Callback or Cut?

When The Princess and the Frog released in 2009, the main buzz surrounding the movie came from the fact that Tiana was Disney’s first African American princess. Although other minorities had been represented in other Disney princess movies, such as Mulan, Pocahontas, and Aladdin, a princess film about an African-American princess was long overdue. Finally, more little girls would be able to watch the movies and relate to a princess who is ambitious, independent, and strong. The Princess and the Frog trail blazed a path that would allow Disney to continue making movies about princesses of other ethnicities and allow all children to feel included in the Disney princess community.

From the beginning, Princess and the Frog seeks to differentiate itself from older, more traditional princess movies such as Cinderella because of the contrast between Tiana and her friend, Charlotte. Charlotte, privileged and delusional, is obsessed with finding a prince and finds the story of “The Frog Prince” to be romantic. Contrastingly, Tiana, who is ambitious and determined to open her own restaurant, finds the story to be gross and doesn’t want to wait for a prince. When they grow up, Tiana retains her dream of opening a restaurant, although she is facing financial difficulty, and Charlotte still dreams of marrying a prince. She has the opportunity to marry Prince Naveen at a ball, but Naveen was turned into a frog by a voodoo doctor, Dr. Facilier. Naveen tricks Tiana into kissing him because he wants to be turned back into a human, but instead, Tiana also transforms into a frog. Ultimately, the plot follows the pair as they try to become human again.

The music in the film is unlike any Disney princess movies before, and the entire score has a southern, jazzy vibe with just enough magic to make it feel like Disney. My favorite song from the soundtrack is hands down “Almost There,” which is Tiana’s solo song at the beginning of the movie. She outlines her plans for her restaurant and demonstrates her ambitious spirit, which, paired with the music, makes for an amazing song. Another super fun song on the soundtrack is “When We’re Human,” where all of the creatures they meet along their journey talk about the plans they have once they become humans. It’s easily one of the most entertaining and jazziest songs in all of Disney music history, so it is definitely a memorable song for the soundtrack. “Dig a Little Deeper” is one of the final songs of the movie, and it exemplifies the main messages of the story while still being super engaging and enjoyable. The song itself, sang by Mama Odie, really reminds me of “Ain’t It Good” from Children of Eden, which is a huge compliment.

Overall, The Princess and the Frog ended up being a successful addition to the Disney princess movie family. Its messages about ambition and working for what people want contrast the early princess movies in a beneficial way, as Tiana is a breath of fresh air because she pursues her dream relentlessly. She also demonstrates the progress that Disney has been making in terms of trying to make their princesses more inclusive of all ethnicities. Hopefully, in the future, Disney will continue to introduce princesses from different ethnicities, sexualities, body types, and backgrounds in order to ensure that they are reaching all children.

When people first discover that I have an affinity for all things Disney and Disney princess, many of them respond with something along the lines about how Disney princesses are not good role models for little girls. Knowing my personal beliefs, these people are often astonished that I think so highly of princess movies and rank some of them among my favorite movies from all genres (Moana, Frozen, and Tangled, I’m looking at you). Although the stereotypical Disney princess is nowhere close to a feminist icon, the princesses have greatly transformed from passive, obedient characters to strong, independent, and intelligent young women. Instead of reviewing a specific Disney princess movie this week, I decided to discuss how Disney has rebranded itself and its princesses in order to inspire young girls around the world.

When it comes to the movies themselves, the fact that Disney has shifted their generic plot for princess films from that of Cinderella to that of Moana is obvious. The Cinderella model would commence with the princess in a hopeless situation where they perform traditionally female tasks, and then they meet a prince who eventually dramatically saves the princess from her current state, and they proceed to live happily after.

Instead, princess films nowadays alter the focus of the plot away from princes and focus more on the growth of the individual princess. Each recent princess, similar to the earlier princesses, is in a tough situation, but they choose to fix it by themselves and develop throughout the film as they achieve their goals. For instance, Moana has to fix the curse on her island, so she travels on her own to restore her island to its former greatness. She also realizes through her journey that she is capable of more than she thought, as well as the rest of her island, and she brings back her new ideas about voyaging to her island.

Furthermore, the princesses themselves are more diverse in regard to their ethnicity, background, and interests, which appeals to a wider range of girls. Tiana was the first African-American princess, Moana is from a Polynesian island, Mulan is Chinese, Jasmine is Arabic, and Pocahontas is Native American. More girls worldwide will be able to relate to the movies, which means that their message to empower young girls will be reached by more people.

One special campaign that began a few years ago is the #DreamBigPrincess campaign, which is a photography campaign that is meant to inspire kids around the world to follow their dreams. The featured photographers are from all over the world, and their photography includes vastly different girls with vastly different stories. One photographer featured a girl from Kenya who works with orphaned elephants, while another photographer focused on a little girl who wants to become an astronaut. This campaign demonstrates that Disney is trying to shift the focus of their princesses from traditional female roles to strong women who can do anything. Because of the campaign’s global nature, it has the ability to reach more young children around the world and inspire them to follow their dreams as well.

All in all, Disney is so much more than its stereotypical image set in place dozens of years ago. Their princess development and the recent #DreamBigPrincess photography campaign demonstrate that they want to inspire children worldwide to push themselves and dream bigger than they ever thought that they could.

*Also, the #DreamBigPrincess website and the Disney Princess have the cutest and most inspiring videos ever, so I would definitely recommend checking those out if you have a chance!

When people think of feminist Disney princesses, usually the first one that comes to mind is Mulan. She is strong, independent, and completely challenges the status quo of the time period. Her movie also includes important messages about the past, although it is not historically accurate, and these messages prompted three of my high school teachers to decide to show this movie to us in class. The movie’s comedic characters also lighten the mood in intense and serious situations, so overall Mulan has got it all.

Mulan begins with Mulan attempting to make herself look beautiful and poised in order to bring honor to her family by marrying rich. Because she is a girl and her family’s only child, immense pressure is placed on her to bring honor to her family, as familial ties and honor are extremely important in her culture. Although she is given all of the tools to succeed in finding a husband, she is too awkward and clumsy for the matchmaker to pair her with a suitor. She returns to her family, heartbroken, and they are equally as upset about her not being able to find a husband, although they still love her. Later, a military general comes to their town to state that each household must send a male to be in the Chinese army to fight the huns. Because Mulan’s family only has one male, her father, he must go to war even though he is very old. Mulan decides to cut her hair, take her father’s old armor, and head off to war. She is accompanied by a tiny dragon named Mushu, her horse, and a cricket. The rest of the story follows her attempt to survive the army without anyone finding out her secret and her attempt to bring honor to her family in a different way.

Mulan has a wide array of fun songs throughout the movie. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is a classic Disney song that introduces many of the characters and demonstrates a change in Mulan’s physical strength and mental capabilities. “A Girl Worth Fighting For” is another song that adds to the comic relief of the movie when each man describes what his ideal girl at home would be like. When it’s Mulan’s turn to describe hers, she talks about a woman with a brain and an outspoken personality, which makes the rest of the men laugh. Both of these songs are ironic because the other characters do not know Mulan is a girl, which adds to the humor of each of them. “Reflection” is by far the most beautiful song of the movie, demonstrating Mulan’s inner distress and what she wants for her family and herself.

Mulan is the epitome of a feminist Disney princess. She defies anything that she is told she cannot do, such as when her parents said she could not go to war or when she was told she could not be in the army anymore, and she proves all of the men wrong. In the end, she makes it evident that women are just as capable as men in terms of success in life. She is the one who defeats the Huns the first time, and she creates a solution to defeat them a second time as well. She is the true hero in the story, and she proves to be a positive role model for young girls.

At Disney World in Florida, they have a short musical-version of Beauty and the Beast. Ever since I was little, it’s been one of my favorite attractions to do when in Disney even though I had seen the movie. My parents still make fun of me about it because when I was younger, I was always super into the show (and I guess I still am). Beauty and the Beast is still an amazing movie and musical, and I love visiting Beauty and the Beast-inspired section of Disney World because I feel like I’m a part of the story. It will definitely continue to be one of my favorite movies as I grow older.

Many people know the plot of Beauty and the Beast, but here’s a refresher for those of you who have never seen it. Belle and her father live in a small town in France, and they are seen as outcasts by the rest of their town because Belle likes to read and her father is an inventor. Her father wants to go to an invention fair to share his ideas, but he accidentally winds up at a castle that is ruled by a beast with magical everyday objects. Belle saves her father by taking his place in the castle, and she is introduced to all of the different objects in the house, including Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere, and Cogsworth. The Beast is awful to her at first, but the story follows how their relationship grows, and she is able to save him from the curse that made him into a beast.

The music from Beauty and the Beast is some of my favorite Disney music because of the way it tells a story throughout the story. The opening prologue sets the stage for the magic of the story, and the first song, “Belle” demonstrates Belle’s current state of life and how she wants to leave it. “Belle” is one of my favorite songs from this movie because the same melody repeats in different sections with different voices and feels that perfectly introduce the various characters and settings. The next song, “Gaston,” is easily the most fun song out of the entire movie. Although it’s about the main antagonist of the plot, it portrays him in a very exaggerated and comical way that lessens his scariness. In terms of the musical version, this song seems like a really fun ensemble number to be a part of. My last favorite song of Beauty and the Beast is “Beauty and the Beast” because it makes me cry every time and is just so beautiful. It’s a perfect way to sum up the movie.

In terms of the messages of this movie, many people believe that the love story in it is a product of Stockholm syndrome, but Belle’s defiance demonstrates that she is in full control of every decision that she makes. She is defiant to when the Beast tells her to do things at first, so she demonstrates that she has autonomy over what she feels and doesn’t fit the mold of Stockholm syndrome. Overall, Belle serves as a more positive role model for younger children because she defies the norms of her town and desires to find more. Instead of marrying Gaston, she refuses and falls in love with a Beast because of his personality. She demonstrates that personality is more important than outward appearance, which is an important lesson for all children to learn.

Although Disney princess movies have varied greatly during the decades and decades that they have been around, their princesses usually have one thing in common: they are able to sing beautifully, anywhere and anytime. However, when Brave released in 2012, this tradition was broken as Merida, the princess in the story, does not sing. Although she does not sing like the other princesses, she follows the recent trend of feminist Disney princesses because she refuses to marry a prince like her parents want her to. She also demonstrates that princesses do not always have to sing, which makes her more relatable for all viewers.

Brave begins with a story when Merida was a little girl. She was shooting arrows when one arrow went astray, so she ran to try to retrieve it. However, a large black bear emerged out of the forest, and her father, Lord Fergus, has to fight it off. The movie then flashes forward to when Merida is a teenager, and she now has three younger triplet brothers. Merida is at the age where she is going to be married off, but she has no intention of getting married, although it is what her traditional mother, Elinor, has always envisioned. Several men from various kingdoms across Scotland come to fight for Merida’s hand in marriage in a variety of games, and instead of waiting for the results, Merida decides to fight for her own hand in marriage. She shoots arrows better than any of the boys, and she eventually wins her own hand in marriage. This starts a huge fight between Elinor and Merida, and Merida storms off into the forest where she comes across a little cottage with a witch inside. The witch says that she can help change Merida’s fate, and she puts a spell in a small pie, which Merida then feeds to her mother. This turns her into a large black bear, and Merida must change her back within two days, or she will be stuck as a bear forever.

Although there aren’t many vocal songs on the soundtrack, it is still beautifully written and interesting to listen to. I love the introductory song, “Touch the Sky,” because it perfectly embodies Merida’s spirit and passion for exploring within the first song. It also includes Scottish influences but still remains current and modern, which is a very cool juxtaposition. In terms of instrumental music, I love “Fate and Destiny” because it includes an ominous section at the beginning, then transitions into a Scottish jig, and then into a slow ballad. It includes several different moods in one song, yet they all work well together.

Obviously, Merida is a very feminist character. She refuses to settle for the traditional values placed on her, and she decides that she does not need a husband to succeed in life. She also develops throughout the film and learns the importance of family, especially the relationship between mothers and daughters. She eventually realizes that her own pride is not worth betraying her mother, and she makes up with Elinor just in time. Overall, Brave is one of my favorite Disney princess movies (even though I say that about all of them). I love the plot, music, and message, and I also love the cultural aspects as well. I love learning about Scottish culture and history, and although Brave is not historically accurate, it still set in Scotland, which I love. I also love that Merida’s mom’s name is Elinor, which is my name (and I never see it spelled this way!). Ultimately, Brave is very different from other Disney princess movies, but it still can help empower young girls.

Growing up, I was exposed to all of the “classic” Disney movies such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. These were some of my favorite movies; I loved the magic and wonder of the stories and the fairytale endings in each one. Although I still love these movies, I see now that happy endings aren’t always easy to achieve, and I also see the sexist views that dominate these movies. In this blog post, I will focus on Snow White, the very first Disney princess movie.

To prepare for this blog, I rewatched Snow White because it has been years since I have watched the entire film. Although the story is simple enough to remember, I had forgotten the magic in the film that I loved as a child. The animals follow her everywhere and are perfectly choreographed to match the fairytale theme, which was so fun to watch, even years later. The scenes in the forest are enchanting yet daunting at the same time, and the presence of the Evil Queen adds just the right amount of suspense to make the movie interesting but not too scary.

For those of you who haven’t seen the movie or need a refresher, the film starts out with the Evil Queen asking her magic mirror who the “fairest of them all” is, hoping for the mirror to say the Evil Queen. However, the mirror says Snow White, so the Evil Queen sends a hunter to kill her. Instead of killing her, the hunter lets her go, and she runs off into the forest where she finds a small cottage. She finds out that the cottage is owned by seven dwarves, and although she is in hiding, the Evil Queen is still looking for her. The rest of the plot follows Snow White as she attempts to survive the Evil Queen’s attempts to kill her.

The music in the film, although more instrumental than vocal, is classic and compliments the movie. I love the song, “Whistle While You Work,” because the instrumental part of the song is beautiful, along with the melody at the beginning. I also love to whistle along, much to my roommate’s dismay. “Heigh-Ho” is another classic song from the movie, and I have vivid memories of singing it with my mom and sister when I was little. I can also whistle along with that song, so it automatically became one of my favorite songs.

Although I love this movie, it has some serious issues when it comes to feminism. The entire plot is based off of the Evil Queen being jealous of Snow White’s beauty, which demonstrates that the belief that women only care about beauty. Additionally, Snow White is seen at various points of the movie cleaning, and even her very first scene is of her cleaning steps. Conversely, the dwarves are out at work in the mines while Snow White is cleaning their cottage, demonstrating the traditional gender roles of the time period. Lastly, the prince is the one to save Snow White in the end, which again exhibits traditional gender roles at the time that men were strong and needed to protect women.

All in all, Snow White is still an amazing Disney movie, despite its sexist plot points. It includes many different classic songs and reminds me of when I was a kid watching it with my family. It reminds me of a time when I believed in all of the magic in the film, and it was nice to go back to that time when I was rewatching it. Even though it includes some sexist undertones that I don’t agree with, Snow White will always be a movie that I can watch and remember the magic of my childhood.

Everyone knows the classic story of Rapunzel. She is trapped in a tower, but a prince uses her super long hair to climb up the tower and rescue her. Tangled, released in 2010, is Disney’s new take on the story of Rapunzel. The story is revamped and made more current, although still retaining its classic fairytale elements. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney princess movies, tied with several others (Moana, Frozen, and Brave) because of the way it retells the classic story in a funny, inspiring, and empowering way.

Tangled starts out telling the story of a newborn princess whose mother almost died during the pregnancy, and her mother had to take medicine made from a special flower. Because she took this medicine, her daughter’s hair had special powers once she was born, and she was kidnapped by a woman who wanted to use her powers to live forever. The child, Rapunzel, grew up in a tower with her mother, Mother Gothel, isolated from the outside world. Although she has a routine filled with activities that she does everyday, all she wants is to see the outside world and the floating lanterns that appear each day on her birthday. However, her mother won’t let her leave, so when a mysterious man climbs up the tower one day, she sees her chance to escape. The man, Flynn Rider, takes her on a trip to see the floating lanterns, and the story follows their journey and their fight against Mother Gothel.

Tangled is full of amazing songs, each one bursting with charisma and energy. I personally love the first song, “When Will My Life Begin” because I love the lighthearted feeling of the song and the optimistic tone of the words. I also love “I See the Light” because the harmonies between Rapunzel and Flynn are beautiful, and the accompaniment compliments the song and the mood perfectly. Other songs from the soundtrack that I enjoy are “Mother Knows Best” and “I’ve Got a Dream.” “Mother Knows Best” is a song in which Mother Gothel lists all of the reasons why Rapunzel shouldn’t leave the tower, making it a fun song with different elements that is even better because the movie is animated. Overall, all the music is great, and it all forms a cohesive soundtrack that complements the plot of the film.

Ultimately, Tangled is a very progressive movie from a feminist perspective. In the end, Rapunzel has to save Flynn after he gets hurt (sorry for the spoiler!), and the main plot of the movie is more focused on Rapunzel’s personal development. Although Flynn and Rapunzel end up together, the more important transformation is Rapunzel’s, as she becomes more aware of the world but still retains her optimism. Rapunzel demonstrates that she has grown throughout the film, as she sacrifices her special hair for Flynn in the end, which is something she might not have done at the start of the film. She also finds her family in the end, giving her more people to connect with and learn about. She finally has a family that truly cares about her, and she now also knows where she came from. Tangled is a movie that has something for everyone, whether it’s humor, music, love, or growth, and it is ultimately another progressive Disney princess movie that challenges earlier forms of princess movies.

If you kept up with my last series of passion blogs, you know that my theme for last semester was different musicals that I have seen or been in. Although I love so many more musicals, I decided to change it up a little this semester by instead reviewing different Disney princess movies in a similar way that I reviewed musicals. I was inspired by my paradigm shift essay, which focused on the transformation of Disney princesses in relation to the different waves of feminism. As this blog progresses throughout the semester, I want to delve deeper into each specific movie, discussing the plots, songs, and feminist messages. To begin this blog, I will start out with my favorite Disney princess movie (although tied with Tangled and Moana because I am indecisive), Frozen.

Although many people claim that Frozen is overhyped, I disagree because the praise it received after it was released in 2013 was well-deserved, in my opinion. Frozen has amazing  songs, actors, and plotlines that make it different from any Disney princess movie that we’ve seen before. Instead of focusing on a love story between a prince and a princess, it focuses on the bond that sisters have, which is stronger than a romantic sort of love. It also features a variety of characters that have funny moments at times but heartfelt moments at others, making it a movie that anyone can enjoy.

Frozen begins with Anna and Elsa as two young princesses playing in their palace late at night. Elsa, who has various ice powers, is turning the room into a winter wonderland, and Anna, her younger sister, is having fun playing with her. They have an amazing time until Elsa slips on ice and accidentally hits Anna with her ice powers. Anna has to go see a troll that can unfreeze her mind, but he also erases all memories of Elsa’s powers, so she has no idea that Elsa has ice powers. Elsa stays locked up in her room for the majority of her adolescence, leaving Anna on her own. However, at Elsa’s coronation on her eighteenth birthday, Anna meets a handsome prince, Hans, and tells Elsa that she wants to get married. Elsa is so furious that she accidentally uses her ice powers, making everyone believe that she is dangerous. Elsa leaves the castle, and the movie follows Anna’s quest to find her to prevent her from freezing their kingdom of Arendelle, with the help of the snowman Olaf and Kristoff.

Ever since I saw the movie, I have loved the music, so much so that I went to see a showing of a Frozen sing-a-long in theaters. My favorite song is “For the First Time in Forever,” with “In Summer,” Olaf’s feature song, coming in a close second place. The orchestral pieces that play in the background of the rest of the movie are also amazing, and I highly recommend checking out “Winter’s Waltz,” “Elsa and Anna,” “Coronation Day,” and “The Great Thaw,” all composed by Christophe Beck. Frozen has a variety of different musical numbers, so whether you enjoy a fun, Broadway-inspired song by a snowman or a large ensemble number sung by trolls, there is something for everyone in this movie.

Ultimately, the main message of Frozen is that the bond shared between sisters can be much stronger than any romantic relationship. In the end, after (spoiler alert) Hans betrays Anna, Anna’s selfless display of love when she throws herself in front of Elsa is the act that ends up saving them both. Although Kristoff and Anna do share a romantic plot line, the main message comes from Anna and Elsa’s bond. If Disney keeps releasing movies like this, they will continue to teach young girls that you do not need a “prince” in your life to be happy and succeed.

One of my favorite ways to discover new musicals while I was in high school was through my voice lessons. I learned musical theatre songs from various different shows, and I had to learn a lot about each musical in order to understand the background of the song and perform it correctly. One of my favorite songs from my time in voice lessons was “Pretty Funny” from the off-Broadway show, Dogfight. I became obsessed with the show and its music, and Dogfight is now one of my favorite shows.

Set in 1963, Dogfight begins with a group of Marines who are ready to be deployed to Vietnam for the war. However, the night before they leave, they have a competition to see which of the Marines can bring the ugliest date to a party. One of the Marines, Eddie, goes to a restaurant and chooses his waitress, Rose, to be his date for the party. Rose is ecstatic, but she learns about his plot at the party and stands up to him. Eddie feels bad and takes her on a real date, and the rest of the plot follows the progression of their relationship.

The music, composed by Pasek and Paul (also the composers of Dear Evan Hansen), is amazing. My favorite songs are “Pretty Funny” and “Before It’s Over,” but I’m a little impartial to these songs because I learned them during my voice lessons. I also love “First Date / Last Night,” and “Give Way.” However, all of the songs are amazing. The orchestra is small yet expressive, and the music is colorful and beautiful. Ultimately, I am so glad I had the opportunity to discover this musical through my voice lessons. It includes many prominent themes about appearances, friendship, and the historical context of the musical.

Because this is the last post for right now, I feel like it’s important to conclude the blog series and explain the importance of musicals. Many people would not say that musicals are an important part of society, but I would argue that musicals and the arts in general offer something to society that cannot be matched by science or technology. Musicals can be the platform for important messages about domestic abuse, mental illnesses, or other societal issues at the time. Musicals offer an escape from the real world, for both the people watching it and the performers, which is why musicals are so important to everyone involved.

SATs. Driver’s Licenses. Heelys. These three things plagued the junior year of my musical friends and me because our show that year was The Little Mermaid. The show included insane tricks, dance numbers, and stunts, all while on Heelys and trying to make ourselves seem as though we were underwater. The Little Mermaid was by far the craziest musical of my high school career, but the craziness and drama of this show helped forge some of my most important relationships in high school. The Little Mermaid, although an intense show in itself, includes important messages about family and is a classic Disney musical to be a part of.

The musical’s plot closely follows the plot of the movie, but characters like the mersisters, the eels, and Scuttle are characterized more deeply and are more involved with the plot. Ariel, the main character, is a mermaid who saves a drowning man at the beginning of the musical, and this experience and her immense curiosity of land causes her to desire to acquire legs and go to shore. She is tricked by Ursula to give up her voice in exchange for legs, and the only way to get her voice back is to have the man, Prince Eric, give her a kiss. The story follows her quest to get a kiss and save people from Ursula in the end.

In the musical itself, my favorite number was either “Under the Sea” or “Kiss the Girl.” In both of these numbers and the rest of the musical when we were underwater, many people were on Heelys to portray the idea that we were swimming. Originally, I was not supposed to be on Heelys, but someone broke their leg (while on Heelys), and I had to take their place (my mom was not excited). I had to learn to Heely in three weeks, and although it was a challenge given my balance and coordination issues, I eventually learned how to do it with the help of my friends. These dance numbers were some of my favorites, and the different tricks we had to do while on Heelys were crazy. However, we all learned that we were able to do so much more than we thought.

Overall, The Little Mermaid was one of the craziest, most stressful experiences that I had ever had in musical theatre, but it pushed me and the rest of the cast beyond our comfort zones. Because of the nature of our show, my friends and I grew closer, and this experience solidified our friendships from earlier years, which I will always be grateful for.