The true power of Disney

I just read a New York Times article about parents who connected to their autistic child, Owen through Disney's films. As Owen repeatedly watched Disney movies over and over again, he helped build it into a language and a tool kit by collecting sounds and speech from them. Through observing the exaggerated expressions on characters' faces, he was able to "learn" the language and pick up visual cues as to what the words meant.

Owen is now 20 and has created a Disney Club, of which he is the president. He started this group after arriving in college and the club has helped him make friends as well as develop independence. This article has made me think about how universal Disney is, from acting as a source of entertainment or a form of language. And possibly through different disciplines and interests, we can find ways to connect with children who are autistic.

Read the full article here (it's lengthy, but worth the time!): http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/magazine/reaching-my-autistic-son-through-disney.html?_r=0

Beauty and the Beast (casting)

After seeing the cast for Beauty and the Beast, I have high hopes and expectations about this film.

I think Emma Watson is THE PERFECT Belle. She is beautiful, classy, and intelligent #womancrusheveryday

Dan Stevens will be playing the role of the beast (fun fact: he's also British, like Emma Watson).

It has just been revealed that Luke Evans (I remember him from The Hobbit) is going to play Gaston!

So so so soooooo excited for this movie to be produced. I know Disney won't let me down :)

Reading Response to Gael Sweeney's "Timon and Pumbaa's Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma"

When I made my way past the introductory paragraphs and finally got to the thesis of the essay, I almost laughed out loud. Sweeney argues that Timon and Pumbaa are "obviously a same-sex couple" (131). Apparently two best male friends who live together and take in an orphaned child are homosexuals...

I was honestly quite enraged at the sweeping generalizations and stereotypes Sweeney put forth as evidence to support her claim. She contends that Timon and Pumbaa are shunned from society because of their sexual orientation and their alternative lifestyle is a way for Disney to subtly depict gay-identified characters because the family-friendly Disney image will not allow it to openly portray homosexuality. Sweeney's far-fetched claim is offensive because it assumes that anyone who is not accepted in society is automatically gay.

Furthermore, she attributes Timon and Pumbaa's cross-dressing as substantial evidence that they are homosexuals. While dressing in drag may be an indicator of sexual preference, in this case it was to create a diversion and lure the hyenas away. In Mulan, a similar tactic was used where the male warriors disguised themselves as females in order to distract the men. One instance of cross-dressing is not sufficient evidence to prove that Timon and Pumbaa are homosexual characters.

Overall, I was disappointed by Gael Sweeney's piece because I felt that she used impertinent events in the film as evidence to assert her point. I was not once convinced by her arguments and this piece was my least favorite to read thus far.

If one had to put a price on Disney...

This weekend was the 'Story of Disneyland' auction at Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks. Approximately 1,000 pieces of Disney-related memorabilia were sold, totaling $1.7million overall.
Here are some of the items that were auctioned off:

This is an original figure from the 1967 Pirates of the Caribbean ride was sold for $129,000.

Shelby Pickett, a 23-year old, bought the 1955 opening-day guidebook signed by Walt Disney himself for a very affordable price of $13,275. What a bargain, Shelby!

The extremely practical 1970 audio animatronic tiki bird from the Enchanted Tiki Room was auctioned off for $154,000.

Timon and Pumbaa predict the future??

If you're a human being on this planet with access to the internet or the TV, you'd have seen this dress all over social media and the news (yes, it made the news on television).

There is heated debate about whether the dress is black&blue or white&gold. For me, I first saw the dress as white and gold but the day after it turned blue and black!!

Anyway, turns out Timon and Pumbaa predicted this phenomenon would happen... and were already debating it in the movie.

The Lion King

The Lion King is one of my favorite Disney movies! The character complexity and development in this film is a stark contrast to the bland storyline and characters in previous works by Disney. The Lion King actually touches on a plethora of topics such as life, death, family, power, identity, acceptance of the past, balance of nature... the list could go on. The animation is brilliant and beautifully done. The scenery of the savanna is incredible... and the music omg. "The Circle of Life" got me movin' with the beat and "Can you feel the love tonight" got me feeling like this:

Also when Mufasa died, it almost made me cry. I would never have thought that an animated movie could get me so emotionally involved with the characters, but somehow I found myself empathizing with Simba and harboring great hatred for Scar. I wanted to give Simba a hug and caress/pet him when he ran away feeling guilty and thinking he murdered his own father. One of the most amazing moments in the film was when Simba decided to return. It really highlighted the bravery and the strong sense responsibility Simba possesses. 

Watching this classic movie years later helped me notice things that I had overlooked before. The ending of the movie made me realize that while Hakuna Matata is a great motto, there are times when you will have worries and instead of running away from them, you need to face your problems, fears, and mistakes. Although this is an animation with animals as the main characters, the plot can be easily translated over to our own lives, which makes The Lion King unforgettable and relatable. 

FUN FACT: The movie was originally going to be called King of the Jungle, until the filmmakers realized that lions live on the savanna, not in the jungle... LOL

Response to Mean Ladies: Transgendered Ladies in Disney Films

Amanda Putnam's essay was well-written, forceful, and convincing. While reading her piece, I was constantly surprised by each example she gave to support her argument regarding the transgendered villains in Disney films. Her leading paragraph about heterosexual norms in Disney movies established her ethos and credibility.

Reflecting upon the Disney films I have viewed, I have realized that Putnam has a solid and substantial argument with examples of various characters to support her claim. Ariel, Pocahontas, Jasmine, and other leading female characters/princesses all have beautiful figures and soft facial features with long hair to accentuate their feminine appeal. Meanwhile, the villains do not possess these conventionally effeminate features, whether it be their bodies, faces, or voices.

An example Putnam provides in her essay is Ursula, who acts as a stark contrast to Ariel. Ursula's hefty body is not at all like Ariel's slim figure and her facial features are the opposite of delicate and feminine. I truly believe that without the red lipstick, Ursula's face would be ambiguous in terms of gender (not taking into account her body, just focusing on her face). While Ariel has a light, sing-song voice, Ursula's is deeper and less womanly. Moreover, Putnam cites a great example in Cinderella. The stepsisters are "flat-chested, appearing, in fact, square-bodied, with no difference in width between their chest and their waist" (152). Since an hourglass figure is the traditional body shape of beauty and associated with sex appeal, the two stepsisters are less feminine than Cinderella. 

However, there are some aspects of Putnam's piece that I disagree with. I am skeptical that depicting villains as transgendered people is influencing its viewers to think "it's okay to treat people who are different from the heterosexual norm as dangerous or disgusting" (159). I think this is a far-fetched claim because although it is true that I never found the villains to be attractive, I would not necessarily characterize all of them as "masculine". Nor have I found the villains to be deviating from the heterosexual norms and thus "disgusting". For example, Cruella de Vil is slim with wide hips (hourglass shape) and she does not appear masculine. Rather, she is just unappealing to look at due to her highly arched brows and wide cheekbones, which are not necessarily "masculine" features.

However, despite a few exaggerated claims, Putnam's article was one of my favorites to read.