Search Results for: blog tangled up in blue and pink

What About the Princes, Pt. 2

On Monday I introduced the concept that the stereotypical images presented by the leading men in Disney films might have a harmful impact on young boys’ growing ideals. I suggested that many of the main male characters in Disney films are one-dimensional and teach boys that good looks and martial prowess are essential facets of the ideal man. We need to look at the overall image the Disney princes/men present to young boys. Most of them are princes, and even those who aren’t are still handsome, dashing, and masterful in a fight. So that’s the sort of men boys think … Continue reading →

Disappointed in Disney’s Summer Offerings

Why doesn’t Disney have me excited this summer? That’s the question I keep asking myself, and one to which I just can’t find the answer. My first major shock of the summer is that I’m not interested in seeing Pixar’s newest film. For the past three or four years, one of the few trips I actually take to the movie theater is to see Pixar’s latest. As soon as I found out that 2010 meant “Toy Story 3” my enthusiasm waned. What surprises me even more is that I still feel the same after hearing and reading the film’s rave … Continue reading →

Underappreciated Disney Films: Newsies

I didn’t even have to watch or re-watch the new Underappreciated Disney Film, I know it so well. I haven’t seen it in full in years, but back when I was a teenager, I had both the movie and its soundtrack playing almost constantly. In honor of International Worker’s Day tomorrow, this segment’s underappreciated film is “Newsies.” “Newsies” is one of those movies that almost always gets either one of two reactions when brought up in a group: silence, because someone doesn’t know what it is, or shrieking gasps of “I LOVE(D) that movie!” It’s also a great example of … Continue reading →

Disney’s Plans to Broaden its Appeal

I’ve written a lot about the Disney Princess culture, and how it’s experienced some backlash lately. Though Disney makes truckloads of money off its Princess brand, it also takes a hit from the brand due to how alienating it supposedly is for boys. While Disney is in the midst of expanding its Princess line, adding a larger fairy tale section and brand new Pixie Hollow to the Magic Kingdom, it’s also got some elaborate plans to draw young male interest. Some of these plans are already in place. For a few years now the Hollywood Studios at Disney World has … Continue reading →

Enchanted by Prince Edward

When I talked about the Disney limbo a few months ago, I mentioned that Disney had officially announced plans to make a sequel to “Enchanted.” In the article I said I didn’t want an “Enchanted” sequel. I liked where the movie left things, and I also wasn’t sure that the premise of the first film, which was a bit flimsy on its own merit, could sustain another movie. Now that I’ve had a couple months to think about it, I may have come up with a compelling way Disney could approach a second “Enchanted”: Prince Edward. James Marsden’s performance as … Continue reading →