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pines-troz · 3 years

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Animaniacs/Pinky and The Brain Cinderella AU

I’ve been playing around with this idea for a while, and I wanna share my ideas for a Cinderella AU involving the cast of Animaniacs. And since there’s been a great surge in fun Animaniacs/Pinky and The Brain AUs based off of Disney movies (The wonderful Brainladdin AU by @deez-art and the sweet Beauty and the Beast AU by @themurphyzone), I’d figure that I’d showcase my ideas for a Cinderella AU!

Pinky - Cinderella

Brain - Prince Charming (Has a lot more character and agency in this AU)

Dot - The Fairy Godmother

CEO Norita - Lady Tremaine/The Wicked Stepmother

Katie Ka-Boom - Drizella/Stepsister #1

Elmyra - Anastasia/Stepsister #2 (I was originally gonna put Mindy in this role, but she’s just a toddler who doesn’t know any better. Elmyra, on the other hand, is the worst and she’s much better suited for the role)

Yakko and Wakko - The Grand Dukes (They’re essentially Brain’s support group in this AU, trying to cheer him up and doling out terrible romantic advice)

Plotz- The King

Bobby, Squit, Pesto - Jacques and Gus (Since Pinky’s already a mouse, he takes care of the birds that fly by the house, feeding them leftover food and making them shirts and hats)

Rita, Runt, Buttons, Pharfignewton - Various animals that reside by the manor

Pinky’s early childhood were years of happiness spent with his mom, dad and sis. But his mom and sis perished, and his dad remarries to CEO Norita, who feigns affection for Pinky but treats him like dirt when his dad isn’t around. Her daughters, Katie and Elmyra aren’t much better, especially Elmyra who takes great joy in torturing Pinky. After his dad dies of an illness, Pinky is reduced to servant status, and is constantly tending to the needs of his stepmother and stepsisters.

Despite the terrible circumstances, Pinky remains kind, optimistic and resiliently hopeful. He is very caring towards the animals he cares for, and even makes clothes for the birds who drop by his window. He also sings a lot while doing chores, which lifts his spirits and charms the animals.

Meanwhile, at the royal castle, Brain returns home after graduating summa cum laude from a foreign university. Now that he competed his studies, he eagerly wants to get back to his plans of taking over the world, but his father, Plotz, decides to give him ‘the talk’ so to speak and berates him on why he doesn’t have a girlfriend or any grandkids. Brain dismisses this as trivial malarkey, reminds him that he’s bisexual, and states that his plans for world domination are more important, ending his rant with a good “I don’t owe you anything old man!” before storming off in a huff. Yakko and Wakko joke about how they’d have to drag Brain to a party should he want to date someone, which unwittingly inspires Plotz to hold a royal ball for all potential suitors for Brain.

Brain goes into his room, which is full of blueprints and potential plans for world domination. While he doesn’t want to get married, he wishes to find someone who is supportive of his vision and ambitions.

While completing his chores, Pinky answers the door to find Yakko and Wakko handing out invitations for a royal ball, calling for all eligible single people to attend. Pinky is absolutely thrilled at the idea of going to a ball and having a night off, and he plans his free time to make a dress for himself. Norita, Katie, and Elmyra catch wind of Pinky’s excitement for the ball and decide to do everything possible to prevent him from going.

Pinky is halfway done with his dress, but Norita piles on another batch of chores for him to complete, in addition to tending to Katie’s needs and ‘playing’ with Elmyra. The animals see this great injustice and have a group meeting, and decide to put in a team effort to finish the dress for Pinky to repay him for all the kindness he has given them. Bobby, Squit and Pesto rummage through the house to find jewelry for the dress while Rita, Runt, Buttons and Pharfignewton focus on sewing. When Pinky comes back to his room, he’s astounded to find his dress complete, with the animals standing by. Pinky stands there speechless and utterly grateful for their kindness. He eagerly thanks them for their help and quickly changes into the dress.

When it’s time to leave for the ball, Pinky comes down the stairs in his homemade dress, clearly excited to attend the ball. Norita stares at Pinky and mocks him for even thinking about attending the ball. She yanks off Pinky’s necklace, then Katie and Elmyra proceed to rip his dress to shreds until it’s nothing but rags. When Norita, Katie and Elmyra leave the manor, Pinky is absolutely devastated that all of his hopes for a fun night were so cruelly dashed in a single moment. He flees to the courtyard and starts sobbing, saying that he was a fool for even having dreams. The animals all look on forlornly, helpless to even try to comfort Pinky.

During Pinky’s lowest point, Dot heeds his call, arriving in a ball of light before materializing into her physical form, comforting Pinky as he cries. When he realizes that he is being consoled, Pinky looks up and is surprised to see Dot hugging him. She explains that she’s his Fairy Godmother and that she will help him prepare for the ball. She first turns an empty spool into a carriage. She then turns Bobby, Squint, Pesto, and Buttons into horses, Pharfignewton into the driver, and Rita and Runt into footwoman and footman respectively. Dot finally turns Pinky’s ruined dress into a beautiful sparkling silver gown with glass slippers. Dot warns Pinky that the spell will be broken by midnight, and she then tells him to have a good time at the ball.

When it’s time for the ball, Brain is already busy building his latest invention for his intricate plot for global conquest. Plotz interrupts his plans, demanding his presence at the ball, but Brain refuses to go to the party. Yakko and Wakko have to physically drag Brain to attend the ball, who is just clawing at the carpets like “I don’t wanna go, you can’t make me!” He takes his seat on the throne while all the eligible suitors drop by. Brain is bored out of his mind. And he doesn’t even try to hide it, he is like a bored kid whose parent just ran into a friend at the store and is like “can I go home now!?”. Brain even gives Plotz sour looks from time to time to express his disinterest in the ball. Yakko and Wakko try to encourage Brain to at least have fun at the ball. Rolling his eyes, Brain He excuses himself to get some drinks from the refreshments table.

Pinky arrives at the ball and everyone is captivated by his beauty. He walks in the ballroom and is just spellbound by the pristine surroundings, and he bumps into Brain, not knowing that he’s the Prince. Brain takes one look at Pinky and is immediately enamored by him. The two talk for a while, and Brain looks over his shoulder and sees Yakko and Wakko gesturing that they should hit the dance floor, so he asks Pinky for a dance, and he eagerly accepts.

Pinky and Brain dance around the ballroom, capturing the interest of everyone, including Plotz. Norita, Katie and Elmyra look at Pinky and they don’t recognize him due to Dot’s magic sparking from his dress. The mice then make their escape to the gardens and they get to know each other. Pinky talks about his home life (but downplays the abuse he endures), but talks about how he wants to live a simple life in a nice house surrounded by loved ones, which deeply humbles the Prince. Brain talks about his ambitions for taking over the world and how he could make things better under his rule, and Pinky admires him. Brain muses to himself that Pinky is the perfect person to have by his side when planning to take over the world. But before Brain could make a proposal, the clock strikes midnight.

Pinky looks at the clock, remembering that the spell would be broken. Pinky apologizes to Brain and says that he has to return home. Brain follows him and sees Pinky rush down the stairs, losing one of his glass slippers. Brain tries to pursue Pinky as fast as he can, but he’s a total klutz and falls down the stairs. By the time Pinky returns home everything his dress is back in rags and the animals return to their original forms. But Pinky realizes that the glass slipper on his right foot is still on and keeps it as a souvenir.

When Brain wakes up, he suffers from short-term amnesia. He has memories of dancing and conversing with Pinky, but he forgot his name. The only evidence he has to go by is the glass slipper he found. Brain decides to launch an investigation to find his mystery date, but Plotz forbids him to leave. Brain re-enacts that one funny moment from Cinderella 3 by jumping out from the window and going off on his own. Yakko and Wakko decide to accompany him, but Plotz warns that if they don’t find Brain’s suitor he plans of executing them. While the three are off in town, Brain converses with Yakko and Wakko and realizes how flawed his plan is and says “wait a minute, anyone could fit into this shoe. what if the wrong person tries it one first?” And Yakko goes “well, then that’s your problem chief,”

Pinky returns to his usual routine of completing chores for his stepmother and stepsister. Norita sees Pinky singing a song and swaying around in a waltz. She realizes that Pinky was the one dancing with the Prince. Katie and Elmyra spot Brain, Yakko, and Wakko from the window, and Pinky is eager to see Brain again, thinking that he’s dropping by for a friendly visit. Norita grabs Pinky, shoves him into his room, locking him in.

Brain sees the two stepsisters and realizes that they don’t fit the shoe, but they insist on trying it on anyways (which backfires).

Instead of trying to retrieve the key, The Goodfeathers decide to help out by flying Pinky down from his room out the window. After some slight issues trying to carry Pinky, they safely lower him to the ground.

Brain, Yakko, and Wakko are about to leave, feeling hopeless over their fruitless search for Brain’s love interest. They open the door to find Pinky standing outside, who’s clearly happy to see Brain again. Norita scoffs at this, but Brain decides that Pinky would be a good fit for the shoe and asks him if he wants to try it on. Pinky eagerly accepts, thinking it’s some sort of game. Wakko runs in with the glass slipper on a satin pillow, but Norita trips him with her cane. Brain is heartbroken that the last evidence he has of his mystery date had been shattered. Pinky consoles him and offers him the other glass slipper like “I have a spare glass slipper if you want to have it.” and Brain puts two and two together and realizes that it was Pinky. Brain kneels down and offers Pinky his glass slipper, who graciously tries it on. The shoe fits.

After an unspecified amount of time, Pinky and Brain get married, and Plotz is happy that Brain is hitched so he could get grandkids. But instead of having human grandkids, Pinky brings along the animals from the manor to live with them in the castle.

The End

#animaniacs #pinky and the brain #brinky #patb au

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ptersparkers · 5 years

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mall date

summary: you don’t want to spend time in a mall. neither does tony stark. ergo, you go on an adventure that leads you two to become much closer than you think.

a/n: ahhh i’m so happy you guys liked the young tony fic from my ‘the adventures of y/n stark’ series! here’s more young!tony for you all.

warnings: some swearing.

masterlist / tagslist

The last thing you wanted to do was hang out with your stepmother and stepsister at the mall for the day. Alas, your father had begged you to take them because of external complications (that’s what he called it) and said he’d owe you a huge favor. As if he didn’t owe you multiple ones already. But you loved him despite getting married to the Wicked Witch of the West and her daughter.

It was nearing eleven in the morning when you three entered the space on a Saturday. You weren’t sure why your stepmother, Alexandra, thought it would be a good idea to shop on a weekend when all the high school girls raided the most popular stores and when the boys bought too much cologne. She looked at the younger children in disgust before pulling you both into another high-end store to shop for clothing.

You felt quite out of place. You and your father weren’t the most well-off and how your father married Alexandra, a wealthy woman, was unbeknownst to you. You were convinced she had put a spell on him but as long as you didn’t have to interact with her or your stepsister, Ally, you were happy.

The racks of clothing, you had concluded, could probably pay for your college tuition. The shoes on display weren’t your style and could equally set you for the rest of your life.

The department store was fairly big and you found it easy enough to get lost in the store. Besides, it’s not like either of the two women before you were paying any attention (not that they ever did).

So, you wandered around the aisles, looking aimlessly at articles of clothing out of sheer boredom. It wasn’t until you had found a head poking out of a coat rack that you felt like your day was turning around.

“This is an unusual place to hide,” you commented before gazing at the coats around the person who hid in between the jackets.

“This is an unusual place for a woman to be shopping,” he replied, gazing at the sign that said ‘Men’s Coats.’

“Your point? I can wear what I want,” you said, sliding a hanger to your left to cover his face. He gasped in surprised and lost his footing, which resulted in him trying to grab onto the fabric and pull himself together.

The stranger eventually stepped out from the coats and looked around before straightening himself.

“Touché,” he replied.

“What were you doing in there anyway?” you asked.

“Hiding from my parents. Not really in the ‘shopping’ mood’,” he said while making quotation marks with his fingers. “I was planning on staying in my bedroom all day but they had other plans.”

“Don’t I know it,” you said, rolling your eyes before resuming to look at the jackets. “My father begged me to take my stepmom and stepsister to the mall. And for what?” The stranger chuckled when you angrily slid the hanger, not finding a coat you liked.

“The name’s Tony,” he said, holding his hand out for you to shake. You eyed his hand and raised an eyebrow at him before shaking his hand.

“Y/N,” you replied. “Can’t say that it’s normal for me to meet strangers who hide in coat racks.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I don’t usually meet strangers in a mall.”

“Touche.”

“So, why didn’t you want to bring your, who was it, to the mall?” he asked as you walked through the department store.

“Too picky,” you said as you walked towards the shoes. “I don’t particularly like coming here anyway unless I know what I need and shopping isn’t my definition of a good time.” You pulled a pair of white heels from a rack and held it in front of Tony. “Are these cute?”

Tony shook his head and put them back. “You can do so much better than this store. Trust me when I say these brands are what everyone’s wearing and you, Y/N, don’t look like someone who would be caught dead wearing something other people are wearing.”

You thought for a moment. “Okay, that’s true. I usually go thrift shopping but Ally just had to duck her head in here.”

“Stepsister?” You nodded. “Ah. Siblings are complicated. I can’t imagine step siblings. Well, I can’t imagine siblings at all.”

“You’re an only child?” He nodded. “Well, before Ally came into my life four years ago, so was I. I can’t tell if we don’t get along because I have no people skills or if she just sucks.” Tony laughed and watched as you pulled out blouse to look at.

“She probably just sucks. I mean, we’ve known each other for ten minutes and I already feel like we’re best friends.”

“Who says we aren’t?”

Tony watched as you put the blouse back and crossed your arms in defeat. It was as if, in that moment, a light bulb went on in his head because you saw as his face lit up with a realization.

“How about we get out of here until someone starts looking for us? I highly doubt your stepmom’s gonna be looking for you if she’s shopping and I highly doubt you want to stay here waiting for her,” he proposed.

You didn’t need any more convincing.

“Okay, let’s go before someone notices.”

Tony walked out of the store and you followed suit, not caring which direction you went in. The mall seemed much more packed than when you had walked in thirty minutes ago and blamed it on the young teenage population who felt like they needed to have the latest styles and technology.

“I hate the mall,” he uttered when a group of girls bumped into him without apologizing.

You chuckled. “Me too. I only come here if I want frozen yogurt.”

“The mall is a breeding ground for teenage angst. It’s there teenagers go to die,” he said.

“I think my hopes and dreams were crushed here when my dad refused to let me get my ears pierced when I was nine,” you said as you passed the ‘Claire’s.’ “I don’t really see the appeal of walking around the same place every single weekend.”

Tony looked at you with a smile. “I’m happy to know you hate the mall just as much as I do. Did you know that this is the biggest mall in New York?”

“Huh, I didn’t know that.”

Tony smirked. “This means we have a bigger chance of getting lost and not running into people we don’t want to see.”

You sighed gratefully. “It’s like you read my mind. Sometimes I need a break from my life and forget everyone I know for a couple of hours. I can’t walk into the kitchen without my stepmom needing to know my business.”

“I know the feeling,” Tony said while rolling his eyes. “My old man’s got no time for me and tries to make up for it by forcing his way into my life. It’s cool, I don’t need him, but I don’t think he knows that yet.”

“Well my dad’s a good man but I don’t know why he ever considered marrying Alexandra,” you said. “He’s not the gold digging type because her financials weren’t disclosed until after the marriage. It was when she proposed a prenup did he realize just how rich she really is.”

“Ouch,” Tony said. “Rich people can be the absolute worst.”

“Oh, do you have experience?”

“Let’s just say I have my fair share of opinions and most rich people are the same,” he said. “Do you want a pretzel?”

You looked at the different choices. “You know what, Tony? After the day I’ve had, I’d love a pretzel.”

The soft baked good was in your hands in no time and you linked your arm with Tony’s, peacefully walking in a random direction while happily chewing on the pretzel. There was no rhyme or reason to your outing with a stranger you met thirty minutes ago, but in that short amount of time, you two had brought each other unexpected joy to an otherwise dull and boring shopping trip.

“How old are you anyway?” you asked. Tony took a bite of his pretzel and looked down at you.

“Twenty one. Why do you ask?”

You shrugged. “I dunno, just curious I guess. For all I know, you could be thirty and look really young.”

Tony gave you a look. “And how old are you?”

“Nineteen,” you said without skipping a beat.

“You’re a child,” Tony said before tapping your nose with the pad of his index finger.

You scrunched your nose and Tony thought that was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

“I’m turning twenty next week,” you said, feigning an annoyed expression. “So I’m not a baby.”

“Your birthday’s next week, eh? Well, we should do something special right now.”

“Right now?”

“Of course. You know, just in case I don’t see you next week.”

Neither of you wanted to think about what would happen when you two parted ways and resumed your lives apart from each other. You cleared your throat and threw away the remaining trash from your pretzel with Tony following suit.

“What kinds of things do you like to do, Y/N?”

You put your index finger on your chin as you thought for dramatic effect. “Well, I’m a sucker for photo booths and anything cheesy as long as I get to laugh at myself. Window shopping’s cool too,” you said with a shrug.

“I’m gonna make this day the best damn early birthday you’ve ever had,” Tony declared.

You let out a chuckle. “Okay there, Casanova. First let’s find a photo booth.”

To your luck, you didn’t need to walk very far to find one that wasn’t being occupied. You went to insert a few dollars in the slot, but Tony insisted that he pay for everything today since he probably wouldn’t be seeing you on his special day. You argued at first, but that made Tony want to pay for you even more. You sat inside the dark booth and watched as Tony closed the curtains behind him when he sat down.

“Okay, how does this thing work?” Tony asked as he fumbled with the buttons and red the instructions.

“I think we have to pick our borders first,” you said, looking at the different frames. “Ooh, I like the yellow one!”

“Yellow one it is,” he said with a smile. “Okay, next step is to press the button. Wait, the red one or the green one?”

“Uh,” you said, leaning your chin on Tony’s shoulder to peer at the instructions in front of him. “The green one. The red one’s for cancelling pictures.”

“Aren’t you a smart cookie.”

You leaned back and fanned yourself. “What can I say, Tony?”

“Okay, what poses do you want to do?”

“I know I want to do one where we put our middle fingers up to the camera,” you said. “We have two more pictures, right? Well we can do something cheesy. Like a pinkie promise.”

Tony gave you a look. “What are we, twelve?”

“I’ll be thirteen next week.”

You both laughed.

“Okay, what about pose number three?”

“Surprise me.”

Tony hit the green button and it counted down from five. You both tried your best to look serious in the camera while putting up your middle fingers. The camera flashed and you both scrambled to hold onto each other’s pinkies when the be t flash went off. Completely unaware of what the third photo was, you awkwardly posed when you felt Tony’s lips press against your cheek, leaving you with a surprised expression when the camera flashed for the final time.

You both hopped out of the booth and waited for your pictures to print.

“We look so cute,” you commended while looking at the third photo.

“You don’t look like you want to die,” he said, referring to your surprise in the third photo. You let out a laugh and tucked the photo in your purse.

“I bet you say that to all the other girls.”

“What other girls?”

You smacked Tony’s chest and he linked your arm in his once again. You looked at your watch and saw that you had been gone for nearly an hour and Tony was your bewildered expression, wondering what you’d do next. But to his surprise, you didn’t say anything about the time.

“Tell me about yourself,” Tony said. “What were you like as a kid? I bet you were a cute kid.”

“I was the cutest kid on the playground,” you huffed. “Well, I don’t really know what there is to say. I was a pretty mundane kid growing up like how typical suburban kids do. My mom left my father and I when I was eight and I haven’t heard from her since. But my dad and I managed just fine for a few years until, you know.”

“Suburban, eh? I wouldn’t loved to live in the suburbs.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well,” he began, “I grew up in Long Island but spent a lot of time in Manhattan and New York City for my father’s work. It always felt like I was growing up too fast with a lot of expectations. I never really liked those.”

“Me either,” you replied. “Alexandra, my stepmom, hates that I’m not like her kid. She hates that I love science instead of the arts. She refused to go to any of my tech conventions growing up so so usually has to find my own way to those things.”

“My dad’s kind of the same. I mean, he has all these expectations but isn’t around to see them come to fruition. I think he wants me to be a younger him but that’s not for me.”

“What about your mom?”

Tony smiled. “She’s a gentle woman. Very kind, very soft spoken. Always tried her best to help me on my homework when my father wasn’t around. I don’t think I could ever hate her.”

“Same with my father,” you said. “Why he married...her, I will never understand.”

“Sometimes I feel that way too. Is it wrong to think that about your biological parent?”

You thought for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. Family doesn’t have a set of rules everyone follows closely. The people you were born with are just human, like the rest of us, and that means they’re going to make mistakes and act on their own free will. That doesn’t mean you have to forgive them either.”

“Damn. Y/N. Are you sure you’re nineteen and not in your wise years?”

You laughed. “I don’t know, Tony. I’ve figured that it’s best to keep people who you want close and everyone else at bay. You have the family you were born in, but you can also choose who you let in.”

“I’m gonna be honest and say that before meeting you, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten as close to someone so quickly.”

“Ditto,” you said, looking up at Tony with a genuine grin.

“You guys are too cute,” a woman commented. “Reminds me of me and my husband.”

“Oh,” you started, “we’re not-”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Tony interrupted. “I’m the luckiest man alive.” You raised an eyebrow as he kissed your temple. He looked down at you and sent a wink your way, which made you blush.

“Y/N, is that you?” you heard your stepmother ask.

“Oh, fuck me,” you groaned as you attempted to hide yourself in Tony’s chest.

“Evil stepmother?” he asked. You nodded silently.

“We’ve been looking for you for fifteen minutes,” you heard her shout from a fair distance away.

“Do you trust me?” Tony asked. You looked up at him.

“I did the second I left that God awful department store with you.”

He smiled and let go of your body to cup your jawline with his hands, leaning in to press your lips onto his. Your eyes fluttered closed when you felt his lips move against yours and he let his thumbs rub soothing circles on your cheek. You gripped the opening of his jacket, desperate to pull him closer and he seemed to feel the same when he let his chest pressed against yours.

Tony was the one to pull away first and you whimpered quietly at the loss of his touch. You opened your eyes to see him already looking back at you.

“Your lips are soft,” you said before pressing a quick kiss to his lips once more.

“What was that for?” Tony asked with a grin.

You shrugged, your grin equally as big. “That was for me.”

Tony kissed you once again. “That was for me too.”

***

Taglist:

@kath94210 @sessi03 @olliekookie @edgyhargreeves @simonsbluee @meraki--me @sleep-i-ness @amourski @zaynjawy @katiemcrae @captainlarsonn.

#tony stark #my writing #mall date

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that-shamrock-vibe · 4 years

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Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Disney Live-Action Remakes

#7. Cinderella

This movie is very much in the midriff of the live-action remakes for me because. for me, this movie has qualities of the worst live-action remakes and the best live-action remakes. The problem being the worst elements are really the worst elements and in someways overshadow the best elements.

Firstly with the better elements you do have a more fleshed out backstory for how Cinderella came to be. Not only with the original fairytale elements of her name originally being Ella but given the derogatory nickname of Cinderella by her stepsisters as a mockery.

But also, having a proper opening sequence with Ella growing up with her parents as opposed to just a simple prologue about how Cinderella’s father married her stepmother but died and therefore she became stuck with her wicked step-family.

But the opening scene with her parents is really the first major issue I have with this movie. The running morals that Ella’s mother, unrecognisably portrayed by Hayley Atwell by the way, instils in Ella about always being kind and good, while reasonable elements to teach a child, aren’t exactly practical particularly when said child decides to follow this philosophy religiously her entire life thus becoming a doormat.

I mean I do understand how Ella’s naivity and kindness are meant to translate into us feeling sorry for her when her father dies and she is pretty much beaten down into that submissive slave role that we know she will be in at the hands of her stepmother and stepsisters, but that is the second major problem with this movie, she lets Lady Tremaine and her daughters essentially walk all over her.

I did enjoy the new element of us seeing her slide into this submissive role rather than the original animated version where she simply starts off in it, and the fact he has had this sheltered life of being raised to believe the world is full of kindness to be so easily duped my Lady Tremaine who proves a superlative manipulator is shown...but then we have the aforementioned scene when she is given the derogatory nickname of Cinderella and is banned from eating breakfast with the family and so finally breaks down in the pantry because of the overload she feels from her father dying and the constant psychological torture.

All this would be great, except it takes away from her eventual iconic breakdown when she is not only refused from attending the ball but also has her mother’s dress ripped to shreds...we lose that emotional hook as we were already made to feel distraught for her earlier in the movie.

Even though she is shown to have multiple opportunities of leaving this blatant psychological torture, even having people on the outside are worrying for her wellbeing, she decides to remain in her father’s house because it was her father’s house, despite the fact she still has memories of her parents regardless she chooses to go back and subject herself to the torture.

In the original, despite the fact she may have been able to leave, we never saw her leave or interact with anyone and therefore couldn’t really see an escape for her until the arrival of her Fairy Godmother.

Then at the climax of the movie I swear to god she finally loses the plot and simply decides to be a caged canary. By which I mean she is locked in the attic just as the prince arrives and rather than being distraught and seeking help from the outside, she just sits at the window and sings. Yes it alerts the prince to her eventually but she shows no urgency or determination to escape.

I get what the movie was trying to teach as a moral in hammering home how being kind is its own reward, but the original movie already conveyed that message but still didn’t present the main protagonist as a simple doormat.

Even at the very end of the movie she forgives Lady Tremaine for the torment she endured...it’s not really a realistic portrayal, I get it’s a Disney Princess movie but it seems more fantastical than the animated version.

I will say though there were good aspects to this movie, not least of all was Richard Madden as Prince Kit. I loved finally giving this prince a personality, even a name. I know he’s supposed to be the original Prince Charming but he has one maybe two lines in the original movie and here he has a backstory as well as more of a fully-rounded personality. Not quite three-dimensional but no one really has a three-dimensional personality in this movie.

Someone who comes close though is Lady Tremaine portrayed brilliantly by Cate Blanchett, I enjoyed the original version of the Wicked Stepmother but Blanchett adds another level to the character here. Not only do we see her as a romantic partner with Ella’s father but we get a bit of insight as to why she is so wicked. How she’s worked herself and her daughters up from nothing and how she feels using manipulation and scheming is the way to do that.

Baring in mind she was genuinely devastated when Ella’s father died, so this isn’t a Cersei Lannister situation where she was picking and choosing people when she felt necessary but the fact Ella’s father effectively said that she doesn’t compare to Ella’s mother is why she turned so manipulative against Ella, I’m not defending her but I am simply saying it’s understandable.

The other great character in this movie, as with the original, is the Fairy Godmother. Helena Bonham Carter really works the short blonde look here and the fact she is playing someone genuinely good and light as opposed to a villainous individual such as Bellatrix or the Red Queen was a very refreshing change of pace.

Also Helena has always been funny in interviews and so to have the chance to finally see her in a comedic role was very good to see.

In fact the Fairy Godmother pumpkin carriage scene is, as in the original, probably the best scene of this movie. With the other candidate being the first meeting between Kit and Ella.

The only other characters of note in this movie are that of the Grand Duke who goes from comedy relief in the original to villainous partner in crime to Lady Tremaine here, and also the Captain of the Guard who was also Xaro Xhoan Daxos in Game of Thrones being the right-hand to Prince Kit.

Visually and audibly the movie is stunning. Not only does it look and sound like a fairytale but Kenneth Branagh is adept at giving a visual masterpiece.

Also, while songs aren’t really a major part in this movie and simply something for the end credits, Helena Bonham Carter’s rendition of “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!” was still very good.

Ultimately though, this movie is very much style over substance. There are, of course, some good differences to the original movie, like Prince Kit, like the Grand Duke, even the development of Lady Tremaine, but overall there’s not enough to make me feel that this is one of the great Disney Live-Action Remakes.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

#disney #disney+#disney plus #disney+ what to watch top 10s #disney+ what to watch #my top 10 favourite disney live-action remakes #disney live-action #disney live-action remakes #cinderella #cinderella 2015 #cinderella 1950

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

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I've been reading through your latest post about Mistral starting the Second Great War of Remnant and something immediately jumped into my mind. There is a theory floating around that Cinder might be a descendant of the Mistralean (?) royalty and that her ultimate goal is to restore her family's empire. I am considering to make a post about that myself, but for now, I just wanted to know: what do you think of Cinder being part of the former Mistralean royal family?

Hello again Mizu. Well to be honest, this is my first time hearing about thistheory for CinderFall. When I think about it, it could be apossibility in a sense when I look at Cinder’s fairy tale inspiration. Cinderella was originally a young girl who was treated as a slave byher wicked stepmother and stepsisters who eventually married into royalty whenshe fell in love with the prince of her story.

Cinder being of Mistralian or Mistrali royalty could actually fit. Perhaps Cinder Fall had a Sophia theFirst kind of experience as a child where shewas the daughter of someone whomarried into royalty but was mistreated by her new royalfamily who never fully accepted her in.

For the sake of this theory, let’s say:

Cinder was once poor living with herfather in the slums of Mistral. In the beginning, Cinder used to be a rathercompassionate person who cared a lot for her father. Her father wasn’t awell-man and mostly depended on Cinder to care for him. Not that she minded.But things changed after her father met and married the daughter of a Mistraliaristocrat.

After the wedding, Cinder and her father moved out of their oldhome and into the lap of luxury. A feat which made Cinder happy since she usedto pray that one day her luck would change since she used to believe that herdestiny was to die poor. But after her father’s new marriage, she figuredthings were finally beginning to work in her favour.

Unfortunately Cinder was wrong. Let’s say Cinder’s new royal stepmotherdidn’t like her very much. She used to treat Cinder like garbage and made hernew life miserable when the poor girl expected things to be better. ThoughCinder tried to warn her father about her stepmother’s mistreatment of her, toCinder’s dismay, the stepmother basically turned her own father against herwith him often taking his new wife’s side over his own daughter’s.

To makematters worse, the stepmother also had two other spoiled children who wouldalso take turns abusing Cinder; ridiculing her on a daily basis emotionally andat times, even physically. Despite living in a castle as the daughter of theclosest thing to Mistrali royalty, instead of feeling like a princess andliving the happily ever after she always dreamed of having, Cinder’s dreams were turned to nightmares by the hands of her so-called new family.

To make a long storyshort, at some point, let’s say…Cinder’s father winds up passing away but during their marriage, the father had acquired his own status to the point thathe owned some form of royal privilege despite coming from rags. Basically thefather passed and left his share of the estate to Cinder as she was his onlychild. Basically Cinder was to take her father’s place and inherit his status and all of its perks.

Let’ssay, for the sake of this headcanon of mine, that Cinder’s father used to be amember of the Mistral Council who governed the kingdom.

Perhaps Cinder’s father was once alower-class man who married into wealth and then used his newfound status to join the political side of things beforeworking his way up to becoming a member of the Mistral Council. Almost like a Jacques Schnee type of scenario only that Cinder’s father was actually a good man.

And after hisdeath, it was originally believed that his daughter would take his placehowever that authority was stripped out of Cinder’s hands by her wickedstepmother.

Angered by the fact that her latehusband would give his seat to Cinder rather than one of her daughters, thisled to the stepmother increasing her abuse on Cinder to the point that she even tried tokill Cinder. Possibly by drowning her. Pushing her into the depth of raging sea waters on the outskirts of the kingdom in the hopes that her corpse would never be found due to the tide.

But unbeknownst to the stepmother, Cinder survived like she alwaysdoes and after washing up ashore somewhere far from home, that’s when Cinderwas discovered by Salem…or rather someone who would eventually take her toSalem.

And the rest, from there is history.

If the CRWBY Writers decided to playaround with something like this for Cinder’s story then cool. But up until thispoint in the main series narrative, there hasn’t really been much of anything totie Cinder to originally coming from royalty. If anything Cinder’s story couldeasily be one where she came from poverty, mistreated by an abusive family thatmade her feel helpless and afraid, thus fuelling her desire to become someonepowerful enough to strike fear into the hearts of her enemies.

Cinder doesn’t necessarily need to haveroyal roots to desire to acquire an empire. Heck you can even say that royalty isone of the perks of being powerful. Even if you are on the wealthiest people inthe world, money becomes practically invaluable when in the face of a beingwith abilities grandiose in nature. If the series Empire has taught me onething—it ain’t about the money. It’s about the power. Power over money.

And power is something that Cinderdesires most of all. So I guess my actual answer to this would be that I don’t mindthe Cinder being connected to Mistrali royalty theory.

I just need moreclarification from the show in the form of Cinder’s actual backstory. That’ssomething I’m still waiting for the showrunners to delve into to shed morelight on where Cinder came from. If Cinder’s past sheds light on what othershave speculated with royal roots rooted in the government of Mistral thenkudos.

But for now, this squiggle meister isgoing to stick with the Cinder theory she’s always had. That Cinder, similar toMercury, was once a meek young woman who came from an abusive family whotreated her like garbage and made her to feel powerless in a world where power meant everything. Thus from that abusebirthed a megalomaniac with an insatiable hunger to gain the power toturn the tides in her favour.

To transform this formerly feeble young girl intoan intimidating goddess among men feared by all who dared stand before her. Andthis young girl soon became the perfect target for her insecurities and innerdesires to be preyed upon and coaxed by a wicked witch, playing Fairy godmotherto said child, turning her into her an apprentice.

I’m going to stick with all thetheories I’ve shared on Cinder thus far, including my newest one about herbecoming the Red Queen—replacing Salem as the Masterof Grimm after finally giving into her Grimmhalf and becoming the first ever Grimm-human hybrid. A Grimmoire as a dubbed it.Half human, half Geist Grimm with the abilitiy to take possession of other human’s bodies and steal their form. I even gave a small hunch about Grimmoire Cinder stealing Neo’s body after fully-realizing her Grimm powers following another crushing defeat by our heroes.

I know the Neo-stans aren’t going to like that at all but…seriously, what are the Writers going to do with Neo after V7? If Neo doesn’t AT LEAST get a happy ending (y’know becoming the General Jingur of the RWBY-verse so we can have another Marvelous Land of Oz character for Atlas with her ultimately settling down and marrying Henry Marigold) then…what are they gonna do with her after Atlas?

Anyways upon her ascension into Red Queenstatus, Cinder will move onto fulfill her destiny of becoming the biggestthreat in Remnant history by acquiring control of Salem’s former Grimm army aswell as the armies of Mistral and Mantle who, under her influence, spark another Great War in Remnant; repeating history as they try to conquer Vacuo and Vale following the Fall of Atlas.

To further her ascent, Cinder would evengrow powerful enough to fully dethrone Salem, stripping her of all her magicalpower in a time when she’s most vulnerable before setting her sites on higherpowers—the remaining Relics so that Cinder may repeat the same attempt thatSalem did years ago.

To challenge the Brother Gods butunlike Salem who desired revenge against the Gods, Cinder’s aspiration would beto kill the Gods so that in the end, only she would stand as the most powerfulbeing in all of Remnant—more powerful than Salem and more powerful than the Gods themselves.

This is the path I see Cinder going. It’sa destructive path but it’s one that I personally see fitting of the type ofcharacter Cinder had been portrayed to be.

Now this is only plausible if Cinderis destined to survive past another season. I’m waiting to see how V7 shapes up since I’m still on the fence about whether or not Cinder has a bigger role toplace in RWBY or if she’ll end up being killed off in the same manner as AdamTaurus in V6.

For now, that’s my take on it. Hope this answers your question Mizu.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

#mizuike #squiggles answers #cinder fall #rwby salem #rwby neopolitan #rwby theories #cinder headcanons

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hamliet · 6 years

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Disney Princesses as Strong Women: Cinderella’s Courage and Compassion

Ah, time for one of my favorite princesses and perhaps the most common target of, for lack of a better term, haters. As a film, Cinderella is a surprisingly realistic portrayal of abuse and how abuse survivors cope, as well as an optimistic fairytale.

As a disclaimer, there is room for legitimate criticism of Cinderella and this is not going to invalidate any valid criticism of her film, but rather offer a different perspective on her film and specifically on Cinderella as a character.

Cinderella is too girlish! Cinderella waits for a man to save her! Or so the criticisms go. As for the latter, that’s blatantly not true according to the story, and as for the former, well... I’ll quote part of what I said in my Snow White analysis here, adapted for Cinderella:

If you... devalue her based on the strong presence of her traditionally feminine traits while ignoring her very real and very present strength[s], perhaps you should be reexamining your own sexism.

As for Cinderella herself, her defining traits are not that she cooks and cleans--she sings as she does so, but she also doesn’t voluntarily do any of it, unlike Snow White. She does however do almost everything out of compassion both for others and for herself. Why compassion is seen as a feminine trait is honestly another discussion all together and it’s disturbing that this does appear to be a common assumption. Compassion is good. The answer isn’t to not emphasize compassion in a female character (who, by nature of existing in a fairy tale for children, is going to be a relatively simple character), but rather emphasize it for male characters as well. Cinderella (1950) does also play with gender roles several times, notably with Lady Tremaine (the wicked stepmother) and with the Grand Duke.

This film goes out of its way to highlight Cinderella’s compassion as the trait that is most beautiful about her, though it’s certainly a valid criticism that the stepsisters are noted to be “awkward” (the film never uses the word “ugly”) and Lady Tremaine is noted to be jealous of Cinderella’s beauty--but also her charm, aka her personality.

It’s noted that Cinderella’s father married Lady Tremaine only because he felt his daughter “needed a mother’s care.” In other words, the man’s own insecurity and belief that he wasn’t enough led to him marrying the woman who would later abuse Cinderella. In other words, because he didn’t think he could be enough of a feminine influence on her, she wound up being abused. Damn you sensitive masculinity.

But it’s also notable that the father is noted to love his child very much, and that compassion is clearly very important to Cinderella’s journey. Under her father’s care, the chateau she grows up in is noted to be beautiful, but once he dies Lady Tremaine “squanders” the fortune on her daughter’s “vain and selfish” interests, letting the chateau fall into disrepair. The chateau can be seen as symbolic of Cinderella herself in some ways, but also of Lady Tremaine--the more energy and time she spends on her selfish jealousy, the more she doesn’t realize that her inner beauty is falling into disrepair.

Cinderella’s got a backbone. The girl is not a pushover even when she’s being ordered around. Starting from her very first proper scene, wherein she teases the birds for waking her up and tries to stay asleep. But she can’t, because she’s got to face the world, which is not as kind to her. She grouses at the clock, complaining that “even he orders me around." When Anastasia and Drizella accuse her of deliberately putting a mouse in her cup, she starts the conversation with her stepmother with “oh please, you don’t think that I--” She tells them “I’m still a member of the family.” She is smart. She is polite to her abusers, yes (often, unfortunately, that’s realistic and a survival strategy) and even kind to Lucifer, the privileged fat cat (and the best character). And yet Cinderella doesn’t take Lucifer’s bullshit, sarcastically telling him “I’m sorry if Your Highness objects to an early breakfast.” She has spunk.

However, Cinderella is also naive and prone to losing herself in dreams. Dreams are coded as positive in Cinderella, but also as something that doesn’t suffice as a long-term solution. Instead, dreams are tools that help you escape. For example, the Fairy Godmother’s illusion is basically a waking dream that enables her to reach her escape. But the Fairy Godmother also warns her the dream comes with a time limit, and she needs to pay heed to it (and almost doesn’t): “But like all dreams, it can’t last forever.” The next morning, Cinderella again loses herself to her daydreams, humming and singing and so lost in her dreams that she doesn’t hear her animal friends trying to warn her that Lady Tremaine is about to lock her in the tower. Which she does.

Yet without dreams, Cinderella could not have survived the years leading up to her dream becoming a reality for a few hours. As she directly states, while Lady Tremaine can take almost everything from her, no one can order her to stop dreaming. While Cinderella is trapped in an abusive situation, she desperately wants to leave, and she believes she will escape some day. A dream, for Cinderella, is escapism, because she can at least be free from something the film itself directly calls “abuse” and “humiliation.” Dreams are not silly; speaking as an abuse survivor myself, sometimes that’s all you have. In her song “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” she sings:

In dreams you will lose your heartache

Whatever you wish for you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling through

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true.

Is it simplified? Sure. But that’s a beautiful message to give kids suffering. And given the dual coding of dreams as being something you cannot lose yourself in either, it gives a practical message of acting on your dreams as well.

Cinderella’s compassion is primarily shown through her treatment of the pesky animals, the ones that disgust her stepsisters (like mostly mice, but also birds and Bruno, the dog whom Cinderella warns the stepmother wants to kick out). But she encourages the mice to be smart and Bruno to learn to like cats (aka Lucifer) if only for practical reasons (because they’ll throw him out otherwise). I think this reveals a good deal of Cinderella’s mindset: that she does what they want her to do because she wants to survive. She wants a warm bed and food, and running away all on her own would ensure she’d lose that. Abuse victims do genuinely weigh their options like this, and choosing to stay (especially as a dependent, like Cinderella is) is not something that should be condemned.

The moment Cinderella hears that a mouse (GusGus) is in the rat trap, she stops what she’s doing and rushes down the stairs. In other words, while she can’t yet escape, she’ll be damned if she’ll let someone else suffer abuse in a trap they can’t leave. Not only that, but GusGus is terrified and Cinderella notes as such, and asks for someone who better understands (Jack) to talk to him, and even though GusGus is aggressive at first, Jack’s insistence that they like him and Cinderella likes him coaxes him out of the cage. In other words, compassion and kindness enable him to make a courageous choice and leave the cage.

GusGus is the opposite of Cinderella in some ways: he directly wants to challenge Lucifer until Jack begs him not to. He wants to fight, but practically speaking, it’s just stupid for a mouse to go up against a cat, and Cinderella too lacks the means to go up against her stepfamily. It’s a realistic portray of abuse. GusGus also repeatedly makes naive choices, but in contrast to Cinderella, he tends to be more active (taking risks that aren’t exactly the wisest). For example he gets attacked by the more powerful chickens in a quest for food and they steal his food (it’s foreshadowing to the later scene where the stepsisters will tear Cinderella’s dress from her), but Cinderella intervenes and she gives a downtrodden mouse some food.

Like Snow White, Cinderella’s kindness is rewarded, in that the mice and birds are genuine friends to her (it’s a kids movie don’t take it too literally). They help her make her bed, shower, etc. in the morning, and they then make her dress for her when she doesn’t have time to do it herself. And again, there is a realistic portrayal of abuse in that the stepmother dangles a false hope/dream in front of Cinderella: finish all your chores and get something nice to wear, and you can come--but she fully intends to never let Cinderella come by giving her extra chores.

Despite being a fairytale, in Cinderella, compassion is not always rewarded by things working out. The stepsisters are not just jealous of Cinderella’s looks and her own compassion, but the compassion given to her. They don’t want the beads or the sash, but Lady Tremaine manipulates them into tearing them from Cinderella. Again, it’s realistic to abuse, because parents will often mobilize and manipulate other children to target one.

This is Cinderella’s nadir, in which she sobs, “It’s no use. No use at all. I can’t believe. Not anymore. There’s nothing left to believe in. Nothing,” That’s pretty dark for a kid’s movie, but honestly... don’t we all know that feeling? I certainly do. Cinderella’s arc is about learning to be courageous and take steps in that courage, and this is the moment all of it deserts her, because the one thing she has that connects her to others--compassion--appears to have all been for naught.

What gives Cinderella the push of courage she needs to leave the chateau? The compassion of the fairy godmother. And the fairy godmother makes the ordinary things, the despised things like mice and Bruno (an old dog at risk of being thrown out) into magical things, again reinforcing the theme that the ordinary can be extraordinary, and that the real magic is in the compassion and love she shares with her friends (who are animals because it’s a kid’s fantasy movie). In the end, though the dress they made for her was destroyed, she still couldn’t get to the ball without her friends.

So Cinderella is off to the ball, and that’s when she will meet the prince--who is having to deal with his own issues. The Grand Duke is not nearly so abusively coded as Lady Tremaine, but he is kind of unreasonable and threatening towards his vizier. He also plays with gender roles in that he is the father begging his son to marry and make babies because he wants to hear the little feet of his grandchild. He literally dreams about it, and again shows the potential danger of becoming too attached to dreams in that he’s not very nice and is pretty controlling in his wishes to make dreams happen (aka, there’s not a ton of compassion). That being said he’s coded comically and does want his son to genuinely fall in love. Also of note: usually the nagging parent desperate for grandkids in fiction is a mother, not a father.

At the ball, the Prince’s sees Cinderella wandering around, lost and out of place, and goes to comfort her. His compassion leads him to her.

They sing a song together, and, well, to quote this amazing article about Snow White:

they share a song together, which is Disney/musical theatre code switching for “romantic/sexual love.” Generally speaking, the big waltz that Disney’s romantic duos share at the end of the movie is their act of sexual consummation—sex without sex on Disney terms

Again, it is not sexual. It just conveys the same emotional meaning for the characters as sex would in a romcom. It’s a fairytale for kids so of course they fell in love in a few hours--that isn’t meant to be a recipe for real life love advice. She also doesn’t know he is the prince and says as much when she leaves, telling him “I haven’t even met the prince yet!” as an excuse to run. In other words, contrary to the common narrative that she went out looking for a man to save her, she did not. She went out looking to have a good time and happened to find a man.

The song they sing is “So This is Love” and includes the lyrics “My heart has wings/and I can fly.” Because Cinderella--she’s free now. And throughout the rest of the film, she is free. The guards try to stop her as she flees under the time restriction but she makes it through the palace’s gates. No one and nothing--not the royal guards, not the chateau she grew up in, not the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters--can hold her back now. Even though she does go back to the chateau as many abuse victims do, her compassion has enabled her to make connections that will have set her free, and she will run to physical freedom soon enough.

Her stepmother realizes it too: once Cinderella hears the man she was dancing with was the prince, she drops the trays (symbolic of her servanthood, as she’s repeatedly shown carrying those trays) in shock, and as Anastasia and Drizella threw clothes and orders at her to help them get dress, she dreamily shoves them back into their arms and goes to get dressed herself instead.

When the stepmother locks her in the room, it’s the mice who face off with Lucifer, but this time not for mere food, but for their friend, and they free her. The mice dive straight into the teacups to get the key from Lady Tremaine, which is also a callback to an earlier scene in which GusGus was trapped in a teacup to hide from Lucifer.

The man is also about to give up and is distraught when Cinderella is finally freed but Lady Tremaine smashes the slipper. But Cinderella pulls out another slipper, again showing herself capable of helping other people scared of people in power over them. Her compassion saves her, and saves others around her. When Cinderella gets married the mice and old horse and Bruno, who all played a role in freeing her from Lady Tremaine and also escorted her to the ball, are celebrating with her. Because Cinderella’s story is meant to give hope to the people in her story, and to the audience.

A dream cannot save you, but it can give you a chance to escape by giving you the hope you need. Compassion and courage is what will save you. I think that’s a beautiful message within Cinderella.

Thanks for reading! Up next, Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty--which was one of my favorite movies as a kid. For previous entries in this series, see here:

Snow White’s Self-Esteem

#disney meta #Disney Princess #cinderella #cinderella meta #lady tremaine #prince charming #feminism #abuse

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vickyelizabethgalan · 7 years

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Top 5 Disney Villains

Hey everyone!

So, aside from being a lover of movies, I’m completely obsessed with Disney as well. I could literally talk about the subject for hours– and there is a lot of material to discuss. I figured today I would talk about a controversial topic among many Disney fans: the best Disney villain. I’ve subconsciously placed these villains from least to most evil on this personal list.

Wicked Witch/Queen Grimhilde (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves): The OG bad guy from the first feature length animated movie, the Evil Queen always gave me the creeps. Her transformation scene is legendary and Lucille La Verne’s voice change when the character turns into the old hag is chilling. The reason I put her as first on my list is because of the complexity I find in this character. What freaks me out most about the Evil Queen are her delusions of vanity that are easily demonstrated through the lengths she goes through to destroy her foe. Filled with hatred upon seeing that Snow White has taken away her title of “fairest in the land”, the Queen is willing to take away what she holds most prized, her beauty, to bring about Snow White’s death. So, in wanting to regain her place as the fairest, she goes out of the way to show her ugly, true colors. This movie brings about the realization that: to see competition gone, many people would do the same. The Queen is a cautionary tale about egotism and hate.

Wicked Stepmother/Lady Tremaine (Cinderella): Probably the villain I hate the most, this woman basically enslaves young Ella, changes her name to a derogatory Cinder-ella and makes her life a general hell-hole. She wants nothing more than for her own daughters to succeed, become rich, and for one– or both, seeing as she’s not above that– of them to marry the Prince. To the Stepmother, Cinderella is in the way, probably because she recognizes the pure girl’s potential, which makes her competition for the woman’s snooty daughters. Then again, anything with a pulse could be competition for the two stepsisters, and stand a much higher chance than them, too. There’s a part of Lady Tremaine that knows this, and it can be argued that her absolute hate for Ella is pure, green-colored envy rooted in her own massive insecurity over her own daughters. Even when she speaks, Eleanor Audley magnificently sneers her way through the role and makes every thing about the abusive and wicked character despicable.

Gaston (Beauty & the Beast): “Nooooo oneeeeee…freaks me out like Gaston, represents toxic masculinity like Gaston”. Gaston is an extremely scary guy and his power within the town is, to me, what makes him most dangerous. Here we have this conceited, notorious hunter who is worshipped by the entire village, and he won’t stop harassing Belle, the one character who remains indifferent to his “charm”. Because he’s seen as such an idol by the people, Belle is the one shamed for not gratifying his advances. Knowing this, Belle still speaks to Gaston the way she does, making her an even more brave and admirable character in my eyes.

Gaston was originally based off of screenwriter Linda Woolverton’s ex-boyfriend. Narcissism, misogynistic comments, a possessive attitude, Woolverton spared no ‘douchey’ details, creating Gaston with nasty traits that are sadly perceived by townspeople as burly appeal. The scariest thing about Gaston is the relatability factor. Everyone has met some “Gaston” in their life, everyone has had to deal with that overbearing tough guy who makes you feel uncomfortable, who makes you feel like you “owe” them something. Gaston is a representation of that domineering, macho terrorist that turns things against you, making him the unfortunately-relatable villain we’ve all personally faced.

Man (Bambi): We have now reached a persona many consider to be the worst Disney villain. So bad he doesn’t even have a name, the Disney baddie is MAN. Unseen and described as merciless and ruthless, this classified poacher– since it is illegal to shoot doves or fawns in many parts of the United States– is not only responsible for the death of Bambi’s mom (often referred as the saddest Disney moment, competing with Mufasa’s death) but also for killing many other deer and starting a forest fire which destroys a lot of the area. The reason many people consider Man to be so evil is because of the depth that is Man representing us and the dangers we bring to nature and the ecosystem. We are our own villain in this case, striking fear into many innocent creatures. We watch Bambi and grow to love the purity of this white-tailed deer and how he lives. The movie allows us to feel close to the young Prince before his world is destroyed, so we can empathize with animals and the situation MAN(kind) is responsible for.

Frollo (Hunchback of Notre Dame): We have gotten to the Disney villain I consider most evil. Maybe you don’t find him so scary or impressionable, compared to other villains with beadier eyes and spookier smirks, but I’ll tell you why Judge Claude Frollo is, by far, the most evil. This is a man who, in the original story by Victor Hugo, is a religious man. Frollo threatens murder and rape, kills an innocent gypsy woman and basically enslaves Quasimodo, making him the bell ringer of Notre Dame for the entirety of his life.

Now, we aren’t talking about the original version, but the Disney version didn’t help Frollo look any better.

In an attempt to avoid a negative reaction from the religious community, Disney made Frollo a judge. This was not a much better decision because, if anything, it only gave light to a fear: no matter what role you assign him, Frollo is a hypocrite. In other villain’s cases, they are the way they are due to their position; in Frollo’s case, his evil stems purely from his own self. He is a murderous, conniving hypocrite whether you paint him as a clergyman, a judge, a street beggar, a librarian. Before the public, Frollo feigns a life of morality and religious zealous, since he is supposed to be the “trusty” figure people confide in, whether a priest or judge. Behind the scenes, he actually exhibits an extreme hate for a minority, referring to them as ants who need to be exterminated! This is a man you would go before to confess a sin or a crime, to let him judge your life– and here he is is dreaming of murder and threatening to rape Esmeralda and/or burn her at the stake. Either way you spin him, this is a very confused, malicious man who does not deserve to be in either position, religious or legal. This is why, to me, he is the worst of the Disney baddies.

There you have it! My Top 5 Disney villains. Let me know which villain(s) you deem baddest! And let me know if you’d love for me to make another Disney list! Thanks for reading!

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celestialmazer · 5 years

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FAIRY TALES ARE REALLY JUST HARD-BOILED CRIME STORIESExploring the Dark, Twisted World of Classic Fairy Tales - Steph Post

Source https://crimereads.com/fairy-tales-are-really-just-hard-boiled-crime-stories/?

Bad things happen in fairy tales. To good people. To bad people. To dragons and witches and princesses and bastard children. Usually they end with a happily ever after—the guy gets the girl or the girl gets revenge, the kingdom awakens, the peasants aren’t eaten but can go on with their miserable peasant lives—but to get that happy ending, a crime must be committed first. Epic betrayals, such as adultery and infanticide, but minor crimes too. Trespassing and petty theft and disorderly conduct. And then there are the exotic ones, the cases of bestiality and necrophilia and the like.

Modern crime fiction has nothing on the ingenuity, brutality and sheer bizarreness of the offenses committed in classic fairy tales. Moreover, fairy tales are ruthless. Our contemporary crime novels have the monopoly on moral ambiguity, true, but fairy tales take no prisoners and often offer no redemption. Mercy is not a hallmark of the genre and even the kindest, most benevolent maid-turned-princess isn’t afraid to take out her wicked stepmother.

Strip away the fairy godmothers and the helpful goblins, the magic trees and the singing bones, and you’re left with an array of hardboiled crimes straight out of Chandler or Highsmith, Christie or Connelly, and everyone in-between. Here are a few of my favorites, from fairy tales across the globe.

“Daughter Kills Family with Flaming Skull, Gets No Jail Time”

I’ve recently discovered Slavic folk and fairy tales and have become obsessed with the stories of Baba Yaga. One of the most popular is the tale of Vasilisa the Beautiful. In true fairy tale fashion, Vasilisa is gorgeous, industrious, and the bane of her stepmother’s and sister’s existence. They try to snuff her out by sending her to Baba Yaga, the witch in the woods, for a light. Vasilisa is so perfect, however, that Baba Yaga can’t stand her and instead of gobbling her up, sends her back home with a skull full of fire. When Vasilisa hands over the light her stepmother requested, it burns her alive. And her stepsisters. And destroys the house as well. Vasilisa, though, like Daenerys Targaryen emerging with her dragons, comes through unscathed and eventually snags a king for a husband.

“Lost Children Murder Old Woman by Baking Her Alive”

This would be, of course, the tale of Hansel and Gretel from the Brothers Grimm collection. This story has everything—an evil stepmother, forced marching, greedy kids lost in the woods, an edible house, and a not-so-bright witch who meets her demise in the end. Women often get a bad rap when it comes to fairy tales; they’re thought of as passive, prizes to be won, and sometimes they are. But unmarried girls, however, have a surprising amount of agency. They survive by their wits, and Hansel and Gretel is a perfect example of the cunning of girls in fairy tales. While Hansel is kept in a pen, fattening up for the witch’s supper, Gretel manages to trick the witch into getting inside her own oven, where she is promptly burnt to a crisp. Gretel saves the day and gets a candy house to boot.

“Princess Cheated of Husband Uses Dead Horse to Get Revenge on Rivals

It would be tough to pick a favorite Grimm’s fairy tale, considering there are over two hundred to choose from, but if you held my feet to the fire, I’d have to choose The Goose Girl. It’s both morbid and terrifyingly strange, and definitely not suited for children. Self-mutilation, prophesizing drops of blood, decapitated horses and medieval forms of torture are rife from start to finish. It’s a meandering tale, but in essence it follows the trials of a princess who is forced by her chambermaid to switch places with her on the way to her wedding. The king is deceived and the true princess winds up herding geese and talking to the mounted head of her dead horse who, incidentally, talks back and eventually spills the beans on the chambermaid’s gold-digging scheme. The king then tricks his false bride into choosing her own punishment—being stripped naked, shoved in a barrel studded with nails and rolled down a hill—as the real princess takes her rightful place and becomes queen of all the realm. If that’s not a tabloid story fit for a crime novel, I don’t what is

“GAMBLING ADDICT PARTICIPATES IN CHILD-KIDNAPPING RING WITH TERRIFYING GIANT”

In Nepalese legend, Gurumapa is a hideous, fanged giant who collects children who have disobeyed their parents. In the story of Kesh Chandra, we have an old man who is cast out of his sister’s house after he can’t stop gambling, going so far as to steal her flatware to sell and feed his habit. He wanders Kathmandu for a while until some pigeons take pity on him and turn their own shit into gold. Being messy birds, there is a lot of gold and Kesh, being a greedy man, had to have it all. He persuades Gurumapa, a fierce, man-eating giant who just happens to be wandering around nearby, to carry all the gold for him by promising to throw him a feast. Kesh Chandra also tells the giant that he has permission to kidnap any disobedient children in the area. Our gambling addict is taken in by Gurumapa and allowed to live in the giant’s attic, so long as he placates the village parents when the children stop coming home from school. It’s a match made in heaven and the two get on splendidly—Kesh enjoying his gold and gambling and Gurumapa enjoying his children.

“MOTHER COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER STEPDAUGHTER IS BLESSED BY TALKING HEADS, DISAPPOINTED IN OFFSPRING”

Death by suicide is the only real crime in the bizarre tale of The Three Heads of the Well, but in our current area of overly-ambitious stage parents, I think it’s both apt and deliciously strange. As expected, you’ve got a king, a stepmother, a stepdaughter and, of course, a mother-less daughter who goes out into the world to seek her fortune away from her bratty new family. An old man she is kind to repays the favor by telling her to visit a well where three heads—yep—are hanging out, waiting for someone to wash them and comb their hair. Upon doing so, they grant her the gifts of being beautiful, having a wonderful voice and becoming a queen. When she leaves the well she just so happens to run into a king who is charmed by her beauty and her voice and immediately marries her. Now, the stepmother, upon hearing this, sends out her own daughter, determined that she should make an even better match. This girl, however, is rude to the old man and the three heads and they blight her with leprosy, a terrible voice and a marriage to a mere cobbler. The jealous stepmother, however, is so mortified by her daughter’s humble marriage that she goes insane and eventually hangs herself. The story ends with the king celebrating the death of his wife and the ugliness of his stepdaughter. Yikes.

“MAN STEALS DUCK, SPROUTS FEATHER, TURNS MASOCHIST”

This strange tale hails from China and, while short, hinges on a simple crime. In Theft of a Duck, a man does just that—steals a duck from a farmer. The following morning, he wakes to discover that he has grown feathers all over his body in the night. They itch terribly but the next night the thief dreams that he will be granted relief if he returns to the farmer and the farmer calls him what he is, “a dirty thief.” The next day the thief goes to the farmer and tries to trick him into calling a neighbor a dirty thief, so the words will be spoken. The trick fails, as the farmer refuses to be so mean. Finally, desperate, the thief rips open his shirt to display his feathers and begs the farmer to call him a dirty thief. The farmer, being a good man, takes pity on the thief and berates him until his feathers disappear.

“PATHOLOGICAL LIAR BETRAYS FATHER, BECOMES VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND IS FALSELY PRESUMED DEAD”

Pinocchio. I’m not sure which Disney film was more disturbing to me as child—Pinocchio or Dumbo. I think I’ve blocked much of the Disney version out, but in reading the original serialized novel as an adult, I’ve realized just how disturbing this Italian fairy tale actually is. We all know the basics from the cartoon: the wooden puppet, his kind father, the blue fairy and Jiminy Cricket, wishing upon a star. But then you’ve got Pinocchio compulsively telling lies, killing his helpful cricket-sprit-guide, running away from home, being tricked and trapped into a grotesque puppet show on a ‘pleasure island,’ being swallowed by a whale, discovering his whale-swallowed father, dying and then being brought back to life as a human boy. And that’s the Disney version! In the original, Pinocchio is even more of a jackass (reference intended) than he is in the film. Our cruel puppet not only lies, cheats and swindles, but mutilates animals, physically abuses Geppeto, and is an all-around jerk, even as everyone continues to give him second chances. Pinocchio is the ultimate conman—faking his death, playing up his ‘puppet angle’ to gain sympathy and indulging in every possible vice from drinking to gambling to ogling other puppets. In short, Pinocchio is a hotbed of crimes and sin. Especially as, in the end, Pinocchio gets away with it all.

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And then you’ve got Snow White (rape), Rapunzel (false imprisonment), Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty(breaking and entering), Fitcher’s Bird/Bluebeard(serial killing), Little Red Cap/Red Riding Hood(animal abuse), The Robber Bridegroom, (cannibalism) and The Juniper Tree (child abuse)—and that’s just circling back around to the Grimm Brothers. Crime writers, if you ever need inspiration for a plot, you need look no further than the fairy tales we all grew up on. All the crimes you could ever want are there—right up to the happily ever after.

#fairy tales #fairy tale #grimm brothers #brothers grimm #pinocchio #hansel and gretel #the three heads of the well #theft of the duck #kesh chandra #the goose girl #baba yaga #crime fiction #snow white #rapunzel #sleeping beauty

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