Basically Simming my days away, still. I spend most of my time in an exhausted daze, but as long as I'm collecting moonstones and apples I find myself to be extremely happy. Except...all the movies I used to like, are now just irritating. Well, except for Shrek 4. That one is a gem. Warrior Fiona is awesome.
I think it's time for change. Even Rapunzel has lost her charm. It started when I saw this picture on Google Images:
I think it's time for change. Even Rapunzel has lost her charm. It started when I saw this picture on Google Images:
And then I saw that there was another sequel, done in crappy 2D animation. It's called "What The Hair?" Naturally, she gets her long blond hair back but nooo, it does not possess magic powers. Oh, and you can't cut it, either; it's unbreakable. Yeah, they went there. The characters banged tools on it. Anyway, the king and queen host this "Gopher Grab" nonsense and Rapunzel gets booed. And, after her new friend Cassandra has to explain to her what booing means (because she stupidly thinks it's a form of cheering), Rapunzel says the worst thing anyone could ever say - "Why would somebody hate me?"
That ruined her for me. That, and especially the words in the picture posted above, made me realize how much of a Mary Sue she truly is. And the worst part of it all is that it took a silly haircut for her to stand out among the other Mary Sues.
Disney princesses need more flaws. This whole "always perfect, all the time, in every way" thing is getting stale. Especially since they...can all...fight. What they need to do is make a movie of a princess who actually behaves like a princess. A diva. Give her a big nose, or something - make her not perfect. Make her a conceited snob. Have the guy rescue her for once. There's only one Disney character out there who acts like a true princess, and she isn't one. Rosetta. She's got that whole dirt and mud phobia going on, she wants the world to be pretty pretty pretty, she wears pink, she hates animals, and she gives too much of a damn about her hair. Yes, yes, "Rapunzel brushes hers". She also drags it through water, mud, dirt, leaves, insects - really, her hair should be disgusting. But of course, it's perfect. Because it's Disney.
The least they could do is make a movie about a girl who acts like Rapunzel, but is definitely not a princess or special in any way. Just a sweetheart and nothing else. Make it real or don't make it. I suppose her freckles are supposed to count as a flaw? Well, they don't.
The least they could do is make a movie about a girl who acts like Rapunzel, but is definitely not a princess or special in any way. Just a sweetheart and nothing else. Make it real or don't make it. I suppose her freckles are supposed to count as a flaw? Well, they don't.
You know why Fiona's my favorite princess? Because she is relatable. She has a crooked smile; she's got a widow's peak and crow's feet. And she loses her cool - blows her top - she downright screams in rage. But Rapunzel is, stereotypically, a friend to all. Even after Mother Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel, keeps her locked away her whole life, ties her up and stabs Eugene, Rapunzel still reaches her hands out to Mother Gothel when she falls from the tower.
Realistically, she would probably hold a grudge against the woman who kidnapped her and then attempted to kill the man she loved in front of her. But...
“Warrior Fiona is awesome.” — Agreed! When she first says “True love didn’t get me out of that tower; I did! I saved myself!” I was so thrilled; not only was it made clear exactly what happened to her (that she wasn’t just rescued by some other prince) but she says it so defiantly. I also like that she’s not bone-thin with a ton of talents, although she can fight and birds do explode when they sing — but, it’s not like Shrek doesn’t crack mirrors with a smile and kill fish with a fart, so maybe all ogres have these special talents :p
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, Shrek and his world aren’t Disney’s, so it makes sense that he and Fiona don’t really fall into stereotypical roles. Most Disney princesses do. I think that’s why Brave and Frozen are two of my favourites; Merida has one of the chubbiest faces I’ve ever seen on a princess, and she’s adorable. She’s also not afraid to do what she wants to do, but she cries when things go horribly wrong, just like a real person, and still tries to figure things out and fix them. And archery is so cool. Anna is the kind of person I want to be; no matter how terribly people treat her, she’s optimistic and forgiving. (I guess most people like the movie for Elsa, whether it’s just because she’s beautiful and has ‘powers’ or because they can relate to her and her panic attacks, I don’t know; I just know that I like Anna better, even if her forgiveness is a bit unrealistic.
Rapunzel’s reaction to Mother Gothel’s death is kind of realistic; even if the woman was a steaming cowpie, she was all Rapunzel knew for eighteen years; she was literally the only person Rapunzel had ever seen or talked to (not counting those first few hours the day Rapunzel was born). Gothel taught Rapunzel everything. (The unrealistic thing, I thought, was that Rapunzel doesn’t react beyond instinctively reaching out to the woman who raised her; there’s no sign of grief at all — maybe the writers wanted to avoid delving into a Stockholm Syndrome backstory, but still . . . ) I guess I’ve always overlooked it as, “Well, Gothel was horrible and Rapunzel probably thinks a lot less of her now that she knows the truth, and I certainly don’t think she’s worth grieving for, so who can blame her?”
It’s unfortunate that so many characters in popular movies these days are Mary Sues, and equally unfortunate that so many movies are following expected storylines. I’m SO sick of watching a movie where a male or female main character ends up with someone of the opposite gender and of COURSE they’re attracted to each other, and of course it’s going to turn into love rather than some kind of awkward post-sex friendship. This past week or so, G.’s been trying to get me to watch Firefly, this sci-fi series he thinks I’ll love (um, there’s a 90% chance I’ll find it predictable and boring) and of course this team of regular people meets up with this alien prostitute type character (no doubt she’s beautiful and very talented and more than able to defend herself and the whole team) who becomes part of the main characters’ group. Does every story have to have some gorgeous girl in it? I’m pretty sure things like this are the reason I’ve been sticking to stories with an all-male cast, or very minor female characters. It’s the same reason I can’t watch Supergirl; I figure she’s one of the worst Mary Sues in a canon setting.
They can also all do that song thing with their noses, so it actually doesn't seem that far-fetched.
DeleteMerida is alright by me. I still don't much care for the movie, though.
Another thing about Rapunzel I cannot stand, not even when I first saw the movie and thought it was great, is how much of a hypocrite she is: "I like it in here, and so do you! It's not so bad in there. Stuck in the same place. When will my life begin?" And of course: "I will never stop trying to get away from you! But if you let me save him, I will go with you. We'll be together forever!"
Umm...what?
I know what you mean! People actually wanted Elsa to find a girlfriend, and at first I was horrified, but with every typical, boring happy ending I find myself hoping to find a movie where there is no chemistry, no first kiss, no moonlight stroll through the garden. I want to find a movie that focuses on something less...reduced, reused and recycled. Even in the Tinkerbell movie, which is all about fairies and really intended for children, the main character - of course, that's Tinkerbell - cuts off more than half of her strapless dress, and shows way too much leg. Maudie, of course, is very buxom - I think Disney is extremely sexist; that if a woman doesn't have a figure to flaunt, she's not worth anything. That's why I love Monsters Inc. and University so much; it's about males. And my favorite one only has his incredible intelligence to offer. That's why I like Amy Farrah-Fowler; she prefers to flaunt her intellect. If there was a movie where the woman said, "Go f--- yourself" to the male star, who of course would be classified as dreamy, I'd go see that movie.
lol, I forgot about the ogre-nose-band thing :p
DeleteWhen Rapunzel is telling Pascal that it's okay in the tower, I think she's trying to convince herself more than him - she's known for "quite a few birthdays" that she wants to go see the floating lanterns, but she also doesn't want to disappoint her 'mother', and I think, despite how brave she acts at times, she really does fear the outside world, since she's never really seen it and Gothel keeps telling her how bad it is beyond the tower. She wants to experience and explore, but fear - and probably knowing what Gothel will say - kept her from trying before. It's really only when Flynn shows up that she gets the idea that Gothel might have been lying to her and she dares to leave :)
What Rapunzel means by "I will never stop trying to get away from you! But if you let me save him, I will go with you. We'll be together forever!" is that if Mother Gothel can stab a man and let him die when he can be saved, Rapunzel wants nothing to do with her and will never willingly stay with her. She also means that she's willing to give up her freedom to save Flynn's life - that she'll stay with Gothel forever if she can save him, just because she loves him so much that she would rather save his life and leave him forever and stay stuck inside knowing she's being used and will be alone forever (I doubt she'd try getting close to anyone again, knowing what Gothel would do to them) than try to live her own life knowing he's gone. It's really sweet, and sad :(
Yeah, I heard about that "Elsa needs a girlfriend" thing, and I hate the idea, just because I can see Elsa's relationship, and the Frozen series, turning into a soapbox; it'll be a rallying point of sorts for everyone who supports the gay cause, and the fun, non-romantic aspects of the movie that its true fans loved it for will vanish under all the controversy. I also think doing something that new and different would be little more than a way for a movie series to shock people into spending more money on it, and so the company can say "Ha, we did it first, you're just copying us!"
I could be wrong, but I've given it a lot of thought; wouldn't be surprised if I'm still wrong :p
That's exactly why I didn't want Elsa to have a girlfriend. It would become this whole ugly debate, people would attack other people and suddenly an animated character who's royal and powerful and beautiful would just seem like an unimportant cliché.
DeleteThat clears it up, thanks.