Writing 101: Decoding Disney @decodisney-blog - Tumblr Blog

Posts

travelingcolors-deactivated2020

Na Pali Coast, Kauai | Hawaii (by Mark Gvazdinskas)

the-disney-elite

Xiangyuan Jie’s watercolor backgrounds for Lilo & Stitch (2002)

#home

animations-daily

Disney and Pixar’s Coco US Official Teaser Trailer

yesterdaysprint

Oakland Tribune, California, February 8, 1953

Writing 101: Decoding Disney

I can’t believe it! The semester is almost over and I have nearly completed my Writing 101 class!

Now that the initial disbelief of actually getting the most sought after Writing 101 class is over, I am able to reflect back on the ways in which this class has benefited me. Through taking this course, probably the most valuable skill that I have worked on is searching for a deeper meaning in seemingly everyday things. Although it is easy to look at things at face-value, doing so is counterproductive. When you don’t look at/analyze things for what they truly are, you miss out on a learning opportunity and a way to better understand the way our society works. Specifically, Disney is not the innocent and sweet company that the majority of people think that it is. It is a company that profits off of its image, and protects that image at all costs. Since people think of it as a company that could do no wrong, the messages depicted in its movies often gets slipped under the radar of viewers. And theres quite a bit that gets overlooked.

In the past, Disney has has many problems in its depictions of characters. For many of these issues, it only becomes an issue once you look at trends throughout all Disney movies. As we have seen in class, issues relating to race, queer characters, and gender are all present when analyzing the villainy depicted in Disney films. Taking the time to address these issues and regard them for what they are can be very useful. Over time, Disney has realized some of these faults and has started to create movies that explore topics that are much more complex than what was seen in the past. Although there is even criticism that arises from these movies, I definitely believe that they have become much more aware of how their movies affect the public.

Does analyzing movies sometimes go too far?

It is sometimes very easy to cross the line from regarding Disney movies as simply for children/families to regarding them as clear-cut political messages. One wrong depiction of a character can cause a ton of outrage and anger. For me, I believe that it isn't very effective to look at a single character/movie and point out the problems associated with it. After all, it is just a children's movie and just because one character depicts a certain stereotype, doesn't mean this reflects Disney’s views. The problem comes when you see the same issue throughout a number of their movies, as we have seen in this class.

Final thoughts

Though it has been quite a lot of work to keep up with throughout the semester, I feel like in the end, it has paid off. In addition to building on critical-thinking skills, we have taken time to reflect on the way in which the public gets its information has changed, and seen the value in that popular sources available today. Also, the variety of readings that we have had throughout the semester has made me more comfortable with reading scholarly sources.

#Writing #DecodingDisney

vivecguccibelt

This is someone dying while having an MRI scan. Before you die, your brain releases tons and tons of endorphins that make you feel a range of emotions. Tragically beautiful

disneymoviesanywhere

Wishing you and your crew a Happy Easter!

Response to Maleficent

This was the only movie out of the ones that we watched in class that I have not seen! On top of that, I barely remember the storyline of Sleeping Beauty, as I think I only watched it once when I was really young. So, it was nice to finally watch a movie in which I had no idea how it would end! I really enjoyed Maleficent and the untold story that it went over. It was very interesting that they decided to cast a different light on a classic Disney villain such as Maleficent. At least for me, I really sympathized with her and the struggles that she went through.

As with any Disney movie, there is an underlying message in Maleficent that is very powerful/meaningful. In a way that was rarely been done before (in Disney movies), this movie provides a different perspective on a situation that seems to be so simple/direct. From what I can remember, it was very obvious in Sleeping Beauty that Maleficent was pure evil. Because of this, it was very hard to sympathize with her/see things from her point of view. In this movie, however, we get to see the struggles that Maleficent went through that made her the way that she is. Because of this, viewers can actually get an emotional tie to her character and actually end up rooting for her. If the movie started at the part where Aurora was getting cursed by Maleficent, it would be hard to sympathize with Maleficent was all we see is her being evil to an innocent child. But no, we get to see it as an act of revenge against Aurora’s father for the things that he did to her. In the real world, it is often easy to judge a person based on their looks or the way that they act without taking into account the things that happen behind the scenes. This is a concept that is very important to realize, as it ends up being the root of many problems in society. So, I really like that Disney used the Sleeping Beauty story as a lesson. By playing with our emotions, they were able to get us to sympathize with a character that many people hated/despised.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching Maleficent! I especially enjoyed having Angelina Jolie as the lead character. I think that she is a great actress and having her play the part of Maleficent was perfect. I feel that she very effectively brought a sense of darkness to the role that couldn’t have been done by many other actresses (at least in the way that she did). I don’t know why I didn’t watch this movie before!

#Sleepingbeauty #Maleficent #Aurora #angelina jolie

rainforestdistrict

Walt Disney Animation Studios Announces Wreck-It Ralph 2 (via ComicBook.com)

“Rich Moore came online in a live Facebook broadcast Thursday, starting by thanking fans for the success of Zootopia. He then brought out his co-director Phil Johnston for a special announcement. Before they could make the announcement, though, John C. Reilly, who voiced Wreck-It Ralph in the movie, which the two of them co-wrote, came on screen wearing over-sized Ralph toy fists.

Wreck-it Ralph 2 is officially coming March 9, 2018.”

radracerlifted

The Polybius Mystery:

Polybius is an arcade cabinet described in an urban legend, which is said to have induced various psychological effects on players. The story describes players suffering from amnesia, night terrors, and a tendency to stop playing all video games. Around a month after its supposed release in 1981, Polybius is said to have disappeared without a trace. There is no evidence that such a game has ever existed.

The game has shown up in movies & tv shows like The Simpsons and Wreck it Ralph.

deactivatedacclol-deactivated20

Olaf - Frozen. (2013)

hotccup-deactivated20180318

Response to Wreck-it Ralph

I forgot just how nice of a story that this movie truly is! It was really fun to watch it again after all these years. One of the aspects of the movie that I particularly enjoyed were the different worlds that the characters could travel into. It was really interesting to see such different scenes in every one of the games, from the happy candy land setting to the old-fashioned and dull Fix-it Felix setting. Also, it was the one animated movie where animation really fit and couldn’t do without it. Since they are depicting video game characters that are obviously already animated, it wouldn’t make sense to make human/live-action characters. In addition, it was really cool to see the different animating styles that went into each of the games, especially the movements that the characters from Fix-it-Felix had.

The major lesson that can be learned through this movie is to not be afraid to break stereotypes. Throughout the movie, Ralph struggles with his identity and wants to be more than the stereotypical bad guy. Although he is not happy with the role that society has placed on him, everyone around him still expects him to continue doing what he is doing, following the cookie-cutter mold that has been created for him. After finally having enough of being pushed aside and forgotten, he makes a step in the right direction and decides to prove the others wrong. However, instead of focusing on what he truly wants (happiness), he initially continues to be caught up in the way that others regard him, and attempts to win a “Hero’s medal” so that he can ultimately win the approval of others. Through the story, he forms friendships and finally realizes that all he needs to do is be himself. When he does this, the other characters within his game become much friendlier and appreciative of him. At the end of the movie, he is noticeably happier and very content with his life. In addition, he made a special friendship with Vallelope that will last for a long time. This message is clearly stated throughou, making it a very powerful and meaningful movie that is much more than a simple children’s movie. It is very different from older Disney stories, in which the goal was to tell a story rather than to tell a story along with a life lesson. Newer Disney movies such as Wreck-it-Ralph explore topics that are much more complex.

Aside from the powerful message that this movie conveys, there were a few aspects of the movie that I particularly enjoyed. One of these were the characters! I thought it was super cool that the characters resembled the actual actors that voiced them. In addition, they were all very likeable and complicated. Another thing that I enjoyed were the twists that were present! Like in Frozen, the twist made the story that much more enjoyable. Finding out that the King was actually Turbo was really surprising and exciting! I actually forgot about this part of the movie so I was even surprised the second time that I watched it. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and would definitely watch it again.

#wreck-it ralph #Disney #Ralph #vanellope von schweetz

Response to Frozen

Like any of the other Disney movies that we have watched in class, I enjoyed watching frozen again. I feel like frozen is an easy movie to think “eh, it was good” after a certain amount of time just because soooo many people dislike the movie due to its catchy songs. However, after rewatching the movie, it’s easy to see the reason that it was such a hit. The storyline is interesting, the songs are (very) easy to sing along to, and the characters are very likeable.

A part of the story that I really enjoyed was that there was the huge plot twist of Hans actually being a bad guy. It serves as a good lesson to viewers, which is to not be too trustworthy of others, because people may not always be as they seem. Anna was very quick to trust Hans and even declare her love for him, which turned out to be a very bad idea. She was so caught up in finding a true love that she overlooked any friendships that she made along the way and the consequence of this happened to almost be death. Although in real life the stakes aren’t ways this high, it is still a lesson that viewers can learn from.

However, the most prominent lesson that is present in the movie is the need to be true to self. Elsa spent her whole life locked up because she was too afraid of what her powers could do. In result, she lost the love and friendship of her sister, and missed out on a lot of the opportunities and experiences of her childhood. Even though it was her parents/trolls idea to keep her locked up, she could have resisted and believed in herself. The song “let it go” takes us along on her journey to realizing the need to accept who she is and let others see it. From initially saying how she needed to “conceal” herself, she eventually sings about letting it go and letting others see her true self.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. I first watched it with my younger sister a few months after it was released. When it first went to theaters, I thought it was something that had to do with Christmas because of snow and the timing of when it was released. Of course, that is not the case. After it caught on and became a huge hit, of course we had to watch it (and eventually buy a digital copy on Vudu). The reason that it became such a popular movie was obviously because of the catchy songs. However, I really like that Disney used an amazingly powerful voice such as Idina Menzel to be one of the lead characters. I actually didn’t mind hearing “Let it Go” play over and over again because her voice was, and is, so amazing!

#Frozen #Disney #Movies #Let it go