Month: February 2018

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.