Merida to Join the Disney Princess Line

[disneyprincess11]

Uh oh, even Brenda Chapman HATES the NEW LOOK:

Marin filmmaker Brenda Chapman, who won an Oscar for writing and co-directing the animated feature "Brave," blasted Disney's sexy makeover of her movie's feisty heroine, Merida, as "a blatantly sexist marketing move based on money."

Chapman, a Mill Valley resident, modeled the headstrong Merida on her 13-year-old daughter, Emma, creating her as a role model for little girls.

In an email to the Independent Journal on Saturday, she said she has given Bob Iger, president of Walt Disney International, "a piece of my mind" for the entertainment giant's decision to glamorize the tomboy character she envisioned.

"There is an irresponsibility to this decision that is appalling for women and young girls," she said, writing from Chile, where she has been on business. "Disney marketing and the powers that be that allow them to do such things should be ashamed of themselves."

Disney crowned Merida its 11th princess on Saturday, but ignited a firestorm of protest with a corporate makeover of Chapman's original rendering of the character, giving her a Barbie doll waist, sultry eyes and transforming her wild red locks into glamorous flowing tresses. The new image takes away Merida's trusty bow and arrow, a symbol of her strength and independence, and turns her from a girl to a young woman dressed in an off-the-shoulder version of the provocative, glitzy gown she hated in the movie.

"I think it's atrocious what they have done to Merida," Chapman fumed. "When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come hither' look and the skinny aspect of the new version. It's horrible! Merida was created to break that mold — to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance."

Chapman, the first woman to win an Academy Award for an animated feature, said she has added her name to a petition with more than 50,000 signatures that has gone viral on the female empowerment website "A Mighty Girl," joining other mothers outraged by Disney's sexualization of her headstrong young Scottish heroine, an expert archer with a head of wild, curly red hair and a mind of her own.

Signers variously described the new Merida as "vapid," "arm candy," "unrealistic" and "vacant looking."
http://www.marinij.com/millvalley/ci_23 ... s-makeover

[TsWade2]

Uh oh, even Brenda Chapman HATES the NEW LOOK:

Marin filmmaker Brenda Chapman, who won an Oscar for writing and co-directing the animated feature "Brave," blasted Disney's sexy makeover of her movie's feisty heroine, Merida, as "a blatantly sexist marketing move based on money."

Chapman, a Mill Valley resident, modeled the headstrong Merida on her 13-year-old daughter, Emma, creating her as a role model for little girls.

In an email to the Independent Journal on Saturday, she said she has given Bob Iger, president of Walt Disney International, "a piece of my mind" for the entertainment giant's decision to glamorize the tomboy character she envisioned.

"There is an irresponsibility to this decision that is appalling for women and young girls," she said, writing from Chile, where she has been on business. "Disney marketing and the powers that be that allow them to do such things should be ashamed of themselves."

Disney crowned Merida its 11th princess on Saturday, but ignited a firestorm of protest with a corporate makeover of Chapman's original rendering of the character, giving her a Barbie doll waist, sultry eyes and transforming her wild red locks into glamorous flowing tresses. The new image takes away Merida's trusty bow and arrow, a symbol of her strength and independence, and turns her from a girl to a young woman dressed in an off-the-shoulder version of the provocative, glitzy gown she hated in the movie.

"I think it's atrocious what they have done to Merida," Chapman fumed. "When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come hither' look and the skinny aspect of the new version. It's horrible! Merida was created to break that mold — to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance."

Chapman, the first woman to win an Academy Award for an animated feature, said she has added her name to a petition with more than 50,000 signatures that has gone viral on the female empowerment website "A Mighty Girl," joining other mothers outraged by Disney's sexualization of her headstrong young Scottish heroine, an expert archer with a head of wild, curly red hair and a mind of her own.

Signers variously described the new Merida as "vapid," "arm candy," "unrealistic" and "vacant looking."
http://www.marinij.com/millvalley/ci_23 ... s-makeover

Sorry, but I have to post this for your permission.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B19HEUmnqDk[/youtube]

[Scarred4life]

I think this is a little ridiculous. Little girls (and boys) are still going to watch the movie and see all the things Merida stands for. They're not going to look at the merchandise and think anything other than "ooh! I want that cool backpack with this awesome female lead from my favourite movie!" Do I wish she wasn't as skinny/sparkly? Of course. Do I think this is a huge deal? Definitely not. Giving Merida a few sparkles isn't going to negate the message she conveyed in the movie.

[pap64]

And I believe we may have found the reason why Disney took down the 2D clip art: Brenda Chapman spoke out. I am sure that while they heard the people talking about the new look, it was likely Chapman the one that put a stop to it. I am sure Disney and Pixar know that Chapman left on very poor terms with the company, Oscar and all, and don't want anything to do with her, so it is likely they quietly pulled down the offensive 2D art and replaced it with the 3D art while they work on it. Disney and Pixar are not dumb: they KNOW that Merida has gained a strong following due to her presentation as a capable female lead.

But now I wonder... where were these people when Disney released those Merida fashion dolls last year that was basically a Bratz version of Merida? I find it odd that no one spoke out against those dolls. I mean, I know more film accurate dolls were released, but considering that they spoke out against any representation that is not like in the film, you would think they would attack those dolls (though I may not be mistaken).

[Disney's Divinity]

Giving Merida a few sparkles isn't going to negate the message she conveyed in the movie.

Brenda Chapman was referring to the small waist and newly sexualized design, not just sparkles, I believe. Besides, making her look like the version of herself the character didn't want to be does kind of negate the message conveyed in the movie.

[disneyftw1]

Uh oh, even Brenda Chapman HATES the NEW LOOK:

http://www.marinij.com/millvalley/ci_23 ... s-makeover

... sorry, mind if I make this reaction?:

Oh Disney... what the hell have you done? You made the fans gone mad. You even made one of the directors and writers gone mad. Good job. Hope your marketing team feels proud. Yeah.

[Scarred4life]

Besides, making her look like the version of herself the character didn't want to be does kind of negate the message conveyed in the movie.

In a way. But little children aren't going to be making that connection.

[pap64]

In all honesty, Chapman has ALWAYS been mad. I mean, at first I understood her plight and why she would be upset that the movie was taken away from her, especially since it meant so much to her, and I was glad that she was recognized for her ideas. But now I am starting to see why she had to be let go from her own movie: she became so enamoured by her own vision that she refused to see it changed. The harsh truth of the matter is that in animation, or ANY medium really, your ideas will always be compromised, someone will disagree with and change it, they are focused more on the profit potential over the artistic license, so on and so forth. Chapman was far from the first animation director to be let go from a movie. This was even common in the early days of animation. Walt was not afraid of cutting months of animation work off a movie if he felt was useless or didn't serve the story right. So this Brave issue, as sad as it is, is really nothing new. Chapman just made a really big deal about it, and if this was the attitude she had with the movie, then I can see why she was let go: if she isn't willing to compromise something then it was for the best to be let go. I know people will burn me alive for me, I do get that it must be sad to see something you worked hard for be taken away from you, but something about Chapman's attitude says to me that she is treating Brave like a vanity project rather than a legit piece of film.

And now it is time for me to play devil's advocate... As much as I love Merida as a character, I think she is overrated as a female character... There, I said it. People make this deal over how Merida rejected marriage, wanted to be free, didn't want a prince as if these were really brand new and unique ideas to the film, when in fact many female characters have broken the stereotype ages ago. Disney themselves had done good female characters before, like Lilo, Nani, Alice and more. It's even worse when you consider that Merida didn't really do much of the things she is praised for...

People like how she is an expert archer, yet in the movie she only has a couple of scenes where she is using her bow and arrow, but there she is using it to show off, not as an athlete or as an means to protect someone. You could argue that Katniss from Hunger Games is a better archer because she uses her skills to protect themselves and others in a world that has gone mad. Then there's the fact that she was always saved by someone. It was Bear Elinor the one that killed Mordu, and while Merida did try her best to protect her mother, the whole issue was her fault to begin with.

When you look at the other princesses, you could see that not only were they more active in their stories, they also showed some great virtues. Take Mulan, for example. Mulan did impersonate a soldier, but that was to save the life of someone she really loved. She took responsibilities for her actions and faced them head on, right down to completely defeating the villain by being calculating right on the spot. Then there's Pocahontas. She faced the wrath of her father just to save the life of someone that was innocent, in it challenging traditions and cultures that were on the verge of war. Tiana worked her hardest to make the dream of her father come true. Belle sacrificed her freedom just to make sure someone she loved had his freedom. Hell, even Cinderella has great virtues to follow and admire, despite being a passive character. So why all of a sudden Merida gets so much hype? Oh yes, she doesn't get a man in the end...

I get that it is cliche for a female character to fall in love in a story, and that female characters can be much more than that. Yet it is silly how most women think that the only way to be a strong, independent woman is to not have a man in your life, or don't fall in love. It is true that the best women are those that break tradition, but love is a very natural human emotion. We fall in love because we all have that desire to find someone in life that not only can we relate to, we can spend the rest of our lives with, otherwise men wouldn't fall in love either. Like I said, I get that it is cliche to have women fall in love in stories all the time, and make it the only virtue they have. But to deny love as a natural thing would be to create another stereotype: that in order for a woman to be taken seriously, she needs to be very cold and unfeeling. In other words, the negative stereotype OF A MAN.

In short, what I am getting at is that I am getting annoyed by all these "OMG MERIDA IS AWESOME SHE IS THE BEST ALL THE PRINCESSES SUCK" because all she did was reject marriage. That is also a cliche, so why applaud a cliche because it is avoiding another cliche? Just my two cents...

[Disney's Divinity]

Personally, I'm glad Brenda Chapman refuses to be silent for the sake of the Disney/PIXAR company. She honestly owes them nothing at this point, so why should she play nice to satisfy their marketing needs.

And now it is time for me to play devil's advocate... As much as I love Merida as a character, I think she is overrated as a female character...

People were already saying this before the film was released, back when Pixar was making these statements about how they were making a strong princess for once, basically ignoring many of Disney's empowered female characters the past 20 years and acting superior.

[disneyboy20022]

Very good points on Merida Pap

EDIT

Also Mulan didn't exactly get the man, unless you count the DTV Sequel I mean they hinted Shang and Mulan would end up together, but all Shang does is go to dinner and that's all we ever hear of it. We don't even see that.

END OF EDIT

It's not only movies that have directors pulled because they refused to change their vision a bit. For instance Julie Taymor with Spider-Man Turn off The Dark

Not so great movies come when a director has no one to answer to but themselves. George Lucas comes to mind....

[Sotiris]

I, for one, find this whole controversy ridiculous. I think the 2D clip-art of Merida looked just fine despite the few minor alterations (as far as clip-art goes and in comparison to the clip-art of the other princesses, that is.)

[Semaj]

Oh Disney... what the hell have you done? You made the fans gone mad. You even made one of the directors and writers gone mad. Good job.

That seems to be Disney's hobby these days. :-/

[Super Aurora]

I, for once, find this whole controversy ridiculous. I think the 2D clip-art of Merida looked just fine despite the few minor alterations (as far as clip-art goes and in comparison to the clip-art of the other princesses, that is.)

I'm in agreement with him here (how odd!).

Too me, it's women reading WAY too much into things.

I bet you, had Brave been 2D, it would look some what similar to that clipart.



Also awesome post Pap64 and I agree with it.

[disneyftw1]

And now it is time for me to play devil's advocate... As much as I love Merida as a character, I think she is overrated as a female character.

Don't feel bad. I didn't think she was that special. It's the girl we've seen before... only this time, Irish and the voice provided by Margaret Schroeder, a character from "Boardwalk Empire". (and if you have not seen that show, definitely consider seeing. Warning: mature audiences only.) Also, it's more of a Pixar film than a Disney film, so it didn't surprise me that the directors would use inspirations for the main lead. ... Having her as a canon Disney Princess was the last thing I expected. But who's complaining?

I get that it is cliche for a female character to fall in love in a story, and that female characters can be much more than that. Yet it is silly how most women think that the only way to be a strong, independent woman is to not have a man in your life, or don't fall in love. It is true that the best women are those that break tradition, but love is a very natural human emotion. We fall in love because we all have that desire to find someone in life that not only can we relate to, we can spend the rest of our lives with, otherwise men wouldn't fall in love either.

I, for once, find this whole controversy ridiculous. I think the 2D clip-art of Merida looked just fine despite the few minor alterations (as far as clip-art goes and in comparison to the clip-art of the other princesses, that is.)

Yeah, I'm not arguing either. I'll just let them be if it doesn't affect me personally.

I bet you, had Brave been 2D, it would look some what similar to that clipart.

... only more well-done and more mature.

[Elladorine]

Chapman's not going to like any changes to her "baby," but that's to be expected. I think this whole thing has been blown way out of proportion like the freak-out people had over the Dora makeover from 2009. I'm sorry, but I still really don't see anything Victoria Secret model-esque about her hair or anything sexual about her cheekbones. So she's got more eyelashes, some sparkles, and a smaller torso (not just a smaller waist, but a smaller bust). Maybe if her cleavage was hanging out?

I'm tired of hearing how "different" and "special" Merida is just because she doesn't fall in love. And don't get me wrong, I do like the character. She's interesting in that she's selfish and awkward (typical of a teen), but learns important lessons throughout the course of the story, becoming a better person with a strengthened relationship and mutual understanding with her mother. It's refreshing in a way that she doesn't need a man to become complete, that she's a fiercely independent tomboy, but I don't personally understand how she supposedly defines the ideal princess for a new generation of fans like some so blatantly claim, or how she's more "real" or relatable. Even without the promise of a sequel, I'm inclined to believe a character like Merida eventually submits to love like a lot of real women do, possibly settling down to raise a family. It doesn't make any of us less strong or even less defined as women when we choose to share our lives with someone, it simply makes us human.

But now I wonder... where were these people when Disney released those Merida fashion dolls last year that was basically a Bratz version of Merida? I find it odd that no one spoke out against those dolls. I mean, I know more film accurate dolls were released, but considering that they spoke out against any representation that is not like in the film, you would think they would attack those dolls (though I may not be mistaken).

It wasn't as huge of a deal, but I remember bloggers attacking the Mattel versions of Merida and favored the ones from the Disney Store, which are more true to the film and less "sexualized." Example.

I bet you, had Brave been 2D, it would look some what similar to that clipart.

^This. Hand-drawn has to have a different kind of exaggeration going on than CG in order to be appealing, and I'd wager most of those doing the criticising don't have an understanding of that.

[Jay]

I agree that I don't see anything special about Merida. I mean she is a cool character but I don't get how she is the best and strongest princess ever. As pointed out Tiana, Mulan, Pocahontas and Belle are all strong characters who have great virtues, stand up for what they believe in and get things done. Mulan freakin saves her whole country. Pocahontas doesn't "get the man" in the end and if you don't count the sequel neither does Mulan. Snow White and Cinderella both have admirable optimistic out looks despite their rough living situations and both are hard workers. Ariel and Jasmine get flack for their portrayals in their films but I think both characters shine in their respective TV shows. Ariel displays a great interest in other cultures(human world) and has a desire and passion to learn all she can. Jasmine tries several times to make Agrabah a better place for the community.

And there are plenty of strong/interesting non "princess" female characters as mentioned Lilo, Nani, Alice. Throw in Esmeralda, Megara, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, Perdita ect. So I honestly don't buy that Merida is the one to end them all.

[SWillie!]

Some great posts about this tonight - especially pap, Sotiris, and enigmawing. I agree with everything you guys have said. This "controversy" is asanine. Pap, your points about Chapman especially seem spot-on. She's had a very public negative attitude towards the whole production ever since she left, and the more I read the more I'm not surprised that she was kicked off in the first place.

[thelittleursula]

And now it is time for me to play devil's advocate... As much as I love Merida as a character, I think she is overrated as a female character... There, I said it. People make this deal over how Merida rejected marriage, wanted to be free, didn't want a prince as if these were really brand new and unique ideas to the film, when in fact many female characters have broken the stereotype ages ago. Disney themselves had done good female characters before, like Lilo, Nani, Alice and more. It's even worse when you consider that Merida didn't really do much of the things she is praised for...

When you look at the other princesses, you could see that not only were they more active in their stories, they also showed some great virtues. Take Mulan, for example. Mulan did impersonate a soldier, but that was to save the life of someone she really loved. She took responsibilities for her actions and faced them head on, right down to completely defeating the villain by being calculating right on the spot. Then there's Pocahontas. She faced the wrath of her father just to save the life of someone that was innocent, in it challenging traditions and cultures that were on the verge of war. Tiana worked her hardest to make the dream of her father come true. Belle sacrificed her freedom just to make sure someone she loved had his freedom. Hell, even Cinderella has great virtues to follow and admire, despite being a passive character. So why all of a sudden Merida gets so much hype? Oh yes, she doesn't get a man in the end...

I get that it is cliche for a female character to fall in love in a story, and that female characters can be much more than that. Yet it is silly how most women think that the only way to be a strong, independent woman is to not have a man in your life, or don't fall in love. It is true that the best women are those that break tradition, but love is a very natural human emotion. We fall in love because we all have that desire to find someone in life that not only can we relate to, we can spend the rest of our lives with, otherwise men wouldn't fall in love either. Like I said, I get that it is cliche to have women fall in love in stories all the time, and make it the only virtue they have. But to deny love as a natural thing would be to create another stereotype: that in order for a woman to be taken seriously, she needs to be very cold and unfeeling. In other words, the negative stereotype OF A MAN.

In short, what I am getting at is that I am getting annoyed by all these "OMG MERIDA IS AWESOME SHE IS THE BEST ALL THE PRINCESSES SUCK" because all she did was reject marriage. That is also a cliche, so why applaud a cliche because it is avoiding another cliche? Just my two cents...

Thank You so much for this ! Yes I agree with you so much ! Plus you don't need to " wield a sword to be strong " Which IMHO Merid symbolizes that you need a " sword to be strong " which is so untrue, you just need a strong mind and a strong heart, like Cinderella and Belle. Even Mulan needed her inner strength and confidence to help her become a soldier in the army and in the end that was helped her become a fighter, not because she was talented at physical arts only.

[DC Fan]

Looking at both images at the same time again I have to say:

1. In truth, the 2D one looks 98% as supposed to.

2. 2% off because Disney did make her waist smaller and changed her eyes.

...the hair issue is very debatable. I don´t know how it could have been done different.


But other than that is the same.

Still, Disney brought this upon themselves. As said, Merida is a Pixar character and they could have profit off of her just the same without including her in the line.

As for Disney changing her personality it IS true. However, they did the same for Tiana. In all the movie she was a hard working girl dressed normally. She only got her princess dress when she got married; a very brief moment. Still, she´s been advertised that way ever since.

[universALLove]

Merida was created to break the mould — to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance

Chapman sounds very self-righteous here and a little disrespectful too. If in her mind she thinks she's created a groundbreaking new character that we've never seen before and is better for young girls in every way then she's essentially devaluing anything that came before Merida. It's like tarnishing the other girls in the Princesses line with the same brush, as if they're all just vapid trophy wives or damsel in distress types. Clearly she's not very familiar with the personalities and characteristics of the other girls in the Princess line because like pap64 and other members have already pointed out, she would see that we already have strong gals that are good role models and have already broke the mould by being pro-active and selfless like Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Belle etc. that aren't waiting around for romance or to be saved by a man and even if they do eventually fall in love, it's not like that was their goal or main intention throughout their movie, it just spontaneously happened.

As for the over sexualisation, I still don't see it. To me she doesn't look all that different in 2D and as Sotiris said, as far as clip-art goes the odd amendment here and there and she would be fine.

The new image takes away Merida's trusty bow and arrow, a symbol of her strength and independence, and turns her from a girl to a young woman dressed in an off-the-shoulder version of the provocative, glitzy gown she hated in the movie.

Hmm, which dress was that then because I don't ever remember her wearing a glitzy provocative dress in the movie, she never stumbled into Jessica Rabbit's dressing room closet surely?
Anyone would think they made Merida look more like her with all this controversy