Thursday, November 26, 2009

194 - People who don't like Disney movies

So today, I'm going to talk about the reasons why I think Disney films are great, and the problems with people who dislike them. And when I talk about Disney films, I'm talking about the older stuff, the classical stuff, the better stuff in the earlier days, when the movies were completely composed of heart, fun and fantasy. Not the stuff that's been coming out in the past ten years. Not the films that they've sort of moved on with. I mean, Atlantis, Lilo & Stitch, Bolt and a couple of others have been fairly solid, but they've evolved (in the wrong direction, IMHO) since the good ol' days.



No, I'm talking about the masterpieces of Disney. I'm talking about Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan. They brought you to another world, a whole different reality where caterpillars speak in vowels, pumpkins turn into carriages, and kids can fly with the help of a little fairy dust.



In some films, like The Lion King, Tarzan and Dumbo, the anthropomorphic effect made you appreciate (well, they made me appreciate) animals, and at the time those films were released, I was a kid that would actually learn about the animal kingdom through these films. It even made me learn to appreciate my toys after watching Toy Story, even the furniture in my house after seeing Beauty and the Beast. The scenes, the landscapes that were all drawn by hand made it so beautiful and believable, and I find that with a lot of real-life, in the flesh, movies, it's hard to feel that way because cinematographers are trying to make real filming locations beyond what they really are. With animations, especially the way Disney have done it, it can just be breathtaking, and enthralling, how they make a deer's mother matter so much, or how they make a puppet/boy matter so much. It really makes you wonder, and appreciate how much larger the Circle of Life is outside our own lives, our own modern-day age.



One of the other key reasons I also like Disney, is because they bring us to different places and time periods. From China (Mulan), through India (The Jungle Book), the Arabian deserts (Aladdin), France (Hunchback of Notre Dame), Greece (Hercules), to Native America (Pocahontas), how can it not be amazing to any viewer? How can it not be appealing for a parent to bring their kids to see these movies when they're just so educational and mind-opening, yet fun, for the kids?



The overall underlying theme in Disney works is the moral lessons they subtly include. They don't know shove the moral spectrum of right or wrong in your face - and at times, it can be difficult to tell where the ethics lie. Should Snow White learn to distrust strangers like the evil witch? Then again, should she trust her one and only family member, her stepmother, the Queen? Seeing as the dwarfs are strangers to her as well, was it right for her to trust them?



After the movie is over, though, you take away from it a real story, with complexity in the tale. You can't blame Pinocchio or Tarzan for not knowing what's right and wrong, it makes you think, it makes adults think when they re-watch them years later. How can people not understand how Disney movies are so ingenious?



I think it's because they've got their head too far up their bum. They're so narrow-minded, that they only see beauty in what they find beautiful, they find that their morals are sufficient to live the lives they lead, and they can only be emotionally invested in their own life, not the life of some 'stupid cartoon character', because they're self-centered. From where I stand, Disney movies are used to be beautifully crafted, empathetic, exuberant, compelling, and at times, even haunting, morally thoughtful, and absolutely cultivating for grown-ups, and certainly, any child growing up with parents that want their kid to learn.

12 comments:

Plentymorefishoutofwater said...

This post would have been more astute had it read 'Adults who like Disney films'....sorry Michael but on this rare occasion, I disagree with you.
Keep up the good work otherwise mate.
plentymorefishoutofwater.blogspot.com/

Douglas said...

Yes, now go discover Looney Tunes and Woody Woodpecker (though the latter taught little) and Tom and Jerry. But mostly Bugs and Porky and the little Martian taught me so much as a child who I miss as an adult. Especially when I see what passes for animation these days. You left out Fantasia, by the way.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I couldn't agree with you more, Michael. Well written.

Lynn said...

I think Disney movies are great. My younger brother enjoys watching them, and the adults like them too.

Jubilex said...

To start off with I thought the title read "People who like Disney movies" and I was thinking, "WHAT?"
But then I noticed and instantly agreed with you. Disney movies are wonderful. I still love them, maybe just as much as when I was a kid. I prefer the older movies. The Lion King is one of my favourites.

Good to see that you enjoy them too =)

Lihlipp Brocicooni said...

The old Disney was amazing. That's all I have to say.

Michael said...

Fish: I can see why it may be 'wrong' to like Disney films. However, I just feel that even though something may not be your cup or tea, you still have to appreciate how well-made some movies are made. That is generally what I feel about war movies, about action movies - I may not like them persay, but I can call a good film a good film.

Douglas: I love all three, especially the Looney Tunes, the characters of which are just classic. I think cartoons have definitely declined since I was a kid. Animations hardly teach kids anything now.

Robyn: Thanks, glad you agree. :)

Naomi: Yup.

Jacynta: The ones nowadays just aren't up to the standard at which Disney was before, right?

Lihlipp: Definitely.

Jubilex said...

Definitely. Cartoons have steadily become worse over time.

madeline said...

hey Michael,

disney classics. love them. always will. :)
i love how they subtly appeal to adults, the things that children wouldn't understand or pick up on. like the presence of hamlet in the lion king. :D wonderful.

madeline
thanks for the facebook add by the way :D

Bryan said...

I don't like the blatant racial stereotypes. I don't like the ever present villian, every story does not have to be a battle of good and evil. I don't like the unattainable ideal of the princess (physique, voice, always gets the prince). A lot of them are quite violent too. That being said I do enjoy the movies, but when I discovered the Studio Ghibli movies I was blown away. Spirited Away is the most imaginative movie I have ever seen, and grave of the fireflies is incredibly powerful. I encourage you not to assume someone who doesn't like Disney movies is somehow ignorant, try spreading your own horizons and tell me what you find.

Anonymous said...

"I think it's because they've got their head too far up their bum." Or maybe not being able to accept that people like different things makes YOU narrow-minded. This entire post is "I think" and "I like" and comes down to "if you're not like me you're dumb". "They only see beauty in what they find beautiful." No shit. How can anyone see beauty in something they find ugly? That's called a paradox.

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