I took the kids to "Happy Feet" today. It started as a nice feelgood movie with dancing and singing penguins and well-done animation. As the movie progresses, it turns out the the penguins are starving because man is overfishing the oceans and upsetting the food chain. One of the penguins has a plastic 6-pack holder around it's neck and almost dies. We later get a glimpse of the damage that oil-drilling has on the environment, mistreatment of animals in zoos, and a stab at fundamentalism. In the end, the protagonist winds up opening man's eyes and all turns out ok. The movie certainly surprised me, with messages to adults (and maybe kids) deeply wrapped in the story, one might claim them to *be* the story. It wasn't a Disneyfied sugary man-hurts-nature message; it presented an opportunity for people to be confronted with some isses that might not be high on their agenda. I did leave the theater thinking that I was being sold ideas instead of plush toys, coloring books, and other spin-off merchandising. Maybe this type of storytelling is a new trend, genre, or tactic? I'm going to watch it again one day, it is a piece of work worth studying some more. I just now came across this story where Cavuto on Fox has called it leftist propaganda and an "Animated Inconvenient Truth" but I'll leave that for further discussion: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/21/happy-...nvenient-truth/
And because of everything you mentioned, I loved it. So did my 3-year old. It was the second animated film of the year that had a very direct message on conservationism. (Not, sadly, to be confused with conservatism...Teddy R is rolling over in his grave.) It did get dark, though, didn't it? I think it was smart/funny that the movie execs marketed it to the teen crowd. I wonder if the message resonated? "Over the Hedge," while more comedic, was certainly a parable on human wastefulness and consumerism.
i cant think of a single disney film that did not have a message buried beneath the dancing, singing and animation. that is what their premise is. entertainment with a message of some social significance. if it opens one persons mind to the issues this planet faces, its more than worth the price of admission
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Jan 23 2007, 11:40 AM) [snapback]379532[/snapback]</div> Yeah, but a lot of the Disney messaging is like: UGLY GIRL=dark, curly hair, glasses, less suggestive attire PRETTY GIRL=lighter, straight hair, no glasses, more suggestive attire (from the first PRINCESS DIARIES) Ugh, I don't usually think of Disney -- especially today's Disney -- and social significance in the same sentence. That is, unless selling cheap plastic crap with Snow White's image on it (ahhhh, another Disney message: White=pure and good; Dark=impure and evil) has anything to do with it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jan 23 2007, 09:40 AM) [snapback]379576[/snapback]</div> not everyone feels that all messages concerning various social situations as being significant. if it applies to you, great!! if not, then that is ok too. i expressed an opinion based on my personal experiences and a few eye-opening observations made by my then 5 year old son when watching things like Toy Story (granted, not disney at the time it was made) and the Little Mermaid.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Nov 22 2006, 06:56 PM) [snapback]353338[/snapback]</div> Especially with these lyrics: Follow me into the great unknown Where pink flamingos crow Diet soda flows and what you take magically regenerates on supermarket shelves the ovens clean themselves you don't pay the tab 'til the last drop So we all ride for nothing because this train never stops
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Jan 23 2007, 12:52 PM) [snapback]379589[/snapback]</div> What I'm saying is that Disney tends to perpetuate some societal stereotypes, based upon things we don't have much control over, like our looks. This can be **especially** devastating to a girl; think how all of the girls who saw PRINCESS DIARIES felt when the "ugly, everyday girl" looked like them, and the "beautiful, special one" didn't! What could have anyone in their right mind have thought when pitching this story line? Oh, I know: $$$$. The center of the story was the girl's transformation in appearance; how many Disney princesses look like...Barbie? (another physical impossibility which girls are taught to strive for). I mean, it's all so sugary and impossible that it sometimes actually hurts those of us who DON'T fit the model. Shrek was a nice breath of fresh air; it was sooooooo nice to have a more normally proportioned female lead, who chose personal satisfaction over the persuit of beauty. That's a healthy message, in my opinion. Toy Story did rock (I'm biased, I was involved with the original), but note that the female love interest was, once again, fair skinned. Take a look at the movie, THE CELLULOID CLOSET to see how other groups are marginalized in entertainment. It happens all the time and we're often not (consciously) aware of it.
