Search Results for: blog mulan 1998

A Study in Princesses: Pocahontas and Mulan

For the past two weeks I’ve been looking at the Disney Princesses: how they’re presented, how they change with time, and what they say about a woman’s role in society. For all of the princesses up until the mid-1990s, meeting and winning a man (or for Aladdin, a woman) was the fulfillment of their life’s journey. We start to see real change with 1995’s “Pocahontas,” a movie with which I admit I’m not as familiar. But it’s important for several reasons. Pocahontas continues with the recent trend of heroines yearning after lives of adventure, as opposed to waiting for men … Continue reading →

Mulan II

Mulan (Ming-Na)has just returned from her adventures conquering the Huns and is a hero. All the girls in the village admire and respect her, thinking they want to be just like her. Mushu (voiced this time by Mark Moseley) is in Guardian Heaven. All the other Guardians agree that he has earned back his pedestal, and he is making the most of his moment in the sun. Li Shang comes to the Fa home to propose to Mulan, and the family couldn’t be more delighted. Mushu, however, is very upset. When Mulan gets married, her husband’s ancestors will start watching … Continue reading →

Mulan (1998)

This thrilling Disney masterpiece is based on a legendary figure, Hua Mulan, whose escapades are depicted in a famous Chinese poem called “The Ballad of Mulan.” It’s unknown whether this ballad was a historical record or an allegorical piece of fiction, but either way, it makes one whale of a Disney film. Mulan is the only child of her parents, and her only hope to redeem the fact that she is a girl is to marry well. We begin the film with her preparations to meet with the matchmaker, a woman who holds a position of much importance in the … Continue reading →

One “Brave” Family Adventure

Merida, the protagonist from “Brave,” fulfills the promise of all the Disney films that came before her. “Brave” isn’t Pixar’s best film, and isn’t even as exciting as some of Disney’s other princess films, but the character of Merida and her relationship with her mother make up for all of that. The story is familiar enough. Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor, wants to train Merida to be the perfect princess. She should act with decorum, keep her dresses clean, recite poetry in a clear voice, and carry herself with grace. Instead Merida wants to ride her horse, let her hair run … Continue reading →

The Frog Princess–Disney’s First Black Princess

Some say it’s been long overdue and others say that Disney can’t pull it off. Disney who has long been criticized for their void of darker skinned heroines and heroes will release The Frog Princess (due in 2009) and in so doing unveil Maddy, their first ever African American princess. Disney, who has said publicly that they wanted to pay tribute to New Orleans who still is not rebuilt after Katrina, describes The Frog Princess as ‘an American fairy tale’. There have been no details regarding the plot, but rumor has it that it takes place in the 1920’s during … Continue reading →

Bambi II (2006)

“Bambi II” was released by the Disney corporation sixty-four years after the original, and fills in the gap of time between his mother’s death and his return as an adult. Taken by his father (voiced by Patrick Stewart) to be raised as a prince, Bambi is given no time to mourn his mother’s passing, and his attempts to talk to his father about her are squelched by the maxim, “A prince looks to the future, not the past.” As the Great Prince tries to carry out his business as usual, he finds that taking care of a young fawn cramps … Continue reading →

Chicken Little (2005)

Poor Chicken Little. While outside one day, a piece of the sky fell on his head and he raised the alarm. The fire engine went into overdrive, the town went beserk, and madness and mayhem ensued. But when Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff) tried to prove his claim, he found that the piece of sky had disappeared, and so he had no evidence. Everyone labeled it a practical joke and he lost a whole lot of face that day. Worst of all, his own father(Garry Marshall)didn’t believe him. Time passed, but the shame persists. Chicken Little is doing his … Continue reading →

Make Mine Music (1946)

“Make Mine Music” is a classic Disney film that was probably a lot more popular with kids of a past era than it is with kids today. It’s a series of songs accompanied by illustrations, but it has no overriding plot to tie it all up. It’s like watching a whole bunch of shorts strung together, and while all of them are well done, I’m not sure all of them are very interesting to today’s more particular audience. We start the movie with the song “Blue Bayou,” where we see everything painted in blue. We drift through some dangling Spanish … Continue reading →