DC Fan wrote:I´m also rewatching the show and I have to say several things:
-The FX, of course they could (and should have been) much better than they were but as they are they started to remind me of the FX of the Hercules and Xena shows that were very charming in their own way.
I like that the visual effects were like that because it added to the whimsicality of the fairytale world, though I do admit that it had gotten worse in later seasons.
DC Fan wrote:
-I´m glad the show started and ended when it did. Don´t know about you but for me they show came in a perfect time in my life when I needed this kind of content. I can now rewatch it whenever and get the same memories but I don´t think it would have worked today and/or the same way.
I'm glad for you that the show could provide it for you. For me it was comforting to watch it for two and a half years, then it sort of became dumb for another season and a half, but still enjoyable, but I can't really say that I enjoyed it in its later seasons, I didn't even bother watching the final season.
I don't think it would have worked today mainly because Disney has oversaturated the market with their live action interpretations and I think people are already sick of it, but back then the show started a year after Tangled and people started being nostalgic about fairytales again.
DC Fan wrote:
-While I´m glad Disneyu finally decided to do something with Aurora, with the exception of the first Season, there was no need for a Season story arc. Other shows can manage those filler episodes but not so much ONCE. Especially because they didn´t use (most of the time) those filler episodes to tell stories of recurring and/or important characters. Those based in the Disney movies specifically. I mean, why have the giant story? (Even though, yes, he´s technically a Disney character too) or why have the Dr. Frankenstein episode (or the character/world in general)? One thing would have been to acknowledge that there were other worlds/books (as they did) and another is to integrate them into the Disney universe.
I know I'm in a minority about it, but I hated when the show became a Disney AU fanfic (among other things). I think what worked in the earlier seasons is that they did their own thing, like Snow White is their version of Snow White, not Disney's (and I know she sings With a Smile and a Song, but that's just a small nice reference), I honestly thought it was ridiculous that Elsa was going around a modern town with people around her wearing normal clothes and she's basically in a Halloween costume for the entire time, like it's kind of disgusting if you really think about that... and Hades with his flaming hair...
I actually think the Elsa thing was probably forced by Disney. I also think they wanted her to be more villainous and Disney probably vetoed it.
DC Fan wrote:
-Wizard of Oz. Same thing as before. I don´t mind to focus or introduce characters that weren´t in the Disney movies as long as they had minor roles (Little Red Riding Hood) and other was to introduce a whole world/characters to explore. More so, when they finished and they were still movies they didn´t do.
I didn't care about the second half of season 3 and I hate Zelena, but I didn't have an issue with adding The Wizard of Oz, but like I said I didn't mind that this show did original things, though I wouldn't say it was original since Oz the Great and Powerful came out prior and they wanted to capitalize on it.
DC Fan wrote:
...another reason why, from S2 on they should have focused on 2 story arcs for each Season.
I actually think season 2 was much more stronger than later seasons and at least the characters acted like themselves and their arcs weren't repetitive. My issue is that they didn't commit to Cora till the end of the season and were impatient to go on do the new thing, a trademark of them of later seasons. I actually think that the 2 story arcs for one season was a mistake considering they had a lot of characters, and they kept on with the flashbacks so they barely had any time to invest in anything, turning each season to a big mess and more plot heavy instead of characters driven, so the characters sort of became puppets going through the same thing over and over. I didn't care for it and it grew old really fast.
DC Fan wrote:
-Why have Mulan being lesbian and later on when they did the same with Robin? But le me focus on Mulan. I didn´t like it because, first off, the character wasn´t originally that way (yes, even though these aren specifically the same ones). Why not introduce another character that could have been lesbian or gay? But more so, because I´m SO tired of stereotypes or clichés. The same way most of the media still portrays or mainly shows effeminate men as gay or tomboy women as lesbians. They should know that there are very feminine women that are lesbians (glad they at least made Ruby bi) and masculine men are gay.
I think I heard that they wanted to do this with Mulan, but Disney didn't allow it (homophobic parents won't buy merchandise anymore), so they changed it to two characters who weren't Disney Princesses. I actually think that they lied on twitter (they liked to do that often) and said that Mulan was never intended to be a lesbian/bi and she actually meant to confess about her feelings to Philip.
DC Fan wrote:
-The entire final Season. At first I was glad the show wasn´t going to end. But if they weren´t going to tell a better story and/or coninue with characters/movies that weren´t done then they shouldn´t have.
I never bothered with the final season and tbh I barely remember what happened in season 6 besides that awful musical episode.
DC Fan wrote:
-The waste of character that was Ursula.
I actually liked Regina as Ursula so it didn't bother me. Don't know what more they could do with her. Yes I know people like Ursula, but considering she's a sea witch and the show would have never had the kind of budget that would have allowed them to do an under the sea world, the only way they could have her is a villain on land and then that's not really Ursula.
DC Fan wrote:
-The whole idea of the different versions of the same story. Let me repeat myself: there were movies/characters you didn´t do and while true that´s up to debate. One thing is that there are variations of the story but the core is the same. More so, what did they do with it? Let´s have a Latina Cinderella just cause and also because we messed up in doing something with the original. Same with Rapunzel.
-Ah, and again, tied up with that last one. Did we really needed to introduce another version of Hook...because? So many characters yet to explore.
I remember something about it vaguely. Don't really know what to think about two versions of the same character, they could have found other fairytales I guess.
DC Fan wrote:
PS
And no, I didn´t like they race bent the original Rapunzel. Why? There was no need. For instance, they could have had Tiana there. Gave us a glimpe of Kida (for a future Atlantis story). Choose another character...let´s say, The Princess and the Pea. Or, if they wanted to, do so with Eilonwy. The movie is basically non existant to Disney. At least we could have had that.
Like I said, I never had an issue with not doing the Disney fanfic, so I didn't have a problem with Rapunzel looking differently. I actually think this show suffered from poor POC representation and did some offensive things if I remember correctly, like making the black genie a slave, killing off characters recklessly like Marian or Merlin. I'm sure there were more that I don't remember... Guinevere being mind controlled or whatever and they pretty much forgot about her and that's how her status remained.