Disney certainly has a market cornered for gendered children's films. As far as I can tell (and I've been known to be wrong more than once), many of us women who grew up in the 80s and 90s have been at least partly brainwashed into wanting to be Ariel, Belle, or Jasmine, at least at some point. With ever so slightly more agency than Snow White, Princess Aurora, or Cinderella, it's not surprising that our supportive parents were happy to promote the 'modern' princess.
Since then, social media has increased the visibility of the Bechdel test, and popular criticism of opressive or repressive trends in children's (especially girls') media. The Disney Princesses have come under fire more than once. While I started to realize and appreciate the changes brought about in Brave (link to initial review, pardon any repetitiveness), I failed to grasp one of the key points that allowed it to become the seminal film that it is: Brave was produced by Pixar, which simply happens to be owned by Disney.
Disney's homegrown creations have been less remarkable contributions to the cannon. There are numerous criticisms of Disney's whitewashing of Arab nations in Aladdin, the stereotypes perpetuated in The Princess and the Frog, and never mind the fact that Beauty and the Beast is set in France, though only Jerry Orbach, voicing Lumiere, got the memo. In Brave, we have an adventurous, freckled heroine with wild red hair and a Scottish accent (because, go figure, the story is set in Scotland). For the first time in a princess movie, our leading lady chooses adventure over romance. Merida opposes marriage not because she's opposed to arranged marriages or because she hasn't fallen in love before tradition would have her marry, (ahem, Jasmine,) but because she isn't finished having adventures yet. She's not ready to settle down. Even as recently as Tangled, Rapunzel thinks she wants adventure, but after her trip to see the lights, she figures she can stay in her tower forever. And can anyone tell me the moral of Tangled? I think it's something about falling in love with criminals is okay, if they're handsome.
The decision to title and the new princess films (with the exception of The Princess and the Frog, which did poorly for so many reasons) using one gender-neutral word is, I believe, fascinating, and quite clever, really, but also quite stupid. There's no mistaking the fact that Tangled, Frozen, and yes, even my beloved Brave, were intended to charm little girls before engaging little boys. Even Wreck-It Ralph (mentioned here) all but omitted the scenes in the Sugar Rush world from the trailer - despite the fact that most of the movie takes place there. There's also a definite lack of Vanellope Von Schweetz toys - I looked. Wreck-It Ralph, like Cars, Planes, and even Pixar's Monsters University, was meant for the boys' camp. The films that lack a definitively gendered target audience (Bolt, Wall-E, Ratatouille, Chicken Little) floundered, garnering their audience by chance or finding fans in an older crowd. One possible exception is Finding Nemo, which achieved unparalleled success amongst all age ranges, and the only rumbles of criticism that I heard were about possible plagarism from a French animation, about which the public seemed to care very little.
Frozen seems to have created a rift among potential fans, with one group citing it as a refreshing landmark of a movie, while the other maintains that it is a horrible Disney-fied corruption of Hans Christian Andersen's only remotely feminist fairy tale. Knowing this, I still had to see the latest installment in the Disney canon. After all, my only preconception about the Snow Queen as a character is a vague image of Candy Land's Queen Frostine, and I don't suppose they're anything alike. Plus, I have no idea what Queen Frostine looks like these days.
In Disney's version, Elsa is raised in seclusion, alienated for her ability to craft or wield ice and snow with a wave of her hand. Younger sister Anna has few memories of Elsa, and as she grows up, she is unable to comprehend why Elsa has chosen to abandon or ignore her. Years later, Elsa has come of age and is to be named Queen of Arendelle; the festivities are the biggest event of Anna's life, but when she asks her sister's permission to marry the handsome Hans, Elsa (wisely) denies it. The heightened tension of the scene threatens to reveal Elsa's powers, and when she can no longer hide it, she flees the kingdom (queendom?). Back in Arendelle, Anna leaves Hans in charge, while she goes off to find Elsa. Somehow, she is convinced, Elsa will be able to undo the freeze she cast over the kingdom. Recruiting assistance from ice vendor Kristoff, his raindeer Sven, and friendly snowman Olaf, Anna treks up the North Mountain to find her sister, and save the kingdom.
Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell voice Elsa and Anna, respectively, both incredibly excellent singers, with a vibrancy to their tones that I somehow missed from Rapunzel in Tangled - or perhaps that character was truly overwhelmed by her hair. In the supporting cast, Broadway pedigrees abound. Hans is voiced by Cinderella's Prince Charming himself - Santino Fontana. Book of Mormon's Josh Gad is a delight as Olaf. Rounding out the main characters is Jonathan Groff, who is virtually wasted in the non-singing role of Kristoff - having been made famous by Glee, Groff first appeared on Broadway in Spring Awakening. Not to mention vocal appearances by the brilliant Alan Tudyk (who previously voiced King Kandy in Wreck-It Ralph) and Ciarán Hinds, whom I love. Also providing credibility to the musical aspect of the film is songwriter Robert Lopez - the man behind Broadway's Avenue Q and Book of Mormon - and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote lyrics for the most recent Winnie the Pooh feature. Elsa's self-discovery song, "Let It Go," is yet another incredible showcase song for Idina Menzel's repetoire, and has been nominated for an Oscar (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song).
The songs of Frozen may lack the timeless feel of the great Ashman and Menken collaborations, most of them are really fun to sing, and they contribute to the story. "Let It Go" may be at the top of that list, but the film's first major song, "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" eloquently illustrates Anna's frustration at having been closed out of her sister's life, while brilliantly introducing her playful spirit. In the next number, "For the First Time in Forever," Anna has grown into young woman, excited for her sister's Coronation Ball. She's fiesty and sweet, and shares most of the hopes and dreams a girl might harbor for any such event. "Love is an Open Door" is a quirky little love song for Anna and Hans, but not nearly so quirky or amusing as Olaf's character number in the second act, "In Summer."
Frozen has also been nominated for Best Animated Feature, and is destined to become a classic. There are so many reasons to promote this movie for children. It values forgiveness, family, sisters, being true to one's self, acceptance, and it diminishes the Disney stock put in true love at first sight. But until the film comes out on DVD, I'll have to watch something else. I've loaned Brave to a friend, but I had another idea. After all, Frozen isn't Idina Menzel's first Disney movie. Did you know that? Before Frozen, there was Enchanted.
I completely missed it in theaters, thinking myself above the kitch of a live-action Disney musical. I had just graduated college, working in professional theatre, drama, not musicals; I was highly unimpressed with such a frivolous venture. Yet, when I received an Amazon package from my mom with the DVD inside, I decided it would have been rude not to watch it.
Much to my surprise, Enchanted left me feeling just that. The entire film is thoroughly charming and magical. With Barry Sonnenfeld in the role of producer, it makes sense that Enchanted feels a bit like Once Upon a Time with all the color and caprice of Pushing Daisies. Enchanted manages to be self-aware and romantic, a satire and an homage, twisting even the entirely anticipated into fresh and new moments.
I often forget how much I enjoy a film when I've been away from it as long as I've been away from Enchanted; it must be over a year since I last watched it, when I introduced a friend to it. What starts out as an animated fairy tale quickly develops into a live-action rom-com. Amy Adams first voices Giselle, a young woman who becomes engaged to the troll-hunting Prince Edward (James Marsden) before being magically transported by the Prince's wicked mother (Susan Sarandon) to New York City, a place with 'no happy endings,' har har. Here, Adams is Giselle, completely embodying the nuances of an animated princess-type, bringing her to vibrant life. She's nailed the expressiveness of an animated character, the lack of subtlety, and yet, her own performance is carefully considered. Watch her hands - she's got Princess Aurora's and Cinderella's hand gestures down to an art. On her own in NYC, Giselle befriends single dad Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (the adorable Rachel Covey), both of whom manage to provide emotional support for her, while she waits to be rescued by Prince Edward. Meanwhile, the Prince's efforts to find his true love are being thwarted by the Queen's lackey/admirer. Of course, Giselle and Robert belong together. Of course, they're going to end up together. But it's so much fun, and there's so much more to talk about here.
Enchanted proposes that there's far more in common between the animated, fairy tale world and our not-animated real-life existence. Trying to bring the traditional Disney film scenes into New York City is highly entertaining - even amidst the lights of Broadway, Giselle and Prince Edward are wildly out of place, grandiose, and overdressed. Plus, animals can't speak to us here, as Giselle's best friend, Pip the chipmunk, learns the hard way. Pip was able to sing and participate in the activity during "True Love's Kiss," back in fairy tale land, but during "Happy Working Song" (which echoes Snow White's "Whistle While You Work"), the pests of New York (rats, cockroaches, pigeons, etc) help clean the apartment, but they are unable to sing or speak. Little Morgan is fascinated by the animals' organized participation, but Robert is appalled at the presence of vermin in the house. Much as I'd like the help cleaning the house, I'm not sure I want city rats running rampant.
Giselle is appropriately stunned by many of the conveniences and trials of modern life - indoor showers are incredible, while divorce is inconceivable. Similarly, Robert is taken aback by Giselle's wide open heart, her willingness to trust other people, and her tendency to burst into song. One of the most amusing bits in the movie is Patrick Dempsey's asides during "That's How You Know." It's Robert's turn to be out of place, and Dempsey's jazz hands are downright creepy.
"That's How You Know" is one of three songs from Enchanted that were nominated for an Oscar. With music from long-time Disney composer Alan Menken and lyrics provided by Wicked's Stephen Schwartz, it's hardly a surprise. Still, and despite having three-fifths of the nominees, 2008 was the same year that Once songwriters and stars Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard were nominated for their song "Falling Slowly." (Incidentally, Irglová also gave my favorite Oscar speech that year.) Of the three nominated songs, "That's How You Know" is easily the most catchy of the lot, followed by "Happy Working Song," and then the overlooked "So Close," performed by Jon McLaughlin. The song appears toward the end of the film, when Giselle and Robert dance at the ball. That scene always makes me want to cry, when Robert starts singing along... pass me a tissue!
Let's talk about some of the other incredible things about Enchanted.
- Dozens of moments recreated from other Disney films are highlighted in one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes, which is most excellently cut together. Such parallels include Robert and Giselle's dance at the ball, matched to Belle and the Beast; Giselle's shoe left on the dance floor, shown with Cinderella's shoe on the steps at the ball; certain shots of Queen Nerissa as a dragon alongside cels of Maleficent as a dragon.
- The internet loves Elsa's refusal to approve of marriage between Anna and Hans. See here and here. But what about the dialogue before "That's How You Know," in which Robert mocks Giselle for claiming to have found True Love with Prince Edward? Totally came first, and while it may not have proved the point quite as well, it did reinforce the idea that couples should date, and not get engaged after one day together.
- Disney has gotten quite a bit of flak for their portrayal of step-mothers. (See: Snow White, Cinderella, Regina on Once Upon a Time.) Here, Queen Nerissa is the problem, and she is Prince Edward's mother - making her an evil mother-in-law (almost). Giselle, however, seems like a great stepmom for Morgan.
Most of the other fun things can be found by watching the movie, or by visiting the trivia page on IMDB. I'm pretty sure I've covered all the key points I wanted to cover... except this one thing. If you have thirteen minutes, and you're at all interested in the messages that movies send to kids, check out this exceptional TEDTalks piece from Colin Stokes. Stokes has a daughter and a son, and while it's easy to soapbox about the importance of positive role models for girls - Stokes makes an excellent case for the importance of showcasing those same positive role models to young boys. Please, give it a listen.
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