Disney...now you are slightly on My S**T List!!

I am a HUGE fan of Disney...be it Land, Movie, Trinkets, Fashion or whatever...I am a total Disney Girl. Sure I will have an affair with Warner Bros and giggle at Daffy Duck, but I am a total Donald Duck fan at heart. Mickey and Minnie will always have a place in my heart along with the rest of the characters (maybe ot Chip & Dale but that's a personal issue). Even to this day and age I LOVE Disneyland!! And the fact being taken to Disney World in Orlando and I was more hyper actively excited than the ADHD eight year old says a LOT. I was practically bouncing off the walls. I think I scared a few people along the way, but hey, no judging. We all have our quirks and mine just happens to be Disney.

Although, I did have an incident in Tokyo Disneyland one time where I almost got banned from the theme park all together...but that is here nor there. Why you ask? THAT IS NEITHER HERE NOR THERE!! Hey it is not my fault that I accidentally kicked Chip (or was it Dale?) in the groin when he was trying to feel me up. The person totally had it coming and quite frankly deserved a beating for molesting, but apparently security did not see my side of the story. I was chased wonderfully through Tomorrowland and made my way into Westernland, and finally escaping into Pirates of the Carribean where I lost the security people. If I had been caught I think I would have made the BLACK LIST of TDL *phew* (/>.<)/ Dodged that bullet! I would totally be sad face and traumatized if I could never go back to the happiest place in the world! Although I try to block out my memories of well...trauma...and I did get to beat up a guy in TDL which I think is a feat in itself. As for the security...man I think they need to do a better job! I can totally get away still! Ah...ok perhaps not the point. GOING BACK to the point...I am a Disney fan, and no matter the evil they do I will always be a fan of their work. I know the whole concept of corporation/marketing scheme is evil, but you really can't get that to take over the whole of Disney where so much good came out of. With the humble beginnings of Walt and Mickey (although Family Guy mocks it...I still love Disney Movies!), then came the corporation which sucked it up into the whole web of evil.

Family Guy Mockery of Disney

I recently decided to watch Princess and the Frog, the latest addition to the Disney Movie. They went back to their 2-D ways and Pixar for once was not the star who made the movie. Although I am a huge fan of Ratatouille and Monsters Inc. with a side affair of Finding Nemo and the Incredibles, it was nice for once to see a 2-D movie by Disney. The slight irritation and disappointment settled in after I started watching the movie. I was not aware of hte fact IT WAS SET IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. I will admit NOLA has a charm about itself with the old French style mansions on St. Charles avenue where Tiana takes the street car. The mysteries behind the charm of Voodoo. Delicious food cooking away on the stoves be it Gumbo, Etouffe, Red Beans & Rice, Po-Boys, etc...but I'm not sure about that.

I lived in New Orleans for 4 years of my college career. I will admit it was not what I would call great or the best years of my life, enough to survive. I loved the people and the friends I made, but I don't know about watching NOLA years before through the eyes of Disney. I think the charm of Disney for me came in the fact it was always set in a distant land or an undisclosed location letting fantasy take over. Although some of the movies did take place in a REAL LIFE location it was always with a story which was totally new and fresh. That unfortunately cannot be said for Princess and the Frog...they placed a fantasy story made for little kids in a live location where the subtitles are pretty much: BOOZE, DRUNKS, PARTIES, (more) BOOZE, and at times Naked People.

They set it in time for Mardi Gras which as people would know is one of the prime time for weird people to come out. I guess back in the days of prohibition and ladies in long skirts it wasn't as crazy, but the allure of Disney was totally lost in me for this movie. French Quarter and the pictures were nicely drawn and gave the charm of NOLA..but the fact they tried to beautify the swamp area...honestly not working for me. I know the realities of the Mississippi River and people, IT IS NOT THAT GLAMOROUS TO GO ON THE BOAT RIDE. It is something to do I guess if you want to consume large quantities of alcohol and get boat sick along the way looking at the murky dirty waters of the Mississippi River, but it is not as FUN as the movie states it to be. As for the swamp area...in RL I would totally avoid it at all costs. Now if you were trying to throw away a body never to be found perhaps its the plce to go?!

The story line was cute as usual, and I liked the fact they broke the barrier and had a non-white main character for once (although a blonde girl was put in as a side story), an African American attractive girl with a dream. That story I thought was good giving kids the idea that you can be whatever you want to be regardless of your skin color.

HOWEVER, I have to point out the obvious stereotypes that are in place everywhere for Disney movies. Let us explore some stereotypes:

1. Charlotte "Lottie" La Bouff - Blonde Girl....now think of all the terrible things they say about blonde girls..and she pretty much fits the bill
2. Dr. Facilier - probably one of the shadier characters and the failed villain
3. Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff - the rich aristocratic dad to a spoiled bratty girl, and he pretty much fits the bill for a clueless dad
4. Tiana "Tia" - the working class girl...and she makes Biegnets and Gumbo...
5. Ray - Cajun...REALLY?! Zydeco...yeah OK WhatEver
6. Louie - Jazz trumpet player...... *sigh*

I think I would have been more impressed if they made a story about Tia as an aristocratic rich girl instead of a waitress. If you look closely most of the working class people in New Orleans are all African American in decent. There are a few white butler types, but still they lined up the La Bouff house with plenty of white servants and Tia/her mother were hired hands when in need. This kind of gives you the notion perhaps Disney is still 'stuck' on the white princess factor. One may argue 'what about Mulan?', that ladies and gentleman is not a fairy tale fantasy...it is about a girl who dressed as a boy and joined the army. SHE was not a princess, where as this story as the title says "PRINCESS and the Frog".

I will give Disney props for taking a fairy tale and sticking it into a plausible girl can achieve all she wants with love factor, but I was hoping for more fantasy and little less life lesson. Hard working is good, but one must find love which conquers all. I think I will stick to Ratatouille thanks, because I rather have meals cooked up by a fine French Mouse than risk myself the agony of reality clashing for me in the current Frog film...one movie I will watch, but probably not buy the DVD.

Don't get my wrong..it's a cute movie, but I rather miss the oldies...where it was pure fantasy. I guess after Enchanted...Disney has not been hitting the spot for me.

Disney Definitely did not go back to the Princess Thing...

After 75 years of Magic...They are losing their touch (=_=;) *sigh*

xoxo
Luci