Enchanted

[author_by_night]

 I haven't seen a Disney movie in... eons. Truth be told, I was never that big on them anyway - at least, after the age of nine, when I decided Ariel was antifeminist and Cinderella was too dependent on men and unwilling to kick her stepmother's butt herself.  (Well, perhaps not in those words, as I was nine, but you know what I mean.) I did love Mulan and Pocahontas (even if ithe latter did make every Colonial Era Historian cry), but that was pretty much it.

I saw Enchanted today. I wasn't sure I would, but it looked amusing, and I figured I would, provided I got someone to come. 

Enchanted is a bit of a parody to Disney movies (a self-parody, as Disney made it, but they were totally making fun of themselves), but it's also a beautiful movie about innocence in a world that doesn't have time for it, a world that's seen too much anger to really believe in it.  *

The visual effects are also interesting - it starts out animated, and then of course becomes non-animated. The transitions could have been even more artistic, but that might have been too much anyway.

I really reccomend it - whether it's with a child, on your own, whatever. You can see it any way you like - another innocent movie, a Disney spoof with a good heart at the core, or even just for the art and visual effects.

Comments

[lotuseyes.livejournal.com]

I think for me my disney movies go:
Mulan
A little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast
The Lion King
Toy Story

I wanna see Enchanted, I really do, but no one else does ;.; it'll be a dvd for me I think.

as far as anti-feminist and all in Little Mermaid...I went into it knowing that it wasn't like the fairy tale, and for this I was VERY HAPPY. that to me was as anti-feminist as it can be (killing yourself because a man doesn't love you back?) but given the time period it was written in I gave it my forgiveness (after all they were meant to be moral tales to frighten kids into being good, not bedtime tales to make girls dream of princes). Disney's Little Mermaid at least had her fighting back and learning about consequences.

I used to love Pocahontas--watched it on VHS like a billion times--until my best friend bought me a biography on the real Pocahontas and I learned that sometimes the real history is better then the disney history.

Mulan...since she is more of a mythical legend, I can stomach that. Plus I am in love with it. Period. I love the sequel too. I wanted Disney to make it into a tv show I loved it so bad.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

killing yourself because a man doesn't love you back?) but given the time period it was written in I gave it my forgiveness (after all they were meant to be moral tales to frighten kids into being good, not bedtime tales to make girls dream of princes).

Yeah, a lot of the original tales weren't really supposed to be what Disney made them out to be. Look at Cinderella - in the original, her stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by birds!

I used to love Pocahontas--watched it on VHS like a billion times--until my best friend bought me a biography on the real Pocahontas and I learned that sometimes the real history is better then the disney history.

Pretty much the same for me.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

Interesting comments on Enchanted. My daughter (just thirteen) and I were discussing possible films to see over the holidays and that was one we wondered about but weren't sure we'd go. I think you've swayed me in favour of it. Mulan is just about the only Disney film (at least cartoon one) I've taken her to see that I've liked.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Glad I made you decide to try and go. I'd definitely give it a whirl!

[dmp.livejournal.com]

I saw Enchanted over Thanksgiving and agree that it's an adorable movie that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. I cracked up every time they burst into song too, especially during the whole musical number in Central Park, because I could imagine a bunch of crazy New Yorkers doing that just for the hell of it and no one batting an eye about it!

[nore-fortuna.livejournal.com]

My Dad leaned over during that part of the movie and said "Look! A Disney World parade!"

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Ha! I have to agree!

[train-in-vain.livejournal.com]

I've never seen Mulan, and Pocahontas sent me into spasms of "OMG WHUT THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY DOES SHE LOOK POLYNESIAN". Bloody Hunchback of Notre Dame just made me weep for Victor Hugo.

But then again, I didn't like The Lion King or Snow White, either. I know, I'm weird.

My absolute favorites are Beauty and the Beast (omg a heroine who isn't all that pretty and READS!), The Little Mermaid (I seriously wanted to be a mermaid princess) and Aladdin (Jasmine: totally not sitting around waiting for some prince to come).

I think there's a part of me that still wants to be a Disney princess.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I forgot Aladdin - that one was awesome. And I did used to love The Little Mermaid - it was weird, it was all I watched for years, then suddenly one day I woke up and realized I thought Ariel was a selfish brat who gave up her family and friends and identity for some guy she didn't even know.

I think there's a part of me that still wants to be a Disney princess.

Aw. :)

[haro.livejournal.com]

Yeah but I have to say that if we're talking about feminism movie!Esmeralda is a huge improvement on her in the book. She kicks ass. (I'm not saying the movie is better though- the gargoyles- kill them with fire.)

I sort of think that starting with Beauty and the Beast Disney became very feminist conscious with their heroines. Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Nala, Esmeralda, Megara, Jane, Kida, and Lilo are all really strong women.

Which is probably one of the reasons that although I profess myself to be a big Disney fan (and I am), I do prefer the movies from about 1990-2002 to the old ones.

[gobble-funk.livejournal.com]

I saw it too- it was really cute, although I was rather disappointed that Idina Menzel didn't even have a singing part.