even if I want to go shopping, my gal friends' schedules and mine have to match up so we can all go together

So I've resorted to online shopping, but I have lots of problems with this method:
a) I can't try anything on and I'm hesitant to pay for something I haven't seen myself in
b) I HAVE TO PAY FOR SHIPPING!!!
c) Return/exchanges are a huge hassle

Anyway, I digress. The point of this blog post is to inform y'all that there's a Pandora Disney Collection!

The price range for these Disney charms is 40-80 dollars. Some charms are actually very cute. Unfortunately, bracelets don't appeal to me. But it's truly amazing how Disney is EVERYWHERE and not just limited to the film/entertainment industry.

Lately, I've been wanting to buy a ring with leaf designs - here are a couple that I liked from Pandora. Now I just have to save up money from my job (I tutor with America Reads America Counts) to treat myself!

         

#relationshipgoals

Valentine's Day is hard as a Single Pringle... but then of course Buzzfeed has to make things even worse. I saw an article titled, "This Man Had His Girlfriend Turned Into Disney Princesses For Valentine's" and I couldn't resist clicking on it.

First of all, I would just like to point out that this couple is GORGEOUS. Not that I'm jealous or anything...

You know your boyfriend is a keeper when he has you drawn up as various Disney princesses in famous Disney scenes. Apparently this whole project took three months! Where do I get myself a boyfriend like this guy? 

This is my favorite drawing of the two. Isn't it the cutest??

Check out the actual Buzzfeed article for more of the drawings. I'm too salty/bitter to screenshot more and upload them on my blog. Also don't forget to love yourself this Valentine's Day <3

My Valentine's Date

Valentine's Day (or Single Awareness Day) is in TWO days! Since I won't have an actual date (yay single life) I decided to take the Buzzfeed quiz to find out which Disney villian should be my Valentine.

Below are the answers that I put for each question:

I got Kronk as my Valentine!! He's the whole package - he can cook, sing, dance. Rachel Corr was sitting next to me while I took this quiz and she decided to take it, too. Her Valentine was Hans!

If you're single and want to feel less lonely on 14th of February, take the quiz: http://www.buzzfeed.com/evernevera/which-disney-villain-should-be-your-valentine-16hvl#.goM4noPrx

Disney + Food = Heaven

Buzzfeed and Disney go together like peanut butter and jelly. It feels like they post something Disney-related every day. I stumbled upon a Buzzfeed article titled "27 Disney Princess Confections That Will Blow Your Mind" and I was not disappointed. Here are a few of my favorite confections from the plethora that Buzzfeed uploaded.

This cake looks fabulous! I honestly don't think I'd dare to touch it, let alone eat it, if it had been given to me. I love the details of the sand and the water.

Aren't these sooooo cute??? The further I scroll down the page of this Buzzfeed piece, the hungrier I become. Caution: do not read this article if you're quick to give into cravings!

THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. OMG. I am amazed and speechless at this stunning two-tier cake. I've finally watched Mulan and she's become my favorite Disney princess. Someone please get me this for my birthday!

Reading Response to Little Snow-White

The Brothers Grimm's Snow White was... unexpected. It was definitely not the typical Disney princess story. I found this German fairy tale to be vulgar, a little grotesque, and not as "kid-friendly" as the Disney version. When the evil queen commanded Snow White be killed with her lungs and liver brought back as proof, I was kind of disturbed. It was barbaric and violent, but at the same time undoubtedly built up the queen's wicked and cruel character - something that the "Disney-fied" version lacks.

Another difference I found between Disney's Snow White and the Brothers Grimm's Little Snow-White was Snow White herself. Disney depicted Snow White as a kind and gentle princess who is a little naive. However, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm made Snow White really really ditzy. I can understand her falling for the queen's disguise once, but THREE times?? Wow, she must be seriously lacking in the brains department... I was quite disappointed that the only thing she's good at is cooking and cleaning. #genderstereotypes

I was a little outraged at how the princess was portrayed as an object. The prince merely sees a beautiful female and falls in love with her - personality does not even come into play. When the princess awakens from her poisoned slumber, the prince declares he "loves her more than anything else in the world." Does no one else see the flaw in this?? Also what about the fact that this random dude wants to take a corpse just because the dead girl is beautiful (some kind of weird fetish?). If this happened in real life, I'd be running as fast as I could away from the creepy prince.

The dwarfs in this story were given roles of less importance than in the Disney movie. They were referred to as numbers rather than names. I think Disney did a good job in developing the dwarfs' individual characters and giving each of them a unique trait reflected by their names. The cruel death of the queen was also not very G-rated and I preferred the way Disney decided to eliminate her character. Burning hot iron shoes combined with dancing was brutal whereas death by nature (lightning) was a little more appropriate for the young audience.

The Brothers Grimm redefined fairy tales for me. I've come to see that they can include casual cannibalism (queen eating liver and lungs like it's no big deal) and barbaric methods of torture (iron shoes in burning coals and dancing until dead). Weirdly, I felt more intrigued by the Grimm fairy tale more than the mellow Disney version.

Cinderella Makeup: Every Girl's Dream?

MAC, a cosmetics brand, has announced the upcoming release of its new collection called "Cinderella". My first thought was, "Disney sure knows how to make the most of its movies." Now every girl/woman can achieve her dreams of becoming a princess!

This collection is the real deal. It includes a pearly pink lip gloss appropriately named Glass Slipper, pigments in the shade of Evil Step Mother, and the Mystery Princess Beauty Powder. The packaging is simple with the signature Disney logo resting on top of "Cinderella" written in a classic gold font. Unfortunately, the packaging is too uninspired and plain. I think it could have appealed to more consumers had it looked more special and "princess-y". I was quite surprised by MAC's decision to launch a special Cinderella collection because I forgot that even adults like to indulge in their inner child sometimes!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This class is making me realize that I was not very Disney-immersed while growing up. I haven't seen many of the "classic" Disney movies, including Snow White. To be frank, I'm glad I started the film with low expectations because it really was not that great. I found the plot predictable, the characters one-dimensional, and the soundtrack mediocre at best.

My first major issue with Snow White was the plot. Almost three-fourths of the movie was about Snow White living with the seven dwarfs. Sprinkled with a few musical numbers here and there, the story line was bland and boring. I kept looking at the time remaining and wondering when the climax would occur. Then BAM! in the last 20-30 minutes of the movie Snow White eats the poisoned apple, evil Queen dies by falling off a cliff, prince gives her the kiss of life (a.k.a. True Love's Kiss), and they live happily ever after. Why Disney decided to cram all the good, juicy stuff at the very end perplexed me.

The characters fell flat and I'm sad to say that I saw no depth nor development in any of them. Snow White remained a merry, sing-songy character till the end and the dwarfs were praising Snow White's beauty even when she was dead (wow, that rhymed). Also, what was with the prince appearing out of nowhere and kissing a dead princess on the lips?? I don't think it's normal for a guy's first reaction to seeing a dead girl is kissing her on the lips...

The songs in the movie were cheerful and happy, but I don't think it's comparable to the amazing soundtrack of Mulan or Frozen. The lyrics didn't convey much meaning and the songs were not melodically eloquent. But to be fair, the songs were upbeat and put me in a good mood. My favorite was the one the dwarfs sang while washing up. The animation combined with the song made the scene more comical.

Overall, I was disappointed by the film. I remember reading Snow White as a picture book and I definitely would pick that over this movie. The only thing Snow White left me was wishing for my very own prince charming... (Valentine's Day is in a week *sigh*).