#disney meta

[dragonflyable]

You know, that cloak looks kind of familiar...

[curlytheintrovert]

I just watched Elemental tonight at home… why in the actual WORLD is there not more fanfare about Wade Ripple?! I love this character so much it’s insane. After I watched the movie I was trying to put into words why Wade is so unbelievably lovable. Is it cause he’s funny? Yes. Cause he’s adorable? Yup. Cause he’s sweet as pie? Absolutely!

But I think the main reason is because Wade is such a caring, emotionally intelligent and tender male protagonist. I don’t know if I’ve seen many archetypes like this, in most adult content, much less a “children’s” movie. But something about seeing emotions on a male character was so therapeutic! To see tears, unveiled love and a high perception of feelings was a breath of fresh air.

I think we, in our media culture, are in love with bad ass, strong silent type men (me included!) But seeing Wade be so far from that stereotype was riveting. It also got me thinking how sad it is that Wade’s loving, impassioned existence is more fantasy then reality. Give me all the sensitive, crybaby, lovey dovey boys please! (And can we just give Mamoudou a round of applause?! Like his voice work was so on point! He brought so much nuisance and charm to this character. I feel like I fell in love with his voice. Geez I was not trying to come out of this with a crush!)

But Pixar and Peter Sohn did not have to go as hard as they did on immigrant realities, parental exceptions or different culture relationships. Plus the movie was STUNNING and the music was rocking!!This is what the studio used to feel like and I’m here for it! Keep em’ coming!

[artist-issues]

And another thing.

The original The Little Mermaid is about understanding. One of the main plot devices is that the witch takes what from Ariel, ladies and gentlemen?

Her voice.

Ariel did not leave the sea “for a boy.”

Ariel left the sea to be understood. Because for the whole first part of the movie, we’re shown hints of what her life is already like, and how she’s tried to be understood but nobody’s listening or communicating.

She’s introduced by describing a ship as amazing and wonderful, while her fish friend clearly does not understand and wants to get out of there.

Even her best friend doesn’t share her love for another world.

Her first interaction with her father, count how many times he’s speaking over her.

He has this prejudice against humans, and because she’s disobeyed him, he won’t listen to any of her evidence that they may not all be bad.

Even when she has a voice and a cavern full of proof that humans aren’t all barbarians, her father won’t listen to her, so he can’t understand.

And the truth is, she doesn’t have that much proof. She knows that humans are clever and make “wonderful things,” and that’s what she bases her belief in them on. But those beautiful objects, and her pretty ideals, are not enough to make her abandon her family and culture and world.

When she sings and talks about why she wants to be Part of That World, it’s because she wants to understand it. And, subconsciously, Ariel also hopes to be understood up there. Where they make cool devices, and maybe daughters can stand instead of being reprimanded. There’s this hope for freedom and being known associated with the surface.

But it’s not until she meets Eric that those ideals are really, actually, proven true.

Ariel sees Eric out on the sea exploring instead of staying in a palace on his birthday. He gets a gift from the closest person to him, and it’s clear that even the closest person to him doesn’t understand his tastes—he doesn’t want an over-dramatic statue of himself. He sticks to his ideals in an argument that somewhere out there, is the right girl for him. But he doesn’t have to leave the argument in frustrated tears. In the end, he risks his life to not only watch out for his friend, but nearly dies going back to a burning ship to save his dog.

Eric personifies everything Ariel has always idealized about the Human World—AND he might understand her.

In her one observation of him, she finds out that he, a human, is:

A Prince, but nobody can tell him what to do.

More interested in activity and exploration than palace ceremony.

Unable to relate to his closest companions.

Handsome—beautiful, not a savage.

Criticized for “silly, romantic notions” but sticks to the idea of something wonderful out there in the great beyond.

Brave, self-sacrificial, and compassionate to animals.

Eric is, all at once, everything Ariel always hoped a human could be, and yet still so like herself. They have twin souls.

She’d rather be exploring human ships, he’d rather be out exploring the sea. She believes the surface world is good and beautiful, he believes in the girl of his dreams, no matter what anyone says. She has nobody who gets excited about new adventures, and he has nobody who gets excited about new adventures.

When she sees him, she falls in love not just with his upstanding character, or even the human world he represents—she falls in love with the hope that he might understand her in away nobody under the sea does.

Then the ironic thing is, she’s got to make him understand who she is and what she should mean to him without a voice. And unfortunately, that’s really hard because he is suddenly associating his dream girl with a voice and a magical rescue.

As close as they may get when she finally does meet him face to face and gets herself human legs, Ariel and Eric can’t be together until he knows who she is, for real. After all, how can love be true without understanding?

And we’re not DONE with understanding. Because even after he learns what and who she is and still commits to her and saves her and loves her, Ariel’s back to having a tail. She’s back to being in a world where he can’t be.

Except now, Triton is the one who understands. He finally sees what they’ll do for each other—and that Eric, ”savage, spineless, harpooning fish eater with no regard” saved his daughter. He sees that they love each other and are each worthy of the other’s love.

It’s not until Triton understands what Ariel has known and felt all along that he gives her human legs the right way.

That’s the point of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. “True love is found in understanding and sacrificing for one another.”

Triton had the sacrificing idea down, but he didn’t have understanding. Eric had understanding, but he didn’t have the chance to sacrifice for it.

Ariel has both. She understands that Eric’s world is not only barbaric, but beautiful, and she’s willing to sacrifice her tail to be understood in that world.

That is what this movie is all about. And because they’re probably willing to sacrifice critical scenes, like the Prince saving the day (which is important because it provides Triton with a new understanding of humans) or the girl leaving the ocean to be with the boy (which is important because what she really wants is to be understood) the creators of the Live Action Little Mermaid are going to miss the point and ruin the movie.

[princess-ibri]

Updates DisneyVerse Timeline! Now that we've got a better look at the costuming in Wish (and got confirmation on when Encanto takes place. Still think the costuming fits better with the 1910s but I can take correction)

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

I will always find the fact that Eric loved and accepted Ariel as she was, presumably mute (without being aware of what had taken place prior at all) to be very loving and amazing. That goes to show how much he loved her and also how much of a compassionate and patient person he was. This is also the only Disney Princess couple where one party wasn't even human, and that did not bother him at all, either. I think that's a great message to send to children, and since the movie has a leading lady, to girls, specifically. You will be able to find a guy who loves and accepts you as you are and will support you in your dreams.

[gavillain]

Is the reason why the Queen in her peddler form acted so erratically because the potion drugged her mind? Or maybe the potion did more than that and caused the Queen to split into two persons who share one mind, like Jekyll and Hyde? Or maybe the potion didn't do anything to her mind and didn't need to do anything to her mind for the queen to act so differently in her hag form? She just acts differently in her hag form for some psychological reason. Some say that the hag form persona is her real self and that the Queen form is more of a facade. But is it true, or are the two personas equally real?

My personal interpretation of Grimhilde is slightly different, actually. See, as a queen, Grimhilde is very refined and subdued, and I think that's very much intentional on her part and by design. She's royalty and thus tailors herself to the expectations of being in such a position of authority. And that regality is also something that extended to her perception of how the "Fairest One of All" should act. She doesn't necessarily change herself, but she does structure her behavior and mannerisms in a very rigidly refined way. However, we see cracks in that proverbial mirror when she becomes enraged, and the regality gives way to something more visceral and dark.

However, when she becomes the hag, she's no longer beautiful, she's no longer royalty, and she doesn't have to be so refined and intentional in her mannerisms. She has permission to just let loose and be the cackling maniacal witch that she is beneath the surface. I don't necessarily think it's that the hag is her true self per se, but it certainly is a look at who she is completely unrestrained by the expectations and inhibitions of her station without a care to how crass she might come across.

Because the thing is that she's still largely the same person in both forms. It's just a matter of one persona being tailored to how she wants to be perceived and the other being very unrestrained and unfiltered. I also think Grimhilde is an actress at heart, and both the queen and the hag are "roles" that she takes on in a very method way that extends even to when she's alone without an "audience." And that's part of why she's so effective at manipulating and taking on disguises. She plays them both in a way that suits the part, drawing from her own self in both parts, but her true self is actually probably somewhere more in between. Not necessarily so refined or so uninhibited but more at a happy medium where she's not putting on a "performance."

[fortunatelychaoticphantom]

Highlighted Posts - Fandom Topics

For some explanation, see serious topics post.

Avatar the Last Airbender / Legend of Korra:

Aang, forgiveness and violence in The Southern Raiders (meta).

Aang’s (lack of a) character arc (meta) + same response, posted independently from the original chain post with a bit of revisions (meta).

Avatar, violence and last second anti-killing rhetoric (meta).

The actual advice the past Avatars gave Aang (meta).

Aang vs. Ozai final battle and Star Wars influences (meta).

The Great Divide is good actually (meta).

Aang being rewarded by the universe? (meta).

Third season Scorched Earth plan out of left field (meta).

Bloodbending and Energybending (meta).

Katara didn't have a “plot armor” in the final battle with Azula, she's the epitome of a warrior (meta).

Katara and non-lethal battle winning (meta/joke).

Katara didn’t beat Pakku (meta).

Katara didn’t choose Aang “over” Zuko (meta).

Anastasia!Zutara AU (headcanon).

Mai and Zuko, what should have been (meta).

Mai happily joined Azula to hunt Zuko (meta).

Kanna and Pakku... why??? (meta/joke).

Gender equality in the Fire Nation and WW2 equivalents (meta).

Legend of Korra, the status quo and the institution of the Avatar (meta).

Making Korra’s dad chief is just… awful (meta).

Harry Potter:

The Malfoys didn’t have a redemption in canon (meta).

Michael Gambon is great, you guys are just mean (meta).

Snape, Dumbledore and the Defence against the Dark Arts (meta/joke).

No thanks, I don’t need a young Snape movie (joke).

What Harry’s reaction to his name being pulled from the Goblet should have been (joke).

The Tri-Wizard tournament has no rules (meta).

Star Wars:

Star wars and Pirates of the Caribbean are the same story (meta).

Kylo Ren and redemption in the Star Wars universe and Hollywood [tlj post] (meta).

DC:

so... does Superman have an appendix? (joke).

Why Selina Kyle never goes to Arkham (joke).

The Scorpion King/Wonder Woman comparison (joke).

Marvel:

Infinity War and the horror of the snap (meta).

Who’s the avengers’ designer? (joke).

Black Panther and The Lion King similarities regarding women (meta).

Shipping in the MCU (joke).

Antman and family (joke).

Pirates of the Caribbeans:

Elizabeth and Will’s relationship is the heart of the movies (meta).

The best things about PotC (meta).

Disney:

I sort of wrote a one-shot about the bimbettes from Beauty and the Beast (fanfiction).

Belle in the Hunchback of Notre Dame (meta).

Del Toro, monstrosity and Beauty and the Beast (meta).

Inner Workings is amazing (meta).

Frozen’s Anna and Hans (joke).

Quasimodo is awesome (meta).

Around the world with Captain Phoebus (joke).

Pocahontas’ ending is subversive as fuck (joke/meta).

Hercules didn’t know who Hades was (joke).

Other:

Bullshit “feminist” retelling and Mad Max Fury Road (joke/meta).

“Feminist” retellings explanation (analysis).

She-Ra and the inherently good protagonist (meta).

I hate the ending of She-Ra (meta).

Once upon a Time, Regina and redemption (two diverging threads of the same post) (meta): First and Second.

Ross Geller isn’t that bad, you guys are just mean. Or: The unbelievable cruelty of what Carol did to Ross (meta).

Bella Swan and Hermione Granger comparisons are bullshit (meta).

Twilight and depression (meta).

New Moon reread comments (meta).

The Good Place is the greatest show in history. But also I have thoughts (meta).

The single most beautiful Geralt and Jeskier art ever made [The Witcher] (fanart).

Dimitri wanted to find the real Anastasia all along in hopes that she survived the revolution [Anastasia 1997] (meta).

Godzilla, Pacific Rim and Hollywood: between grim-dark and camp (meta).

Wednesday Addams and the usurpation of the summer camp for rich white kids (meta).

Debbie Jellinsky is the best [The Addams Family Values] (joke).

Achilles and Patroclus sitting in an urn. K.I.S.S.I.N.G. (joke).

Of course the Jewish women are the witches in Oz the Great and Powerful… (joke/meta).

Bird Box and mental illness (meta).

My problems with Carmen San Diego (meta).

Ice Princess and teenage movie tropes. Or: They're lesbians Harold (meta/joke).

Lord of the Rings life goals (joke).

The School of Good and Evil and that little bit of antisemitism… (joke).

Game of Thrones / House of the Dragon genetics are weird (joke).

Why wouldn’t I keep talking about old fandoms? (joke/analysis).

I hate Barbie. Sorry. (meta).

[larsisfrommars]

Simba Is A Good Dad, to BOTH his Cubs, Actually.

So I’m about to rant about some shit that nobody is gonna care about considering it’s about an almost 20 year old movie and a cartoon that’s technically over(?) but I need to get it out of my system

One of the coldest takes (in my opinion) on the internet I’ve seen since dabbling in the TLK/TLG fandom is that Simba isn’t a good dad to Kiara, hypothetically compared to Kion his younger son especially.

Granted he’s not a perfect dad, nobody is, and I mean, he’s got some big shoes to fill regarding Mufasa as a king and as a father. Then again, we never got the chance to see him really mess up because he never had the chance to see Simba grow up or the challenges that come with that tragically.

But like, Kiara is like under 10 years old at the TLK2. He’s protective of her then, sends Timone and Pumbaa to watch her (like Sarabi sent Zazu, not really that different).

She deliberately loses them and almost gets eaten by crocodiles and encounters someone who very well might’ve killed/kidnapped her given the opportunity, Zira.

Then the scene that follows mirrors the scene from TLK where his father chastised him for putting himself in unnecessary danger and gives him a narratively potent lesson about the Circle of Life.

He overreacts a bit at the prospect of Kiara being out in danger. But the thing is he doesn’t do it for no reason. Yes there’s past trauma there from his childhood, but because of the Outlanders the Pridelands aren’t as safe as they were when Simba was a cub.

Kiara doesn’t look for trouble, trouble finds her because there are factions willing and able to exploit the fact she’s Simba’s only heir (especially with Kion absent). Both times Kiara went out on her own the Outlanders used her against him and she almost died the first time. Even though he freaks out initially and is like “no more hunts for you!” he still lets her go out alone with Kovu.

He doesn’t know what the audience (or Kiara) knows about Kovu. His worst fears were confirmed and his reaction to Zira (and seemingly Kovu as well) using Kiara to get to him was to protect her. He’s ultimately in the wrong and is stubborn, but he does learn in the end and apologizes to Kovu for misjudging him instead of doubling down. He’s an okay dad and becomes a better one by the end of the film.

So how does this relate to Kion? Well the arguement I’ve seen is Simba not being as protective/showing favoritism to Kion over Kiara in TLG.

I strongly disagree. I think Kiara and Kion are very different children with very different responsibilities. Plus by TLG they’re both older than Simba or Kiara at the beginning of their films.

Kiara is princess regent, the next in line to the Pridelands throne, this a bigger target than Kion, a bigger target who also has more complex responsibilities.

In the TLG pilot, Simba is about as overprotective and mistrustful of Kion as he’d been with Kiara, he still lets him play, he’s an older cub and isn’t alone (because Bunga).

Then it turns out Kion has the Roar of The Elders, and has an entire group of friends he’s assembled and travels with. Not only does tradition (something Simba holds in VERY high regard) demand his son lead The Lion Guard, he also has a group of friends who can and do protect him. He’s not going around all alone with no protection (be it ancestral gifts or allies) picking fights with Hyenas just because he wants to.

I’m almost certain that had Kiara been the one with the Roar of The Elders, Simba would have a hard time justifying keeping her cooped up. And as we can see, Kiara isn’t quite as cooped up (even in TLK2) as people tend to project.

They’re different kids with different needs, personalities, and Royal duties. Simba, in my opinion, reacts pretty reasonably (if not perfectly) to each of those individual cubs given the circumstances. Parenting isn’t easy, especially if you’ve got trauma and there’s a lot at stake.

TL:DR, cut Simba a break, he’s doing his best, and his best really isn’t all that bad, damn.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Disney Master Post

Snow White

Thoughts on Snow White

Cinderella

Thoughts on Cinderella

Sleeping Beauty

Thoughts on Sleeping Beauty and Aurora’s Character

The Little Mermaid

Thoughts on The Little Mermaid and Ariel’s Character

Thoughts on The Little Mermaid Sequel

Beauty and the Beast

Thoughts on Beauty and the Beast and Belle’s Character

What if Bella Swan from Twilight and Belle from Beauty and the Beast Trade Places?

Frozen

What if Elsa Hadn't Made Eternal Winter?

[originaljediinjeans]

Thoughts on ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ (2001)

This is some stuff you probably wouldn’t have noticed unless you paid close attention and you grew up watching the movie over and over again

The prologue establishes that Atlantis was a powerful kingdom. But when the explorers reach the city in modern times, it is falling apart. The buildings are in ruins. The paint’s all gone. None of the legendary technology is present. People can no longer read their own language. 

The sense of decay is even in the soundtrack piece ‘The City of Atlantis’, in the background when the explorers arrive in the city. Yes, the scene is exotic and the ruins are awe-inspiring, but there is also a sense of loss and decay and even tragedy.

All-things-Atlantis nerd Milo Thatch is impressed that anything or anyone has survived. At the same time, however, I don’t think he wouldn’t have noticed that Atlantis isn’t the shining city of legend either, and this becomes more clear as he talks to Kida. Where is the power source that granted Atlantis of old its greatness?

(Notice the contrast with the DCEU version of Atlantis in Aquaman (2018). DC!Atlantis still has technology and it’s still thriving and prosperous. Disney!Atlantis is falling apart). 

So what about Kida’s perspective? Kida is the heir to the throne. She remembers, barely, what Atlantis used to be. She wants to do right by her people and make things better for them. Notice what she says to Milo before they swim to the underwater mural: 

“We are not thriving. True, we are living, but our culture is dying. We are like a stone the ocean beats against: each year, a little more of us is worn away.” 

A few scenes earlier, she has this conversation with her dad: 

“A thousand years ago the streets were lit, and our people didn’t have to scavenge for food on the edge of a crumbling city!”

“The people are content.”

“They do not know any better! The kings of our past would weep to see how far we have fallen!”

This next line reveals Kida’s intentions and motivations (and it sticks out to me because it was also in one of the previews): “If these strangers can reveal the secrets of our past, perhaps we can save our future.”

And then this:

“Our way of life is dying!”

“Our way of life is preserved. When you take the throne, you will understand.”

One thing that this conversation reveals is that the dimming of the glory of Atlantis didn’t happen overnight. There was still some prosperity for the survivors after Atlantis initially sank into the sea. As the years passed, however, resources became more scarce, people had to focus more on living day-to-day instead of cultural activities. Knowledge and customs that an otherwise thriving society with a surplus of resources would have maintained were lost. Kida wants to restore Atlantis to its former glory not just out of cultural pride but to give more prosperity and happiness to her people. She probably knows her subjects well even though it’s not shown in the film, and as the king’s daughter and as someone who works among the people and with them she is familiar with whatever they are going through. She sees that things are changing and not for the better. This trend has to be reversed or else not only will the Atlanteans lose their identity they may even die out physically.

Yes, the little crystal necklaces and the presence of the big Crystal are keeping the Atlanteans alive, with the Crystal being hidden by the king the people cannot benefit directly from its power, so they do not have the same technology and prosperity that they had before. 

Let’s jump to the scene where the dying king reveals everything to Milo Thatch. 

“In my arrogance, I sought to use [the Crystal] as a weapon of war, but its power proved too great to control. It overwhelmed us, and led to our destruction.”

“So that’s why you hid the Crystal beneath the city, to keep history from repeating itself.”

“And to protect Kida from suffering the same fate as my beloved wife...if she remains bonded to the Crystal, she could be lost to it forever.”

Remember the DTV sequel Milo’s Return ? Kida reveals even more specific information: the Atlanteans “used the magic and science of the Crystal to expand the borders of Atlantis. That war nearly destroyed the world.” And of course the imperial ambitions of her father led to the destruction of his own kingdom and people. 

Let me boil this down: after the destruction of Atlantis, the king was of course traumatized by his entire kingdom being destroyed and the capital city along with a few survivors being banished under the ocean. His wife had been chosen by the Crystal to protect him, Kida, and a few others, but the Crystal never released her. The king decides to hide the Crystal under his throne room. Why? To protect Kida, yes, but also so that its power can never be abused again by him or by anyone else. But (I’m speculating a little here), the Crystal was a source of spiritual and intellectual power to the Atlanteans, not just a ‘giant battery’. It is their ‘life force’. When Rourke steals the Crystal, of course, the Atlanteans are mere mortals and they will die of disease and starvation like any other people that has its resources stolen from them. With the Crystal hidden under the ruins of the palace, the effects are more subtle. 

What I’m wondering if is the king’s intentions were not so benign? What if he did know what was happening and that Atlantis and its people were fading away culturally? What if he did know that it was harder for his people to get by without the Crystal? And what if he had known even when he hid the Crystal that he was making life harder for his people? Because if so, that would imply that the king felt so guilty about the events that had led to the fall of Atlantis that he would rather let the survivors fall into poverty and ruin than to continue to exploit the Crystal. Or that he was so determined to protect Kida that he would let his kingdom starve. Most likely both. 

“When you take the throne, you will understand.” He was planning to tell her, eventually, what he told Milo about why he hid the Crystal. But he was expecting Kida to understand that hiding the Crystal was for the greater good and she would get on board with it. 

So yes, the king was erring on the side of caution when he hid the Crystal and from a certain perspective it seems like a good idea--better to never let the Crystal be used at all than to allow it being misused for war and conquest. But it’s a lose-lose situation and a selfish one on part of the king because he is making everyone else pay for his mistakes. 

Or maybe among the survivors at first there were those who believed in Atlantean supremacy and wanted to use the Crystal to bring Atlantis back to the surface and not only rebuild but finish what they had started, but it seems implied that the king is one of the few people old enough to remember what really happened. So the other imperialists must have died out or maybe even been killed in a power struggle--which means that the younger generation(s) that grew up in exile has no idea what Atlantis was like at the height of its glory or what sins their people had committed. Kida seems to be alone in trying to investigate what happened and what Atlantis had lost. 

But yeah, most people currently in Atlantis are innocent and the king is making them suffer because the thing that gave them their prosperity also gave their forebears reason to think they could rule the world. Can’t have any more wars of conquest if you don’t have the power source to create weapons. So here you have a case of an entire society paying for its king’s ambition, and younger generations of exiles being punished for the sins of their fathers. Kida is paying for the sins of her father by being unable to help her people. 

The king was willing to doom what little was left of Atlantis to decay and die out--to doom the people of Atlantis to a slow extinction--rather than take any chance of the Crystal making Atlantis so powerful that the people become morally bankrupt again. Because human nature. Humans are bad, right? They always give in to the desire for power. The king was certainly correct in thinking that outsiders would come looking for Atlantis specifically to get the Crystal and make themselves powerful.

This discussion about the morality of using the Crystal gets discussed more openly in Milo’s Return: the people of Atlantis used the Crystal for bad things, so is it wise to allow the risk of that happening again? Yes, there are benefits to harnessing the Crystal’s power--technology, intellectual enlightenment, material wealth--but is having those things good if the Crystal can also be used to cause harm and destruction? 

Let me give a contrasting example: the One Ring in Lord of the Rings was created by an evil being for explicitly evil purposes. Some people (notably Denethor and Boromir) believed that it could be harnessed and used for good, especially for defense against Sauron himself. But the One Ring is evil in nature, it wears down those who resist it and betrays those who succumb to it, it wants to return to Sauron to help fulfil Sauron’s will and hurts anyone that gets in the way.

The Crystal of Atlantis, however, is implied to be good. It gives the Atlanteans knowledge, wisdom, and power. It protects the people of Atlantis. It was the king’s desire to harness the Crystal for conquest that was bad, not the Crystal itself. Milo and Kida not only save Atlantis in the end but they choose to give the Crystal and its power back to the people with the understanding that there are limits to what that power should be used for. They both loved Atlantis and they believed that it had the right to not just exist but thrive.

Evil people do exist. Good people can be flawed and make mistakes. However, when something bad happens, especially when one person hurts another, the idea that taking away the thing that caused the problem is not always fair or just.  Deciding that everyone in the group, in the political district, or in the whole civilization needs to suffer the loss of a benign or potentially beneficial resource has the potential to cause more harm than the decision-makers think they can prevent.  

What is just is to allow people the chance to do the right thing. Given the chance, they will. It is better to share power with those who can and will use it the right way than to hoard it for fear of it being abused. I think Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a film that speaks to these sentiments. Milo Thatch had to chew out his friends pretty badly, but they listened, and their decision to side with him was what saved the day in the end. 

I think Disney should do an entire series based on Atlantis: The Lost Empire and not just a one-film live action reboot for a quick ten bucks a movie ticket because the story is great and the characters are amazing and there is a lot of potential for good entertainment if they went that direction but no, Disney has a mouse for a mascot and therefore small brain. In any case I hope the reboot stays true to the values of the original but I have little to no hope for that

[dragonflyable]

King Magnifico, a villain worth waiting for?

I can already tell that “Wish” is going to have some amazing characters, but it seems that the one character Disney Fans are looking forward to the most is the next Villain King Magnifico. Even more than the next Heroine, Asha, which really makes you think.

After a decade of “Surprise Twists” Villains (when their stories even had an actual villain), King Magnifico really seems to be the Disney Villain we’ve been craving for years now. He’s a great return to the classic fairy tale villains while also bringing something new.

Listening to his song “This Is The Thanks I Get?!”, Magnifico really seems to believe he’s “the good guy” who doesn’t get the appreciation he deserves, even though he’s really not… Magnifico is just so good at keeping up this noble and charming image, that no one has every questioned him until Asha did… As his facade starts to crack because of this, Magnifico gives in more and more to his selfish, power-hungry side as he keeps justifying his actions.

A while back, I said it might actually be hard to hate this villain when we see him on screen. And now that prediction is already coming true. King Magnifico looks like an interesting, unique villain who’s worth waiting a decade for.

[etaleah]

The supposed plot hole of “Everyone in Beauty & the Beast just forgot there was a prince in a castle near their village even though he’s only been cursed for 10 years!” is not actually a plot hole. Neither is him being cursed at a young age. There are perfectly logical explanations for both of these.

On the age point, the Enchantress saw that this 11-year-old kid was well on his way to becoming an absolute asshole and she wanted to nip that shit in the bud before he became A KING. If he’s already saying “fuck the homeless and the elderly; I don’t care if they freeze to death” at 11 years old, that calls for some pretty drastic intervention so that he doesn’t end up becoming the ye olden version of the GOP with the UNLIMITED POWER of the monarchy. And yeah, she was a bit harsh in how she went about it, but this was ye olden times. Those were the days when people still thought beating their kids was a good thing.

And no, the villagers did not forget about the castle. They know where it is; Gaston leads them there. Maurice isn’t even that surprised to see it when he stumbles upon it in the beginning. When the Beast’s existence is revealed, they say “There’s a beast!” They don’t know that the prince is the Beast or that there was a spell. Belle and Maurice don’t even know that. The villagers only know that there’s a beast, with no context as to how he got there. For all they know, this beast could have killed the prince. They don’t know that it’s the prince under a curse because he never told them. Why would he? He’s ashamed of what he looks like and doesn’t want anyone to know what caused it.

These questions are silly and a waste of time. The questions we should be asking are:

1. Did the Beast have his current form from the start or was he transformed into a cute little beast cub and then grow? Did he just get to skip puberty?

2. What is Belle’s workout schedule? She somehow gets Beast’s entire body onto her horse after he saves her from the wolves. This girl definitely lifts.

3. Why is the bookseller letting Belle treat his shop like a library and how do we make that bookseller real?

4. HOW MANY FUCKING SIBLINGS DOES CHIP HAVE. MRS. POTTS TELLS HIM TO GET INTO THE CUPBOARD WITH HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND LOOK HOW MANY THERE ARE.

Mrs. Potts definitely gets around.

[artist-issues]

Here’s the thing about Scuttle

I like the newer trailers more because they have more of a spirit of vulnerability and fun, if that makes sense

But you can’t turn Scuttle into a fisher bird that Ariel encounters underwater. That’s the only conceivable reason I can figure out for changing his species; that Female Scuttle will talk to Ariel underwater, not above the surface, because fisher birds can spend more time under water than seagulls.

You can’t turn Scuttle into a fisher bird for precisely that reason. Ariel needs to encounter Scuttle above the surface. Because the idea in the original film, before she sees Eric for the first time, is that she doesn’t have much experience with creatures that live out of the ocean.

She needs Scuttle because otherwise, where did this one mermaid in a sea of mermaids who hate humans get her new-fangled ideas? Where did she come up with the notion that human beings are not barbarians?

She needed to meet a creature that lived out of the water, and could explain things to her, yes. But more importantly: She needed to try going to the surface, and have an experience with a completely non-threatening animal of the air and sky. You don’t get much more non-threatening than Scuttle.

The point of Scuttle, for the story, is more than just “encounter a bird who can explain human stuff.” (If that were all it is, then having a bird talk to her underwater would be fine.)

The point of Scuttle, for the story, is actually “encounter a safe and friendly surface-dweller out of the sea, to prove its not as dangerous as everyone says it is.”

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I’M TELLIN YA”

Here’s the reason all of this matters: I have a feeling they’re going to try to make Ariel have her “first moment” out of the sea. Like, in the Live Action, we get to see what it was like when she went for it and stuck her head into the open air for the first time. That’s the only reason I can figure why Scuttle would need to be a fisher bird rather than a seagull.

And that’s dangerous. We don’t need that moment.

Because in the original movie, the idea was that Ariel had already been out of the sea multiple times, much to her father’s frustration. Building up to a scene where Triton loses his composure and destroys Ariel’s collection and pushes her too far is going to be a little harder if you make her stick her head out of the water for the first time in the course of the movie.

There’s less sense of a long-term period of building tension. There’s less understanding of how much Ariel is willing to sacrifice and how far she’s willing to go if she…hasn’t gone that far, yet. Just talks to a little water bird and gets near the surface, but hasn’t gone all the way yet.

That takes something away from Eric, too. Eric and her father’s outburst in the grotto work together as the catalyst for change in Ariel’s life. She’s already been to the surface before, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to do whatever it takes to live there. She’s even already encountered human stuff and good creatures like Scuttle, and no danger, when she’s gone to the surface; again, that doesn’t mean she’s ready to sacrifice everything to live there. It’s important that we see that.

It’s not until she encounters Eric for the first time that she reaches the next stage of longing, and is ready to leave her family after her father destroys his statue.

Going to the surface and coming back safely wasn’t enough. Going to the surface and meeting a friendly seagull wasn’t enough. Finding human treasures and seeing a human ship wasn’t enough. Getting yelled at by her father wasn’t enough.

Eric was the last straw. Eric, the human who’s free to make his own choice of bride. Eric, the human who prefers exploring to kingly duties. Eric, the human who would sacrifice himself to save a dog in distress instead of being the barbarian Ariel’s always been told about.

Scuttle being a seagull she has to go to the surface to communicate with is an important stepping stone on the way to proving that Eric was the last straw.

Besides, it takes a lot away from Scuttle. Scuttle is a wonderful character because the whole movie is about being understood, and communicating, and Scuttle understands nothing and has a really hard time communicating.

So in conclusion, everything matters, even the seagull, and Live Action Disney is ruining the seagull.

[princess-ibri]

I think it makes no sense that Ariel and Eric didn't tell their daughter about Morgana. Supposedly, Melodia could have been safe on land… but they probably forgot about Urszula's trick with Vanessa. Morgana could have done it too. Become human and infiltrate the palace - why didn't she do that…

Melody wasn't safe on land if Morgana could pull the human-turning trick. Especially since it's been 12 years…since they were looking for Morgana and nothing…they had to change strategy after a year or two, rather than being stuck with the same strategy for 12 years.

Yeah its a weak point in the storyline for sure, but then when you think about it, it's really the same sort of weak point as Stefan not just going "A witch is trying to kill you with a spinning wheel, don't ever touch one"

Instead of sending his only daughter off to be raised by fairies and then burning the entire kingdom's means of clothes production that somehow didn't lead to a violent uprising.

So if Sleeping Beauty gets a pass for "Sometimes dumb stuff has to happen for the Plot to happen" I'm willing to give TLM2 a pass as well xD

And if you want an actual sort of "Watsonian" answer I guess I'd say:

"Sometimes, people just do dumb stuff in the heat of the moment and then double down on it as a measure of feeling control in an incredibly uncontrollable situation--and also Morgana was shown to be less talented at magic anyway, especially transformations so she probably couldn't have snuck in that way if she wanted to and wanted to save the drop of Ursula's magic for something that would involve less being totally surrounded by enemy guards if it went wrong"

So there ya go xD

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

I know that Mulan is one of the very few Disney Princesses that Disney Princess critiques always seem to praise above the others, but they never seem to explain what makes Mulan great beyond "She was a warrior and saved China". Of course that was amazing and brave of her, but I feel like people overlook everything else about her for only those two things, so in the end, they still look at her from a superficial standpoint, it's just that, in this case, it's done in a "positive" way rather than the negative one the other princesses are looked at.

[alexandra-the-lionheart]

I have this theory that John Smith is not the first person that Pocahontas saved. Chief Powhatan has raccoon tails on his cape/cloak, so Pocahontas presumably saved Meeko from being killed.