My (overwhelming) Thoughts on "The Princess and the Frog"

Although I enjoyed my live blog of Up, for The Princess and the Frog I decided to do my blog post right after I finished the movie. I'd never seen it before, and I may have a jumble of thoughts (correction--  I DO have a jumble of thoughts) and feel like I want to get them all down in writing (err, typing) while the movie is still fresh in my mind! Here goes nothing:

• I really liked the ending!! I have to admit, when Mama Odie was telling Tiana and Naveen that they needed to "dig deeper" I knew there was going to be some sort of Disney moral/message that made you go "Awwww" at the end, but I couldn't figure out what it was. But of course, it was the fact that Tiana was already a princess once the married Naveen!! Super cute ending, but I have to admit part of me thought they were going to live happily ever after as frogs a la Shrek. 
• I was very much creeped out by those evil shadow things that appeared next to Dr. Facilier. And, once we're on the subject, I found him to just be plain weird. His role in the plot was kind of weird/random (I mean, voodoo witch, really?) but it made the storyline make sense so YOLO Disney. I could see how he fit the mold of the typical Disney villain: selfish, unattractive, kinda distored looking....etc. 
• Was Disney trying to make some statement about obesity? I couldn't really figure out what they were getting at, but that Big Daddy character was blatantly overweight, and his excessive eating habits didn't help either. His gigantic size may have just been to show him as a big, powerful figure, because Disney didn't say anything negative about him. Definitely something to discuss. 
• I don't exactly know where I stand on the movie's portrayal of race. In film (given the criticism of the field) there is such a fine line between being racist and ignoring racial differences. I can't decide where I feel this movie falls on the spectrum. I look forward to discussing in class to hear how other students feel about how race was portrayed in The Princess and the Frog. 

I think our class will have a lot to say on this film! While I was not the biggest fan of Up, I am excited to see everyone's reaction to this movie, especially since I think a lot of people have not seen it yet, myself included.

Disney Channel!!!!!

I had a slight revelation today--- why have I yet to blog about Disney Channel?!?! Given the name, I am assuming that this falls under the general umbrella of Disney, thus making it a kosher blog topic.

To say that I loved Disney channel would be a huge understatement. I will stand by this statement until the day I die that Disney channel shows and movies were of the highest quality. The shows were incredible! Lizzie McGuire taught me so much about myself, and that is no exaggeration. I literally lived and breathed Lizzie, especially when she hit the big screens in The Lizzie McGuire movie.

8pm on weekday nights was a sacred time: Disney Channel Original Movie time. Everyone in my generation knows that exceedingly catchy theme song: "Let's watch, a Disney Channel Movie!" Given that I was the oldest child in my family, my parents were relatively strict on bedtime. 10 year old Sydney was not allowed to stay up until the movie finished at 10. As a result, I can honestly say I've seen the opening half hours of Luck of The Irish and Smart House a dozen times, but the endings only a couple times. *Sigh*, I guess this is the typical life of a Disney-Channel loving child.

(Disclaimer- sorry for the lack of organization in this blog post, I just have a lot to say about Disney channel/it's been a long week/Lizzie McGuire deserved mentioning)

What does tell me about my Disney knowledge?

I am proud of/ ashamed of/ confused by (you choose) the fact that I got a 6/9 on this quiz. Yay! I was able to successfully guess 2/3 of Disney movies by their color schemes. GO ME! Kidding, that was not my exact reaction. It was more along the lines of *random click* Hmm, maybe that looks right, whatever, let me just go with my gut. Wow, I weirdly got a lot of these right. 

The point I'm trying to make –which may or may not be clear by my attempt to portray my thoughts– is that I literally found this quiz to be ridiculous. The Disney bowls were beyond weird, but this quiz was different in that it was an actual test with an actual result to prove one's ability to correctly decipher a color scheme of lines into a Disney film.

I get that BuzzFeed employees want to catch our attention, but I just don't know if this quiz will do just that. It's missing the "So, what?" factor that I think is relevant to all texts we analyze (films, readings, songs, etc.) My final thoughts on this quiz:  
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Shoutout to my sister!!! (ukwur)

This is accurate. Me and my sister and super close (and love Frozen) so this especially speaks to me. We take turns being the hyper sister who bugs the other one when she is trying to be productive. We fight sometimes, but it's true that we know each other better than anyone, and therefore know how to push each other's buttons.

Number 7 really resonates with me:

It’s always worth it, because you make fun memories that last a lifetime.

Whether we are spending our summers at sleep away camp, going on family vacations, talking about just about anything, singing, laughing, or just being weird, we are always making these memories that only we share. 

Kate Flynn needs some work....

The only thing that Kate Flynn's "Fat and the Land: Size Stereotyping in Pixar's Up" had going for it was that it was short and not too time consuming to read. JK, that was harsh. I've just always wanted to sound like one of those intense critics who can get away with being brutally and painfully honest. Anyways, I'll rephrase and say that I was most definitely NOT a fan of this article. Although it was short, I was pretty much lost the entire time, as I never could fully understand her overall argument and how the different details supported a broader claim.

One of the things I was most bothered by was how she kept starting her paragraphs with questions. This is a totally valid writing strategy, assuming that you answer the questions. However, Flynn's questions remained unanswered and ambiguous. At the end of each paragraph I would check back at its opening question, only to find myself even more confused. I think that these questions and lack of answers were a major fault in the organization of the paper.

In addition to the structural issues, I had a lot of trouble with the content of her paper. I think many people will agree that her argument stating that, "the lines of the waterfall are suggestive of female genitalia," is beyond absurd. LITERALLY WHAT. They are lines. They do not have significance. Kate Flynn, where's your head at? Even if the lines DID have this supposed symbolic meaning, I honestly don't think that this detail would further her argument in any way. It's not as if this idea was completely relevant or necessary for her article.

I was straight up confused at her argument about religion. Although Disney is known to have some deeper/hidden meaning in some of its films, I really don't think that there was any underlying religious messages in this paper. I think Flynn calling attention to religion was a poor attempt at analyzing the movie.

Lastly, what I found to be extremely distracting was her quoting. She stole little, few-word quotes from other sources a few times in every paragraph. The words she used gave no indication if her quote was an accurate representation of the author's original ideas. For some reason, I don't think all the authors she was quoting would have generally supported her....

Face Shapes....okay bye.

To be blunt, I thought this face shapes article was stupid. I get that some passionate people exist out there, but I really don't see why someone would feel the need to put such time and effort into expressing their opinions on the face shapes of Disney/Pixar characters.

In the specific web page I linked above, the tumblr author outlined each face shape and compared the female outlines and the male outlines. She declared, "[b]oys in animated movies have faces that are square, round, skinny, fat, alien-looking, handsome, and ugly. The only face that girls get to have is some round snub-nosed baby face. That’s not right." 

I, of course, can see the similarities in the female face shape. However, I find it such a minimal detail in the grand scheme of Disney that I'm actually chuckling to myself as I write this, amused by how ridiculous this is. I mean, think about it: people are actually freaking out about FACE SHAPE. It's so irrelevant. 

I'd also like to point out that there isn't as much variation in the male face shape category as this specific blogger would like to assume. Many of them have these same "snub" noses and only a few have slightly more chiseled jaws. It's really only that new character from Inside Out that has a dramatic difference, with his super thin face and long, pointy nose.  Besides that, they all have somewhat similar face shapes.

Also, just like to point out that the majority of PEOPLE have relatively similar face shapes in real life. Yes, there is slight variation, but for the most part we all have roundish faces. And two eyes. And a nose. And a mouth. Wow----what is Disney trying to say about our society?!?! (JK)

A Not-So-Little Loophole in The Little Mermaid

I agree with the author of this post: "Ariel, WHY?" It's quite amusing that this simple idea has never crossed my  mind. I'm curious to know if the Disney producers ever came across this idea. I mean, now that I've seen it, I can't get it out of my head...it's just SO obvious!

The author even backed her theory by giving proof that Ariel knows how to write. She signed her name (very beautifully I might add) on Ursula's scroll, showing us that she was indeed literate.

I was further inspired by this BuzzFeed article, so I did a quick Google search to see if anyone else was as shocked as I was by this revelation. It turns out, Reddit users were busily discussing this idea a month ago. Some commenters brought about interesting solutions. Perhaps Ariel is shown to speak in the same language, but actually speaks a different "Merpeople" language. To the Disney audience, the various languages seem like one and the same, but there may be variations between English/Danish/Merpeople language that we do not see.

I think that the latter suggestion could have some validity. In Pocahontas, I've always wondered how Pocahontas and John Smith were able to communicate given their language barrier. Perhaps Disney does not mean to imply that they are actually speaking verbally in one coherent language, but rather are communicating in ways that they can both comprehend. Maybe Ariel's "communication" would not be in the same language as Prince Eric and the rest of the people on land.

Unfortunately, I think I will have to accept the fact that this pressing question will never have a resolute solution.

PSherman Forty-Two WallabyWay Sydney has added you as a friend.

 I’m not sure how universal this is, but in my town there is a trend of high school seniors changing their names on Facebook. It is believed that by using a new alias, you prevent college admissions officers from finding anything potentially harmful on your Facebook page. While neither myself nor anyone else has any way of proving whether or not this strategy has any affect, it has become a fun tradition in my school.

Some people prefer the classic “Sydney Michelle”, as in using your first and middle name. Most, however, try to be more creative and punny with their names. If you’re going to the efforts to change your name on Facebook, you might as well go big or go home. I came up with a solid list of possible names: Syd Cudi, Sydney Australia, NewYork Syddy, etc. However, the Pixar-inspired name I selected was a total crowd pleaser. Hello from PSherman FortyTwo-WallabyWay Sydney.

My name, PShermz for short, was an instant hit. Finding Nemo references occurred frequently (no complaints there!). Towards the end of senior year, one of my friends decided that she was going to host a “Dress-as-your-senior-facebook-name” themed party. So naturally, I channeled my inner clownfish and ordered a “Sexy Nemo Costume.” Yes, this exists. Honestly, with the giant scope of Disney/Pixar, should we even be surprised anymore?

My costume arrive and it was, well, interesting. I’m not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that my friend ended up cancelling the party. The Nemo costume is in my college dorm collecting dust...but I wouldn’t be surprised if it got some use sometime in the next four years!

The Completely Sensible and Logical Disney Princesses as Bowls

I totally get that BuzzFeed strives to be creative. It's their job to come up with catchy, unique ideas that will cause internet scrollers to stop what they are doing and "click". I'm sure that the last thing BuzzFeed employees want to do is to create a boring, unoriginal article. So, I completely 100% understand why they decided to come up with the clearly logical... Princess Bowls?

That's right. This actually exists. And unless I'm missing some mutually understood joke or something, I see zero sense in this. LITERALLY there are bowls as princesses. I'm just beyond confused/amused/WHAT.

Through comments, I discovered that I was not alone in my thinking. BuzzFeed users were just as puzzled as I was. Over 500 people chose "WTF" as their reaction to the article. Others made comments to BuzzFeed about being drunk or high. Overall, this was just ridiculous, but definitely worth sharing. Off to go eat some soup out of my Disney Princess!

Live Blog of Up

For reasons I don't quite know, I'm yet to see the movie Up. Now that I'm watching, I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to live blog. I'll keep you updated on my reactions as I watch the movie unfold. Off I go!

1 minute in:
Momentary confusion that I was watching the wrong movie. Glad that got cleared up real fast.

3 minutes:
Are houses in real life actually boarded up like that? I feel like movies are so dramatic about that, to the point where the house practically screams "ABANDONED!!!"

7 minutes:
HA. They buy the house. How cute. Kinda embarrassed I didn't see that coming

11 minutes:
This is a sad, sad movie. Poor Carl. He reminds me of my Grandpa, and that makes me sadder. Now he's going to become Grumpy Carl and that's just not right. Why must there have to be any sad and lonely old men in the world?! :(

13:
Got enough door locks there buddy? Cool, just checking.

18:
Oh no!! Carl, get it together! No one knows the significance of that mail box to his heart. But now he has to go to Shady Oaks1 :( Unless, of course, he somehow manages to "escape"....

22:
Go Carl!!! Up, UP!!! Except, no offense Pixar, but why aren't people freaking out lol. Like that random family walking on the street who was kinda like "Oh, jeez, a flying house. Nice."

25:
LET HIM IN!

26:
K, thank god. That was quite concerning.

30:
Lol that the kid could shadily hold the entire house from falling off the cliff. Russell FTW!
In other news, hey! It's that place from the painting!!! Cliffs and waterfalls and greens! HAHA Russell, if you're strong enough to hold the house up why can you literally only climb an inch on the hose?

38:
Kevin!!! Lol (again). Carl's talking to Ellie is so cute. Makes my heart melt. Ellie would let them keep Kevin... she's fun!


41:
Not sure how I feel about this talking dog. Really unsure right now. WAIT THERE ARE MORE? This is concerning. And omg Alpha dog's voice sounds like it does when you swallow helium....are you thinking what I'm thinking?!?! #balloons

48:
Carl, be a father figure to Russell! Let him be the son you never had. Bonding!

50:
"Kevin's a girl?!" Ha. Ha.

56:
Yay! Interesting turn of events that Carl gets to meet his idol Charles Muntz. Still not a fan of these talking dogs. Seeing Carl looking at the artifacts/skeletons is like a little boy on Christmas <3

1 hour:
Am I missing something...why don't Carl and Russell just give Kevin to Charles?

1 hour 3 minutes:
DON'T DIE KEVIN.

1:06:
Charles you are EVIL. I am beyond disenchanted. This movie will be a huge disappointment if Carl cannot save both his house and Kevin...but I have a feeling it will work out ;)

1:12:
Aw. Cue sad music.
Sidenote- Carl has really wide fingers.

1:14:
Carl: a man with a mission. Aka it's time to empty your house of everything you own. Huzzah!

1:17:
Will he save Russell?!?!!?

1:18:
Yes, DUH.

1:22:
Okay, this movie is cute, but perhaps a little bizarre for me. The dogs are TOO MUCH. Also, how did Russell suddenly get buff enough to climb up the hose?

1:25:
Classic almost near-death experience. Goodbye, house.

1:27:
"The Ellie Badge" :'( and :')

Solid movie. Good? Yes. Superb? Not necessarily. Interesting to see how the discussion will unfold!

Emoji-fied Frozen

I think that this video ("Frozen As Told By Emoij") is a very telling representation of our current society. We are obsessed with both Disney and our iPhones. This emoji-fied version of Frozen is quite amusing. I lolled at the emoji troll (Apple, get on that!) and at Emoji Han's sideburns. It was a clever idea to create this video, and the execution was actually really well-done. It did a great job incorporating actual emojis (summer ones, the "NO" red circle with a slash, etc), while also creating new Frozen-inspired emoji to represent the various characters.

Honestly, the vid left me currently debating whether or not to go watch Frozen... I'll keep you updated on the verdict later!

Baruch atah adonai elohainu meerkat ha'olam....

I found Gael Sweeney's entire ""What Do You Want Me to Do? Dress in Drag and Do the Hula?" Timon and Pumbaa's Alternative Lifestyle in The Lion King" article to be both fascinating and extremely well-supported. She had a ton of evidence to support a really valid point that I (being as oblivious as I am) had never thought of before. It makes total sense!!! In my defense, I never knew any background info on the Broadway actors who played Timon and Pumbaa, but this knowledge doesn't really surprise me. Finding out that they often improvise lines and record together made me smile. As amazing as Timon and Pumbaa's on-screen relationship is, it gets SO much greater when you learn a little bit more about the actual actors' relationship :')

Of course, I was especially amused by all the details pointing at Timon being Jewish. That thought had literally never crossed my mind, but now I feel so silly for never noticing it! I was weirdly really into The Lion King 1 1/2 as a kid, and the Jew references are SO blatant. I do remember Timon's mom calling him meshugener, and me thinking that that easily sounds like some Yiddush jargon my grandma would use, but essentially it all went over my head. It's quite interesting to see the 180˚ turn around from Walt's anti-semitism to a key character having a ton of Jewish traits. I LOLed at the Nathan Lane's quip that the Jew-hating Walt must be "spinning around in a refrigerator somewhere". RIP, Uncle Walt (except maybe 'RIP' is not the correct term, because who know's, right?)

I agree with Sweeney's totally valid point that a NY inspired, Gay-ish, Jewish-ish meerkat is just slightly out of place in the middle of Africa. Especially when Timon's personality is compared with those of the rest of the jungle-like characters. But then again, we can't forget that this is an animated Disney film. Realistic isn't the name of the game. If you need some reminding of that, just check out 2:18 in the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" music video where Zazu is literally holding up 340859234059 lbs. of animals. Damn, Zazu must be going hard at the gym to have guns like those.

Mean Girls as told by Disney

THIS is hilarious. If you haven't seen it, then I guarantee it is about to make your life better. If you have seen it, I bet you'll still LOL.

The vid is truly amazing because it is SO well done. It was a hit or miss idea, and I think we can all agree that it was a HIT.

The "casting" was very well done. Ariel as Cady was perfect because of a) the red hair, duh but b) her sense of cluelessness. The Disney version of the plastics perfectly resembled their Mean Girls counterparts. Sleeping Beauty conveniently has really big hair (maybe it is full of secrets, you never know...). Slight issue with Aladdin being just a bit too attractive to be Damien, but I can get over that.

I was super impressed with how well the Disney clips fit in with the Mean Girls scenes. I actually LOLed at the Lion King clip used for the "I know how they would settle this in the animal world" bit. And Jasmine holding the apple and pointing at was a totally valid way to show the map of the cafeteria. Mulan being the "cool asian" was very accurate.

Moral of the story-- this video made me laugh a ton, and was the perfect way to break up my full Monday-night workload. Happy watching!

Do you REALLY want to know what your favorite Disney princess says about you?

So I stumbled across this BuzzFeed quiz called What Does Your Favorite Disney Princess Say About You? Intrigued, I clicked on the link and answered the first question: Choose your favorite Disney princess. Little did I know, but I had actually already completed the quiz. That's right, this one-question quiz was attempting to make generalizations about me after a single click.

I was humored by this "quiz" (the air quotes felt necessary) and decided to scope out the possible answers. Here are the summarized results:

• Pocahontas--you're adventurous (my personal pick, if you were wondering)
• Snow White -- you're sincere! (hmmm...not vague at all.)
• Cinderella -- you're a dreamer!
• Aurora -- you're charming! (or maybe more like, "you're tired!"
• Ariel -- you're brave!
• Belle -- you always see the best in people! (I thought this one would be more along the lines of smart or quirky. Oh well)
• Jasmine -- you stand up for what you believe in!
• Mulan -- you're fearless!
• Tiana -- you're a go-getter!
• Rapunzel -- you're loyal! (again, no vagueness here)
• Merida -- you're powerful!
• Anna -- you're passionate!

More than anything, it made me chuckle that BuzzFeed user Lara Parker felt the need to create this extremely telling and informative quiz. I really feel like I know myself better, so thank you Lara. Oh, and now that Pocahontas is my "spirit animal"  and that I "can't be tamed" (shoutout to Miley Cyrus), I'm really sure that I'm going places.