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The 1941 Walt Disney Animators Strike

The Walt Disney Corporation has such a good family-friendly image.  It really styles itself as an ideal place to work.  We can only imagine that things were even better in Disney’s golden era, when the man himself was still running things.  But that wasn’t always the case; in fact, in 1941 hundreds of Disney animators went on strike. The Business Insider has some fantastic photographs of and other images from the strike, and of the materials the strikers were circulating.  But it’s a bit lacking on the specific details of why animators would go on strike, especially so soon after … Continue reading →

Exploring the Original Snow White

We always think of the Grimm fairy tales as darker than their Disney updates, and for the most part that is true. But in reading and watching the two versions of “Snow White” together, I was surprised to find they’re not that much different. The Evil Queen asks for Snow White’s heart as proof of her death in both stories, though at least Disney withholds the part where she proceeds to consume the organ to symbolize her triumph over her enemy. However, one could argue the Disney film is darker than its source for a different part: the fate of … Continue reading →

Women’s History at Disney

In recent years more credit and accolades have gone to those behind the birth of animation, through the many acknowledgments (including a 2005 documentary) to Disney’s famous “Nine Old Men,” the main animators responsible for Disney’s golden age. But these Nine Old Men were backed by more than their mostly-male animation department. For the glory years of Disney’s early animation, from the first cartoon shorts to the feature films leading up to World War II, the department in charge of all the inking and painting of the drawings was staffed almost exclusively by women. In honor of Women’s History Month, … Continue reading →

Movie Misquotes – Part 3

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Just like Jimi Hendrix’s “Scuse me while I kiss this guy,” movies too have been misquoted. Here are the last of the movie misquotes that I can find. Did I forget any that you know of? “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? The Queen from 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs actually called it a “Magic mirror.” “He’s Alive!” Fans of the original Frankenstein and those that love the movie Weird Science, which shows a clip of this line will actually know that the real line is “It’s Alive!” “Come up and see … Continue reading →

How Old Are Your Favorite Disney Films?

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I have a special little cupboard where I keep all of our Walt Disney children’s classics. OK, it is a pretty big cupboard and it is loaded with both DVDs and VHS tapes. Truth be told, I started collecting Disney movies long before I ever had children. Heck, I was collecting them long before I ever met my husband! I love the Disney classics and even some of the more recent children’s movies made by Disney/Pixar and I love that my kids are enjoying them too. The funny thing about Disney movies is that I could probably tell you where … Continue reading →

Does Disney Hate Seniors?

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Once upon a time, I used to think Disney had some serious mommy issues, after all – most of the moms in the Disney movies were dead. On the other hand, most of the early big Disney Fairy Tale movies were also based on popular German and European fairy tales, so chances are it wasn’t just about Disney having mommy issues, but the idea of a character losing it’s mother gives that character immediate sympathetic quality – because moms represent home, safety and unqualified love. Many modern Disney films have plenty of Moms in evidence – including The Lion King … 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 →

Pinocchio (1940)

The second ever made of Walt Disney’s famous films, “Pinocchio” is based on the book by Carlo Collodi. Having read the book, I find the movie to be much more child-friendly. The original was never meant to be a child’s story and dealt with some harsh themes, such as starvation and Pinocchio’s eventual hanging. It’s been changed quite a bit since it first appeared. Pinocchio is a wooden marionette carved by Geppetto, an elderly woodcarver who has always longed for a son. He carefully crafts the puppet, and then says that he wished Pinocchio could be a real boy. The … Continue reading →

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

One of my favorite Disney classics of all time, “Sleeping Beauty” tells us the story of Aurora, the beautiful princess born to a king and queen who had thought themselves unable to have children. Coming as a miracle, she was adored and doted on, and a grand celebration was held to commemorate her birth. All the good fairies in the land were invited to come, and each bestowed upon her a gift. Beauty, kindness, and a lovely singing voice were amongst the gifts, and the king and queen couldn’t be happier. But then the evil fairy Maleficent arrives, furious that … Continue reading →

The Song Remembers When

I was humming along with “Hi-Ho”, from Disney’s “Snow White” soundtrack which happened to play on my MP3 player a few days ago when I suddenly found my mind transported back about 12 years to the last time I heard the song. It was on a work’s outing – believe it or not – to Edinburgh (I was living in the UK at the time). A couple of co-workers and I decided to tag along with a student weekend bus trip – we worked at our local University – up to Scotland’s beautiful capital city. We tagged along on the … Continue reading →