I do feel the need to preface these thoughts with a reminder
to people that a) I did no grow up with Disney
the way that many Americans have, b) for some reason I am slightly biased
against animated Disney movies. – I just don't seem to like/love/adore them as
much as many or most of my students do. Part of this maybe because I simply do
not care for feature-length animated movies in general. On the other hand I remember
with fond affection many animated TV shows such as The Bugs Bunny Show (loved
Sylvester and Tweety Bird), Rocky & Bullwinkle, the Hanna-Barbera shows
like Top Cat, Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, The Jetsons,The Wacky Races.
Anyway so here goes: my main issue with Disney's Cinderella was/is –
who is its supposed audience? Is it a kid’s movie through and through? – or is
it a movie geared towards slightly older girls? The large role played by the
mice and birds (who I thought were charming in the beginning but got a bit
boring as the movie progressed) plus the very broad and caricaturist depiction
of the step-sisters and even the King and his faithful side-kick the Grand Duke
(Who reminded me a bit of the Little Mermaid’s Sebastian except he wasn’t a
crab of course…) all seemed more directed towards younger kids.
And then you get Cinderella herself – who again I thought
was charming in the beginning but who began to grate on me as the film
progressed—I couldn't help thinking she really did feel she was better than the
sisters because how could she not? To me she came off more as a coquettish 1950’s
teenager who was trying to be good than someone who was inherently good….And so -- who was or is the audience for the romance part of the movie? — Hubby Bill referred
to this part of the plot/movie as “the girly stuff” – which of course he never
really liked much. So I’m just wondering what little girls make of that part—does
it make them want to be “belles of the ball”? Princesses? Is this where the “anti-Disney”
twitter feeds get it right in their insistence on the fact that this part of
the narrative frames young womens' expectations in a narrowly consumerist, shallow and heteronormative
way? (Along the lines of “my whole goal
in life is to be thought of as pretty by men and nab a handsome prince-like fella?”) Of course this is 1950 and I know that the
Disney movies tweak their narratives to adapt to changing cultural norms and
values. (Which is why I’m trying to watch these movies in the order of their
release). On the other hand I wonder how
much things have changed. (I’m looking at you The Bachelor/the Bachelorette).
When we discuss the Perrault and Grimm versions of this tale
in the fairy tale class (full disclosure—I’m somewhat biased towards the “romantic”
yet dark/cruel Grimm version) we do dwell on notions of “inner” versus “outer”
beauty—i.e. the fact that the step-sisters in the Grimm version are explicitly
described as “schön” – beautiful on the outside but “garstig” on the inside — i.e.
where it counts? In the Disney version they’re just silly…they’re not as explicitly
cruel as they are in the Grimm. The step-mother takes on the role of the
cruelly mean one in the Disney version which for me made her seem disconnected from
her daughters.
I did like the opening song and of course bibbidi bobbodi boo is a great "earworm".....
One last pet peeve--am I the only one who thought Cinderella looked better with her hair down - before she got all gussied up for the party? -I did not care for her up-do.
I’m excited to find out that Kenneth Branagh of all people
is directing a new non-animated version of Cinderella, with Cate Blanchett as
the evil step-mother—it is scheduled to be released in March 2015 and until then
all we have is this total “teaser’ of a trailer for it…
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