Throughout the past 72 years Disney has been producing films…..some great, others not so much. No matter what though, Disney has created movies that have enchanted, amused, and inspired children of all ages and generations. While I do not approve of everything Disney has ever done (obviously by my blogs) I still think they have a good heart and truly want children to enjoy and realize the magic in life.
Disney has jumped from such movies as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (their first movie) to Chicken Little (their latest film). Throughout the years they have obviously improved on their animations and graphics which is always a plus. Through the use of computers they have made the characters more visually realistic and have reduced the need for animators. The number of animators it took for Snow White to become a moving motion picture is astounding. Also, for movies made in that time period they tended to need models to pose and act out each scene of the cartoon so that the artists could replicate movements accurately. They used a young dancer by the name of Marge Belcher for Snow White and Tinker Belle was modeled after Margaret Kelly. Now and days they still use models but they tend to be used mostly for animal sketches (such as they did with the Lion King).
Below is the list of all of the 45 movies Disney has under its belt from the past 72 years.
1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs December 20, 1937
2 Pinocchio February 1, 1940
3 Fantasia November 12, 1940
4 Dumbo October 22, 1941
5 Bambi August 12, 1942
6 Saludos Amigos February 5, 1943
7 The Three Caballeros February 2, 1945
8 Make Mine Music August 14, 1946
9 Fun and Fancy Free September 26, 1947
10 Melody Time May 26, 1948
11 Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The October 4, 1949
12 Cinderella February 14, 1950
13 Alice in Wonderland July 27, 1951
14 Peter Pan February 4, 1953
15 Lady and the Tramp June 21, 1955
16 Sleeping Beauty January 28, 1959
17 101 Dalmatians January 24, 1961
18 The Sword in the Stone December 24, 1963
19 The Jungle Book October 17, 1967
20 Aristocats, The December 23, 1970
21 Robin Hood November 7, 1973
22 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh March 10, 1977
23 The Rescuers June 21, 1977
24 Fox and the Hound, The July 9, 1981
25 Black Cauldron, The July 23, 1985
26 Great Mouse Detective, The July 1, 1986
27 Oliver and Company November 17, 1988
28 The Little Mermaid November 16, 1989
29 The Rescuers Down Under November 9, 1990
30 Beauty and the Beast November 14, 1991
31 Aladdin November 10, 1992
32 The Lion King June 14, 1994
33 Pocahontas June 22, 1995
34 Hunchback of Notre Dame, The July 20, 1996
35 Hercules June 26, 1997
36 Mulan June 18, 1998
37 Tarzan June 17, 1999
38 Fantasia 2000 December 30, 1999
39 Emperor's New Groove, The December 14, 2000
40 Atlantis: The Lost Empire June 14, 2001
41 Lilo and Stitch June 20, 2002
42 Treasure Planet November 16, 2002
43 Brother Bear November 7, 2003
44 Home on the Range April 2, 2004
45 Chicken Little November 4, 2005
Which one is your favorite and why?
Let me know and i hope you enjoyed :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Fairy Godmother, etc.
Hey there all,
So, last week I talked to about sidekicks and this week we're going to talk about something just as important! Fairy Godmothers!!! Would Cinderella have been able to go to the ball without her's? I think not! Would Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) have stayed out of the way of the Evil Witch for so long if not for her's? No stinkin' way!
Without these fabulous helpers in their lives how would some of our greatest princesses have made it as far as they have? But just imagine, for a moment if you will, what the princesses lives would have been like if their Fairy Godmothers hadn't have been there.
Also imagine this! What if instead of them being Fairy Godmothers if they were Fairy GodFATHERS!!!
What if the princess's had Fairy Godmother's instead of the princesses?! How do you suppose the stories would change? Would the princes be more sensitive towards the princesses? Who's to say but there's something to consider.
However, not all princesses had Fairy Godmothers. Pocahontas obviously couldn't have had a Fairy Godmother so....instead she had Grandmother Willow! She helped Pocahontas out just like a Fairy Godmother would....except without using magic....and she was a tree.
Fairy Godmother's tend to come into the lives of those who really need them. She was there for those who tended to not have a "mother-figure" in their lives; such as Cinderella. If you think about it, that's all they were. Nice ladies who took care of you and helped you to have your dreams come true...just like mother's tend to do!
So the next time you see a Disney movie with a Fairy Godmother in it thank your mom and remember all of the things she's done to help you get where you are today. For those of you who connect more to your father's, think of him in the same light. Because after all that's what parents are for; to love you and support you.
Well now that I've finished my "Lifetime" moment of the day....
I hope you've enjoyed this blog and will take another look at your parents and Disney's "helpers" (aka Fairy Godmothers, etc.).
Thanks for reading!
So, last week I talked to about sidekicks and this week we're going to talk about something just as important! Fairy Godmothers!!! Would Cinderella have been able to go to the ball without her's? I think not! Would Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) have stayed out of the way of the Evil Witch for so long if not for her's? No stinkin' way!
Without these fabulous helpers in their lives how would some of our greatest princesses have made it as far as they have? But just imagine, for a moment if you will, what the princesses lives would have been like if their Fairy Godmothers hadn't have been there.
Also imagine this! What if instead of them being Fairy Godmothers if they were Fairy GodFATHERS!!!
What if the princess's had Fairy Godmother's instead of the princesses?! How do you suppose the stories would change? Would the princes be more sensitive towards the princesses? Who's to say but there's something to consider.
However, not all princesses had Fairy Godmothers. Pocahontas obviously couldn't have had a Fairy Godmother so....instead she had Grandmother Willow! She helped Pocahontas out just like a Fairy Godmother would....except without using magic....and she was a tree.
Fairy Godmother's tend to come into the lives of those who really need them. She was there for those who tended to not have a "mother-figure" in their lives; such as Cinderella. If you think about it, that's all they were. Nice ladies who took care of you and helped you to have your dreams come true...just like mother's tend to do!
So the next time you see a Disney movie with a Fairy Godmother in it thank your mom and remember all of the things she's done to help you get where you are today. For those of you who connect more to your father's, think of him in the same light. Because after all that's what parents are for; to love you and support you.
Well now that I've finished my "Lifetime" moment of the day....
I hope you've enjoyed this blog and will take another look at your parents and Disney's "helpers" (aka Fairy Godmothers, etc.).
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Sidekicks and then some.
Have you ever noticed that in every movie there has to be a 4 main characters? The lead, the villain, the damsel, and the leads best friend (also known as the sidekick). A sidekick is a part of making a good foundation for every film. They are the glue that hold the film together. They are the comedic relief when the situation gets too depressing. They are the leading characters "realization", the thing that helps them realize what the right thing to do is. They also tend to take the blame for the lead and even some abuse. Some of them also have the hard task of falling in love with the lead but never being able to pursue that love because they are too good of a friend.
People sometimes say that they like to cheer for the underdog, well I think we should all be cheering for the Sidekick. They are one of the most valueable tools used in cinema. They go back all the way to the beginning.
Some of my personal favorites when it comes to sidekicks would be the fabulous 5 from Aladdin (Iago, Abu, Genie, Rajah, and Carpet), Timon and Pumba from the Lion King, Flounder and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, Tinkerbelle from Peter Pan, and last, but certainly not least, Lefou from Beauty and the Beast.
I never actually realized how many sidekicks the movie Aladdin had but now that I think about it it makes sense! It was a good movie so of course it had so many! Out of those five sidekicks I'd have to say that my favorite is Genie. He's one of the best examples of a sidekick that was the comedic relief but also took the abuse. He was a good genie and an even better friend.
Tinkerbelle was a rare form of sidekick. She couldn't speak and she was fiesty as hell. She was an example of a sidekick who loved her leading character. I mean she died for him! It wouldn't have worked out between them though so maybe it would've have been better for her to go find a little fairy of her own.
My favorite Sidekick is and will forever be LeFou. Most of you may not know him by his name but this little guy brought many of the laughs in the movie Beauty and the Beast. He played Gaston's little companion. He received alot of abuse and was still there to comfort Gaston in the end. Did you ever wonder if maybe there was something more to that relationship then meets the eye? If you didn't before you sure do now!
All sidekicks, whether they be a sidekick to a bad guy or not, all have good intentions. So next time you're watching a movie make sure to pay attention to the Sidekick. Afterall, the movie would be nothing without them.
People sometimes say that they like to cheer for the underdog, well I think we should all be cheering for the Sidekick. They are one of the most valueable tools used in cinema. They go back all the way to the beginning.
Some of my personal favorites when it comes to sidekicks would be the fabulous 5 from Aladdin (Iago, Abu, Genie, Rajah, and Carpet), Timon and Pumba from the Lion King, Flounder and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, Tinkerbelle from Peter Pan, and last, but certainly not least, Lefou from Beauty and the Beast.
I never actually realized how many sidekicks the movie Aladdin had but now that I think about it it makes sense! It was a good movie so of course it had so many! Out of those five sidekicks I'd have to say that my favorite is Genie. He's one of the best examples of a sidekick that was the comedic relief but also took the abuse. He was a good genie and an even better friend.
Tinkerbelle was a rare form of sidekick. She couldn't speak and she was fiesty as hell. She was an example of a sidekick who loved her leading character. I mean she died for him! It wouldn't have worked out between them though so maybe it would've have been better for her to go find a little fairy of her own.
My favorite Sidekick is and will forever be LeFou. Most of you may not know him by his name but this little guy brought many of the laughs in the movie Beauty and the Beast. He played Gaston's little companion. He received alot of abuse and was still there to comfort Gaston in the end. Did you ever wonder if maybe there was something more to that relationship then meets the eye? If you didn't before you sure do now!
All sidekicks, whether they be a sidekick to a bad guy or not, all have good intentions. So next time you're watching a movie make sure to pay attention to the Sidekick. Afterall, the movie would be nothing without them.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Princesses
So, in the past few weeks I've talked to you viewers about bad guys and good guys. This week were going to talk about what most of the arguments between those two types of guys are usually about...the girls. Yes, that is correct. We will be talking about princesses, damsels in distress, and heroines.
My favorite out of all of the Disney princesses is without a doubt Belle from Beauty and the Beast. In my opinion, she was the most realistic. She wasn't weak and she wasn't afraid to put the Beast in his place. She knew what she wanted, which to me is a very admirable quality. At the same time she was still open to new things and ideas. She was also very bright and educated, even though it was less than popular.
One character that was referred to as a damsel in distress but showed that she was her own person was Meg from Hercules. She was one opinionated lady but she could also be sweet when she felt comfortable enough. She also had Hercules...lucky! She dealt with Hades and she looked fierce. She was quite something...even if she was a fictional cartoon character.
The best heroine I can think of, from the movies I've seen, is Mulan. She started out weak and timid but eventually became something great and powerful. She brought her family honor and got the guy! She was worried about fitting in with the guys and learning what they were trying to teach but in return she taught them so very important lessons as well. She also got some pretty great friends out of it.
Not all of the princesses are up to snuff. For example, Arial from The Little Mermaid was kind of a little snot. Think about it, she disobeyed her father constantly, ran away, talked to the evil sea witch, and ended up abandoning her family for Prince Eric who she knew for about all of three days. Maybe it's just me but that relationship and choice seems a little bit rushed.
Well, I know i'm not the only one that feels this way, so tell me who your favorite leading ladies are or about which one's really get under your skin! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it.
My favorite out of all of the Disney princesses is without a doubt Belle from Beauty and the Beast. In my opinion, she was the most realistic. She wasn't weak and she wasn't afraid to put the Beast in his place. She knew what she wanted, which to me is a very admirable quality. At the same time she was still open to new things and ideas. She was also very bright and educated, even though it was less than popular.
One character that was referred to as a damsel in distress but showed that she was her own person was Meg from Hercules. She was one opinionated lady but she could also be sweet when she felt comfortable enough. She also had Hercules...lucky! She dealt with Hades and she looked fierce. She was quite something...even if she was a fictional cartoon character.
The best heroine I can think of, from the movies I've seen, is Mulan. She started out weak and timid but eventually became something great and powerful. She brought her family honor and got the guy! She was worried about fitting in with the guys and learning what they were trying to teach but in return she taught them so very important lessons as well. She also got some pretty great friends out of it.
Not all of the princesses are up to snuff. For example, Arial from The Little Mermaid was kind of a little snot. Think about it, she disobeyed her father constantly, ran away, talked to the evil sea witch, and ended up abandoning her family for Prince Eric who she knew for about all of three days. Maybe it's just me but that relationship and choice seems a little bit rushed.
Well, I know i'm not the only one that feels this way, so tell me who your favorite leading ladies are or about which one's really get under your skin! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Good Guys
Hey there,
So last week we discussed a few villains of Disney and I tried to have you take a different look at them. After all, perhaps some of the villains are just misunderstood? With that thought, are "Good Guys" really as good as they seem?
To me they're as good as they seem, I just wanted to put that thought in your head. In this blog I'm going to be talking about some of my favorite heroes; Hercules, John Smith, and Tarzan.
All of the heroes and good guys have wonderful qualities but my favorite is Hercules. The best part about him is that he's so innocent. He doesn't understand that people aren't alwasy honest and good. However, this is probably his downfall as well! He's also forever faithful to Meg. I mean, he gave up Mount Olympus for her! He was strong and brave without being boastful and he was quite modest. All-in-all, he was a pretty great guy.
Next on my list of awesomeness is Tarzan. Tarzan may have been very naive but he had such a good heart, no matter what. He loved Jane and his friends...even his "step-father" although he didn't like him much. I can't think of one bad thing Tarzan has ever done. Although he's not the ideal type of hero, he turns out to be one of the best. He's there for his family, for Jane, for his friends, and he still makes time to fly around the jungle.
Last but not least, I will be talking about John Smith from the movie Pocahontas. When thinking of heroes one doesn't always think about John Smith but in fact he was quite a good guy. He wasn't open-minded at first but the more he hung out with Pocahontas the more open he became. He fought for the Native Americans and for their land. Through his experiences he became a better person than he was before, which seems to be the way it goes with...everybody!
Well, hopefully this blog brought you back to your childhood a little bit and helped you remember what good guys are all about. So, til next time, have a great week!
Courtney
So last week we discussed a few villains of Disney and I tried to have you take a different look at them. After all, perhaps some of the villains are just misunderstood? With that thought, are "Good Guys" really as good as they seem?
To me they're as good as they seem, I just wanted to put that thought in your head. In this blog I'm going to be talking about some of my favorite heroes; Hercules, John Smith, and Tarzan.
All of the heroes and good guys have wonderful qualities but my favorite is Hercules. The best part about him is that he's so innocent. He doesn't understand that people aren't alwasy honest and good. However, this is probably his downfall as well! He's also forever faithful to Meg. I mean, he gave up Mount Olympus for her! He was strong and brave without being boastful and he was quite modest. All-in-all, he was a pretty great guy.
Next on my list of awesomeness is Tarzan. Tarzan may have been very naive but he had such a good heart, no matter what. He loved Jane and his friends...even his "step-father" although he didn't like him much. I can't think of one bad thing Tarzan has ever done. Although he's not the ideal type of hero, he turns out to be one of the best. He's there for his family, for Jane, for his friends, and he still makes time to fly around the jungle.
Last but not least, I will be talking about John Smith from the movie Pocahontas. When thinking of heroes one doesn't always think about John Smith but in fact he was quite a good guy. He wasn't open-minded at first but the more he hung out with Pocahontas the more open he became. He fought for the Native Americans and for their land. Through his experiences he became a better person than he was before, which seems to be the way it goes with...everybody!
Well, hopefully this blog brought you back to your childhood a little bit and helped you remember what good guys are all about. So, til next time, have a great week!
Courtney
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Disney Villains
Hey there ya'll,
This week were are going to get to know a some of the best Disney villains. Some of the best are Malifecent (Sleeping Beauty), Cruella DeVille (101 Dalmations), Jafar (Aladdin), and Ursella (Little Mermaid).
We only see these people as being bad. We never think about why they act and react the way they do. Maybe they had sad childhoods or were abused! Disney is the first time we experience in our lives that it's okay to not get both sides of a story and to judge without guilt.
We don't know why Cruella DeVille despised animals so much...or that she despised them at all! Maybe, just maybe, she had such a strong affection for them that she wanted them around her all the time which is why she wears fur all of the time. If she did despise animals, maybe it was for a just reason! Perhaps she was attacked by an animal as a child which caused her to have a fear of alive animals!
Malifecent is a villain who never gets much street cred. She had a good plan that was very well thought out. However, she did make a bad choice when she decided that Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) should die. This may be way out there but maybe Malifecent and Aurora's dad had a little something something going on! If you really think about it, and I mean think about it hard, Malifecent kind of helped Aurora out. If she hadn't have put that spell on her then the fairy godmothers wouldn't have had to hide her in the forest and the Prince would have never found her! Also, he had to kiss her to break the spell which helped her know that he was her soul mate!
Last but not least, I'd like to draw your attention to Hades from Hercules. If you were in his shoes i think you'd be a little cranky too! If you had to deal with dead people and the after life and chill in a super hot place every day for your entire life I bet you wouldn't be chipper.
I'm not justifying the villains actions here, i'm just asking you guys to take a different approach to looking at them. Just because they're different and maybe a little scary doesn't mean that they're all bad. Sometimes in life all you need is a friend. :)
Well, for now, Goodbye and have a great week,
Courtney
This week were are going to get to know a some of the best Disney villains. Some of the best are Malifecent (Sleeping Beauty), Cruella DeVille (101 Dalmations), Jafar (Aladdin), and Ursella (Little Mermaid).
We only see these people as being bad. We never think about why they act and react the way they do. Maybe they had sad childhoods or were abused! Disney is the first time we experience in our lives that it's okay to not get both sides of a story and to judge without guilt.
We don't know why Cruella DeVille despised animals so much...or that she despised them at all! Maybe, just maybe, she had such a strong affection for them that she wanted them around her all the time which is why she wears fur all of the time. If she did despise animals, maybe it was for a just reason! Perhaps she was attacked by an animal as a child which caused her to have a fear of alive animals!
Malifecent is a villain who never gets much street cred. She had a good plan that was very well thought out. However, she did make a bad choice when she decided that Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) should die. This may be way out there but maybe Malifecent and Aurora's dad had a little something something going on! If you really think about it, and I mean think about it hard, Malifecent kind of helped Aurora out. If she hadn't have put that spell on her then the fairy godmothers wouldn't have had to hide her in the forest and the Prince would have never found her! Also, he had to kiss her to break the spell which helped her know that he was her soul mate!
Last but not least, I'd like to draw your attention to Hades from Hercules. If you were in his shoes i think you'd be a little cranky too! If you had to deal with dead people and the after life and chill in a super hot place every day for your entire life I bet you wouldn't be chipper.
I'm not justifying the villains actions here, i'm just asking you guys to take a different approach to looking at them. Just because they're different and maybe a little scary doesn't mean that they're all bad. Sometimes in life all you need is a friend. :)
Well, for now, Goodbye and have a great week,
Courtney
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Disney and low self-esteem
Hey, hey, hey,
So this week i'm going to tell you all about how Disney plays a part in our self-esteem.
As children we admire the princesses and other heroine figures we see in the Disney movies...but why? What about them draws us in? Is it their beauty, their clothes, fancy life styles? Maybe it's all of the above? What children don't understand, though, is that their minds are being programed to be set for high exceptions.
Most children, along with me, when they first saw Pocahontas thought, "Wow! She's really pretty and thin and her and John Smith really love eachother." However, in real life Pocahontas was not thin, not too clean, and she never ended up with John Smith. Nobody ever told us that though!
You have to wonder, "Why didn't Disney portray Pocahontas they way she really was?". Why is that? Is it because "thin is in"? Is it because if Pocahontas was thin she would have more sex appeal, and let's face it, sex sells!
We don't know for sure but we can guess. If Pocahontas would have been a "full-figured" girl in the movie would the movie have had such success? In many movies in order for their to be bigger people in them those people have to be the humorous side-kick.
In this day-and-age things are constantly changing, do you think we could have a romantic, full-figured, female lead in a movie? Probably not yet...but i'm keeping up hope. After all, many thought we would never have an African-American president.
Well, hopefully this didn't leave you all to depressed or angry. I was just trying to shine some light on this topic.
So until next time, have a great week!
Courtney
So this week i'm going to tell you all about how Disney plays a part in our self-esteem.
As children we admire the princesses and other heroine figures we see in the Disney movies...but why? What about them draws us in? Is it their beauty, their clothes, fancy life styles? Maybe it's all of the above? What children don't understand, though, is that their minds are being programed to be set for high exceptions.
Most children, along with me, when they first saw Pocahontas thought, "Wow! She's really pretty and thin and her and John Smith really love eachother." However, in real life Pocahontas was not thin, not too clean, and she never ended up with John Smith. Nobody ever told us that though!
You have to wonder, "Why didn't Disney portray Pocahontas they way she really was?". Why is that? Is it because "thin is in"? Is it because if Pocahontas was thin she would have more sex appeal, and let's face it, sex sells!
We don't know for sure but we can guess. If Pocahontas would have been a "full-figured" girl in the movie would the movie have had such success? In many movies in order for their to be bigger people in them those people have to be the humorous side-kick.
In this day-and-age things are constantly changing, do you think we could have a romantic, full-figured, female lead in a movie? Probably not yet...but i'm keeping up hope. After all, many thought we would never have an African-American president.
Well, hopefully this didn't leave you all to depressed or angry. I was just trying to shine some light on this topic.
So until next time, have a great week!
Courtney
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