Cinderella (Disney Live-Action)

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Over the past decade, Disney has been remaking several of their animated classics. Most of them suffer from politically correct agendas, excessive similarity to the originals, and/or poor writing. Before 2017, though, remakes were much more creative.

Cinderella is my favorite of Disney's remakes. Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent added adult twists to the classic stories. Cinderella, along with 2016's The Jungle Book, reimagined the classic stories in new genres/formats while remaining family-friendly. While the original 1950 animated film was a simplistic musical, the live-action version is more of a romantic drama.

Cinderella actually has the feel of a faith-based drama; Ella's promise to live according to her mother's dying words ("Have courage and be kind") provides a lot of emotional depth. Ella grows up attached to her mother and father and their home, which has belonged to her family for generations. Once Ella's father dies several years after her mother, she puts up with Lady Tremaine's abuse because of an attachment to her home. It took a few romantic encounters with Kit to help Ella let go. 

Some people have had a problem with the lack of songs; they say it takes memorability away. I could understand their perspective, but it helps the remake stand on its own. The emotional scenes were also enough to make this film memorable. Besides, there are some references to the songs: for instance, Ella hums "Sing, Sweet Nightingale" once and her stepsisters play it on the piano. 

While Disney's other remakes are more serious, Cinderella celebrates miracles. Ella's mother believed in fairy godmothers; a beggar woman whom Ella helped turned into her fairy godmother. This redefines fairy godmothers; if you help someone, they will help you. Besides, Ella and her fairy godmother actually work together to prepare for the ball. Her fairy godmother no longer appears from out of nowhere and does everything for Cinderella. Ella's fairy godmother even narrates the story, which is a creative twist. 

Alongside the emotional depth, there is some humor. Most of the comedic moments occur during the transformation scenes; the pumpkin blowing up was memorable and the transformations of the goose and the lizards made me laugh. 

In the cartoon, the conflict between the mice and Lucifer supplied much of the comedy (and I felt it was a tonal issue). They remain present, and the mice still help Ella, but they no longer speak. It is impressive how well the producers tweaked the story for a live-action format. Some would argue the transformation moments I mentioned above are cartoonish, but not so much as a bouncing, dancing pumpkin.

Lady Tremaine's cartoon counterpart executed most of her cruelty by giving orders. She is much crueler in the remake, though. Since Lady Tremaine lost her lover, she has been protective of her family's status. To do so, she tries to ruin Ella's life as much as possible. Lady Tremaine calls Ella names and even tells her a story about her being a burden. 

The live-action Anastasia and Drisella dress and behave in childish ways (i.e. fighting and refusing to do chores). Lady Tremaine seems to condone their immaturity, even though her daughters are adults. 

One of the best changes they made to the live-action remake has to do with the prince. Kit's cartoon counterpart, Prince Charming, silently gives in to his father's plan. He is now much more involved in his future. After meeting Ella in the woods, her words on kindness impressed Kit so much that he convinced his family to invite everyone to the ball. 

Some could argue Cinderella was more passive in the remake, especially because she does not try to escape after being locked in the attic. I get that critique, but that was the moment Ella discovered her inner connection to her parents; she did so by singing a song her mother once sang to her. 

Besides, Ella is much more active than her cartoon counterpart in other ways. She no longer puts up with her abusive stepfamily full-time; she escapes into the woods after the first time she's called "Cinderella." If she did not run off, Ella would not have met Kit. In addition, Ella had to go into town to hear about the ball and the slipper. If Ella stayed home full time, she would never have escaped. 

Alongside having more complex and relatable characters than the cartoon, the live-action Cinderella has more mature themes. Since Ella finds the connection to her family inside of her and lets go of her home for better things, Cinderella touches on familial legacy and detachment. 

The emotional depth, fresh format, traditional values, and the colorful set and costumes make Cinderella stand out among Disney remakes. It touched me more than any of Disney's other live-action films. 

Have you seen Disney's live-action Cinderella? What do you think about it?

Five Things Disney Needs

As the Walt Disney Company celebrated its centennial the previous year, a lot of YouTube videos about the company's decline have popped up. I even wrote about one of Disney's biggest problems here.

However, this is not merely about the problems; this is about what Walt Disney Animation Studios needs to continue improving their reception while prioritizing innovation and quality storytelling. Of course, I do not work at the studio, and I know Disney does not take advice from outsiders. These are just some things I think will improve the animation company:

Experimental Animation

Many fans have complained about most Revival Era films being part of the "same world" due to the lack of variety in backgrounds and character design. Wish has tried to experiment with Disney's CGI style by mixing it with watercolor, but complaints have not vanished. 

Disney has experimented with many styles while making Wish, but they should experiment in a way that departs more from the modern Disney CGI standard. Disney has hired some 2D artists, so it could reemerge once Disney's batch of upcoming sequels have premiered. There are multiple variants of 2D and CGI out there that Disney has yet to discover. 

Female Friendships

Female friendships are underrepresented in fiction, especially fairy tales. The female relationships that do exist are usually negative; think Cinderella and her stepfamily, Snow White and the Evil Queen, and Rapunzel and the witch (in Disney's case, Rapunzel and Mother Gothel). According to Vera Sonja-Maass in her book The Cinderella Test, there have been cases in which women would rather talk to men.

Even Disney's strongest princesses have most of their positive interactions with men. The few positive female relationships are mostly sisterly bonds between Elsa and Anna as well as between Mirabel, Luisa, and Isabela. Non-sisterly friendships are even fewer in number; there's Tiana and Lottie, but their friendship is a minor part of their movie.

Disney has started to incorporate authentic female friendships such as Raya and Sisu in Raya and the Last Dragon as well as giving Asha some female friends in Wish. To empower more girls (and women) to have relationships with each other, Disney needs to create stories centered around human female friendships.

International Fairy Tales

Disney is now focused on diversity and inclusion, as evidenced with mixed-race casting in several live-action remakes. The company has also featured Polynesian and Asian mythology in Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon along with adapting the Chinese folktale Mulan. 

Other cultures and languages have their own fairy tales, too. Since Disney is committed to inclusion now more than ever, adapting fairy tales from Africa, Asia, and other areas beyond Europe is a great way to reflect that while harking back to the company's roots. The company can also adapt fairy tales from European countries it has yet to represent, such as Ireland and Poland. 

Prince-Centered Stories

Many of Disney's fairy tales are centered on princesses (think Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, etc.) Aladdin is more focused on a prince, but that's it in terms of prince-centered stories.

Boys deserve to experience fairy dust as much as girls do, but they might not be as interested. However, boys with feminine interests have been brought to attention in modern films such as Billy Elliot (2000). Hence, male interests in fairy tales could change. Not only do we need more prince-centered stories, but those which do not involve a princess. 

Villain Duets

Disney animation has had several memorable villains over the years-the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, Maleficent, Ursula, Scar, etc. That hasn't been the same over the past decade, though. Instead, Disney has either produced twist villains (Callahan in Big Hero 6) or anti-heroes (Abuéla Alma in Encanto). The company has brought back villainy with King Magnifico in Wish, but that was not enough for fans.

The company can reinvent their iconic villainy by creating villain duets. They were doing to team Queen Amaya and King Magnifico up as villains in Wish, but the company changed it for some reason. When Disney returns to original content, it would be fun to see Disney recycle that idea to freshen its villainy. 

For these changes to be possible, Walt Disney Animation Studios needs more female and nonwhite directors. Research shows movies with female directors are likely to have more women behind the scenes. There has yet to be a Disney animated film directed solely by women or solely by nonwhite people. 

What changes do you think will improve the films of Walt Disney Animation Studios?

Enchanted

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Once upon a time, Disney princesses wanted nothing but for a man to save them. They created a similar character in the 2007 animated/live-action hybrid Enchanted, but Giselle has a much more realistic fate.

The 2000s were the age for fairy-tale satire films: the Shrek films, Hoodwinked!, and the poorly received Happily N'ever After. It was only evitable Disney would create a satire of their own. Like the others, Enchanted subverts common fairy tale tropes. For instance, Giselle saves her fiancé from a dragon instead of the other way around. However, its emphasis on optimism makes it stand out.

Enchanted challenges outdated tropes from classic Disney princess films (i.e. marrying a man without getting to know him), but it also suggests these tales are not completely problematic. Giselle's infectious optimism warms up the heart of divorce lawyer Robert. Even as she learns to express anger and fight, Giselle has not lost her cheerful optimism. 

At the beginning of the film, Giselle is an animated maiden singing about true love's kiss to her forest friends. Before her wedding, though, Queen Narissa becomes a hag and pushes Giselle down a well into the real world. Even as she adjusts to her new home, she still longs for Prince Edward. 

Edward appears to be a stereotypical Disney prince, but he also shares some trats with Gaston; he hunts ogres and takes his boots off when resting his feet-except he does so while watching TV. 

The multiple older Disney references are not surprising for a fairy-tale satire film; "True Love's Kiss" and "Happy Working Song" are parallel to "I'm Wishing" and "Whistle While You Work" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Plus, during "Happy Working Song," Giselle appears in multiple bubbles, as did Cinderella. During "That's How You Know," Giselle runs out into the green grass like Belle. The last battle scene is also reminiscent of Gaston and the Beast's fight in Beauty and the Beast.

The list goes on, but there are a few notable casting choices to point out: Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel, played Robert's secretary Sam while Paige O'Hara, the voice of Belle, starred as television character Angela (a nod to Angela Lansbury, the voice of Mrs. Potts). Idina Menzel, who would later voice Elsa in Frozen, also portrayed Robert's first fiancé Nancy.

While Enchanted parodies most pre-2000s Disney princess films, it especially resembles Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Think about it: Giselle wants to meet her prince, finds a home with strangers, and bites into a poisoned apple. Queen Narissa, like the Evil Queen, sends henchman Nathaniel to kill Giselle and, when he disobeys, goes out to kill her with a poisoned apple, disguised as a hag for the second time. 

However, Giselle becomes a much better role model than Snow White; the man who kissed her back to life has actually gotten to know her first. Giselle then saves her lover without help-a strong character arc. 

Overall, Enchanted discusses how true love and "happily ever after" work in real life. As an adult, I can connect with Giselle's maturation in her romantic desires. Children can also identify with young Morgan's desire for fairy tales. There are also as many scenes focusing on interactions between Robert and Giselle as those focusing on their interactions with Morgan. This makes Enchanted a true family film.

Of course, there are comedic moments common in other Disney movies. It was especially fun to watch the pizza fling into the oven and burn. The special effects that accompany Narissa's arrival into the real world are also stunning, especially as she stops cars in her path.

With a few engaging musical numbers that gradually become pop songs, several references that tie into the story, and memorable characters, Enchanted is a delight for fairy-tale fans of all ages. 

Have you seen Enchanted? What do you think about it?

Disney Fairy Tales as Biblical Allegories

Fairy tales have endured for a reason: their timeless lessons. These include inner beauty in Beauty and the Beast, altruism in The Little Mermaid (the original Hans Christian Anderson version, not the Disney film), faith in Cinderella, and so on. 

However, fairy tales, particularly Disney films, do not just teach lessons; they also offer vivid illustrations of Bible stories. For Christians, fairy tales enhance, not substitute, the Bible. Here are some examples:

Redemption in Beauty and the Beast

The enchantress plays the role of a messenger angel who opens the Beast's eyes to his sinful ways. His punishment of becoming a beast is related to Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden: both come with promises of restoration. However, the Beast's promise is more specific: it has to be a woman.

That woman is Belle, who displays several Christlike qualities-especially her willingness to resist the patriarchal standards of her time and sacrifice her freedom for her father's safety. As the Beast spends more time around Belle, he becomes more like her: kind and sacrificial. Belle's leaving the castle represents Jesus's
ascension into Heaven just as her arrival represented His coming. Like Jesus will return to Earth someday, Belle returns to the castle to restore it and all who lived there.

Once the curse is broken, Belle and the Beast happily dance surrounded by their loved ones; they are finally free from the struggles of their past years. Likewise, when Jesus recreates everything, believers will live with him in joy forever.

Sacrifice in The Little Mermaid

King Triton serves the Biblical role of a father: leading his family with love. His youngest daughter Ariel, who longs to be on land, falls in love with a man and sacrifices her voice to be with him.

Ariel has disobeyed her father by going to the surface along with making a deal with Ursula, who represents Satan. Yet, King Triton took Ariel's punishment for her just as Jesus did for us. Like Jesus, King Triton rose from his state and freed Ariel to be with Prince Eric, her lover. Their wedding scene represents the Biblical verse in Genesis about leaving behind one's parents to be with their wife/husband.

Awakening in Pinocchio

Geppetto, representing God, makes Pinocchio in his image and wishes for him to become a real boy. The blue fairy, representing an angel, grants Geppetto's wish by bringing the wooden boy to life. However, she tells Pinocchio he must be truthful, honest, and kind to gain human flesh.

Pinocchio gives in to temptation by listening to Honest John and Gideon, who represent the serpent. He gets locked in a bird cage only to have the blue fairy give him another chance. However, Pinocchio follows the same fox and cat to a coach headed towards Pleasure Island. There, boys indulge in fleshly desires until they become donkeys, a representation of eternal punishment in Hell. 

Like Jonah in the Bible, Pinocchio finds himself inside the body of a whale longing for freedom. He rescues himself and his father from the whale. Pinocchio nearly dies afterward, but he becomes a real boy as a reward. Likewise, a sacrificial life will give us eternal life. 

Resurrection in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Under the huntsman's order, Snow White runs through the forest to find refuge in a cottage. After she cleans it with the help of animal friends, Snow falls asleep until a group of seven dwarves discover her. They happily live together until tragedy strikes.

The evil queen giving Snow White a poisoned apple relates to the serpent telling Eve to eat it. As the serpent tells Eve she will know good and evil, the queen tells Snow her wish will come true. Both eat the apple and suffer harsh consequences: Snow White falls to her death, illustrating the punishment Adam and Eve face because of their sin. 

However, just as Jesus rescued humanity from death, the prince of her dreams saved Snow White from the curse and, as Jesus will do someday, takes her to eternal glory.

Truth in Tangled

As a baby, Rapunzel is kidnapped inside a tower by Mother Gothel and grows up believing she is her mother. Rapunzel obeys all her rules by staying inside the tower; by her eighteenth birthday, though, she becomes desperate to leave. 

Rapunzel gets her chance upon freeing Flynn Rider. Afterward, Rapunzel resists the commands from Mother Gothel by following Flynn to a bar and, eventually, the floating lights. 

Once Rapunzel returns to her tower, she realizes Mother Gothel has lied all those years; she was really the lost princess. After her last fight, Rapunzel returns to her parents. Not only has the truth set her free, but her return illustrates the parable of the lost sheep returning to its shepherd. 

Which Biblical parallels have you seen in Disney fairy tales?