6) Brave
By the end of Brave, it may not feel as though the movie went against Disney’s regular form all that much, but in some ways it’s a different kind of narrative, and at the very least you can see where director Brenda Chapman wanted to go with the film before she was replaced on the project she herself had initiated. That part of the story is rather disheartening; although I know directors on these sorts of huge animation projects are routinely swapped out and almost interchangeable, Disney had touted their “first female director” so proudly that her firing is even more of a bitter pill to swallow, and another example for glass ceiling critics to point towards.
All that said, this is a Disney movie with a female lead who is not entirely motivated by marrying a prince, who is defiant and largely self-defining, and probably does better on subsequent viewings provided you ignore everything Disney has done with the character of Merida since the film’s release. There’s some progress though, if you look closely and only at certain areas.
Part of Disney’s success in branding has come from effectively associating its name with magic and happiness and childlike wonderment and blah blah blah, and that’s all well and good, lord knows I was giddy as a schoolgirl on the two occasions in the past couple of years that I’ve been able to visit their renowned theme parks. But it’s also natural to be a bit wary of things that seem too good to be true. It’s unclear to me what Disney actually wants its perpetuated fantasy world to do for people, whether it’s pure escapism, actual wishes for a better world, or indeed a cynical employment of gimmickry to get people to pay as much money for their next euphoria fix as possible.
Do you have strong feelings towards Disney in any way? Any pro- or anti-Disney movies you like to turn to when you feel that way? Let us know in the comments section below.
