It goes without saying that this movie is going to be a steaming pile of dogshit. Gone are Disney's glory days, and it's completely mind boggling to me why they would even consider wandering back into hand-drawn animation after how badly they failed at it in the end, before ultimately calling it quits on 2D films altogether.
Unfortunately for film goers, Disney fans, children, and all sentient life really, Disney decided to jump back in, with a urbanfied and slightly twisted take on the story of the frog prince.
I'm sure the film will be rife with ridiculous cultural stereotyping, in the vein of Disney's own The Proud Family - remember that show? Because it aired for 3 seasons, and managed to make even my iron stomach turn.
I'm typically the last person in line to complain about character stereotyping in fiction, and the first to rolls my eyes at those who will decry such works as offense. This isn't because I'm insensitive, it's because I have the sense to realize that prejudice, stereotypes, racism, male chauvinism, all these things are ideas. Fighting against these things is the same as the "War on Terror" - it's nonsense. All of these things have existed since we evolved enough to conceptualize how to hate each other, and these things will all continue to exist until we end up eventually destroying our entire species. I'm not saying these things are right, or just, or fair, I'm saying that people should spend more of their lives focusing on making themselves happy than getting offended over stupid shit you or I will ever be able to stop or control.
Stepping off the soapbox and back on topic, the proud family was both a circus of pointed and obnoxious stereotypical behavior, and Carlos Mencia was a regular on the voice cast. For those who aren't familiar or don't remember, here's a clip:
Lookit them chicken and waffles dad is about to NOM down at 0:14! Look at how thugnificent all the characters are, except the nerdy ginger girl with glasses and braces! Hilarious!
This shitfest was the pinnacle of Disney trying to capture a black target audience, and with the facts about The Princess and the Frog, it seems pretty obvious we're going to be taken on a similar journey. Disney has the capability to tell a compelling, visually interesting story about non-white people using stories from other countries (Mulan) so why not do something similar here if the color of the female protagonist is the linchpin of the story? It's poorly thought out, and just hand feeding the ignorant masses their willingly mindless soup for an hour and a half.
With all that said, none of it is what really bothers me about this flick. The real issue lies in the blatant intellectual theft from Don Bluth.
Yes, Don Bluth. Allow me to drop some knowledge for those who may not know. Don Bluth was once a Disney animator. Unhappy with the direction the quality of the films was going at the time, Bluth raised a fist to the sky and cried "Nay! I shall not stand for these trite films, patronizing the intelligence of our audiences! I will start my own animation studio, and make art, and it shall be good!". And it was good. The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, and All Dogs Go to Heaven (my personal favorite) are all Don Bluth classics.
For those unfamiliar, All Dogs Go to Heaven takes place in New Orleans, and is an epic tale of redemption following the exploits of selfish gambling hall co-owner Charlie B. Barkin after he gets murdered, comes back to earth from heaven, and meets a little girl with the innate ability to communicate with animals. Along the way we have some laughs and adventures, and make some new friends. One of those friends is the wildly flamboyant King Gator, seen below.
A huge singing New Orleans alligator! Always a good time. Now let's look at a character in The Princess and the Frog, Louis, who is seen briefly in the video below.
Boy does he look familiar!
That sure is some coincidence, how everything about the character is exactly the same except he is more Dumb and Dumber than Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Hopefully the film will tank and Disney will wise up and either quit 2D animation for good, or start making decent films again. Luckily for Disney they'll live on regardless, piggybacking on our nostalgia and better studios PIXAR and Ghibli.
Monday, July 27, 2009
"The Princess and the Frog", or "Bullshit Attempt at Pandering, and Intellectual Theft"
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