Can We Talk about "Sexy" Merida

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney.   Recently,   Princess Merida from Brave joined the Disney Princess line up. Cool,  I'm okay with a Pixar character joining but there was some controversy surrounding this.  Because Merida received a make over and maybe it's just because I'm  a guy but I see nothing wrong with the new Merida.  Now that does not mean, I don't have aesthetic complaints, no.  I have  issues with things  such as the new hairstyles of Cinderella and Belle look really different and I don't like them but it's minor at best.   Now let's look at  the revamped Merida  or as some groups have mislabeled her "sexy" Merida.

Again, perhaps it is because I'm a guy and not a parent but I don't see any that sexualized about the new Merida.  She looks fine and in many ways,  she looks mature.  Now, I've heard some people say that wearing a dress goes against her character.  That is up there with the complaints of human Rainbow Dash in EQG wearing a skirt going against her character as one of the dumbest things, I've heard.  You know what,  I want to to tell these people.


IT'S A FRICKIN' DRESS!!!!  Get over it! And why wouldn't she wear a dress,  it's a sign of maturity in some ways and every other princess in the line up wears a dress.

And also,  let's compare this two other princesses. Jasmine and Ariel.

In their regular movie outfits,  both of these ladies are wearing outfits that are much more revealing then the revamped Merida.   Yet,  I barely remember any complaints about these two. Also from a business standpoint,  it makes sense to put Merida in a dress.  Call this wrong or shallow but young girls love the princesses and seeing one in a dress is more then likely to catch their attention. No?    Another unfair complaint that has been thrown at the revamped Merida is she sets an unhealthy body image for young girls. Really?   Y'know,  I've seen worse.   Oh how about these creatures of the night....

Compared to these,  Merida doesn't look that bad.   Now here's the worst part of it.  Disney has sadly decided to phase out the revamped Merida.  I understand from a business standpoint with all of the complaints, they were getting, that they had no choice but I just wish, they would've stood their ground and tell the nay-sayers to back off and shut up.  But alas because they are a business and a family enterprise, they had no choice but to give in to thee ludicrous demands to get rid of the new Merida.  While I understand this had to be done, I just find this decision disappointing.   People seriously want to complain about her being sexualized.   People are looking for sexualiztion, where there isn't any.  As you'll also see in upcoming Trotting article,  a Yahoo author tried to claim that a Princess Celestia toy was selling sex to young girls.  Which frankly is even stupider then this. If that's possible, if people really want to complain about toy aimed at young girls selling sex.  Go after those ugly horrid abominations known as Bratz.   They're dressed  like they are going to a strip club.  To these people,  I just want to say back off and get a life.  Because quite frankly,  you are being unfair to the people who A. actually liked the revamped look of Merida or B. who saw no issue with her.  Sex is NOT everywhere.  Stop trying to project it into things, where it isn't!  Quite frankly, you guys are acting like jerks by forcing Disney to phase out the new Merida.  And you know what I see, when I look at the two Merida's.

Starting with the film Merida,  I see a young girl, who is capable of  fending for herself but does not know everything and has much learning left to do.  When I look at the new Merida,  I don't see sexy.  I see a young woman who carries herself with  grace and dignity.  And has the wisdom to lead her kingdom.    Not a character is trying to sell sex.


At the end of the day, I think people just decided to blow this whole thing up for no reason.  And just wanted to put sex into something that wasn't there!    To those people, I say Get A LIFE!   

Music Fridays # 93: Nick Pitera

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney. Rarely, do I ever  cover people who were made famous on the web on Music Fridays but I had to make an exception for today.  Nick Pitera is one of the most amazing  singers and video makers on YouTube with One Man tributes and he has done plenty of Disney tributes and to see thees videos,  you'll be amazed and astounded.  The time and dedication that he puts into these videos truly show and I would being you a disservice if I did not feature him on Music Fridays.  But where to where to start.  Ah, how about with something very close to my heart.  His Newsies tribute.

One Man Newsies

There are no words.   Nick captured everything I loved about the songs of Newsies with this One Man tribute.  Wow, just wow.  Is all I can say is just WOW and the way, he seamlessly transitions from one song to the next is astounding. This video shows me that in Nick, I have another member of the Fansies.  As you can hear the love and respect he has for these songs as he sings.   Just, wow.  To be honest, I'd known of Nick  because of his One Many Disney Tribute but this video is what made me a fan of him and I only came across while looking for YouTube links for my Screen To Stage for Newsies.   And being the fan of Newsies that I am,  I LOVED this video.   It made me so so happy to see a video like this dedicated to Newsies.  

I See The Light 

I'll admit, I was cautious of this one because I usually  don't like it when guys sing songs that were meant for women but somehow it doesn't bug me here.   He does a very good Rapunzel.   Never thought, I'd be saying that and wow, his Flynn is even better.  When I first heard his Flynn Rider, I thought I was listening to the movie.  This is an awesome cover.  Of course like Newsies, I had my reservations because of how much I love Tangled but all those reservations and fears of this not being good, went out the window the moment, Nick started singing. 

A Whole New World

Okay, I believe, this is one of his older videos but it is still pretty good and man, it's a little eerie, how good he is, with the female voices. Especially since we get to hear his real voice in this video.  Still, quite amazing.  Not my favorite from him but honestly, I haven't heard anything from him that has disappointed me. Oh, he got to sing this on Ellen.

One Man Lion King Tribute

Nick did this video for the 15th anniversary of The Lion King on Broadway.  I like it but I think his Newsies tribute is better.   Though I do think this one other then his Disney tribute has the most costume changes.   I think that he is at best with Shadowland in this video.  The rest is all very good though.

One Man Disney Movie

  

And now, we end this Music Fridays with his Piece de Resistance in terms of his Disney videos.  How do I describe this video?   Um, Rainbow Dash, you wanna help me out here?

Yeah, that perfectly sums my thoughts on this video.   There is no other way to say how much I greatly enjoy this video.   It is amazing and again, the way, he quickly changes from one song to the next without hesitation is great.  Of course, I imagine, he probably did some editing but  I don't care because it feels so natural.   Honestly,  I'm saddened that I didn't know more about his library of work until this year and he doesn't just do Disney as he has a Les Mis and Phantom tribute along with some original work but still,  I'm so grateful that I discovered these videos as they just make me so happy.  

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this Music Fridays as much as I've enjoyed these videos.   I'm honored that I was able to share them with you and I urge you to check Nick Pitera's other videos.   Peace!

Top 6 Mother Gothel Moments

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney.  Another Mother's Day is upon us but unlike last year,  where I counted down the best Disney moms.  This year, I'm counting down the top 6 moments of   the most evil stepmothers, Mother Gothel.   With that out of the way, let's begin.

6.  The Mirror Scene

“Look in that mirror. I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady.    Oh look, you're here too”

This moment pretty much lets the audience know, what kind of villain, we are dealing with. Someone who is shallow and vapid and truly only cares for herself.   But for me,  the big thing that makes it work is how it starts off as though  Rapunzel is being led to believe that her mother is building up Rapunzel's confidence, when that isn't the case at all.

5. You want me to be the bad guy? Fine.

[Advances toward Rapunzel threateningly]

 Now I'm the bad guy...

Now I mentioned this in my review of the film.  And why I like it is because of how  they took what was a throwaway line from earlier in the film and brought it back and actually made it a legit threat.   The way, Donna Murphy delivers line, you know that she means business and that  is she is going to hurt Flynn and Rapunzel.

4.  She Starts To Believe Her Lie

Okay, so this one isn't so much a moment but still important nonetheless.   Part of me felt that  Gothel   even though, she was using Rapunzel started to believe her lie that she was telling Rapunzel after living with her for eighteen years. And that even though, it was small,  she did have a small amount of feelings for Rapunzel.   Now they weren't completely true but I do think that there was something there.

3.  Stealing The Flower

The thing that sets the events of the film in motion.  Stealing the flower is important because it is what Gothel needed to stay young.  And she for a long time was using for her advantage.   It showed what great lengths, she would go through to keep her outer beauty.  This is great and shows dastardly she is, well except for....

2. Kidnapping Rapunzel As A Baby

Taking the flower is one thing but the fact that she was willing to take Rapunzel as a baby because of her magic hair, shows how underhanded is.  She was willing to  take a child and keep it separate from her true parents.    That is just  evil and really shows that Gothel would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

1. Mother Knows Best (Reprise)

I knew this had to be my # 1 as it just shows how condescending and mean, she can be to Rapunzel.  This moment is very much like the mirror scene but it works better because she is getting right in Rapunzel's face about it.     This moment right here just shows how much she doesn't care about Rapunzel and will talk down to her daughter at any chance, she gets.  It is indeed intense and works masterfully.   She just talks down to Rapunzel and you can see how this is getting to Rapunzel and making question what she has been doing all throughout the film up to this point.

There you have it, my Top 6 Mother Gothel Moments.  I hope you enjoyed this one. Peace! 

The Relationship Between Rapunzel and Mother Gothel

Hey guys,  enjoy this final paper I did for my film class exploring the relationship between Gothel and Rapunzel.  Which got me an A.

The trope of evil stepmothers is nothing new in film especially Disney films as they date as far back as Lady Tremaine from Cinderella (1950) or the Wicked Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Disney’s fiftieth animated feature, Tangled (2010) actually takes the relationship another step further and actually explores the abusive nature between stepparent and child.  As it shows how verbal abuse can affect someone’s self-confidence and make them feel worthless.  At the same time, this film also explores how this type of relationship can affect the child in the relationship.  

As stated prior, Mother Gothel as a character is nothing new to Disney films because as stated, evil stepparents have one of many stamps of Disney films for quite some time.   Gothel though seems share personality traits with Frollo (Tony Jay) from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).   The reason for this comparison between these two comes from the fact that they use words to belittle the children under their care. The way they use their words to demean the people under their care is quite cruel.  A great example would be to take a look at Frollo’s lines from the song, Out There “You are deformed…  And you are ugly”. (Jay, Out There)    These lyrics shows how Frollo talked down to Quasimodo making him feel as though he is a lesser being.  Something that is seen with many of the evil stepparents in film such as Mother Gothel talks down to Rapunzel.   “Look in that mirror. I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady.    Oh look, you're here too”    (Murphy).  This line here shows how Gothel plays with Rapunzel’s emotions.  Because Rapunzel was led to believe that her mother was saying something kind about her but in reality, it was just another jab at her.   Mother Gothel is keen on playing mind games to mess with her and she has to rely on these as she is just an average woman relying on magic.  As stated in an interview with Cinema Blend. Com, Mother Gothel’s voice actress, Donna Murphy, mentioned this.    “All she has is her smarts and commitment to this desire to not only stay young and beautiful but stay alive”.    (Eisenberg)   What Donna Murphy is getting at here is showing that Mother Gothel had to find another way to torture and bring down Rapunzel. And words are sometimes the best tool; she has to bring down the protagonist.

            There is no denying that the relationship between Mother Gothel and Rapunzel is an abusive relationship.   This is seen mostly in how Gothel talks to Rapunzel as she always talking down to her. Even when Rapunzel tries to stand up her, Mother Gothel still talks down to her.  Rapunzel in the beginning of the film is almost scared to stand up for herself because Gothel won’t let her.  This is a big theme throughout the film as she progresses.   At one point,   in the film Rapunzel did try to stand up for herself but Gothel talks down to her as witnessed in the song, Mother Knows Best (Reprise)   “Rapunzel knows best Rapunzel's so mature now. Such a clever grown-up miss. Rapunzel knows best. Fine, if you're so sure now. Go ahead, then give him this”.   (D. Murphy, Mother Knows Best (Reprise))  These lyrics show Mother Gothel berating Rapunzel in a condescending manner.   Going off this it is interesting to point out that in an article about overcoming an abusive mother/daughter relationship, the first thing it says is “Recognize that your mother’s behavior is not about you”   (MichelleE).   With the relationship between Mother Gothel and Rapunzel, this is shown to be proven otherwise.  Mother Gothel’s abusiveness towards Rapunzel comes from the fact that she is using her hair for her own benefit.   She kidnapped Rapunzel as a baby in order to remain youthful.  As stated in the same interview Donna Murphy gave with Cinema Blend.com “It’s not like she’s 60 and wants to look 40 or 35. She’s 387 and wants to look like she’s 35!”   (Eisenberg).  Mother Gothel’s entire relationship with Rapunzel is built around a lie that she has been feeding to her daughter for eighteen years.  For eighteen years, Mother Gothel kept Rapunzel locked up in a tower for her entire life.  Limiting her interaction with other people to just Gothel.   As stated Gothel’s main intent with Rapunzel was use the ability of her hair in order to remain youthful.   Because Mother Gothel by all accounts, Mother Gothel should be dead.  The relationship between Rapunzel and Mother Gothel is all built on a lie.  As stated in an interview with MTV.com, Rapunzel’s voice actress, Mandy Moore:

                        “She has an overprotective mother who tells her she’s not missing out on anything, and it’s a big bad world out there and it’s too scary and dangerous and she’ll be eaten alive, literally, if she decides to venture out into the world”.  (Warner).

Moore here is referring to how Mother Gothel has been manipulating Rapunzel her entire life.  By feeding her these lies and purposefully scaring her.   With Gothel tainting Rapunzel’s mind with these fears, she had been commanding a false sense of love and respect from her daughter. This is an important part of Rapunzel’s development as a character as in the beginning, she is under the complete control of Gothel.  It isn’t until Rapunzel puts on the tiara from earlier in the film and it flashes back to her as a baby and she has this revelation:

 “I am the lost princess, aren't I?... Did I mumble, Mother? Or should I even call you that? …  It was you! It was all you!...  I've spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my powers?..  I should have been hiding... from YOU!”      (Moore) 

This is when it finally clicks with Rapunzel that something isn’t right in her life.   She finally realizes that Mother Gothel had been lying to her.   In the same interview with MTV, Moore states that “She doesn’t know a princess. I think she … has this inkling that something isn’t quite right in her life”.  (Warner)  With this Moore is suggesting that Rapunzel knew that something was off about her life but could never place her finger on it until she finally stood up to Mother Gothel.

That particular moment gave Rapunzel the courage, most people wouldn’t have to stand up to their abuser and tell them that they aren’t taking their abuse any longer. Something a lot of people in these types of relationships are too scared to do.

            At the end, the relationship between Mother Gothel and Rapunzel is a common relationship of an abusive mother and daughter.   However it also shows how the child in the relationship can have something click with them and realize that something isn’t right.