Ariel, Beyond Boobs and Bellybuttons

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Ariel and Erin on the Beach, The Little Mermaid picture image

Ariel and Erin on the Beach, The Little Mermaid

People like to think that The Little Mermaid , Ariel, was more than likely traumatized by her wedding night and the goings on of human sex opposed to her “fishy” ways. Well, for those people who think they are oh so clever, I’m going to say  that she more than likely was not. I’m not a scientist but I do enjoy studying evolution and Ariel has several features that indicate that Mermaids are mammals and would give birth and have sex and not lay a clutch of eggs.

People claim  that mermaids reproduce like fish, in that females lay a clutch of eggs and males fertilized them. However, let’s just look at some traits of Ariel’s that show they are not related to fish and they for wouldn’t reproduces this way. Three traits and two are stupid obvious so we’ll start with the one that people would not think of; Ariel’s fins.

 

Ariel's Fin The Little Mermaid picture image

Ariel’s Fin, The Little Mermaid

Ariel’s fins, like all mermaids’s are horizontal much like dolphin’s and whale’s fins. Fish fins are vertical. But what does this mean? This reflects the evolutionary locomotion of the animal.  Fish evolved from creatures that moved from side to side and the vertical tail allows for that motion or what is called lateral undulation. Dolphins and whales evolved from land mammals and they adapted an up and down locomotion  or dorsoventral undulation. This means that for mermaids to have these fins they would have to evolved from land creatures.

Ariel Disney The Little Mermaid picture image

Ariel Disney The Little Mermaid

 

Then we have the two traits that make it very, very clear, that mermaids are mammals; Mermaids has breasts and Bellybuttons. These two traits make it so clear that Mermaids give birth to live young that I’m not sure where the Fish egg idea came from, probably from that Futurama episode. However belly buttons, or navel, are where the umbilical cord is attached. All placental mammals have a navels. Breasts are mammary glands found on the upper torso of primates. The purpose of which is to feed milk to offspring.  This means that Mermaids are  mammals who nurse their young and navels indicate that they would get pregnant.

 

Ariel Kiss the Girl Little Mermaid picture image

Ariel making icky face

 

I think the only thing Ariel might have been weirded out by would that Eric doesn’t keep his genitalia inside his body like marine mammals.

U.S Debut for Hunchback Stage Show

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Quaismodo Bells of Notre dame reprise Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quaismodo Bells of Notre dame reprise Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Most of you already know this, but the debut of  the stage version of the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame has a location. It will debut at La Jolla Playhouse. It will be part of the 2014-2015 season in October. La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit  professional theatre-in-residence located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. It is unclear if Disney has plans to bring the show to Broadway after its run at La Jolla Playhouse but the Aladdin ran in Toronto before it went to Broadway,  so it hopefully will happen for Hunchback too.  It’s very exciting news!

Source – http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BREAKING-DISNEYS-HUNCHBACK-OF-NOTRE-DAME-to-Have-US-Premiere-at-La-Jolla-Playhouse-20140124

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-hunchback-of-notre-dame-musical-20140123,0,181081.story#axzz2roLqX2rp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla_Playhouse

Disney sells Villains

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Disney Villains picture image

Disney Villains

On the other side of the Disney branding spectrum, we have the darker and less well known line of products called the Villain line. Unlike the Princess Line which doesn’t feature heroines based on a “royal” title this line is said to encompass all the villains but really only focuses on a few. Those being; The Evil Queen from Snow White, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Cruella from 101 Dalmatian, Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Jafar from Aladdin and recently Mother Gothel from Tangled. Other villains like Scar, Gaston, Dr.Facilier, Hades and the Cheshire Cat filter in on products occasionally. Though I would argue that the Cheshire Cat is not villain but a Chaotic Neutral.

Frollo Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney picture image

Judge Claude Frollo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

So here is the big question, Where is Frollo? He is considered to be one of the great Disney villains because of his complexity. As far as I can tell he might be hiding in the products like in the Disney Vile Villains Playing Cards or in the Disney Legendary Villains Personal Checks, I do know he was in the Disney’s Mix and Match Villains Book, I owned it as a child. But as far as him being an advertised villain, he is not and he doesn’t have many his own featured products.

 

Disney Villain Monopoly Box picture image

Disney Villain Monopoly Box

But why isn’t Frollo a key villain in this line? Is it because Hunchback was super unpopular? Well that doesn’t help but it’s not like Hades was attach to a popular movie and was Pater Pan that popular that Hook gets a major spotlight? On the Disney Villain Monopoly there are three unknown Disney villains featured, Pete who was antagonist in the Micky Mouse universe, the Big Bad Wolf who was another antagonist from the older Disney shorts and Kaa from Jungle book who wasn’t even the major villain, Shere Khan holds that roles.

I don’t think it so much that Frollo is from an unpopular movie, I think it’s because as a villain he is not fun. Don’t get me wrong he’s a great villain, he just never revels in his evil schemes the same way the others do, in fact he’s thinks he the good pure one. So he is not the logical choice as the one of line’s front runners who love and enjoy their machinations. And if this is indeed the case, it doesn’t really bother me that Frollo isn’t prominent, he just not the funny goofy charming villain that this line seems to love. And that’s ok.

Vicious Villains - Disney Movie Art Poster picture image

Vicious Villains – Disney Movie Art Poster

So what products does villain line offer? Well, in many ways it’s not very different from the Princess Line. It has with games like Monopoly, fashion dolls and makeup, lots of make-up. You can get make-up kits for Maleficent, Evil Queen, Ursula, and Cruella De Ville. It’s just aimed for older girls

And like the Princess line, the villains have their fair share of weird products like a Cruella stapler and yes even a Disney Villains Cupcake Kit.

In many ways the Villain line is just like the princess line except the products are black, red and purple instead pastels and pinks and it carter to older more jaded girls who are not quite ready Hot Topic.

Disney Princesses meets Haute Couture

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I harbor a bit of a love for pretty clothing so when I saw that renowned Fashion Designers made gowns using the Disney Princesses as inspiration, I was excited. But some of these reflect the designers more  than the clients, the Disney princesses. So here is my take on them.

 

Ariel by Marchesa picture image

Ariel by Marchesa

Ariel’s gown is by Marchesa. I can see Ariel a little bit in this. The top is a call back to her sea-shell bra and the skirt has a fish tail silhouette. I wish the color was a bit more vibrant. Marchesa has a vintage and Asian influence aesthetic to the brand. I can see the vintage but I think it’s too much of a throw back. Also I dislike the volume at the waist, it would be so much better and more like Ariel if the volume was just at the bust.   6/10

 

Aurora by Elie Saab picture image

Aurora by Elie Saab

Aurora’s gown is by  Elie Saab. I don’t see Aurora in this. I mean it’s pretty and very Elie Saab, whose aesthetic is feminine and romantic which suits Aurora but the style of this doesn’t. Maybe if the neckline had more details or if the belt at the was more interesting it could have been more in keeping with Aurora. Also the color is not right. I think a deeper pick would have been better and then chiffon could have contrast it instead of being the same color. 4/10

 

Belle by Valentino picture image

Belle by Valentino

Belle’s gown is by Valentino.  When I first saw these gown I thought it was Jane’s from Tarzan. I like the skirt, the vertical ruffles are very nice and the color is a nice take on Belle because let’s face it that gold color works on Belle but it can look very tacky in real-life. The bodice however No, No, No. I don’t understand the hood at all. The puff sleeves and the mid section don’t work with Belle’s gown either. 3/10

 

Cinderella by Versace picture image

Cinderella by Versace

Cinderella’s gown is by Versace. Like Belle’s gown my main reaction is no,no  a thousand times no. What the hell, Versace? This is tacky. The only thing I can see of Cinderella is the peplum. The color is wrong. I can  kind see what they were doing as Cinderella’s gown can look white but it has a cool tone and this is a a warm. It’s so wrong.  1/10

 

Jasmine by Escada picture image

Jasmine by Escada

Jasmine’s Gown is by Escada. I’m confused by this one. Jasmine wears red once and that was when she was Jafar’s slave. I guess the bracelets point that that is what this gown is based on, so we’ll just say that  even though Jasmine had two Princess gown’s in the film plus her normal blue outfit it’s based on Jafar’s look, which was pretty sexy admittedly. But ok. Despite not really reading Jasmine. I like cut and the color is nice. I dislike cape though. I don’t get as part of the look or as Jasmine really. Maybe it was a train off the wait it would have been better because I like the way it drapes. I think the cape cut off the neckline and Jasmine wore open necklines. I love the accessories.  7/10

 

Mulan by Missoni picture image

Mulan by Missoni

Mulan’s gown is by Missoni. Missoni is all about prints and it seems that like they just remade Mulan’s with their prints. I really like the blue print and the beige chiffon. The applique flowers are a bit much but I think the overall look is a bit much and looks costume-y.  4/10

 

Pocahontas by Roberto Cavalli picture image

Pocahontas by Roberto Cavalli

Pocahontas’s gown is by Roberto Cavalli. Pocahontas is a tough one to design a gown for as her being in a Tsencommacah it’s hard to get her to a shiny princess gowns. Cavalli aesthetic is rock, wild and sexy. I guess wild fits Pocahontas’s personality. The fabric fits Pocahontas natural aesthetic but the gown reads Cavalli more than Pocahontas.  The feather-like fringe details on the skirt is a bit silly. The cut of the gown is very similar to Pocahontas’s costume so it’s an appropriation. It’s not a bad idea for Pocahontas it just fails to connect with me. 4/10

Rapunzel by Jenny Packham picture image

Rapunzel by Jenny Packham

 

Rapunzel’s gown is by Jenny Packham. I love with gown, I would wear this but it’s a Jenny Packham’s gown and not Jenny Packham’s design for Rapunzel.  In fact basically this dress is a copy of one of Packham’s wedding gown in purple with more fabric that pools on the floor.  (click here to see the gown). I’m not sure how to rate it. 8/10 for the gown as itself and 2/10 for it’s connection to Rapunzel because other than the color there isn’t one.  So sad.

Snow White by Oscar de la Renta picture image

Snow White by Oscar de la Renta

 

Snow White’s gown is by Oscar de la Renta. At first glance this is over-the-top but looking with a  a more critical eye and keeping Snow White and Oscar de la Renta in check, this one is really good. It captures both Snow White and Oscar de la Renta’s personalities very well. Oscar de la Renta aesthetic is ornate and luxurious which this is but the color are in keeping with Snow White. The details also fit with her design in a new way which I appreciate. There is the neckline and the puff sleeve it communicates her look but it different. Yes, it over the top but it works. 8/10

 

Tiana by Ralph & Russo picture image

Tiana by Ralph & Russo

Tiana’s gown is by Ralph & Russo. I can see Tiana in the puffy skirt and the diagonal draping in the bodice. The color is more blue than Tiana’s vibrant green but it’s quite pretty. I like the cowl neckline and I’m glad that it wasn’t strapless, I hate  strapless gowns. I hate the line at the waistline though, I wish it was either embellished somehow or not there. That line kills me.  If the color was amp up a little more or more green it would be more Tiana-ish. 6/10  I still like it though and if the color worked on me I would wear.

 

I should do research to see what Design would be the best to bring Esmeralda’s costume to life.  Also do you agree or disagree with me?

The Hunchback and the Tone

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Let’s talk about Tone!

Tone is how a movie feels. Is it serious? Funny? Scary? Or sappy as hell? Typically a film should establish its tone in the first 5 minutes or so.

Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame gets a lot of criticism for having a confused tone.  It does have fart jokes mixed into a story that features Lust, Murder, Corruption and Genocide. But is the tone actually confused? No, the film presents the tone in the first five minutes, it’s an animated drama with bursts of levity mixed with darker elements.

Clopin with Puppet Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Clopin with Puppet Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

In the first five minutes we’re are introduced to Clopin, who while singing “The Bells of Notre Dame” is performing a puppet show and making jokes to children. So while Bells of Notre Dame does have some dark imagery, the humor was already established in the core narrative before the darker notes were introduced.

 

Also, it’s is important to think about the gradation of tone throughout the film. The film doesn’t go from farts joke to Frollo’s insane lust. The movie allows the tone build up to either a dark place or silly tone and then back again.

 

Frollo burns the Mill, Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Frollo burns the Mill, Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

For example, Frollo goes into his more severe method for hunting Esmeralda following Hellfire, this includes his burning the miller’s house and the attempt to kill Phoebus. These scenes with their darker tone shift when the film moves back to Quasimodo and the gargoyles.

Victor and Laverne worried, Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Victor and Laverne worried, Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

If the tone was confused the gargoyles would have make fart-like jokes following this shift in focuses of characters but instead they worry about Esmeralda and from there the jokes get progressively lighter and sillier, up till “a guy like you” ends. This shows the film  has a handle of the different tones in its narrative.

 

Perhaps my years of watching Bollywood and anime has allowed me to see that multiple tones can coexist in a drama-driven story as long of the tone has gradations to its tonal shifts.

Annie Leibovitz and the Hunchback

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World Renowned Photographer, Annie Leibovitz, has taken many photographs for Disney using celebrity as iconic Disney Characters. To date she has done;

Rachel Weisz as Snow White from Snow White, by Annie Leibovitz, picture image

Rachel Weisz as Snow White from Snow White, by Annie Leibovitz

– Taylor Swift as Rapunzel from Tangled
– Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio with Abigail Breslin as an “Apprentice Fairy”
– Whoopi Goldberg as the Genie from Aladdin
– Jennifer Lopez as Jasmine and Marc Anthony as Aladdin from Aladdin
– Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella from Cinderella
– Julianne Moore as Ariel from The Little Mermaid
– Queen Latifah as Ursula from The Little Mermaid
– Jessica Biel as Pocahontas from Pocahontas
– Tina Fey as Tinkerbell, Giselle Bündchen as Wendy, and Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan from Peter Pan
– Russell Brand as Captain Hook from Peter Pan
– Olivia Wilde as the Evil Queen and Alec Bladwin as the Magic Mirror from Snow White
– Rachel Weisz as Snow White from Snow White
– Penelope Cruz as Belle and Jeff Bridges as the Beast from Beauty and the Beast
– Roger Federer as King Arthur from the Sword in the Stone
РBeyonc̩ Knowles as Alice, Lyle Lovett as the march Hare, and Oliver Platt as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland
– David Beckham as Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty
– Jack Black as Phineas, Will Ferrel as Ezra and Jason Segal as Gus from the Haunted Mansion Ride

First off a few things that irritate me. First, The Haunted Mansion? Really? You people have 38 movies you haven’t touch yet and you do a ride? Second, two from Peter Pan and a cop-out of Pinocchio? Third, the Stone and the Stone one is way off, did they even watch the movie? Because I don’t think they did. Also I have say a lot of these don’t care for a lot of these images. They look too fake, the celebrities look awkward a lot of the time and the CG work is meh-ish. Also does any one else think it’s odd that based on this series that Snow White, Ariel and Peter Pan are older than Evil Queen, Ursula and Captain Hook?  Just a thought.

But anyway getting to my point, Hunchback. Annie Leibovitz hasn’t done a Hunchback one as of yet. But if she does which Hunchback characters would you like to see represented? And who would you like representing them?

Personally they should have two, one of Frollo in the Hellfire Scene  and the other Quasimodo and Esmeralda. Since this whole series is based more on who is popular and fits the character in more of a brand way I don’t know who for Esmeralda or Frollo but Peter Dinklage comes to mind for Quasimodo. I think there is some pull for Angelina Jolie for Esmeralda and she could work but she could easily be another character? Like Maleficent. Anyway your thoughts?

“Honest” Poster

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Recently so-call Honest Posters of some Disney movies have come out. They were made by Christine Gritmon and Nick Nadel from TheFW. The Poster were of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

This is the Hunchback one,

 

"Honest" Hunchback of Notre Dame Poster picture image

“Honest” Hunchback of Notre Dame Poster

Gah……… where do I start? Because I have a few issues with this.

First here is the write-up on it “Different take: This poster highlights how Esmeralda chooses the handsome but insincere soldier, Phoebus, over the crippled Quasimodo. The phrase emphasizes how Esmeralda chooses the handsome but insincere soldier, Phoebus, over the crippled ‘nice guy’ Quasimodo.”

How was Phoebus insincere? What does Phoebus do that warrants that adjective? Besides Phoebus may have a saratic personality but I guess saving a family doesn’t qualify him as “Nice guy”? But why do people still bring this up over and over? Esmeralda picking Phoebus over Quasimodo. Why can’t they deal with a protagonist not getting the girl? Why is Esmeralda considered some prize that Quasimodo is entitled to base on the fact that he is the protagonist? I get that is this meant to be funny but this comes back to the Esmeralda not picking Quasimodo because he both ugly and nice. When the point is she treats me more like a brother than a romantic interest. Quasimodo as anything but a friend never enters her mind.  This line of thinking that Esmeralda is shallow because she didn’t reciprocate Quasimodo’s half baked crushed is sexist. Shame on you.