#evangeline patf

[princess-ibri]

So I was gonna wait to do the Backstory for the Blue Fairy till Wish came out, since its supposed to be the origin of the Wishing Star and she's so connected to it, but from what I read it's not really going to feature any real references to the Blue Fairy, so I'll just retcon stuff in if I need to when it comes out x)

The Blue Fairy Backstory

Her real name is Evangeline (of course)

She was the daughter of a powerful fairy named Meissa, who was assigned as a member of the Protectors, the guardians of magic in the Everrealm, to guard the portal between Our World and the Everrealm that manifested as the Wishing Star/Second Star to the Right, and when her time came Evangeline took up the guardianship

Over the ages places where the two realms touch have become rarer and rarer and need guardians over them, such as the Fifth Spirit over the portal near Arendelle and Queen Pari Banu of the Genies over the Seven Deserts

Neverland also sits right below this star portal and so falls under the watch of this guardian. This is the reason that Neverland's Blue Pixie Dust is so powerful, its linked into the magical energy of the great Blue Fairy who watches over the Island

Besides her guardianship Evangeline will sometimes take on the duties of normal fairy godmothers, in both realms, bringing blessings and judgments to those deserving of them, in both the Everrealm and Our World, though her duties as Guardian keep her from always intervening directly as much as she used to, such in the case of Pinocchio

Mostly she grants wishes from afar, to those who's pure hearts long most and wish deepest, sometimes even sending down one of the Starlings (star shaped denizens of the star she inhabits) to help fulfill the wish (there, there's the Wish link x)

Edit: I've decided that her father is the great Sorcerer Yen Sid. So she would technically be half Fairy due to him being born human. But by the time her parents met and wed he was so powerful in magic he'd basically transcended his humanity, and that's why she doesn't age/has large wings.

I based Meissa's look on The Fairy With Torquoise Hair from the original Pinocchio book and on old concept art for the Blue Fairy

So yeah! There's her backstory! Hope you like it :)

[heliphantie]

Quick sketch before the movie debuts.

If the Star is the same star all Disney characters are wishing upon, does it mean it’s Evangeline?!

I don’t know when I’m going to watch it… Anyway, I wonder if there’s any reference to it in the movie!

[atarahderek]

So I saw Wish tonight...

Here are my first impressions:

While the animation is quite beautiful, as one would expect from the Mouse House, the storyline is serviceable, the songs are a standard mix of pretty good and pretty meh, and the villain is actually quite enjoyable, those elements just don't carry the film. The storyline is only serviceable. And not like Moana serviceable, where you can still enjoy being immersed in the world, drawn in by the memorable characters, and walk away with a hyperfixation on Polynesian navigation (or was that just me?). It was...entertaining enough...but left me feeling like something was missing.

Which is ironic, because they tried to cram everything into it. That was their mistake, really. They wanted to make as many references to other Disney films as they possibly could, and most of them felt shoehorned. The only reference that felt genuine to the world was basing Asha's seven closest friends on Snow White's Seven Dwarves. Everything else just felt forced. Magnifico made several puns in a row that all directly reference Disney properties, and they were just corny. So bad they came back around to being funny. But I'd rather they be funny for the right reason. And some of the references were so obscure that the vast majority of viewers aren't going to get them (e.g. Little John the bear, who is just called John).

I went into the movie knowing what the basic plotline was: Well-intentioned King Magnifico created an island nation where he hopes to protect everyone and their wishes from destruction, but as his power grows, he becomes corrupted by it. Asha, discovering that Magnifico is hoarding wishes, decides to start a revolution. It's actually a good commentary on government accountability, how easily power corrupts, and why you should never ever EVER give all your resources and rights away to a government that claims to have your neighbor's best interests at heart. Basically, this movie is anti-socialism. The characters voted their way into that system and have to effectively shoot their way out. Magnifico wants them to believe that he (i.e. the state) is the highest power there is, and no one is allowed to question that. Which is a great commentary. It really is. But it falls flat because the message gets muddied. The Aesop gets broken. Because while Wish says there is a higher power than a human-built and human-operated state, that "higher power" is...stardust. And if that's not corny enough, that stardust is said to be in every one of the characters, if they just "believe in themselves." So in the end, Asha's "higher power"...is human-built and human-operated. Yep, the movie tried to get theological, and it completely screwed the whole message up until it came full circle to the message that man is the highest power, and you shall bow, mortals, before whoever holds the wishes, be it an orphan king or a peasant who has an in with the orphan king's ex-wife. The writers could've avoided screwing over their message by developing their magic system more thoroughly and building an entire fantasy religion for their fantasy land, as so many other writers have done countless times over, so that it's still established that there is a higher power that transcends anything man can build, and therefore those who are oppressed by tyranny can look to that power to help them break free. But that would've taken time away from the big Easter egg hunt they wanted to set up. So their movie's message is a very atheistic, "Put your hope in nothing at all, because nothing is more powerful than politics." And the reviews show that people aren't fooled into thinking that that's somehow inspiring. It's a depressing message, and no amount of sparkles poured on it is going to make it any less so. It's just going to make it cringe worthy.

Now, if you can overlook that bit, or take the "stardust" to actually refer to the image of the God who made the stars, then you can see this movie as allegorical for faith overthrowing tyranny. But you have to squint. You can make this movie a case of Death of the Author, but you'll have to shoot the author yourself (metaphorically, Tumblr; don't give me grief just because you're so literal). If you manage that, what you have here is actually a lovely and entertaining little film.

Now for what I liked about the movie: Magnifico was actually the reason I kept watching. I do like how they showed his descent into villainy, rather than making him a straight up villain from the start. He had good intentions and was quickly corrupted by the power he wielded, even though he wanted to use that power to protect his people. He ended up inflicting the very thing he feared most on his people, becoming the hypocrite every well-intentioned extremist is. His villain song can't hold a candle to Scar, Frollo, Facilier or even Zira, but poor songs notwithstanding, he does deserve a spot among the Disney villains of legend. And we get to see him become that villain in a manner that, though a bit rushed due to the time constraints of the medium, nonetheless felt very natural and realistic.

My biggest complaint with Magnifico's character is not actually with him, but with Queen Amaya, who is not a villain and was shocked and appalled when Magnifico became one. She didn't get enough time to process that. She basically went, "Welp, he's evil now, so I'm gonna side with the teenagers and then file for divorce. Gonna really enjoy that alimony, too." I would love to have seen her express a mixture of sorrow, rage, regret and a desperate last grasp at hope for restoration--all the standard emotions that come with grief, especially over the loss of a relationship--but all I saw out of her was indifference. We got to see Alma ugly cry over losing her husband before going on to lead her own little magical kingdom; why couldn't we have that for Amaya? Pedro only ceased to have a physical heartbeat. Magnifico's very soul died. One would think that would be cause for even deeper grief from the loved ones left behind. I'm aware that watching your innocent spouse get carved like a turkey really piles on the PTSD, but what about discovering your spouse is the one doing the carving? Would that not hurt just a wee bit more?

All in all, this film is worth the price of admission, but only for the matinee. You won't be missing much by waiting until it hits Disney+. This is a movie that has a good shot at becoming a cult classic in a decade or two. But it's not going to find much love until then. The talking cat sequel from the Shrek franchise is always going to overshadow this film. Guess there's currently only room in the fans' hearts for one hybrid animation Spaniard trying to keep a wishing star out of the hands of a magic hoarder.

Also, if Dalia doesn't want those Magnifico cookies, can I have them?

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

“Evangeline... likes that too...”

[kerakeriza]

Just to comment: My Belle Evangeline is one of the best songs of Disney

Every song on the PatF soundtrack is the best Disney song to ME!!! Hehe. I just really really really love that movie.

[otherclawdeen]

The more I compare the The Princess and the Frog to new Monster High series, the more similarities I find in the lore and visuals.

Look how she lights up the sky

-“Ma Belle, Evangeline” from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack

Clawdeen and her father’s desire to find her mother is reminiscent of the love story of a Princess and the Frog (PATF) character, Ray the firefly. Both Ray and Clawdeen experience a transformation, a rebirth, and a crossover into a different realm. Ray tells the other characters he’s in love with another firefly he calls Evangeline, but he points her out as the Evening Star in the sky (which I think is Venus in real life but this do be fairy tale). When he dies, it’s implied that he becomes a star alongside Evangeline in the afterlife. Like planets, constellations, and other objects in space, Evangeline is named in reference to a religious symbol. Aside from having the term “angel” in it, multiple dictionaries (like https://www.dictionary.com/browse/evangel and https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/evangel) and baby name websites (like https://www.thebump.com/b/evangeline-baby-name) state her name has Greek origin and roughly means “gospel” or “good news." I think stars are used to symbolize angels because they’re bright and powerful presences in the sky or, in other words, the heavens. Additionally, the chemical that fireflies and other bio-luminescent organisms use to produce light is called luciferin. Lucifer is another instance of a star being referred to as synonymous to an angel. According to the Dictionary.com definitions, “Lucifer” is “a proud, rebellious archangel, identified with [the name,] Satan, who fell from heaven,” “the planet Venus when appearing as the morning star,” roughly translates to "morning star," and literally translates to “light-bringing.” Dictionary.com also defines an evening star as “a bright planet seen in the western sky at or soon after sunset, especially Venus.” It’s easy to mistake Venus or other planets for bright stars, so I wonder if that’s why people have historically referred to them as the evening and/or morning stars. Moreover, the novel, Stardust, is just one example of writing characterizing the Moon as maternal, characterizing its Moon as the mother of unicorns and stars. While PATF plays with the historical likening between stars, light-bearing living things, and angels, the Monster High (MH) series plays on the maternal dynamic between werewolves and the Moon. Similar to how the Moon mirrors Clawdeen’s mother as a faraway and thus mysterious source of her werewolf side, a star represents Evangeline as a faraway and mysterious being. From the first g3 mh episode, it’s clear Clawdeen’s always been drawn to monsters without even realizing the affinity was connected to her mother. Ray and Clawdeen are each drawn to a loved one/light in the sky like moths to flames.

I’m getting closer and closer everyday,

And I’m almost there,

Almost there,

people around here think I’m crazy,

but I don’t care

-“Almost There��� from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack

As people that know these stories understand, both Tiana and Clawdeen’s dreams are directly linked to a lost parent (which ik is also just a common trope for protagonists). Tiana is trying to carry on her and her father’s dream of owning a restaurant and Clawdeen is trying to achieve her and her father’s hopes to reunite with her mother again. In trying to get her restaurant, Tiana deals with heavy racial discrimination and doesn’t come from money, so she doesn’t leave much time for fun or relationships. Clawdeen also experiences alienation from humans, which could somewhat have to do with racism (and maybe homophobia? she could be fascinated with monsters because she relates to not fitting in, tho clearly she’s also drawn to monsters because she is one and doesn’t know it). Clawdeen has no way of contacting her mother and is just beginning to understand the monster world. She’s also not left with much knowledge about her werewolf side, so she’s kind of desperate to find anything she can. Moreover, physical transformations from human form as well as changes in setting follow the social alienation that drives Clawdeen and Tiana away from other humans. Clawdeen discovers her werewolf side after entering the Monster High world. Tiana gets turned into a frog by kissing Naveen, who she meets after wishing on the Evening Star (Evangeline) for another way to get her restaurant after being rejected by the Finner brothers.

There’s a city,

Way down on the river

-“Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack

Like Tiana, Clawdeen may have cultural roots in New Orleans. Clawdeen and Tiana’s fathers pass down the African-American dishes, jambalaya and gumbo, both of which are very popular in New Orleans. I also originally learned from an anon ask that there’s werewolf folklore in Louisiana, so it’s possible Clawdeen’s werewolf powers are connected to that (just like Tiana’s supernatural transformation into a frog). Both characters return to their human selves in instances in which they remember friends and family. Tiana kisses Naveen again and turns back into herself as well as a princess, while Clawdeen uses the talisman and thoughts of her dad/human side and turns into her human self.

I’ve Got Friends on the other side

-“Friends On the Other Side” from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack

Both Dr. Facilier (aka the Shadow Man, aka the witch doctor) and Clawdeen are bisected into supernatural and human selves. (I know Jackson Jekyll probably inspired the changes to g3 Clawdeen, but it’s an interesting parallel.) In addition to feeling connected and pulled towards supernatural forces, both characters experience racism/ostracism in the human world and thus are pushed towards the supernatural one. Clawdeen and Facilier share a desperation for power they’ve been denied for practically their whole lives. Dr. Facilier wants money so he can live with more agency and comfort. Clawdeen wants to access her werewolf powers, better understand her identity as a whole, and reunite with her mother. In patf and mh, Clawdeen and the Shadow Man align with spirits/beings/peers (aka "friends on the other side"). I think being an outcast is also why Clawdeen in particular has a lot to learn about how friendship works (also just because relationships in general take work). There’s also fandom discourse and theories that Dr. Facilier’s mother is actually Mama Odie, which would mean—like Clawdeen—he’s probably connected to the supernatural world through his mother’s side (this may actually be sort of canon hence when his character says, “I’m a royal myself on my mother’s side” and according to the wiki fandom page for the film). Moreover, these characters’ tethers to the supernatural seem to draw supernatural things wherever they go. Splitzee is a bit reminiscent of the creepy talisman, dolls, masks, and spirits that come from the “other side” in patf. The way he extends and contracts his mouth mirrors the mechanics of the witch doctor’s talisman and the mouth of one the giant masks that opens a portal to the “other side.” Like Splitzee, these things seem greedy and unpredictable. These creatures and spirits all come from other realms into spaces where Clawdeen/the Shadow Man are.

Transformation central

-“Friends on the Other Side” (reprise) from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack

Lastly, talismans play significant roles in patf and mh. Clawdeen and the witch doctor are both given talismans that in some way link to bloodlines (Clawdeen’s talisman is passed down from her mother and Dr. Facilier’s talisman runs on The Princess and the Frog character Prince Naveen’s blood), grant certain wearers particular shapeshifting powers, and play parts in granting crossovers between worlds.

I have been a stranger in a strange land

-title of Rita Dove poem (and apparently a quote from the Bible)

I think all these aspects (as well as her nerdiness and little wolf nose) of the new take on Clawdeen’s story are pretty cool, but I also feel like the g3 series drained Clawdeen of her identity in order to make her story arc. The new series not only erased some of her black features, it also cut her off from a chunk of her family, culture, and knowledge of her werewolf side. I like how the new series has incorporated more of characters’ family members, but I’ve noticed the Wolf family seems to be the only mh family that exists in g1 and has family members missing or separated in g3. She never got to grow up with Clawd or Howleen, and Clawdia doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Both live action and the new animation do this thing where they try to make a story about self acceptance, but proceed to whitewash their main character. I don’t really mind that her new character arc seems to pull inspiration from Jackson Jeckyl, but (to me) it mildly comes across like a desperate attempt to add something interesting. Overall, this erasure has left g3 Clawdeen lost. In an earlier episode, when Cleo mentions the possibility of werewolf powers waning with the moon, Clawdeen seems understandably terrified of losing them. It's like people in the creative team took a bigass bite from her life story and all she does is try to get it back. There’s a difference between reimagining and diluting and this show is kinda doing both.

[justagaywad]

As much as I’d love to have a patf au with bunny were they’re Tiana and naven(I know people have done this i absolutely love @buttery-chaos version) I know damn well if they were in that universe they’d be ray and Evangeline

[high-quality-tiktoks]

🌟😭

[callonpeevesie]

The OTP that never even interacted on screen.

[froggy-fan-girl]

Who’s ready to join the church of Tianaveen?!? We meet on Saturdays

[ray-pics-daily]

Any Peter Pan fan: It's Neverland!

Any TLK fan: Those are the kings of the past! ...or just fireflies stuck in that bluish-black thing.

Any PatF fan: *loud sobbing*

[princess-ibri]

What are your thoughts on the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio being named Evangeline (the star named by Ray from the Princess and the Frog)?

I like it! I think its a good theory that fits well with what's already there, with her being linked to the Wishing/Evening Star and the fact she does weirdly seem to be charmed by bug men xD

[mamaodeeznuts]

Ma belle evangeline is gonna be a duet between ray and evangeline, and as ray lays dying, he’s gonna look up at Evangeline overhead and quietly sing “look how she lights up the sky” to add to the pain

[deathsmallcaps]

Peter Pan and The Princess and the Frog are in the same Universe - they have the same stars

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

[writesailingdreams]

I watched most of PatF and gosh, I forgot how much I love that movie. It’s just...so pretty. And the characters, Tiana and Naveen in particular. Just ♥️