#oh yeah only wdas characters would be included

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

Ngl, I would love to see a Lego video game adaptation of all the Disney Princess movies, although I have zero idea how the devs at Lego could make that work properly. If not that, then at least an adaptation of the Renaissance movies or even some of the Post-Renaissance/Experimental and Revival ones. A combo of the three eras, perhaps? The possibilities are endless!

[moveslikeanape]

i actually don't play disney magic kingdoms myself, it's just not really my type of game, but i've seen some gameplay of it and read a lot of the little dialogue from it online and it's always seemed really charming and cute! so it really is too bad we might never get to see tarzan characters added to it. i do play disney dreamlight valley on the switch, which is sort of a life sim game like animal crossing but with disney/pixar characters all living together, and a lot more of a story to it with quests you get to do for everyone. it's a lot newer and doesn't have nearly as many characters in it, but a recent update added a jungle biome that would've been perfect for tarzan and jane. i know they'll probably never be added, but if they were then they could live together in the treehouse and we could see how tarzan would feel about living in the valley among so many other humans! there would be so many new things that jane could teach him about.

i recently started collecting lorcana cards after seeing one of rapunzel wearing a green dress, which i found really cool because that was what she had in so much of her concept art! i was also pretty excited to be able to get cards from the emperor's new groove, the great mouse detective, treasure planet, and hercules. i bet they could make some beautiful cards for tarzan... but yeah, that copyright issue is incredibly frustrating. some of my favorite movies may be a bit overlooked or underrepresented by disney, but at least they don't have the legal problem that tarzan has. i guess with once upon a studio they must've wanted to really go all out to make sure every single walt disney animation studios feature could be included! i'm grateful they did, because it would've been a huge shame to see tarzan not even allowed into the special 100th anniversary short. the new movie "wish" also has a tribute to past WDAS films during the credits, where gold-colored drawings of characters from each movie appeared across the screen in chronological order. strangely they actually left out a handful of movies including the black cauldron, but they did include tarzan!

also, i'm sure you already knew about this haha, but just the other day i came across an article from a few years ago where several of the people who worked on tarzan were interviewed and talked about the production. and i learned for the first time that it was originally planned as a direct-to-video movie which would stick closer to the source material with tarzan going to england. i'm obviously very glad that that didn't happen and we got the movie we have now instead. -🌟

Sorry, was out of town for the weekend visiting family.

That's fair about Magic Kingdoms not being your type of game. I think the only real reason I play it is because it's something I can play casually and more of less keep up with, with out it taking too much time.

What I've seen of Dreamlight Valley looks like so much fun! And that would be amazing to see Tarzan and Jane in that game. Probably will never happen, but we can dream!

Ooo, I haven't seen that Rapunzel one, will have to look it up. I've always loved the concept art. So insane to think there's actually even Treasure Planet art in them!!!

Sadly we may never get Tarzan in Lorcana, but I found this artist during the Disemeber challenge on instagram, and he's actually done art for Lorcana. Looks like it was just the one card, Chief Bogo (which he's posted if you go though his stuff). May not be official, but at least here's a Christmas themed idea of what could be if they included Tarzan

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OMG, I never expected any reference to Tarzan in Wish!! I haven't seen it yet (live in a small town, starting to think we may not even get it in our theatre), but now I'm even more excited to see it!

Oh wow, I actually didn't know that! That's so interesting (definitely so grateful they didn't go that route though). Would have been interesting to see how close Disney would get to the source material… don't know if you've ever read the books, but there's a lot of not so family friendly stuff. Also would have been such a waste, given the quality of D2V animation, would have been such a shame to only get Tarzan & Jane quality animation.

[alexsprincessparty]

Oh Boy, What a Week

Disney is a lot like Survivor in the way that "just when you think you know what's going on, you have no idea what's going on." (Shoutout to Sebastian from Survivor: Ghost Island...) A company can campaign all it wants about inspiring young girls to Dream Big, Princess while its men (both in the company and within its fandom) get away with belittling women and girls of all ages. Just this week, it was announced that John Lasseter would step down from his role of Principal Creative Advisor, following allegations of sexual misconduct from numerous women he's worked with. Earlier in the week, newly-minted Star Wars star Kelly Marie Tran disappeared from Instagram following overwhelming harassment from angry male Star Wars fans. As this is a Disney blog that discusses gender-focused issues (especially surrounding females), I feel compelled to discuss these issues as a kind of break from Princess discussion, as Disney Princesses are just one facet of so-called Disney Feminism. What happens in our films is one thing, but we still need to focus on what is happening around us, behind the scenes and off the page.

Monsters, Inc, or, the Scary Stuff Behind Pixar's Closed Doors

Let's begin with Lasseter. John Lasseter is best known as one of the co-founders of Pixar Animation Studios, the studio that brought us Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Cars. Up until recently, he was Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios (Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Moana) as well as DisneyToon Studios (DuckTales, Planes), as well as Principal Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering. So, naturally, we all associate Lasseter with his achievements and creations (as well as his trademark Hawaiian shirts). In late 2017, just days before the theatrical release of Disney-Pixar's Coco, Lasseter came under fire for sexual misconduct towards several female employees. Numerous women came out in protest of Lasseter, claiming the 61-year-old Disney head had repeatedly tried to kiss other female employees on the mouth without their consent, give very lengthy and inappropriate hugs (particularly with the actresses of the Disney Fairies franchise), touch inappropriately (one employee stated he would rub her leg under the table at meetings), and make comments about employees' appearances. This led to an apologetic statement from Lasseter, who subsequently took a six-month sabbatical from Disney, after which he will take on a lesser role before leaving for good this December. As I said, Lasseter is renowned for his art and his leadership, as well as his innovative contributions to the animation medium. Rightfully so. 1995's Toy Story, directed by Lasseter, was the first-ever feature film to be animated completely in 3D animation. Pixar specialized in this medium, but Walt Disney Animation Studios would not give it a shot for itself until 2005's Chicken Little, just before Lasseter took over WDAS. Today, nearly every Disney animated feature since 2010's Tangled has been animated in CGI. Lasseter and Pixar blew the door wide open on CGI animation, which dominates the animation industry today, Disney or otherwise. Add that to the work he's done as a writer or producer on films as early as The Fox and The Hound, through the Disney Renaissance, numerous Studio Ghibli classics, all the way up to the upcoming sequels to Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and Toy Story--the film that put his company on the map. These are all great accomplishments, but are they really worth putting over the basic needs of security and safety for women in the workplace? Should we really excuse habitual predators and violators based solely on the fact that they're great artists, actors, athletes, musicians? Perhaps it's best left to an individual basis, as some people are better at separating art from artist. For example, I love Toy Story. It is indeed a revolutionary film, a well-written one, and incredibly memorable. In fact, I love a lot of the work Lasseter has done with Disney, and Disney-Pixar. That said, while I cannot put myself in the shoes of the women he affected, I won't simply forgive him because of how much I loved WALL-E. It doesn't work like that. So then, why are so many supporters of the #MeToo movement quick to initiate boycotts of someone's work after these allegations come out? Great question. It's as simple as cutting off a supply, so to speak. Since the allegations against Lasseter came out just before Coco's release, some had planned to boycott the film in protest of Lasseter (which I don't recommend, because 1. a loooooot of other people worked on that film, and 2. it's the only feature film Disney has produced around Mexican culture that also features Hispanic voice talent). What it says is, "if you hurt or violate other women, we will no longer support you." The accused no longer have that supply. It could be a financial supply, an emotional supply of "but you're still so great though!" or "it's okay because I'll still be up at the Oscars/Golden Globes/Annies this year anyway." That, again, is probably best left to an individual basis, that is, you do what you feel is right. 

For example, T.J. Miller very quickly lost favor with me after he came under fire for numerous actions (including violence, transphobia, and also calling in a fake bomb threat! A piece of work, this one), yet still, I saw Deadpool 2...mostly because Ryan Reynolds and Zazie Beetz. And Yukio. (Hi, Yukio.)

If Disney wants to continue to promise a safe workplace environment for women, then it has to commit to punishing violators within its doors, no matter how high on the food chain they are. Nobody should be "too big to fail." Misogyny: A Star Wars Story

You could argue that Star Wars has declined in quality since Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in the early-to-mid 2010s. Perhaps it got too...you know, Disney. Too soft? Maybe. Too predictable? Yeah, sure, I could see that. But the most common scapegoats for this tend to be not Disney, and not Lucasfilm. Not even J.J. Abrams, or Rian Johnson, or Ron Howard.

Nope. It's the women. Earlier in the week, actress Kelly Marie Tran suddenly disappeared from Instagram amid a flurry of hateful comments from angry Star Wars fans. Tran made her Star Wars debut in last year's polarizing eighth installment, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, as Resistance tech Rose Tico. Since the film's release, many have criticized and questioned the need for Rose, as well as Tran's talents as an actress, in addition to her appearance. I know. Surprise. Granted, a lot of post-Disney Star Wars has seen its fair share of criticism, and it's normal to criticize cinema, regardless of how much you like it. However, I have to point out a glaring pattern with some recent Star Wars gripes. A lot of issues, particularly with male Star Wars fans, are with its new streak of female protagonists. Rey. Jyn Erso. Rose Tico. Maz Kanata. Captain Phasma. Qi'ra. Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. These are just a portion of the cinematic female characters introduced by Lucasfilm since its acquisition by Disney, many of which have been panned by the saga's male fanbase not only as "useless" or "boring," but also "pandering to women because representation/SJWs/libtards/[insert buzzword here]!" While I think all those characters invite their own well-deserved criticisms. However, simply blaming the new films' failures on the fact that they have female protagonists? Sounds fake, but okay. "Rey is the hero? But Finn was holding the lightsaber in the trailer! WTF is this?" You didn't complain about Poe Dameron essentially being the new Han Solo. "Captain Phasma is a waste of space! She didn't do anything!" Boba Fett though? "Rose stole Finn's heroic moment, what a bitch!" BECAUSE WE'RE NOT FIGHTING THE THINGS WE HATE, WE'RE SAVING THINGS WE LOVE, KEVIN "Jyn Erso is such a flat character, why is it all about women now?" Because maybe, just maybe, it would be awesome for female fans of Star Wars to see other females in Star Wars. Sounds pretty novel if you ask me. This seems to be a long-running problem with Star Wars. In fact, Tran is not the only Star Wars lady bullied off Instagram by overzealous male fans. Only a few years ago, Rey herself, Daisy Ridley, suffered the same fate and still hasn't returned to the website (honestly? Probably for the best). You can't claim that just because Emilia Clarke, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong'o, and Laura Dern haven't buckled as well, that Tran and Ridley are "sissies" and not oppressed. Believe me, they are (Clarke and Christie probably deal with this crap as Game of Thrones stars as well so they're probably just used to it). "But we didn't harass Carrie Fisher!" You reduced Princess Leia to a metal bikini until Disney intervened and conveniently forgot about it when it came to merchandising.

Again, you can argue that Disney is ruining Star Wars. I might even agree. But it's not because they keep utilizing female protagonists. In fact, Disney's only Star Wars film with a male protagonist, Solo: A Star Wars Story, has been the least profitable of the Disney/Lucasfilm era. That's not to say the male protagonist was to blame, of course. Personally, I think the problem is Star Wars fatigue, that is, Disney oversaturating us with Star Wars to the point where we just can't take it anymore. But yeah, go ahead and blame the women, sure. Clearly it has been an interesting week for female Disney fans. Some good, some bad. But, hakuna matata, I guess. The world still sucks. But remember the Fairy Godmother's words: "Even miracles take a little time." (I don't remember if she actually said this, but there's a lot of cute Tumblr gifs of her saying it, so she must have said it, right?) I'll be swimming back this way soon for The Little Mermaid, so hang tight. I've just got some bigger fish to fry at the moment. Dream Big Princess!

[danceandmince]

Photo Credit: Disney/Image Group LA

Anika Noni Rose, voice of Princess Tiana, at 2017 D23 Expo’s The Power of The Princess

Details below the cut.

ABOUT BEING CASTED

Anika was performing in “Caroline, or Change” in 2004 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles when she was asked by Disney to possibly voice. She wasn't thinking of voicing a princess and told Disney she could voice a Flea or Tick. That she knew the bite would sound like "Nyah!" That interaction with Disney was 2 years before the auditions for Tiana. Anika was filming Dreamgirls when the Tiana auditions were called. She went to 3 auditions that were far apart and was told she got the part while traveling to Australia.

ON RON & JOHN

Ron Clements and John Musker are each other's Yin and Yang says Anika. Ron is real quiet but when he's on, he's on. And John's going to interrupt anyway. Like they're aggressively going to the same point, they are a megamind organism. She called them masters of surprise, Anika said she spent a lot of time weeping. She explains by recalling a moment in Paris where they were at a toy reveal press event. They showed a clip of Tiana animated in color for the first time to Anika, she was crying and wasn't aware of how much Tiana would look like her.

MISUNDERSTANDING CALL OUT

There was discussion on processes of films, in which Jodi Benson was remembering The Little Mermaid as the "the last hand drawn" but Jodi's full thought was meant as "last hand painted on cels." Anika interjects with "Excuse me? Yeah, there were some hands on my film." Jodi then completes the thought with "to use hand painted cel" which is a correct fact. Hosts and WDAS Animators Kira Lehtomaki and Amy Smeed confirm that The Princess and The Frog was hand drawn, but colored digitally.

MARK HENN

Mark Henn was sitting in the audience, the Hosts ask for him to stand. Mark brought never before seen pencil tests to show the audience. One of the first animations of Tiana was as a frog. I actually did not write down what this scene was, but I'm remembering it as the "There is no way I'm kissing a frog and eating a bug in the same day." dialogue. He then shows us a test that was never in the movie, he believes the audio was pulled from an audition tape of Anika and that the test was to see how the voice and visuals worked together as a whole. Tiana says something along the lines of "I'm not kissing a frog." Sorry I don't have detailed notes of these, watching the pencil lines on screen were too much of a treat.

ON MUSIC

Randy Newman was described as great and funny by Anika. It took a long time for Anika to be casted as Tiana. She was at the Oscars for Dreamgirls and Randy was there. She came up to him during a rehearsal and said "Hi, Randy. I auditioned for Tiana..." but no casting secrets were revealed that night. She calls Randy fantastic, interesting but an introvert. He wouldn't look at you. He's all about a feeling, and connecting on a feeling. Randy was a perfect fit as he felt the city and lived there. There were many other songs created for the movie, but they were darker, bluesy, and sexy. Too sexy actually.

ON WHAT ALMOST THERE MEANS

Anika felt like all of the movie was much like her life. In the first drafts, Tiana was named Maddy, short for Madeline. Anika grew up in a small town where her guidance counselor in school told her she should learn a trade. But she was lucky to have a supportive family. Almost There is about being somewhere. Anika knew Tiana's journey and her path. Find joy in the journey and the steps you have taken. You can be Almost There and take a couple more steps.

WRECK-IT RALPH 2: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET

A clip that was previously shown in the Animation Hall D23 Presentation was shown the audience of The Power of the Princess. Ralph and Vanellope venture into the internet and discover a website called Oh My Disney. The Princesses are mobbed by fans while they walk backstage, their door is guarded by a Storm Trooper. Vanellope glitches into their dressing room to which the princesses act in defense, Cinderella breaks her glass slipper to be a weapon. Each Princess then goes around finding ways to qualify Vanellope as a Princess. Tiana's line asks if she's ever been "Cursed?" The Princesses find Vanellope's casual wear to be delightful, they then create their own versions of Disneybounds. Tiana wears a yellow shirt that says NOLA, pants, and sneakers. She is holding a starbucks cup and her natural hair is down and rendered in CG. Tiana says to Vanellope "It would be boring if we were all the same."

ON REPRESENTATION

Anika has all kinds of photos of children dressed as Tiana "An Asian Tiana" She talks about how Tiana shows brown kids and their friends that "They too, are regal." Anika would wear a yellow towel on her head as a child, but now kids can be as regal, as phenomenal as they are. We reach children on a level which they speak. It isn't until adults reach in and put the boundary. A man in New York approached Anika, thanking her that he can buy a princess doll that looks like his daughter.

FINALE

Before closing the panel, each voice was asked for their favorite quote and/or sing. Anika did not choose a quote, but sang Down in New Orleans. Anika said she had to catch a flight after but took a selfie with the audience.

BETTER NOTES FROM PRESS REPORTERS

High School Los Angeles Times - Cassandra Hsiao

Rose thought Disney was considering her for a much smaller part than the voice of Tiana, the lead princess. “I was not at all thinking of a princess,” Rose said, describing the meeting that took place between her and Disney. “I was like, listen, I’ve been working on some things, if by chance you need a flea or a tick I know what that might sounds like.” 

For Rose, she was in Paris when the directors of “The Princess and The Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements showed her a clip without a preface. “They showed me myself for the first time in color,” said Rose. “I had never seen her fully animated and I had no idea she was going to look so much like me. I was weeping in Paris backstage.” 

Rose explained that Tiana as the first African-American princess not only showed brown children that they are regal but also show their friends that they too are regal. The movie also encompassed ideas of perseverance and tenaciousness– something that struck very close to Rose’s heart. “I felt like when I read the script, I knew this girl. I grew up in a small town without anybody doing the thing I wanted to do. I grew up in a small town where a guidance counselor told me maybe I should learn a trade. So I understood being somewhere where nobody else understood what I wanted to do. So I felt like the journey I was going on as Tiana, though I was not a young girl in the South in the Jazz Age, was my journey. I knew her voice. I knew her path. I constantly felt and still feel that I am ‘almost there…’ There is a joy in the journey of your dream. And sometimes you’re not quite touching it there. But the fact that you’ve gotten to the point where you’re almost there means you only have a couple more steps to go.”

Rotoscopers - Kajsa Rain Forden

Anika Noni Rose’s journey to Disney had a lengthier path. First, she was invited simply for open discussion, a meeting with Disney to see the possibilities; Rose was ecstatic: “I would love to come in for Disney because I’ve got voices.” Rose specifically remembers offering her voice for a flea or tick, having developed a particularly humorous biting noise. It would be another couple of years before Princess Tiana, or Maddie as she was originally named, became part of her life.

 Rose thought of the team as “each other’s yin and yang,” also calling them masters of surprise. Rose remembers the poignant moment when Ron and John surprised her with a first look at Tiana, fully animated and in color – causing her to cry while backstage in Paris. 

Consistently impassioned, Rose had much to say about Princess Tiana’s power, including how she finally showed “little brown children” that they are regal, that they can be princesses or princes. Tiana also promotes a sense of autonomy, the idea that you can work for your dreams on your own abilities and on your own terms.

 For Rose, Tiana opens up the field of imagination for children who hadn’t yet seen princesses that looked like them and that could be included in a pantheon with other diverse characters. “It is not until adults reach in and ruin [imagination] that [children] put up boundaries.”

Oh My Disney - Sean Reed

“I was weeping in Paris backstage. I didn’t realize how much she’d look like me.” –Anika, remembering the very first time she saw animation of her character Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog.

“You can be almost there and be sad about it, or you can be almost there and find the joy in the journey, and how far you have gone.” –Anika, commenting on what makes Tiana’s story so inspiring. RE: WEEPING. 

“That was like a master class in conquering your fears.” –Paige speaking for all of us after Anika’s incredible advice.  

“We reach children on the level that they speak. We reach them in their hearts.” –Anika just doling out another gold soundbite like it’s her job.