Why Do Disney Parents Always Die?

In almost every Disney animated film (referring to the traditional musicals), the parents of the main male and female leads are either dead or only one of the parents is alive. A good question is why Disney does this. When I think about it, the reasoning behind it is well intentioned.

Parents are the main source of guidance for their child. They are supposed to lead their child down the right path by teaching them valuable lessons. However, the main character in the beginning of the movie does not get these lessons. In The Pricess and the Frog, Tiana's dad tells her that love and happiness is more important than working 24/7. However, Tiana does not get this until the end of the movie. Simba in The Lion King does not have his dad around to teach him how to become a strong leader and free him from his guilt. In Frozen, the death of the parents scars Elsa and is what makes her constantly afraid of her powers because she has no one to help her control them. She also does not want to risk killing her sister Anna, the only family member she has left. By having the main characters struggle with the absence of their parents it tells the children in the audience that they should listen to what their parents say, but more importantly love them because their parents will not be around forever.

In cases of single parents like King Neptune from The Little Mermaid, it teaches that there should be a compromise between parents and children. Children should listen to their parents, but the parents should also listen to their children. They should not shelter their child from the real world and prevent them from trying new things. Children can teach their parents lessons of acceptance to change.

The Disney story element of the lack of parents or a parent is an effective tool to teach life lessons to the audience.

Top 13 Disney Princesses

Currently the Disney princess line up consists of eleven princesses plus Anna and Elsa who will be added next year. I decided to rank them based on their personalities and their actions in their movies. I will list them from bottom to top.

13. Aurora

She is asleep for half of her movie and is the definition of the princess stereotype.

12. Snow White

She is dead for half of her movie. The reason I ranked her above Aurora is because of her kindness towards the dwarves. She is a nice motherly figure.

11. Pocahontas

 I give her credit that she does do things in her movie, but I just do not find her interesting.

10. Cinderella

It is true that in her movie all the good things come to her. However, I do find myself satisfied that she is rewarded for her suffering. I like the way she does pull through the torment brought onto her by her evil stepmother.

9. Ariel

Ariel is adventurous and does what ever it takes to get what she wants, but her decisions are pretty stupid. To risk your life for a guy, who does not even know you exist is not worth it. Also she does not really learn anything. Eric is the one that solves her problems by killing Ursula.

8, Merida 

I give Pixar credit for making an independent princess, but she could have been a lot better. My main problem with her is that she comes off as whiny and unnecessarily mean to her mother. She also does not use her bow and arrow skills that much. However, she does become a better person at the end of her movie by learning to appreciate her mother. 

7. Jasmine

She is probably the most down to Earth princess out of all the princesses. She has a great chemistry with the male lead. I like how in the beginning she is rebellious and does not fall for Prince Ali at first sight. However, she does have to be saved at the end like any stereotypical princess.

6. Rapunzel

She is Ariel done right. She is adventurous, funny, and likable. She also has good chemistry with the male lead.

5. Tiana

It is nice to see a princess who works 24/7. She teaches girls that they have to work hard in order to make their dreams come true. She also is one of the very few princesses who actually defeat the villain at the end.

4. Elsa

Actually she is a queen, but Disney put her in the princess line up anyway. She is the most complex and has the darkest past. She does play an antihero role for a bit, which is unique to her. In the beginning of the movie she is repressed by society and then is finally free, so she does not want to come back. Her song, “Let It Go” is one of the best Disney songs. I also like the relationship between her and her sister, Anna because she loves her sister.

3. Anna

While she is not as complex as her sister, Elsa she has more likable character traits. The relationship between her and Elsa is done really well. Especially when she sacrifices herself to save Elsa at the end of the film as an act of true love. In the beginning of the movie she is more like a parody of a Disney princess, which makes her funny. As the movie goes on her character becomes more defined. I like how in the end she is the one that solves the problems, not the male lead.

2. Belle

She is perfect; the girl that every guy wishes to have. While she does not have any faults, she does have several character traits that prevent her from being boring. She is an example of how strong female characters do not have to be physically strong. They just have to be well written.

1. Mulan

Mulan has all the qualities of a good character and she kicks ass. She controls her destiny through out the entire movie. She does not have to rely on a man at any point. As the movie progresses she becomes a stronger character. She teaches us that society cannot tell people where their place is. You can do anything if you work hard enough.

Is Beyonce Using An Audio Clip From The Challenger Disaster Insensitive?

By now you have all probably heard of the criticism Beyonce is receiving for using an audio clip from the Challenger disaster in her new song "XO". Some people say it is insensitive, others say it is fine.

This raises a good question. Should artists be considerate of other people when they express themselves? In controversies like this people say that the artist has their right to express themselves in anyway they choose. Art can be provocative. I agree that artists no matter what they believe should be able to express themselves, however they can still cross the line. There was no reason to have the Challenger audio clip in "XO". The clip does not relate to the song. You could take out the audio clip and the song would not be effected at all. The reason that clip is there is so people will complain and the song will get attention, which is clearly working. Beyonce claims the song is supposed to be in on honor of the Challenger victims, but that is clearly not the case. The song is about a relationship. There is no reference to the Challenger disaster in the lyrics or video. I question if she even knew the audio clip was from the Challenger disaster. It should also be noted that the families of the victims of the Challenger disaster and the NASA people connected to it are greatly offended, but that is expected.

Artists have power in this world. By being provocative some artists can raise awareness to important issues. However, in cases like this the artist is only seeking attention, which makes them insensitive to those effected by the tragedy.

Is Lip-Syncing A Big Deal?

Recently Britney Spears has gotten criticized by accusations that she lip-synced during her recent show. I remember when Beyonce received the same criticism when she sang the national anthem in January. Personally, I do not think lip syncing is a big deal.

I want to start by pointing out that a lot of modern artists do this. It is the same with auto tune. I understand people feeling cheated by lip-syncing because they pay to see the artist perform and the artist is not really giving their all into it. However, artists in some cases might be too exhausted to give a proper performance. People used this arguement to defend Beyonce. No one wants  to pay an expensive fee to hear their artist sing lousily. People are satisfied as long as they hear the songs they want and the show is entertaining.

If people are willing to forgive a guy who beat his girlfriend, then people should also be willing to forgive a singer for lip-syncing one or two performances. However, if you are offended by lip-syncing then I can see where you are coming from.

Will The New RoboCop Movie Fail?

Recently I watched the original RoboCop movie. It was great. Naturally, I watched the trailers for the upcoming 2014 movie to see how it compared to the original. In the trailers I definitely noticed some changes they have made from the original story.

First of all I have no problem with a RoboCop remake. RoboCop is a superhero like Batman, so it makes sense for Hollywood to create another movie. I do like the updated effects and how they will connect the movie to current issues such as drones and terrorists.

The first significant change people have noticed is RoboCop's new appearance. He is now black instead of the classic silver color. I do not hate the new look, but I question the change. The new look does not make RoboCop look better. I would have preferred him to look more like he originally did.

The second significant change is how Alex Murphy gets injured. In the original Murphy is brutally shot multiple times by the villains, but in the new movie he is it by a car bomb. The change probably has to due with the fact they were going for a PG-13 rating, which I will discuss later. The new scene definitely is weak compared to the original scene, but the movie is not ruined because of it.

The third significant change is that Murphy's family is still around. In the original his family leaves after the funeral. I will not say it was a terrible decision to keep the family around, but I would prefer if his family was not. In the original when Murphy finds out about his past and that his wife has moved on is a powerful scene. You feel sorry for the guy. To have the family around could work for the man vs machine internal struggle the new movie is going for. Or it could make it cliched.

The fourth significant change is the rating. The original movie was rated R and this movie is rated PG-13. To me this means the actions scenes will be unimaginative. Just explosions and gun shots. The action in the original movie was awesome. I thought the blood and gore added to the movie's comic book feel. An R rating also allows for more gruesome and creative ways for the villains to die.

Overall I am looking forward to this movie despite the changes that have been made so far. I like how they are not just remaking the original, but adding a modern spin to it. I appreciate that they are going a different direction. However, I do question some of the changes. If they made the changes they made because they thought it would make a better movie then that is fine, but if they made those changes to make RoboCop look like other movies then that is not okay. RoboCop was its own thing and it should stay that way. Some people are already saying this movie sucks, but they should give it a chance.

Why Chinatown's Ending is Brilliant

"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown." That's the famous closing line of the movie, Chinatown. As I watched the ending I felt empty inside. The movie just ends. There is no satisfying resolution. The bad guy wins, the end. The ending is especially disturbing because earlier in the movie you find out the villain raped his daughter. His daughter had a baby as a result. In the end the bad guy steals away the child (possibly planning to rape her) and the daughter he raped is shot as she tries to escape.

As the credits rolled I thought about what I had just seen. Then I realized why the ending was so brilliant. It was because it made me think about the its themes. Chinatown is based around the corruption of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, so some of the characters are based on actual people. The bad guy is based on a real person, however he is fictionalized heavily. Point being that in real life the bad guys won. Why have a happy ending in the movie if the bad guys won in real life?  The sad ending is necessary because it raises awareness.

Corruption from government and corporations happens daily and they win. Most movies have them lose, so in a way it ignores those issues. Almost to say corruption does not exist anymore. However, Chinatown is brutally honest and says in real life the bad guys win. That's why the line, "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown", is so effective. It provokes an emotion out of you. You do not want to forget about it. You care about the two leads and you want them to succeed. You want the bad guy to be punished. However, the movie does not satisfy you with that. Which is why it has the perfect ending.

Is Die Hard the Best Christmas Movie Ever?

The answer is yes! There is no Christmas movie like Die Hard out there. The hero, John McClane risks his life to save his wife and other people from terrorists. Is Christmas not about putting others before yourself? Hans Gruber, the villain of the film represents greed. His death in the end symbolizes that those who are greedy will be punished. Die Hard is one of the best action movies of all time and the best Christmas action movie of all time. How many Christmas movies have this much ass kicking in them? "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker" should become the common holiday saying instead of "happy holidays".

So, Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers! I hope you have had a merry Christmas and will have a happy New Year!