The Princess Morphologies

[Sotiris]

I've stumbled across this blog which I found intriguing. It is dedicated to the "formalist analysis of Pixar's Brave and other Disney Princess movies", as it says.

Give it a look. Tell me what you think.

[Disney's Divinity]

I find it unconvincing that the writer puts Cinderella on the same level as Mulan because of a quote from Walt Disney. Cinderella does not in any way go out to find Prince Charming (or a prince charming); he finds her not only at the end with the slipper, but at the ball itself. And, yes, she believes/keeps hope that life will improve, but that could only be considered active in a spiritual sense, not in what we traditionally think of as the meaning of “active.” So, no, I don’t agree with that bit, but it’s interesting otherwise.

[Disney Duster]

I can't read all that. Seriously, with something I'm going through I just can't. But with the little I did read, I would say Cinderella kind of did battle with the stepmother in pulling out a move that defeated her (the other slipper). And what is the interdiction? What does it mean to follow or break it?

[TinTinV]

I tweeted this article to Brenda Chapman, she tweeted me back & said she read it & loved it!

[pap64]

I have to admit, some of the things mentioned here are quite interesting... until she said this...

"Encouragingly, Shang finds Mulan attractive largely because of things that she’s done (save China, impress the Emperor) and not her physical characteristics. There is some improvement here, even if the central message remains the same: getting a man is more important than anything else you might do in life, including preventing your father’s death or dishonor and saving your entire country from barbarian invasion. "

... Uuuuuuh. Did we watch the same movie?

I've always believed that Mulan was not the one that found love, it was Shang the one that fell in love with her. Oh sure you could still see the sexual tension and moments of affection, yet I think it all came from Shang, even if Mulan had some feelings for him. Mulan, however, was focused on her family. She even ignored a position of power and Shang's hand just to come back home and see her family again. The EMPEROR told SHANG to FOLLOW HER. And that's when the relationship fully bloomed.

The majority of Mulan's journey is about HER fighting against a culture that forbids her from being who she is, she puts everything at risk because she loved her father so much she sacrificed her femininity just to take his place.

And are we CONVENIENTLY FORGETTING that the highest emotional point of the story was not Mulan finally embracing Shang's love but how she brought honor to her family?

"The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter"

THIS LINE right here sums up the whole movie.

And don't even get me started on this woman's view on Elastigirl/Helen. Just because Helen has accepted her role as mother and wife that doesn't make her weak. Need I remind you that she put her life in danger not just to rescue her husband but her kids. There was also the really good deleted scene where Helen tells a woman off because she dissed the role of a mother. I understand that woman don't have to marry and have kids to be full, but what is it with feminists quickly diminishing the role of a mother in society?

Maybe I am an "ignorant, clueless man", maybe I am just a "brainwashed Disney fanboy", but all of these princess theories are getting old. WE GET IT. Women can be more than princesses waiting for their princes, women can be more than mothers in the kitchen, we get that fairy tales are not realistic representations of life...

WE. GET. IT.

Are we so afraid of raising little Kardashians and Paris Hiltons that we are quick to dissect every single thing that is released out there? If we are so afraid that girls might grow up to be delusional because of the Disney Princesses, we might as well be careful with boys and their fascination of pirates and how Disney overtly sells the idea to them.

I've ranted long

[qindarka]

Completely agreed. I also lost interest in that site after that bit about Mulan. She makes a show of analysing movies 'deeply' yet does not even have basic understanding of themes and messages. The relationship between Shang and Mulan is relatively unimportant and how anyone can claim that the message of the film is getting a man based on Mulan inviting Shang to dinner is beyond me.

[PatrickvD]

The assessment of Tangled is really dumb. I'm not even sure if he/she saw the movie. None of what is described makes sense.

[jazzflower92]

I am always wondering when they are talking about Sleeping Beauty they always miss the fairies and the potential they could talk about them.

I always saw that their decision to give up their powers is like a working woman giving up her career to stay at home.Ok,not every career woman needs to give up her career when she becomes a mom but some give it up if there is no other option.

The fairies I see are woman who sacrifice to help their children and do it not because they want to but because its to make sure a cursed child is safe.The funny thing is even Merryweather the one most relcutant to give up her powers is probably the one most emotional about Aurora finally turning sixteen.

I can imagine these three fairies have and will continue living long lives.However,the fact that they would stoop to being powerless for sixteen years show that motherhood is about sacrifice.Aurora probably won't and wasn't the first princess she encountered.But the fact they poured the years and work into raising her show that they did grow to love her.I mean just look at the fairies when she is cursed in bed.I mean if that isn't parental sorrow in their eyes I don't know what is.

[Disney Duster]

Aurora may not be the first princess they "encountered" but she is most probably the only princess they ever raised and loved in that way. It's just what's most likely.

[pap64]

The assessment of Tangled is really dumb. I'm not even sure if he/she saw the movie. None of what is described makes sense.

Oh yes, now that you mentioned Tangled...

Tangled also had a progressive view on the Princess/Prince relationship. When Rapunzel meets Flynn, she doesn't go crazy in love, starts to sing or the relationship starts right away. Rapunzel ATTACKS Flynn. Then later she uses him as a means to escape and a guide to the world, a world she still hasn't learned to trust. It took a lot of action on HER behalf to finally see the world as being a beautiful thing. That's when she finally lowered her defenses and THEN began to fall in love with Flynn. And even then, Rapunzel gained the strength to confront her mother, and Flynn didn't go to her tower to rescue her, he went there because he loved her and wanted to see her. Both saved each other equally. By cutting Rapunzel's hair, Flynn freed Rapunzel from Gothel, and in return Rapunzel saved his life. The story was a mutual understanding between Rapunzel and Flynn.

I also found it annoying when the author dismissed the whole "Belle saved the Beast" notion by stating that "It's nothing new in the feminist perspective". To me that's just conveniently ignoring a fact that repels some of her assumptions away. Let us not forget that the scene where Belle saves the Beast heavily influenced Brave's ending, which the author oh so praises for being "so progressive". Same with Tangled's ending.

I don't know, like I said, maybe I am seeing things through the perspective of a man, but some of these "deep theories" tend to meet the point and just end up beating a dead horse that is pretty much becoming an undead horse. There is a reason why the word "analysis" starts with the word "ANAL" (pardon my offense, but it just describes how some flawed and obnoxious some of these theories are).

[DisneyDude2010]

pap64 I agree with you 1000000%!
The author seems really ignorant and stubborn. I disagree with most of his views and besides he/she is nobody i know/care, So i won't build up any tension against this single minded theorist

[Disney's Divinity]

I don’t think the author is ignorant at all, and she’s on point about most films.

In regards to Mulan, she is very progressive by Disney’s standards, which are very low we should admit, but all her accomplishments throughout the film are undermined by the implication that she settles down into her assigned domestic role at the end of the film. No future as a soldier is mentioned/considered at the end, which would be progressive.

As for Belle, the author is also correct that the entire conflict of the film revolves around the Beast's problem and not Belle. Her point that Belle is a means to an end is understandable, whether or not I actually agree with it. And Rapunzel... I don't consider her a strong character by any means, so I don't get the reactions to her analysis there--except that Tangled is so recent?

[jazzflower92]

I don’t think the author is ignorant at all, and she’s on point about most films.

In regards to Mulan, she is very progressive by Disney’s standards, which are very low we should admit, but all her accomplishments throughout the film are undermined by the implication that she settles down into her assigned domestic role at the end of the film. No future as a soldier is mentioned/considered at the end, which would be progressive.

As for Belle, the author is also correct that the entire conflict of the film revolves around the Beast's problem and not Belle. Her point that Belle is a means to an end is understandable, whether or not I actually agree with it. And Rapunzel... I don't consider her a strong character by any means, so I don't get the reactions to her analysis there--except that Tangled is so recent?

For the Mulan bit I saw it as her being humble instead of being grabbing for power.I get the feeling that she would be praised for making that decision if she was a man.I mean she didn't do it for glory she did it for her family and country.And I find it humble of her that she did not accept it and also she didn't accept it is because of the fact that she in her own opinion had been away from home long enough.Plus if a girl ran away from home would you too want her to return back home and to show that she is still alive.

Remember she was also given the crest of the Emperor and the sword of Shan yu as gifts to honor her family.In my opinion Mulan is a humble hero who is not looking for self glory but to help others.In this case she did it to save her father's life and later stop invaders from taking over her country.

Mulan wasn't in the army so she could prove a point about gender equality but it was about doing it for love and later her country.Actually it makes me like her more because the gender equality stuff is not as shoved down.And it actually makes me relate her more as a person rather than an authror tract.

[FlyingPiggy]

" There is some improvement here, even if the central message remains the same: getting a man is more important than anything else you might do in life, including preventing your father’s death or dishonor and saving your entire country from barbarian invasion. "

This blog is rubbish, this person is rubbish.

[qindarka]

I will agree her analysis is not very good but that is no call to attack her character.

[FlyingPiggy]

I will agree her analysis is not very good but that is no call to attack her character.

That was mostly flippant. Mostly.