My daughter loves being read to. At the moment, she enjoys books about princesses. From The Princess and the Wizard and The Princess and the Dragon, to the current crop of Disney legends – we are fully immersed.
My girl was delighted to find out that Ariel, Belle, Jasmine and Rapunzel, were not just stories – They were movies too. As a Disney fan myself, I was quietly hoping, she would enjoy the same movies I used to.
First up – The Little Mermaid. I have not watched this movie for many years. I still remember every word, every song and had a smile on my face the whole time. I was 11 when this movie was released. I watched it for the first time at a sleepover as a child. It is still one of my favourites.
Watching my daughter’s face, as she saw all her story book characters, come to life on screen was emotional. She was mesmerized. Singing along and dancing around the living room.
Beauty and the Beast is a masterpiece and another hit with my daughter. Aladdin and his magic carpet, resulted in me carrying her all around the house, laying on top of a pillow. She wanted her own magic carpet. Rightly so. We should all have one!
Tangled was a new movie to me. With a 2010 release date, I had completely missed this film first time round. We watched this one together as a family. My husband and I laughing at the quick wit humour. Our girl running about the house, with a blanket on her head, pretending she had Rapunzels long hair.
My daughter likes to be called Princess Ariel most days. Her Dad is King Triton…obviously. I’m enjoying every minute of it. Watching her face. Seeing the wonder and joy, reminds me of how I felt watching these movies. How young I was. The thrill of anything being possible and no matter how tough or how high the odds were stacked – there was always a happy ending. The rescue. The love.
Fast forward a couple of decades, Beauty and the Beast has been re-made, even Aladdin got a revamp and now; The Little Mermaid is going to get a live action reboot. I don’t mind in the least. The Disney versions are the classics we all grew up with. The remakes are excellent versions of those beloved tales in their own right.
My heart did sink though, when articles appeared, slamming The Little Mermaid for being sexist. Apparently if this film was to be revisited, it needed to be more feminist. According to some, the original movie in 1989, was hugely sexist. Men in controlling roles, the lead giving up her voice for a man. Good was depicted as thin and beautiful, in a skimpy shell bikini and bad, was depicted as old and rather more rotund. The song “Kiss the Girl” alluded to kissing without permission and for all Ariel’s drive and determination, to explore the world; she basically went through hell to land a husband!
Wow! I never saw that coming.
I loved and still love that movie. Happy ever after and all. My daughter, watching it nearly 30 years later, loves it too. She’s spinning around the kitchen, with a tiara on, asking me to marry her. It’s the cutest thing. I didn’t feel violated, pigeonholed, or that I should be submissive to any man, after watching the film. It’s a cartoon! I don’t need to feel represented by a mermaid. I don’t need to relate! I want my imagination to be whisked away for a while. That’s it. Job done.
I believe in the power of women. I believe that women don’t need rescuing or marriage to be happy. As for Ursula’s “it’s she who holds her tongue, who gets a man!” No woman believes that! At least not nowadays. I laughed then and I laugh now. It’s a character in an animated kids movie. Not life and career guidance!
As I watch my daughter leaping and singing, I don’t think she feels oppressed, controlled or that her whole future, will be determined by a man or her ability to find one. I think she just fell in love with the Disney Magic. The story. The fantasy. It’s a singing mermaid, with a sarcastic crab sidekick, who falls in love with a boy. It’s genius.
Kids don’t think like grown ups.
As for the reboot – I’m imagining a movie of a Pansexual Mer-person, striving for a life above the sea so they can become a trending Media Influencer in an open relationship. Part time activist. Part time celebrity. They will need to divide all lines and screen time equally by all cast members. Make sure all genders, races, the LGBTQ community and disabled people, are represented equally but not too negatively or positively, as that may be considered rude or patronising. Skip the happy ending bollocks because that’s not real life. Throw in some CGI, epic choreography and beautiful vocals and I think we might have the recipe for an absolute mess!
Funny thing is. Kids don’t think like this. We are not born judgemental, jaded, needing validation, needing representation. We are not making whimsical movies the family can relax and enjoy on a Sunday afternoon. We are trying to produce an animated feature or live action film, that will be considered politically correct. By the 5 year old? Or by the adult that assumes the child will feel less than perfect, because they don’t look, act or feel, exactly the same as the cartoon on screen. Because a worried Father is actually a misogynist. Prince Charming is a possible controlling future partner. Dreams of getting married are foolish and anti feminist…
I never wanted to be part of Ariel’s world more than I do right now. We are taking everything far too seriously. I think we should all grow up to be kind people. Be the best we can be. Whatever and whoever that is. Be the person that makes us happy. Find and surround ourselves with people that make us even happier and better.
I will get off my soapbox now. I’m going to watch Beauty and The Beast again. I love Gaston. His narcissistic character is funny. His old fashioned values and thoughts on women reading and thinking for themselves are hilarious. I read and think for myself and laugh at the characters that suggest I can’t.
I laugh because it’s funny. It’s not real. It’s fantasy. It’s Disney.