Tuesday Top Five: Disneyfied

[nevanna]

(Yes, I know that it's actually Wednesday.)

I don’t consider myself a Disney Adult™ (I think that requires a bit more commitment to a lifestyle that simply does not interest me) but I am apparently an adult with some strong feelings about Disney’s animated musicals. When I talk about my five favorites, I am not ignoring arguments about how some of those movies portray the cultures in which they take place, but I don’t think I’m in a position to wade into that discourse.

1. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

I’m not interested in debating whether the central relationship in this movie promotes abuse or Stockholm Syndrome – critics can read it that way if they want to, but it’s far from the only valid interpretation, and emphatically not one with which I agree. For me, the story is about two outcasts finding common ground in an intolerant society (as a tiny bookish weirdo, of course I identified with Belle, though I’d be happy to just be friends with the Beast and hang out in his library). Also, Gaston – the embodiment of toxic masculinity and dangerous charisma – remains incredibly relevant in his villainy.

2. Aladdin (1992)

I saw Aladdin three times in the movie theater and countless times on home video, and none of my present-day criticisms undo my joyful memories of the characters, the songs, and, yes, the mind-controlling villain. (I also remember enjoying the direct-to-video sequels quite a bit, although my primary reaction to The Return of Jafar was “needs more hypnotism.”)

3. Mulan (1998)

I don’t know if it’s my place to discuss, not only the depiction of ancient China, but also the possible trans subtext in this movie, though I remember reading some interesting meta on Ye Olde LiveJournal about how it deals with gender, including the beginnings of romantic tension between Mulan and Shang before he knows her true identity. Since I grew up reading Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series to pieces, of course I was thrilled by a movie about a young woman who disguises herself as a man in order to fight.

4. Moana (2016)

This is the first of two entries on this list that impressed me as a grown-up viewer. The visuals are gorgeous, the story is very solid, and I will happily listen to some of the songs independently of the movie itself.

5. Encanto (2021)

I looked forward to this movie as soon as I knew the premise, and I was pleasantly surprised when Mirabel didn’t miraculously gain magical powers of her own over the course of the story. She and her family are all sympathetic characters, the tension and love between them are believable, and the soundtrack is another one that I enjoy listening to on its own.

Please feel free to comment with your own Disney Feelings!

Comments

[lb_lee]

Beauty and the Beast is the only DVD we have taken the trouble of getting a specific version of, because it has the original theatrical release (aka the VHS version), the extended edition with the later added Human Again musical number, and (coolest of all!) the in-progress version they showed at a film festival, which shows some scenes uncolored, others just storyboards. And no one sings like Gaston! (Even Mac, who doesn’t much like the movie, admits Gaston’s song is a lot of fun.)

The only other Disney thing we own is Return to Oz. (It is Gigi’s.)

[nightforest]

I similarly loved Beauty and the Beast and identified with Belle; it's one I should watch again. I've seen it as an adult, but not for many years. The last time I did I remember being especially taken with the lovely opening with the story in stained glass.

Aladdin was my childhood favorite; I watched it about a million times and could probably still recite most of the dialogue along with it. It was likely my first introduction to meta jokes, for which I am still a huge sucker. It was also fun to grow up with it and get more and more of the Genie's jokes and impressions as I got older. (I think Jasmine may have also been an early bisexual awakening moment for young me, heh.)

I really need to watch Mulan; I think when it came out I was going through my "I'm too old for Disney!" phase and never got around to seeing the whole thing. I know it's beloved by many and I'd probably enjoy it, too.

Encanto is a recent favorite movie and still one of those I can watch kind of anytime. I love that Mirabel didn't get powers, too, and I love how the "villain" is intergenerational trauma. I find it funny and very moving and rather profound. (And it looks lovely and the music is great!)

I'm definitely a Disney revival kid all the way; I liked Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and some of the other classics pretty well, but I never loved them like I did later films. Parts of Pinocchio and basically all of Alice In Wonderland stressed me out.

Besides the ones I already mentioned, I loved The Lion King (so beautiful! and the humor! and the music!) and The Little Mermaid (I kind of wanted to live under the sea). And The Emperor's New Groove, which I didn't see till I was an adult, is fully one of my all-time favorite movies, though it's so outside the Disney norm I only sort of count it. So great, though. Bulletproof cheer-up movie. Patrick Warburton should've won an Oscar.

[pastrylikewolf]

If you had more to say *I'd* want to hear more of you discussing trans subtext in Mulan OR just more about the Song of the Lioness series which sounds like it must slap.