Don't Hate On My Disney

Today's LOLZ courtesy of Disney Memes (via Tumblr):

YAAAAAS. 

Why does everybody hate on Disney so much?! 

(Rhetorical question. I know why. My job is basically studying why.)

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things: Harry Potter Meets Disney

Okay. My love for Harry Potter is pretty well-established at this point, and about on par with my love for Disney. (Disney has a slight edge, but, to be fair, it's been around longer.) 

So when you mash up those things, it sets my fangirl heart aflutter. (Like when artists imagine Disney characters at Hogwarts.) 

So, this story has been circulating a lot:

The idea that "you missed something" in the new Beauty and the Beast clip.

(And, yes. I saved a Buzzfeed post about Golden Retriever puppies. Because puppies.)

But. Back on topic.

NO. I certainly did NOT miss anything, you presumptuous headline writers. 

If you combine my Disney and Harry Potter Nerd IQs, I'm actually kind of insulted. As if I could watch the clip and NOT immediately get the reference. 

If you don't want to click, here's the gist. Basically, the words to the opening song "Belle" have been changed a little bit. Gone is the line where the baker says, "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry Up!" 

Instead, Belle's interchange with Random Villager #1 goes something like this:

Actually, I guess his name is Monsieur Jean, so he's not completely random, but still. He's forgetting something. 

At which point, the first time I watched the clip, I turned to my husband and literally screamed "NEVILLE!!!!" My husband, of course, then looked at me blankly like I was a crazy person, as he had no idea what I was talking about.

BUT:

I mean, it could just be a coincidence....

...but that'd be an awfully coincidental coincidence, don'tcha think?

Emma Watson Sings "Belle"

Emma Watson is going to be the perfect Belle.

There. I said it.

I know that I've been fangirling and nerding out over this adaptation since Emma Waston's casting was announced, but I was always a little skeptical of her ability to sing. I mean...it's Disney, so I'd like to think that they'd take this into account, and it's true that Belle's role isn't the most musically demanding, but still. I mean, it's not possible for one person to be Ivy-League smart, beautiful, a talented actress, a feminist activist, an advocate for sustainable fashion AND a good singer, is it?

Apparently, it is:

Also, this movie looks epically gorgeous. I especially love the costuming -- it definitely gives the movie a fairy-tale feel, but continues in the tradition of marrying Disney and Broadway-style.

And Emma Watson is absolutely adorable and quirky and I literally cannot wait to see this movie.

JAMES EARL JONES WILL BE BACK AS MUFASA

And, yes. That required an all-caps title.

On Friday, director Jon Favreau (who also did this summer's live action The Jungle Book) tweeted out this big news:

I just can’t wait to be king. #Simba pic.twitter.com/wUYKixMBJI

— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February 18, 2017

Literally 25 minutes later, he tweeted out the following:

Looking forward to working with this legend. #Mufasa pic.twitter.com/1LszbWrcYT

— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February 18, 2017

Now, I know Donald Glover is "having a moment": he's on the critically-acclaimed show Atlanta and he was just cast as "Young Lando Calrissian" in the new solo Han Solo movie.

But...I feel like news stories are really burying the lead:

Ummmm.

No.

The top headline for this story should absolutely be that "James Earl Jones WILL BE BACK as Mufasa." Because, honestly. Who else could be better than James Earl Jones?! 

This was actually one of the things I was majorly concerned about when they announced a live-action Lion King -- James Earl Jones created such an iconic character with an iconic presence, that it would be exceptionally difficult to top that -- so I'm glad to see that they're not even going to try. *phew*

Sidebar: I do think it's worth noting that Donald Glover, a black actor, will voice Simba -- as opposed to Matthew Broderick who voiced him in the animated film.
#diversitymatters #weneeddiverseanimatedfilms

Disney Wedding Special Coming to Freeform (a.k.a. ABC Family)

Disney is basically synonymous with "childhood" and "innocence" -- or, at least, that's the idea the company has worked hard to cultivate. 

But Walt Disney famously once said, 

"I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty."

And the Disney Parks are family vacation destinations -- after all, the best package prices are for a family of four (two adults, two children). Leaving aside the implications of this (what if you have a bigger family/more than two kids? what if you have a smaller family? what if you go with friends? what if you go with your someone special?),  Disney has never been just for children.

Lately, though, they have been consciously expanding their consumer base -- or, at least, their appeal to their consumer base. That is, parents are the ones who decide to take their kids, so adults are kind of always there. But, recently, there's been a clear effort to appear to parents as "adults," and not just as "caretakers of the tiny humans" (which, as a parent myself, I appreciate). That's the reason Disney has sunk a lot of money into the Downtown Disney (I think it's called Disney Springs, now?) renovation with restaurants and nightlife as well as into their restaurants.

But, perhaps most indicative of Disney's attempt to appeal to adults (specifically adult women) is their Fairy Tale Weddings.

And, if you want to learn more, you can soon watch a 90-minute special on fairy-tale weddings on Freeform. According to Broadway World (because I refused to link to US Weekly):

"The 90-minute special, which will air this spring 2017, will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the magical weddings and one-of-a-kind engagements that take place at Disney Destinations around the globe, including Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Lines. From fashion and products to world-class entertainment and décor, viewers will get a glimpse of the modern day fairy tale that Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings brand has been creating for 25 years."

#consumerism.

via Buzzfeed: The Golden Years of Disney

Confession: I am an absolute sucker for historical photos. It's all well and good to read a history textbook (or, more likely for me, a historical fiction novel), but photos just make history come alive. And, however cliche it is, pictures are worth a thousand words.

For instance--it's great to say that Walt Disney valued authenticity and realism in his animation, and pushed his animators to constantly capture that "authentic" essence, but...doesn't this picture say it so much better?

PC: Getty Images via Buzzfeed

This recent Buzzfeed post -- 23 Magical Pictures From The Golden Years of Disney -- is a fascinating look at the early years of the Disney company. 

There's one of Walt talking with a pair of animators -- the second color photo -- and you can clearly see artwork from Sleeping Beauty. Buzzfeed says the photo is circa 1950 -- which is incredible, given that Sleeping Beauty didn't come out until 1959. I'm sure Disneyland delayed production, and maybe there were other factors but...still. Nine years to work on a film. 

And, of course, there's one of my favorite photos of Walt:

PC: Getty Images via Buzzfeed

LOLZ

For some reason, this really made me laugh tonight. 

PC: Disney Memes

IDK why, honestly, because it's not *terribly* funny, and I certainly don't condone calling people "ignorant sluts" as a general rule but...

Still laughing now, actually. 

#DisneyMemes

Another gem from Disney Memes:

I'm not crying. You're crying. 

Beauty and the Beast Plot Hole

Disney Memes on Facebook is kinda saving me right now -- it (sort of) balances out all the politics on my newsfeed.

Like this:

This has ALWAYS bugged me.

You have to work backwards a bit -- the fact that Lumiere sings "for 10 years, we've been rusting / needing so much more than dusting" and the fact that the last petal will fall on the Prince/Beast's 21st birthday -- but those two pieces of evidence help you realize that the prince was ELEVEN years old when he was cursed.

Yep. The Enchantress cursed an eleven year old boy for not letting a stranger into his house.

Now, I know that fairies aren't exactly known for their good-will (at least in non-Disney lore) and they can be vain and selfish and don't give a flying flip about someone's age and whether they're a child but...still. This IS Disney, and it's always bugged me.

Plus, that portrait of the Beast as a human is virtually identical to the way he looks at the end of the movie which...how do they know? He definitely didn't look like that at eleven!

Oh. And yeah. Gaston is definitely still the villain of the movie, don't get me wrong. He's just not the only one. He's sexist and prejudiced and basically incites a mob to murder so...yeah. Definitely still a villain.

via Buzzfeed: 19 Questions I Have About Aladdin Now That I'm An Adult

You can always count on Buzzfeed to have a random Disney article -- this time, it's "19 Questions I Have About 'Aladdin' Now That I'm An Adult." 

I mean...if you poke too much at any Disney film the plot holes start to show. After all, Disney and Fairy Tale logic can only take you so far. 

But still...Jenna Guillaume raises some good questions...