#like after rewatching hunchback and . . .

[technicallymaximumkitty]

lmao Kristoff only wishes he had half the swag Phoebus has

[imagitory]

Hey all! So recently Wish was added to Disney+, and I thought it might be a good opportunity for me to watch it again for the first time since I saw it in theaters. I asked you all what I should write about after watching it, and in the end, the top answers were an analysis of the criticism surrounding Wish and something focusing more on the positive aspects of the movie, rather than just the usual mindless bashing.

So that's what I intend to write! A look back at some of the common criticisms I've heard about the film, and how much weight they actually have.

Now, before we begin, I should put in a disclaimer -- I don't particularly like Wish as a film. I think it had ridiculous amounts of potential that were likely hampered by corporate decisions, but I personally find it to be one of Disney's weaker animated films. That being said, as promised, I will make any critiques I do include as balanced as I can, and I will try to include praise where I can too.

So let's start!

"Asha is a badly written character because she has no character arc."

This is a critique I actually found on a list also discussing valid criticism of Wish, and I knew I had to include it, because even BEFORE I rewatched the movie, I thought it was a bit unfair. Because here's the thing: there are plenty of good films, Disney or otherwise, where the main character doesn't have/need a character arc. All of Walt's original three princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, don't have character arcs. Ariel doesn't have an arc either -- instead her father Triton is the one who goes through a change of heart. Neither does Pongo, or Basil of Baker Street, or Robin Hood. Indiana Jones doesn't go through any real character development in Raiders of the Lost Ark, yet he was interesting enough to inspire a whole movie series! with mixed results. The important part is that even if a main character doesn't develop personality-wise, we should still be able to root for them and want them to achieve their goal. We don't want Cinderella to be abused by her stepfamily -- we want her to find someone who loves her and will take care of her the way she takes care of others. Although it can be more interesting to give your characters an arc while they pursue their goals, it isn't necessary to tell a good story or write a compelling character. Sometimes a story can be more focused on how their life circumstances or environment changes around them.

Another criticism this leads into is the idea that Asha is just another "quirky female lead" a la Rapunzel, except without any background that justifies it. And well...plenty of people griped that Anna was too much like Rapunzel, when Frozen came out. I saw people compare Moana to both Rapunzel and Mulan, when her film came out. Mirabel was also compared to past Disney heroines like Anna and Rapunzel. Even before Wish came out, people tried to argue that Asha looked just like Isabela Madrigal, which was just ridiculous. There's plenty of bad-faith criticism out there that'll shallowly associate one character or story element with one trope exclusively without looking at any nuance or detail. And I think most people would agree that truthfully, none of these female characters are the least bit "the same," no matter how much someone might try to all boil them down to "the quirky Disney female lead." And, like the others, Asha has traits that set her apart. The big one for me is her bent toward social justice, which is something we haven't really seen in a Disney leading lady since Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Even so, I admit that Asha's quirkiness isn't as justified by her backstory as the trait is by Rapunzel's isolation or Mirabel's "outcast" status in her family, and that does make it so that her characterization has less depth than those of some of her counterparts'. Does that make Asha a bad character? Of course not. If you like Asha as written, that's totally fine. Underdeveloped doesn't have to mean unlikable.

"There are too many characters in this movie!"

Even I've been a bit guilty of thinking this. I still feel as though the film would've saved a lot of space if some aspects of Asha's friend group had been redistributed to other characters. Like okay, you want to reference the Seven Dwarfs in Asha's inner circle, but give them all distinctive personalities? Have her mother fill the Bashful role, and cut Bazeema. Have her grandpa be Happy, and cut Hal. Have Valentino be your Grumpy role, and cut Gabo. Have Star play your Dopey, and cut Dario. Suddenly you only have three characters -- Simon, Safi, and Dahlia -- to introduce in that kitchen scene instead of seven, and you've also now given Asha's mum, grandpa, and sidekicks more personality as well!

That being said, the amount of characters truly isn't the problem. The real problem is time. Because let's be honest, we can ALL think of media with a large cast of characters we've become strongly emotionally invested in. The Lord of the Rings -- The Avengers -- Hazbin Hotel...but the difference is how much time the audience is given to get to know all of these characters. Even Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which has a cast of eleven, ends up leaving the Prince and the Huntsman rather underdeveloped compared to the Dwarfs. We don't ever learn the Evil Queen's whole deal or even her name, and she gets a lot of focus! With Wish only being ten minutes longer than Snow White with a cast of fourteen, it's little wonder the filmmakers struggled to have all fourteen of them leave a strong, unique impact. Even when I first watched the film, I didn't feel anything negative toward Asha's friend group -- if anything, I was happy to see a Disney animated female lead with a friend group of her peers, since the closest we'd gotten to that previously was Hiro in Big Hero 6 and Mei in Pixar's Turning Red. All of Asha's friends had the potential to be very interesting people, and that's why it's sad that we didn't get to see more of them and have the chance to become invested in them as individuals.

"Magnifico was actually right the whole time! Asha is the REAL villain of the story."

I see this one a lot, both from people who disliked the movie and fans who stan Magnifico, and as much as I won't give anyone a hard time for liking Magnifico, I think this view isn't really fair to either character or to the story the filmmakers pretty clearly wanted to tell. And sadly, as much as I want to be positive, I think this interpretation comes about partly because of inconsistent writing on the filmmakers' parts.

In Welcome to Rosas, there is this utopic vision presented of the island -- one that only reinforces the story told to us at the beginning by Asha, of how this man who loves wishes learned powerful magic so he could found this idyllic island kingdom with his wife where he could make wishes come true. Unfortunately, for some viewers, I think that propaganda works a little too well -- making us see Rosas as a place that truly is that happy and content and peaceful. And yeah, that does make it so that when Asha sings about how she wants "more than this," that could make her come across as rather selfish and entitled. But I think there are a few things that are good to remember --

Welcome to Rosas is framed as an advertisement of sorts -- like one of those commercials you see promoting Disneyland and how magical it is, without ever bringing up how much money it costs or how many lines you'll have to stand in. Asha's guiding some new people around with the goal of convincing them to stay and give their wishes to Magnifico, so of course it's going to sanitize the kingdom and make it seem like a place you'd want to stay in. There's blatant hyperbole thrown in there for dramatic effect, like the idea that you could go to outer space. Asha even sings that you're "unlikely to be unhappy": not that you'll be happy living on this island, just not unhappy. And yes, there is a difference between contentment and true, fulfilling happiness.

Simon's friends flat-out call him boring, after he turned eighteen and gave up his wish. This foreshadows what we learn about the wishes later, which is that they're a core part of a person that they're left a shadow of themselves without. At the wish ceremony later on, we can see this in the animation of the two "new citizens" giving their wishes to Magnifico. When they think of their wishes, they're full to the brim with joy, but when they've given them up, they're left looking confused and almost bereft, and even as everyone else cheers, they look unconvinced by the crowd's cult-like "forget without regret" chant. According to Wish's own canon, you're cutting out the "heart" of who you are, when you give up your wish.

Considering Amaya says that Asha will need to keep the tea hot, listen whenever and for however long Magnifico wants to talk, and never question anything, Magnifico didn't want an apprentice -- that would insinuate he'd actually be teaching them magic. If anything, it sounds more like he wanted a personal servant to cater to his whims. And when that person interviewing before Asha disappoints him, he's left running down the hall crying hysterically. This develops Magnifico as the film's future antagonist. Already long before he uses the evil magic book, we see that he wants a subordinate to do whatever he wants without question or complaint, seemingly for nothing in return except his own approval and, I would presume, some sort of paycheck. (I mean, I'm not saying Asha was right to expect favors from Magnifico so soon, or that that kind of quid-pro-quo stuff isn't corrupt as heck, but considering she and Magnifico did seem to connect over how important the wishes were, and considering Sabino's 100 years old, can you blame Asha for opening up about her hope that Magnifico would consider granting her grandfather's wish? She never framed it as a quid-pro-quo, and this probably would be the best chance she'd have to appeal to the King directly.)

Asha is seventeen! Of course her world view is going to be smaller and more idealistic than Magnifico's, and of course her family is going to be the center of her world. At the same time, even if Asha is young, it doesn't mean her perspective isn't worthy of compassion and respect. Sometimes the young do have a more meaningful view of a situation than their elders -- just look at David Hogg, or Malala Yousafzai, or Greta Thunberg...hell, even Anne Frank! However upset Magnifico was about Asha disagreeing with and contradicting him, it does not justify how pettily he decided to shut her down. He was an adult, and a ruler besides: it behooved him to act like one.

The filmmakers clearly envisioned Magnifico as the villain. Even if you want to ignore the promos where they compared Magnifico to the likes of classic Disney villains, Magnifico is portrayed as an arrogant, vain, vindictive control freak. He thinks only he knows what's best for everyone else, has decreed that only he has the authority to cast magic or grant wishes, and knows how beautiful people's wishes are, but prefers to hoard them away like trinkets, long before realizing that crushing them gives him power. (Not to mention he looked at Asha's hand-drawn animation and actually said, "Do we call that a talent?" I mean -- excuse you!) I've even heard some people theorize that Magnifico was based off Disney's "collect-'em-all" CEO himself, Bob Iger, and not in a flattering way. His main argument scene with Asha has been compared to how creatives have felt about their corporate bosses abruptly shutting down and locking away their incomplete films rather than let them be finished or released. Admittedly Wish also goes out of its way to try to make Magnifico sympathetic by giving him the slightest of tragic backstories, having him actually trust Asha enough to show her the wishes after only just meeting her, and (later on) not giving into the temptation of the random evil magic book because Amaya asks him not to, and that definitely muddies the waters. I still have to stand by the fact, though, that one's motivation doesn't excuse their bad behavior, however much one can explain the other. Magnifico having a sad backstory or trauma doesn't mean he's justified in treating people poorly, collecting wishes for his own enjoyment instead of truly loving them and the people they're attached to by sharing them with others, or not wanting people to ever question him or his authority. Magnifico's "nicer" moments don't mitigate these things either. Nor does his role as king. Even if yes, the story could've done well to add more nuance to the idea of wishes and make clear that not all of them are good -- and yes, the story could've either made Magnifico's villainy a bit more straightforward or followed through with the idea of Magnifico being a misguided anti-villain...in this film, we only see good wishes represented in Rosas. Magnifico even calls the wishes "the very best part [of a person]" -- and so one can only presume that all of the wishes Magnifico's collected are that way. Asha even suggests (before Magnifico interrupts her) that if a wish is dangerous, they could probably address that, while still giving back the wishes Magnifico won't grant. And the wish that Magnifico explicitly calls too "dangerous" to grant is Sabino wanting to inspire future generations, presumably through music. Paranoia on Magnifico's part? Perhaps, but also unjustified, in the context of the film. When Star comes down, every last person in Rosas -- including Magnifico's wife and queen, Amaya, who presumably must know something of his trauma and understand wanting to protect their people -- feels nothing but warmth, hope, and joy: all except for Magnifico, who immediately reacts in fear just seeing the wishes moving outside of his control. This insinuates that Magnifico's perception is the odd one out -- he's the only one who's afraid and not inspired, because that alternative magic threatens his absolute rule and control. Just like he's threatened by his people asking too many questions about the wishes he's taken. Just like he's threatened by the idea that Sabino could inspire the next generation in a way he doesn't approve of. And in the end, if that random evil book did corrupt Magnifico, it only magnified what was already there inside of him -- a greedy, obsessive need to hoard things away all for himself and to control others.

Again, for those people who see Magnifico more sympathetically than the filmmakers intended, I can understand why. Wish has two very conflicting ideas of who Magnifico is supposed to be, likely because it was compiled from dramatically different script drafts. But I feel demonizing Asha or ignoring the film's overall message about the value of people being free to chase their dreams to try to prop Magnifico up is misguided.

"Wish is bad because it's 'woke.'"

I almost wonder if I even need to say anything. This sentiment is so disingenuous, it seems like I should really be able to let it speak for itself. Ironically enough, though, I would actually argue that one of Wish's biggest shortcomings is that it isn't as revolutionary as it clearly wants to be.

For one, the culture of Rosas -- inspired largely by Spain and the Mediterranean -- is really never explored. We get no real influence of either of those cultures on the soundtrack aside from a few mandolins and a flourish of castanets now and again, unlike how Encanto embraces Colombia or how The Princess and the Frog celebrates New Orleans with their music. There's a lot of diversity in Wish's cast with a biracial lead and her colorful friend group (including Dahlia, who has a crutch!), but that would be a lot more meaningful if that diverse cast of characters had had fully fleshed-out personalities and relationships that made us emotionally invested in them, such as how Turning Red handled Mei and her friend group. We have aspects of social justice in Wish's storyline, sure -- but as much as you can draw parallels to Wish's story and the writers' strike that had been going on earlier that year and I think those parallels are striking, a film that clearly dealt with so much corporate oversight and meddling almost couldn't commit to making their villain a True Evil sort, and in the end, Rosas doesn't even do away with the absolute monarchy at the end of their supposed "revolution": it just shifts leadership from its King to its Queen. (And yes, I acknowledge saying "no more royalty" is a message that Disney, of all companies, would be hesitant to put out there, but you can't deny, it would've been both ballsy and different.)

Does this mean Bob Iger was right, that Wish is proof its creative types are focusing too much on message and not on entertainment? No. I'd say the bigger problems with the film were more likely caused by corporate interference -- you know, like hiring some popular pop composers to write songs that can be repackaged into other projects easily rather than primarily tell the story and develop the characters. Or deciding that our main female lead has to be able to do everything on her own without "too much help" from her main co-star (LOL, pun) because "feminism." Or defanging the villain with similarities to the company's CEO so he won't scare the kiddos. Or even animating the film at the exact same time as you're writing it like you previously did with Frozen II, to save time and take advantage of the 100th anniversary timing.

Even so, I sadly can't help but feel that Wish is "woke" largely in a performative sense. It features people who look different from each other and it talks about revolution and positive change, but it really doesn't go far enough to depict diversity in a way that people can get really excited about it or inspire deep thought and even maybe positive change in its audience. That's not focusing too much on message and not on entertainment -- if anything, it's more indicative of not giving the relevant and timely themes and the diverse culture enough focus.

"The meta Disney references are awful."

This one I think really is much more subject to personal taste. I've heard quite a few fans say how fun it is to find all the Easter eggs for other Disney projects or even to theorize how Wish could be connected to those movies in some kind of Disney Cinematic Universe. Personally I'm not in this camp, but that doesn't mean that I hate all the references included. The film opening with the exact same kind of text from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs actually made me smile. The Sleeping Beauty-esque drawing style in the storybook was pretty. Even the Seven Friends as an idea I thought was cute, when I first saw the concept art for them.

By and large, the references I tend to see more favorably are the ones only hard-core Disney/animation fans would pick up on. This might make me sound snooty, but I still personally enjoy references like Star's design being based on one of the star cherubs from a discarded Snow White sequence far more than I do the more blatant ones like Magnifico crushing a dream about a "perfect nanny" or the boy dressed like Rosasbound!Peter Pan. I guess for me, the first kind of references feel more like homages, rather than things that are deliberately supposed to make you think of other Disney movies you could be watching instead of this one. For other people, though, thinking of different Disney films while watching Wish is fun, and it reminds them of how much they enjoy those other movies too. It's good, clean, nostalgic entertainment. And well, Disney has put plenty of Easter eggs in its work before, though usually a bit more sparingly.

So yeah, I think ragging on the flood of Disney Easter Eggs in Wish is a bit unfair. As much as most of them aren't for me and I would've been happier with a lot less of them, I know there are other people who find joy in them, and I'm happy they do. The animators working on this film undoubtedly had a lot of fun including those references too, and I don't blame them! It's fun to create art celebrating what you love with like-minded people.

"Wish's songs are all terribly written."

Now up to a certain point, I could just say exactly what I said against the last criticism -- that this really comes down to personal opinion. Unlike meta Easter eggs, however, music is an art form, and there is real craftsmanship to it -- hell, people study music theory for a reason. And as several Youtubers have discussed before, there are real structural problems to how a lot of these songs are written. In some cases, it's an issue of cadence, where the way the words are sung don't sound like how they'd be naturally spoken aloud. In Knowing What I Know Now, for instance, sometimes the singers use the wrong emphasis on certain words, just based on where they land in the song, such as when Asha sings about Magnifico showing his "TRUE col-ORS in SHADES of GREEN," even if people don't naturally emphasize the second syllable in the word "colors." In other cases, it's over-stuffing a line with words so that the melody line isn't as memorable, such as in This Wish where the amount of syllables per line are all over the place and sentences get cut in weird places --

Isn't truth supposed to set you free? (9) Well, why do I feel so weighed down by it? (10) If I could show them everything I've seen, (10) Open their eyes to all the lies, then (9) Would they change their minds like I did? (8) But when I speak, they tell me, "Sit down!" (9) But how can I when I've already started runnin'? (8) Oh, this is where we've been, (6) But it's not where we belong, (7) And I may be young, but I know I'm not wrong... (11)

There are also cases where the songs barely use any actual rhymes in favor of half-rhymes or worse twist themselves into pretzels just to make an actual rhyme, such as in I'm a Star, with lines such as "When it comes to the universe we're all shareholders // Get that through your system! (Solar!)" and "Ooh, I'm a star! // Watch out, world, here I are!" (Excuse me while I cringe.) And then of course, most infamously, there are the redundant and otherwise weird lyric choices, most commonly cited in Magnifico's And This is The Thanks I Get?!, such as "I got these genes from outer space!" and "I let you live here for free and I don't even charge you rent!"

By and large, people have not responded as well to Wish's soundtrack as they have for many other Disney musicals. It could also be argued that the songs don't tell the film's story as well as they could've. The most egregious example of this is At All Costs, which is supposed to be our villain and hero singing about the beauty of the wishes the first has collected, but was literally written as a love song first, just because Julia Michaels wanted to write a song that could be played at people's weddings even if the movie in question didn't feature any romance. Even This Wish was written well before the script was finished, and this is when we can tell from all the concept art released by Disney that this movie had been dramatically rewritten at multiple stages of development.

And yet even with this, I still see people making animatics for At All Costs featuring their own characters or Asha and the discarded Starboy concept. (And yes, we'll come back to that.) I still see fan-made music videos featuring This Wish. Hell, even I have some of Wish's songs on my IPhone, and I listen to them actively! Knowing What I Know Now, as much as I see what's technically wrong with it, is still a bop for me. However much I had to take a full-on sanity break after listening to I'm a Star a second time, I do enjoy This Wish and At All Costs, just on their own. I don't think This Wish (reprise) is a bad musical or thematic climax, especially if one considers Magnifico's fear that Sabino's wish was to inspire the next generation through music, and it ends up being a song -- sung by his loving granddaughter -- that ultimately defeats our antagonist. I don't think any of Wish's songs really help tell the story as well as other Disney songs do for their films, but I still think there's room for personal taste here. Music -- like all art -- still has an element of subjectivity. It isn't a science -- yes, there is talent and skill involved that can only be mastered with practice and hard work, but there's still a bit of magic that comes with the finished result, and as much as it might not be popular with the masses, that doesn't necessarily make something worthless, or that public consensus can't change. Tchaikovsky famously hated the work he did for The Nutcracker, as did the critics of his day, only for it to go on to become a staple of holiday entertainment and ballet productions overall. Plenty of cult classic films like Labyrinth and Heathers didn't make a lot of money or get lots of praise when they first came out, but soon enough they found their audience.

"The animation is lazy!"

There's actually a much better video discussing this, made by a real professional animator, and I think I'll just let him handle this.

One thing I want to touch on, though, is Jennifer Lee's commentary about why Wish ultimately wasn't done in 2D animation --

"What happens in hand-drawn is that you have the incredible hand of the artist, but also limitations in what you could do on screen. What happened in CG is you'd have incredible, boundless opportunities, visually, that elevated it — even to the point for some — into realism, which is not what we wanted to do. The more important thing to us was to have a way to find technology that can do everything. Connect to the true vision of the artist, but bring in technology that could finally take away limitations."

-- and yeah, I'm not going to lie, this sentiment leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. The idea that hand-drawn animation somehow limits what art you can create is mind-boggling for anyone working in animation to think, but especially for someone working in Disney animation. I can't help but feel like Uncle Walt would've been ticked if he'd heard anyone suggest this. Anyone who loves animation I think would be annoyed by it, and I'd say people like Hayao Miyazaki continue to prove that Lee's thought process isn't true, considering that his hand-drawn film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature the same year that Lee's Wish was passed over by the Academy altogether. To be fair, though, this is more a reflection on certain Disney leaders' dismissive attitude toward the medium that built their company as well as the vast majority of the films they're supposedly celebrating, rather than any condemnation of the hard-working animators who worked on Wish. And yes, although no one can argue that Wish ultimately doesn't look as good as its animated peers like Sony's Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse (which was made with half the budget Wish was), that's more the fault of a flawed vision on the part of the filmmakers than anything. It's certainly not indicative of a lack of talent, resources, or caring from the animators themselves.

"Wish would've been so much better if it had featured a love story between Starboy and Asha!"

Okay, let me pop this bubble right now --

None of Disney's official releases have ever indicated Star was going to be Asha's love interest.

The concept art featuring Asha and human!Star? Yeah, that exists, but there's nothing strictly romantic in any of those concepts, like them kissing or even hugging. At All Costs originally supposedly being a love song for Asha and Star? As touched on above, nope, it was even more of a cynical corporate decision than that -- the songwriters just wanted to write a love song that they could repackage and use elsewhere, even if there was no love story to go with it. The thing about Asha and Star supposedly being soulmates? That's derived from a comment in the artbook from Wish co-writer Allison Moore, talking about Asha and Star in their current forms, and so therefore the sentiment was intended platonically --

"Now Star and Asha have an emotional journey. They are soulmates."

And well, just based on a good chunk of the Disney animated films that had come out prior to Wish featuring male and female leads -- Zootopia, Moana, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It-Ralph -- there was really nothing definitive to suggest that our two central characters were going to be romantically linked. And even if Star and Asha were going to be love interests, that still would've been no guarantee of a better movie -- you'd still need compelling, well-developed characters, if you want to likewise have a compelling, well-developed relationship between them. And as I've argued in the past, a movie doesn't need romance to be good. If someone could feel sincere platonic love between Star and Asha as their actual movie selves, then any romance between them wouldn't be needed. I truly believe the only reason that so many people have gotten so hung up on the idea of a Star/Asha romance is because that original platonic "soulmates" idea Allison Moore and others envisioned just didn't ring true for them. They saw more love and interesting chemistry between the original concept art versions of Star and Asha than they did between any of the characters in the finished film...and so they've built upon those flickers of love with their own imagination and then built that mental image up into something that I don't think the filmmakers probably ever intended.

I must be honest, it was kind of a slog, watching Wish for a second time. I stopped multiple times to take notes, unable to just sit back and let the movie wash over me. Even so, I truly appreciate how much time you must've spent to skim through this way-too-long analysis, as well as the votes you all cast in that one poll of mine! I love analyzing Disney, and as much as I don't love Wish, I do think it provided great fodder for new fan creations and has amazing potential as an educational tool about both good storytelling and film-making. And if there are more criticisms of Wish you'd like me to discuss, please feel free to reblog this post with them! Thank you for your support!

To close us out...if you love Wish, then keep on loving it! Don't let anyone -- including me -- tell you otherwise. I don't think a film that was truly the worst thing ever would've attracted as much attention or overanalyzing as Wish has received. And for those of you who are still dissatisfied with Wish, here's a list of films I compiled that you can watch and enjoy instead!

For Starboy/Asha stans...Stardust!

For both Starboy and Chris Pine stans...Rise of the Guardians!

For those of you who love the idea of storytelling magic...Whisper of the Heart!

For those of you hungry for a diversely cast, "woke" fairy tale...Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997)!

For people looking for a colorful, family-friendly musical...Wonka!

For avant-garde animation fans...Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio!

For modern CG animation fans...Puss in Boots: The Last Wish!

And finally, probably most obviously -- for those Disney fans looking for a loving tribute to 100 years of Disney Animation with a bunch of Easter Eggs and good humor...Once Upon a Studio!

Much love to you all! 💛

[inevitablemoment]

After rewatching Hunchback of Notre Dame, I feel like a lot of people don't talk about how amazing Tom Hulce's voice is. I'm so happy that he got a solo line in Once Upon A Studio.

[vypridae]

(I'm not sure if anyone's said this before but if they have I'm sorry)

I just finished rewatching hunchback of notre dame and I could imagine velvette singing hellfire about carmilla but it's before her and carmilla are dating and when she's just a bit obsessed with her (like Valentino is with angel and vox is with alastor)

ive never heard the song or seen hunchback of notre dame but actually after looking up the lyrics youre SO fucking right anon, velvette losing her mind because "why am i so into this woman i hate her why am i LOSING MY MIND"

[randomalistic]

🎬 MY 2023 MOVIE LIST

THIS YEAR I WATCHED:

44 DIFFERENT MOVIES

30 NEW MOVIES 17 REWATCHES

28 ANIMATED MOVIES 16 LIVE ACTION MOVIES

I’ve also linked a few posts with my initial reactions/discussions

MUST-WATCH LIST: at least imo. teehee.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Labyrinth (1986)

ParaNorman (2012)

The Last Unicorn (1982)

Nimona (2023)

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

Wreck-it Ralph (2012)

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Megamind (2010)

Coraline (2009)

Kung-Fu Panda (2008)

The Book of Life (2014)

Corpse Bride (2005)

Isle of Dogs (2018)

Tangled (2010)

I hope I keep this up !!! Maybe I can watch more TV shows or play more games next year :)

+ SOMETHING COOL TO TRY: Watch 2 similar movies back to back more often. You’ll be able to make interesting connections between them and it's fun!

-- Extended list below --

———————

ABSOLUTE FAVORITE

Watch it!!

Good but had some problems

———————

1-12-23: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) ACTUALLY PEAK FILM. AMAZING VISUALS, EPIC FIGHT SEQUENCES AND VERY HEARTFELT . I love piss in boots. MUST WATCH.

3-9-23: The Steven Universe Movie (2018) (rewatch) Spinel is in this. The songs are amazing. Fun to revisit !!!

3-24-23: Labyrinth (1986) DAVID BOWIE AND INTRICATE PUPPET CREATURES 80s FANTASY MOVIE I AM IN LOVE. Must watch

4-8-23: ParaNorman (2012) hit me harder than I was expecting, really subverts your expectations. AMAZING. MUST WATCH.

4-28-23: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) I watched this on my birthday :) It made the child in me so happy

5-8-23: Tinker Bell (2008) (old rewatch) Pixie hollow is a legitimately communist society. Fun to revisit !!

6-18-23: The Little Mermaid (2023) ew live action remake lol. But it’s one of the better ones. ok honestly i'm mad that i sorta liked it upon initial viewing. maybe its just cuz i havent seen the original (WHAT ARE YOU DOING!????? oh mygod please watch the original one OK FINE I WILL........)

7-17-23: The Last Unicorn (1982) really a product of its time. So beautiful and unique in its own way. Must watch

7-28-23 Run Lola Run (1998) Indie german crime/thriller film that was fun and experimental, I loved the late 90s trance soundtrack and had a good time, it went by quick!

8-3-23 Barbie (2023) ITS BARBIE !

8-19-23 (Most of) Aladdin (1992) (old rewatch) gGenie………. The animation is GODLY. the early CG is a bit rough but hey it was 1992

8-25-23 Nimona (2023) MOST QUEEREST COOLIEST MOVIE I SEEN HITS VERY HARD AND ITS SUPER GOOD OHHHH…. PLEASE MUST WATCH!!!

9-8-23 Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) finally got around to this one, what a special experience. MUST WATCH

9-15-23 The Road to El Dorado (2000) White savior movie but otherwise fun characters. Tulio and Miguel are the gayest straight guys I’ve ever seen

9-15-23 The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) GENUINELY HILARIOUS AND SO GOOFY. It was fun seeing this right after el dorado.

9-21-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (old rewatch) brooooo this moviie sucs I hate it so much i. please watch

9-22-23 How to Train Your Dragon (2010) very powerful music and showcases a very touching relationship between humans and nature/the unknown, must see !!!!!

9-29-23 Little Miss Sunshine (2006) dysfunctional family road trip with chaotic/dark humor. ITS FUNNY I LIKED IT

10-1-23 Elemental (2023) REALLY didn’t deserve the hate, it’s a sweet romance/immigration story. A little cheesy but it’s charming. The visuals are a feat to behold

10-4-23 Napoleon Dynamite (2004) some outdated language/humor but otherwise a Very specific brand of silly/charming

10-5-23 Marcel The Shell (2021) unexpectedly touching and unique movie presentation style - I may have cried

10-7-23 Megamind (2010) (old rewatch) ICONIC and hilarious supervillain film and aged very well. MUST WATCH!!??

10-21-23 Coraline (2009) (rewatch) this movie has such a distinct, creepy identity and it’s enthralling each time. MUST WATCH

10-27-23 Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) has tonal problems and it wasn’t confident enough to go all out all the way through, which is so unfortunate… But AMAZING otherwise. The architecture ??! And Frollo. Evil priest characters you are so cool

10-27-23 Kung-Fu Panda (2008) (old rewatch) Legitimately amazing animated martial arts movie and embraces self love. we all know this. It’s even better on rewatch. MUST WATCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10-27-23 Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) (old rewatch) SURPRISINGLY POWERFUL AND A REALLY GOOD SEQUEL. Hi shen blushes

11-4-23 The Book of Life (2014) this film is such an UNDERRATED TREAT. Absolutely gorgeous celebration of Mexican culture. Incredible world and characters and the style is so distinct. Must WATCH !!!???

11-5-23 Five Nights At Freddy’s (2023) :) I’ve been waiting for this ever since I was 13 and I had so much fun watching it. This was a highlight of my year!

11-12-23 Corpse Bride (2005) Really really good Tim Burton Halloween movie with so much stylization. So much fun to watch!!!! And so ethereal at times. MUST WATCH

11-12-23 Frankenweenie (2012) Very cute but disappointing ending, too safe. It could have been more impactful if they pushed it further. Watched this after corpse bride and the parallels were FUNNY.

11-18-23 The Wizard Of Oz (1939) (old rewatch). The real life abusive filming process makes this movie Hard to Enjoy with peace of mind- but the finished product is truly groundbreaking and whimsical

11-20-23 The Bourne Identity (2002) AWESOME THRILLER ACTION MOVIE EHEHE

11-21-23 Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) unpopular opinion - the movie suffers when you don’t see it in its original intended form (in a movie theater . In 1977.) I SWEAR. I STILL ENJOYED IT THOUGH. ….

11-22-23 Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me (1998) SO SILLY but mean spirited/offensive humor at times. ITS AUSTIN POWERS…

11-23-23 Monsters University (2013) (rewatch) MOST UNDERRATED DISNEY SEQUEL/PREQUEL. FUN AND IMPACTFUL COLLEGE FRIENDSHIP MOVIE

11-25-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (rewatch AGAIN.) haha

12-1–23 Isle of Dogs (2018) Incredibly unique/distinct presentation style. My friend who’s a Japanese major loves this movie. MUST WATCH

12-1-23 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) another silly goofy little dysfunctional family unit, a bit yikes at some parts but overall pretty lighthearted. It was cool seeing this immediately after isle of dogs cuz you could see the inspiration in the visuals between the two

12-8-23 The Mitchell’s vs. The Machines (2021) silly robot apocalypse family road trip movie with AMAZING visuals (everyone in the family is autistic)

12-17-23 Prancer (1989) Unexpectedly heartwarming movie about a little girl helping an injured reindeer. VERY SWEET and great message about the impact of kindness and the wonders of being a child. MADE ME CRY.

12-18-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (3rd REWATCH) get a hold of yourself oh my god ‼️

12-19-23 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (rewatch) classic muppet Christmas movie :)

12-22-23 The Muppets (2011) (old rewatch) SURPRISINGLY CATCHY SONGS and a silly muppet movie. Fun to revisit. Tex Richman my beloved

12-23-23 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) Mediocre writing and mean spirited at times <3 BUT ITS A CLASSIC. so ofc i liked it

12-24-23 Tangled (2010) (old rewatch) I forgot how good this movie was. ACTUALLY PEAK and so fun to revisit. Such a fresh take on a fairytale story, great songs, amazing romance, and also empowering about overcoming an abusive parent … MUST WATCH!!!

12-26-23 Klaus (2019) (rewatch) it’s so great to see a new 2D animated movie come out, and such a great story too. Cute origin story of Christmas and POSTAL WORKER APPRECIATION!!!!!

12-31-23 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) (rewatch) started off the year with this movie and then ended with it! What a treat!! I even wrote a short essay about it 1 semester ago :)

———————

In conclusion, I love movies !!! But my favorite movies are those that are confident in their identities and don’t hold back. Like share your message to the fullest !!!!

I watched a lot of stop-motion movies this year. I wanna watch more studio ghibli movies next year

And maybe I should purposefully try watching bad movies… it might make me appreciate good ones more and easier see what they do right. But also. I really dont wanna watch ralph breaks the internet.

[tparadox]

Finally got to rewatch Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame for the first time in over a decade. Some thoughts:

How did Disney allow their artists to make this? For so many reasons.

My wife is right, Disney may be in or have passed through a recent revival, but the Disney Renaissance movies were art on a different level.

I finally hunted down where the name of the third gargoyle LaVerne came from. Victor and Hugo are obvious, but I was trying to determine if LaVerne was his middle name or where he lived or his wife or something. She's named after Laverne Andrews of the Andrews Sisters. Pretty random, but that mystery is solved. Apparently they were planning on naming them after the three big name actors to play Quasimodo on film, but they got worried the actors or their families would sue.

I had a lot of questions about the source material and:

I grew up thinking that Frollo was a religious official, obviously. He's so concerned with being seen as the most pious man in France that he must be clergy. Eventually I picked up that he's a judge. Well, in the book, he's the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. Explains why the Archdeacon in the movie has no name and only affects the plot in the prologue.

It seems as though Quasimodo is only a ward of the cathedral because he was abandoned as a baby for being disfigured. His relationship with Frollo seems to be at best "lackey". He follows Frollo's orders because they come from the Archdeacon.

Wikipedia says that Esmeralda is the protagonist of the book. On the one hand, I wish we would get an adaptation that actually centers on her, but on the other, the book is about how she's 16 and four men are obsessed with her and three of them try to rape her, the fourth (Quasimodo) trying to kidnap her on Frollo's orders early on. It's revealed in the end that "actually she wasn't a Romany by birth, she was stolen from a good French mother to replace the deformed baby the Romany couple abandoned at the cathedral." Yuck.

Four men? Yes, there's a poet who wants her too. As far as I can tell from the Wikipedia summary, his biggest contribution to the plot is that he accidentally enters the Court of Miracles and Esmeralda agrees to marry him so her Romany cohort don't kill him to keep their secret. It's a sham marriage and she refuses to let him touch her, which he's really upset about, but from there it seems his main role is "technically this girl has a husband".

Phoebus got a massive rehabilitation by Disney. Esmeralda gets a teenage crush on him, but he only wants her body. When she refuses him, he tries to rape her and she stabs him in self defense. She's arrested for attempted murder, and under torture, falsely confesses to actual murder. Frollo was secretly watching the whole assault and stabbing.

I went looking for the soundtrack and found the Original Cast Recording of the "New Musical with Music from The Disney Movie". It fixes a lot of the things I felt held back the movie while going deeper on everything I loved. It's even more "Disney was really okay with this?"

The musical has no slapstick comic relief gargoyles to keep the kids entertained, but the gargoyles and saints carved into the cathedral do act as a Greek chorus to Quasimodo. At one point a specific one draws from his own martyr story to try to inspire Quasimodo to heroic action. I would've found it more balanced if there had been a couple more saints offering their own life/death experience, but it's still an improvement over singing a song about how their buddy's crush is definitely head over heels for him minutes before he sees that she's into someone else. Apparently the German version that briefly ran before it was re-adapted back into English did have the comic relief gargoyles, but they did name them after the Hunchback actors they originally wanted to, tweaked just enough to be maybe more defensible?

The main change I didn't like in the musical is the change from Quasimodo being Frollo's charge because he killed his mother and was challenged to do right by the child he was about to drown, which I think is perfect, to Frollo's half-Romany nephew left in his care by Jehan Frollo, the estranged brother he failed to save from a life of "sin", before dying. That's somehow less personal a connection than killing his mother in bigoted zeal. I appreciate the attempt to bring Jehan into the story and of more import than "Claude suspects Esmeralda likes a soldier named Phoebus and wants to find the guy and it just so happens that Claude's depraved brother happens to be the guy's drinking buddy."

I'm most open to gentle correction here but in large part due to this movie I thought that part of the anti-Romany persecution was driven by them being pagan heretics outside the Church, but when I went into reading up on Romany culture, it turns out that there isn't really a "Romany religion". The overwhelming majority is either Christian or Muslim (according to Wikipedia) and my impression is that until recently, the cultural aspect that Romany settlers picked up from their surroundings the most readily was the local religion. Perhaps that was conversion due to persecution I didn't see referenced in those articles, and I'm sure painting the outsiders as heretics was fashionable whether true or not, but this seems to be actually entirely ethnically based bigotry. I'd be interested in a Romany response to the depiction in the movie.

[steelthroat]

I think my only truly controversial opinion is that Disney's hunchback of Notre Dame is... mid? I mean, it's good? But I really don't get the hype?

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I watched it for the first time as a teenager instead as a child so it doesn't have a grip on my nostalgia?

I was excited to watch it, people said it was "super dark and mature and the villain was incredible and the animation, oh my God, the animation!" And hm... no? You lied to me on the internet!!! HOW DARE YOU!

Hey, the songs are crazy good, okay? The songs are something else. Seriously, I get the hype for those. Bangers, absolute bangers...

But the animation was just okay? The tone shifts caused whiplash. It wasn't as dark as the internet loves to chant, and idk... I was kind of disappointed after I watched it.

And I watched countless video essays about it. Maybe I missed something. It happened more than once, okay? Maybe I'd change my mind! But I just can't agree? I really don't like that movie, actually... I like some things about it, but no, I don't feel the need for a rewatch :/

And the funny thing is that the complete opposite happened with the beauty and the beast... I was ready for disappointment and I fell in love with it and now I am the one who is ready to write essays about it.

Also, can we all agree that the transformation of the beast left everyone disappointed? Like, oh no- please grow a beard and body hair again. PLEASE

Ah- who said that?

[enruiinas]

𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓: for read/watch progress and AU/verse plotting purposes. I love AUs & verses in general and am always happy to use a fandom we're both familiar with as a starting point, whether it's borrowing the whole setting, elements we enjoyed or both recognize from a fandom, etc. This is a long post so I'll read-more after "currently reading/watching" - a full list of fandoms I'm familiar with or enjoy is available below the cut.

bold - fandoms i'm familiar enough to base an AU on, pull elements from, etc. italicized - fandoms i'm fairly confident on my grasp of. can base an AU on or pull elements from, but might need a tiny bit of time to revisit some things. ★ - muses from this fandom will likely feature on or will soon be tested on the multimuse i'm working on in the background.

𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆/𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆:

★ ONE PIECE. (manga re-read): ch. 339/????. I am technically "caught up" through the end of Wano and peep on spoilers for the ongoing arc, but as I speed-read the entire thing in a month last year, I'm not always super confident in my grasp on the second half of the series because I was so ready to be caught up. Wano grasp is particularly abysmal but I'm okay with exploring ongoing Egghead stuff with Law in interactions. [Potential muses: Baby 5, Mihawk, Usopp] ★ FAIRY TAIL. (manga first-time read): ch. 285/545.

★ POKEMON (mostly Kanto/Johto stuff though). I grew up on Pokémon and love lol things Kanto/Johto but haven’t watched, played, or read anything since Ruby and Sapphire were current content. I’m starting from scratch and working my way up again, beginning with Pokemon Adventures (manga) and Pokémon Origins + an original Kanto rewatch on Netflix.

𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐒 𝐈 𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐎𝐘:

Anime / Manga:

★ ONE PIECE. see above. ★ FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD. I haven't watched FMA (2003) in years, but it's on my list to revisit. [Potential muses: Winry Rockbell] ★ DEMON SLAYER. Have dabbled in Demon Slayer muses and plan to bring them back after a rewatch to spark my muse again. [Potential muses: TBD pending revisit.] ★ FAIRY TAIL. Reading for the first time. Current progress: ch. 285/545. Potential muses (once I've completed my read only): Cana Alberona, Loke, Gray Fullbuster, Levy McGarden. CHARLOTTE. Anime. This is one I would love to explore AU plots based on. It's short (13 episodes?) and I would probably revisit before jumping into anything but highly recommend if you're looking for a short anime to watch sometimes. ★ NORAGAMI. I slacked off following the manga there for a bit at the end and would need to revisit, but might add muses after a re-read. [Potential muses: TBD pending revisit.] ★ TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN. Need to revisit, but I loved what I'd read so far and would likely end up adding muses. ★ BUNGOU STRAY DOGS.

★ ANGEL BEATS.

Movies:

LABYRINTH. 1986 - the David Bowie movie. always a fave. ★ DISNEY MOVIES. Pretty much any, but my favorites are Hercules*, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Emperor's New Groove, Lilo & Stitch... HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE. (Also reading the book trilogy at the moment, currently on 2/3. Potential muses: Sophie Hatter, Lettie Hatter, Martha Hatter.) SPIRITED AWAY. BARBIE (2023).

Books:

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES. I loooove ACTOAR but it's admittedly been a while. I want to reread soon! (mun confession: after getting @climatact I realized the full extent to which Law is accidentally/unintentionally Rhys-coded. Oops.) ARTEMIS FOWL My all-time favorite book series. I re-read this at least once a year. I doubt I'll add muses, but I'm definitely familiar enough with it I feel like I could muse almost anyone. PRIDE & PREJUDICE. Won't add muses, but enjoy a lot of themes & character tropes/archetypes here. THE LAST UNICORN. [finished 2/19/2024.]

TV Shows:

★ Once Upon a Time. Other than the last season, probably my favorite TV show, but I'm due for a rewatch. [Potential muses: not sure yet but there will be some.]

Video Games:

LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME. STARDEW VALLEY.

* - I love Greek mythology (or any polytheistic belief system) in general. There are probably plenty of things i'd need to read up on but I am always up for Greek mythology or fairy tale (Disney-fied or original versions) inspired verses/themes.

𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃/𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇:

Inuyasha

Pokemon (Anime? Manga? Games? Where do I wanna start?)

ATLA

Yu-Gi-Oh

Kaoru Hana Wa Rin To Saku.

[cloudcountry]

Beethoven is a boyboss fr fr ✊ /lh

SJDBFS HELP I’m loving your love for Zero,, And thanks for the birthday wishes, too! >w< 

As promised, here are those TWST thoughts/ideas I had- Keep in mind they’re all really random, so they may be a bit unhinged-

(Also, sorry I didn’t send this in sooner! My birthday was yesterday and things were pretty busy!)

TWST Thoughts (General)

-Rook would be such a fan of Shakespeare

-Yuu/Reader riding on Kraken!Azul’s shoulder,, I saw this as a fanart piece once, where both of them are peeking out of the seawater looking at an island far away, and I can’t stop thinking about it

-Savanaclaw students but it’s just this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KSVUZsiEAQ

-Okay but seriously, we don’t consider the talking paintings of NRC much. I remember seeing a fan comic where a siren in a painting lured a Yuu!MC to them and was about to hurt/most likely kill them (the comic was in Japanese, so I couldn’t get the full context), but Jade managed to snap them out of their trance (and then slashed the painting soon after Yuu!MC was gone). This comic has etched itself into my mind and now I’m wondering what other types of paintings in NRC there are,, There’s gotta be some pretty wacky ones, right?? Do they know all the juicy gossip going around school??

-The iconic Howl and Sophie moment where they walk through the air together but with Yuu/Reader and Malleus/Lilia

-TWST as a musical. I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again 😩

-TWST Zombie Apocalypse AU,,

-Speaking of AUs, I’ve had the random thought of the TWST cast being freedom fighters/part of a revolution,, I’ve been rewatching Les Misérables songs, that’s why 💀 (Though, then again, some of them literally helped save the world in Idia’s chapter, so I guess it’s not that farfetched-)

-TWST AU where literally everything is the same except Idia is a dog person (It’s a cursed thought, I know)

-TWST Corpse Bride AU (I have a lot of AU thoughts-)

-Now that I think about it, Jamil would have a heart attack once he hears about Kalim’s escapade in Playful Land 💀

-I can’t imagine Riddle handling spice,, You could put ketchup on something and he’d think it’d be spicy /j

-Okay, this is kind of a long one, but this is based off a Genshin Impact theory I saw; I’m kinda paraphrasing the theory, but one of the characters, Bennett, has astronomically bad luck. Like, can’t even have a normal day without something happening, kind of bad luck. The theory was that Bennett’s bad luck stemmed from the thought that the world itself didn’t like him and had forsaken him. As such, bad things happen to him all the time. I kinda shifted this theory onto Yuu in Twisted Wonderland, but I changed it just a little bit. Yuu themselves aren’t from Twisted Wonderland, they’re from another world entirely. They don’t belong there, and so the world itself is trying to get rid of them, and Yuu is now experiencing the same experiences of bad luck Bennett has. Sometimes it’s little things, like a rock falling on their head, or they trip a little on some uneven ground. Sometimes it’s not-so-little things, like almost getting struck by lightning, a tree falling on them, or the ground suddenly giving way under them when they’re on a mountain hike with Jade and now they’re falling into a river— I’m sure you get the point. Yuu is, quite literally, hated by the world itself and it wants them gone. (Which, now that I think about it, is a little creepy if you think about the implications; the world itself is alive, has a conscience, and it’s entirely against you.)

-The TWST cast but they all work as weather anchors at the same station. 

(This is purely because of these two videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Goz0PnhEg8 + https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXuc7SAyk2s

-Okay, so you know how in Hunchback in Notre Dame Quasimodo swings around the church on ropes and stuff? I love the image of Yuu doing the same thing around Noble Bell College,, Maybe they get into the final fight with Rollo and get pushed off the edge, but they manage to grab onto a loose rope and swing back around or something,,

-I just love the image of Yuu and the Adeuce duo shaking with laughter and leaning on each other for emotional support,,

-The TWST cast, but they’re all in a school band-

-Are there guns in Twisted Wonderland??

-You know how Ace and Deuce went to Scarabia because of Yuu’s emergency message? I NEED there to be a fic of them travelling together and freaking out along the way there. I want these two to be in a taxi. I want these two on a boat. /lh

I do have a few more thoughts (mainly on TWST Reader concepts- *cough*), but I don’t haven’t had the time to type them all out,, I hope you like these ones, though! :D

Jackdaw Anon 🐦

JAHSGDJAHS THANK YOu!!!! zero is sososoososo sweet im foaming at the mouth whenever is ee him. i finished hsi route a few days agao and now i MISS HIM :((( UGH ZERO COME BACK JONAH IS SO WEIRD

PLS DONT WORRY ABOUT IT it takes me FOREVER to get to long asks because my brain lags when i see them SO YORUE FINE

i agree w you on rook because shakespeare >>>>>>

PELAS EPELASE PLEASE JUST A WEIRD PERSON AND THEIR BEST FRIEND KRAKEN I NEED IT I NEED ITTTTTTTTT

OOOOOOOOO honestly talking paintings is such a concept sometimes i forget abt that thing w cater.,.,.,.,.

AWWW :(( please give that idea to lilia it just fits so much bette rin my head theyre so cute

idia pspspspspsing jack....................

JAMILW OUDL FUCKINGD IE IF HE HEARD ABOUT THAT HOLYS HIT OMGGG/!??!?!?!

riddle cant handle spice but thats because of his MOTHER WHO SUCKED AT PARENTING >:T

awww,..,., wait that theory is so creepy and so SAD . gahhh AZUL MAKE A CONTRACT WITH THE WORLD SO IT DOESNT HURT YUU ANYMORE PELASE!!!! A S A P!!!!!!!

THEY SWING BACK AROUND AND KICK HIM IN THE BACK AND KNOCK HIM OUT HELL YEAH

there are probably guns in twst.,,.., i dont see why nnot!!!!

JSAHDGJHAS I KNWO RIGHT??? THEIR TRAVELLING PROCESS WAS PROBABLY SO MESSY KNOWING THEM HELP ME ^&$!%^@!$@!

TEHSE WERE ALL SO SILLY THANK YOUUUUU

[blazehedgehog]

With this new Puss in Boots out and getting a lot of positive attention, mind if I ask your thoughts on the original Shrek movies?

I've only really seen the first and second movies. I might have seen 3 and 4, but I do not remember them much at all. I barely remember Shrek 2, to be honest.

But I do really like that first Shrek movie, even still. I rewatched it a few years ago and even after it feels like that franchise was driven into the ground, that first movie is something special.

Maybe it's purely generational, but coming off of so many squeaky clean Disney movies, particularly Disney Princess movies, Shrek felt "cool" and counter-culture.

And, like, Disney tried to do that movie, even. They did Hunchback of Notre Dame, where Quasimodo is meant to be this ugly creature shunned by society. But they never portray him as anything less than a heroic pillar of empathy.

Shrek on the other hand is mean, ugly, and loves it. He loves scaring people. He loves eating gross foods. He's grouchy, and tired, and just wants to be left alone. But deep down under all of that still beats a heart that cares and wants to experience love. So he is coerced into doing the right thing, and in the end, finds people that care for him and appreciate who he is. If Shrek is worthy of that, we are all worthy.

It kind of lost its bite when it deliberately started painting the movies as "Shrek finally settles down and becomes normal." Like a lot of these endless sequel franchises, it got away from and diluted the meaning his character, especially because it was ultimately about pushing him towards becoming more marketable. It just became boring.

I still need to see the Puss in Boots movie. Or any Puss in Boots movie, I guess.

[azure-blaze92]

Did you ever watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2? Assuming you're a fan of the series.

Hello anon! So yes, I have watched the sequel cause I was curious.... and oh boy, is it um... something. I didn't like it, I thought it was really bad. I know Disney's direct to home video sequels are notoriously not good. (The Lion King 2 is the exception cause that one is actually pretty okay same for the Rescuers DownUnder but its not very memorable personally).

Like HBoND is my all-time favorite Disney film, the story, the music, the absolutely stunning and animation.

I know any sequel wouldn't be the same as the original. But everything about it was bland and boring, and just not good. Like the original movie ended perfectly, and it didn't need a sequel.

So yeah, that's my answer, I am never rewatched it after my initial watch through, and I went in knowing it would be nothing compared to the original and it would not be good so I wasn't surprised at how it was.

Thanks for the ask

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

The reputation of Disney's Hercules (Franco Morgante)

When it comes to the question of which film is the best out of the entire Walt Disney catalog. One film that rarely comes up is 1997’s Hercules. While it is widely considered to be a good film amongst moviegoers, it isn’t seen as anything revolutionary and at most people will say it is underrated. However, it's always been a personal favorite Disney film of mine, and after rewatching it there were a lot of small elements of it that I appreciated more as an adult. For one I liked how that the animation style felt distinct from the other Disney films at the time. I feel like the expressions of all the characters are wackier and more off model than the typical Disney film. The tone of the film is more lighthearted and comedic than say The Lion King. Which allows for some truly funny reactions from the characters. Also, with my greater understanding of Greek mythology I was able to pick up on the subtler jokes, like when Hercules references seeing a play about Oedipus. It made me smile seeing that this film was still able to make me laugh even after all these years.

But despite my great enjoyment of this film, the critical reception of this film was less enthusiastic. For example, Reelviews said, “Walt Disney Pictures' 35th animated feature makes for good family entertainment. Good, not great. While this film is capable of providing a ninety minute diversion for both kids and adults, it's a far cry from such recent classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.” (Berardinelli). Another review from the Miami Herald said, “Unlike The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, Hercules never feels like more than what it is: A zippy, energetic cartoon” (Rodriguez). These two reviews show what the general reaction to this film was at the time. While the film is good, it is just another Disney film. I think this lack of enthusiasm comes from two reasons. The first is that around this time the quality of Disney’s films were becoming more inconsistent. Pocahontas released to a mostly negative reception and while The Hunchback of Notre Dame was received more positively it didn’t come close to reaching the popularity of say The Lion King. People started becoming tired of Disney, so Hercules suffered as a result. Another reason could be the rise of CGI animated films. Two years prior to Hercules’s release, Toy Story took the film industry by storm by being the first computer generated animated films. Suddenly there was big interest in this new kind of film making. Thus, leading to a general lack of interest in traditional animated films at the time.

I wasn’t born in the 90’s so I didn’t get to see Hercules when it came out. So, when I watched it, I was removed from the context of the time. I thought it was one of the most enjoyable Disney films, but at the time people didn’t think much of it. This shows how understanding the context of the time can affect the legacy of a film. After doing some research I can understand why this film has its reputation. Even after rewatching Hercules recently I do realize that objectively this film isn’t anything spectacular, but it still remains a favorite of mine.

Sources:

Berardinelli, James. “Hercules.” Reelviews Movie Reviews, 20 June 1997, www.reelviews.net/reelviews/hercules.

Lacey, Liam. “Hercules.” The Globe and Mail, 27 June 1997, www.metacritic.com/movie/hercules-1997/critic-reviews. 

[genericswordsmaiden]

After rewatching the entire Kung Fu Panda trilogy for the second time (though I have watched the first one at least 50 times in all my life lol) I finally found the courage (because I have always known this, but was unable to explain it in words) to say: I love Master Shifu, but like... so so much!! He's just so cool. And it's probably a form of imprinting too, though, because since he's a martial arts teacher I've always associated him with my own karate teacher, on whom I had a crush when I was 7 (he was a kind man and I miss him a lot). Also, I love characters who are just so traumatized that they form a sort of shell around them and then life, or another character, or both, pulls them out of it to rediscover how to put their faith in other people. Also also his Italian voice actor, Eros Pagni, has a really cool voice that I like very much. Here's the ita dub of Shifu vs Tai-Lung.

(Eros Pagni also dubs Frollo from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and his voice is literally the only saving grace for that character because, well, Frollo is the most despicable being ever lol)

Also (x3) Shifu is a red panda and red pandas are cute. He might be old, but he's still cute.

Alright, time to end the Shifu appreciation post, Claire out.

[sir-subpar]

Eva x Igor headcanons!

Ok, I know I don't usually talk about this movie, but I've loved it since I was a kid and I finally rewatched it and now it's conquered my brain.

The movie "IGOR", it came out in I think 2008. Maybe 2009?

 It's one of those kid's movies that is kind of dark and mean spirited. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's Charming. Kind of like a dark comedy.

There's barely any fandom stuff for it! 

Anyway, I find the relationship between Igor and Eva kinda cute, and since I couldn't find any headcanons I'm making them myself. So, even though practically no one is going to give a damn about this. I'm doing it anyway. (SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE! Just in case y'all want to see it. Even though it came out over a decade ago)

Content Warning: Mentions of abuse, self-loathing, and abandonment. Igor's had a shitty life for a while.

Headcanon time!

Both have their own insecurities when it comes to appearance (it's shown/mentioned in the movie). I think they kind of build each other up though. Reassure each other, compliment each other, all that good stuff.

Igor is touch starved, (Igors/hunchbacks are treated extremely poorly for a good chunk of the film. It's common practice for the scientists (that Igors work for) to hit them. Igors are taught that they are the lowest parts of society, they're literally educated on how to sound more subservient, it's dark.)

They watch sunrises and sunsets together. Neither of them really got to enjoy sunlight until the end of the movie (Igor went his whole childhood without seeing it) . I feel like they would have breakfast/dinner together under the sun's golden rays.

 For the majority of the movie, "Malaria" (the country they live in. Yes, that's actually what it's called in the movie) has been covered in dark storm clouds that didn't leave until the end of the movie (it's implied that these storm clouds have been around for decades, long enough for crops to fail)

Both of them run the local theater together, Eva specializes in musicals. She loves performing! Igor is more of a behind the scenes guy, working on costumes and sets. Though he sometimes has a flare for The Dramatics, it is definitely Eva doing more of the singing/acting.

Back to the touch starved thing I mentioned earlier, Igor isn't accustomed to receiving affection, or positive attention in general, honestly. There's literally a scene in the movie where Eva gives him a beret and his response is "no one's ever given me a gift before".  Eva is just so loving and sweet to him- I can't! It's such a nice scene!

Eva holds him/carries him, he likes to hug her and hold hands.

I feel like they would try to figure out their own way of expressing love, particularly when it comes to physical contact. 

I'm not sure if either of them would really be fans of kisses. Especially Igor. Maybe pecks on the hand, cheek, or forehead. (I think that's really cute)

The only scene where he gets kissed in the movie (that I remember) he was uncomfortable and trying to get out of it the whole time. (It wasn't Eva kissing him, it was another character. I think her name was Heidi? Or Jacqueline? She was kind of a shapeshifter with a lot of names, I forget sometimes.)

Eva loves to dance with Igor! I can just picture her picking him up and swinging him around all happy and giggling, and Igor is just holding on for dear life at first before he just rolls with it and has fun.

They adopt kids at some point. And Igor either builds a dog or adopts one as well. I headcanon that they end up naming the dog Annie (after Eva's favorite musical)

I like to imagine they adopt the blind kids we see in the movie, especially since the kids perform plays in their theater. Theater family! Yeah!

Igor is kind of anti-social, Eva is way more extroverted. Eva would probably push Igor to interact with people more, like bringing him to parties. If he gets overwhelmed though, she's compassionate and will take him outside to have a break. If it's particularly bad (like he's having a panic attack or something) she'll take him home. It's probably rare for him to get to that point, but everyone has limits.

Both of them are workaholics, but Eva's indestructible so it's not really a problem for her. Igor, though? He needs to learn how to take a break.

I headcanon that Eva's a demiromantic pansexual, and that Igor's bisexual (he tends to lean more towards women, but men are pretty too)

That's all for now, but I might do more Igor x Eva stuff soon. Who knows?

[stuckysdaughter]

I just watched Disenchanted for the second time, thoughts (and spoilers!) below the cut.

Ok, ok. I freaking love this movie! My family and I have been waiting 15 years for this sequel and it did not disappoint!! I was so little when Enchanted came out, and it was my absolute favorite. So much so that I still have the soundtrack memorized and watch the movie almost religiously every year. I think Disenchanted will also be a comfort movie too, since it is quickly rising in the ranks of my favorites.

The first thing I want to mention is the little nods to original Disney tales even from the opening credits. It uses the old style where the choir opens the film (stopped right around the 60’s/70’s but started all the way back with Snow White and I miss that so much can we bring that back?). It really got me in the mood, like i was small and watching my other favorite Sleeping Beauty. You can start seeing where the town already looks like a fairy tale with small hints at what will change when Giselle makes the wish. The three women who offer to help with Sofia are color coded to be Flora, Fauna, and Meriweather. There’s a freaking wishing well in the backyard that looks exactly like Snow White’s! The clock tower of course, and Melvina right away you pinpoint as the Evil Queen (that one wasn’t subtle). You have the two dumb henchmen, and the meet-cute for Morgan and Tyson (that's like my one thing, who names their kid tyson?!). So right away it feels like a classic Disney film from the 40's or 50's which honestly were some of my favorites (but that's another discussion post for another day lmao).

Next, the soundtrack. My family and I are music nerds, and we were hoping for any nod to the original. We appreciated the small “how does she know” in the beginning. You have to listen a little bit, but you hear it. “Nice” was heard from both my dad and I. I was a bit sad that nothing else made the cut, but I'm more glad that the new soundtrack was allowed to shine as it deserves. Alan Menken is the king of good Disney soundtracks (Tangled, Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, etc) and boy did he deliver. The new songs are so good, and they finally got the good sense to utilize Idina Menzel in a style where she really shines (Frozen didn’t quite hit this like Menken did. Here she sounds more like she did in Wicked 19/20 years ago just before Enchanted came out and the endings are much bigger than Frozen II or even Let it Go). James Marsden didn’t get as much singing attention in this one, but he was so good when he did. It made me want to rewatch him in Hairspray so I can listen to him some more. Maya Rudolph surprised me a bit, I'll admit. I didn't peg her as a singer, but she proved me wrong. Badder is such a good song. "Every good movie (musical) should have a tango" is also heard in my house often. These two women blend so well I almost can't tell who's singing what part when they're together. Amy Adams of course is a Goddess! Who I love!! I think she really found her sound in this (can you tell i go to music school lmao) and obviously she wouldn't sound the same as 15 years ago, but this fits her better in a way. She sounds more comfortable, and was able to show off more in Even More Enchanted (After the Wish). That's another Snow White nod, by the way, it mirrors pretty closely what she sings to the birds at the wishing well. All this to say, I instantly added all the songs to my Spotify, they have now become part of my walks to class. And no, I'm not ashamed of that. (continue later)

I don't know much about film and how it works, but my god there were some gorgeous shots and set design. You can tell there was a pretty big budget for this, and it shows. It was all just so beautiful to look at, and it seemed to flow along really well. There are always those camera angles or transitions you wish were smoother but I didn't see any. It was all very aesthetically pleasing, and I love that you can see Giselle's transformation into a wicked stepmother through her dresses and her hair. She starts the tale with a dress almost identical to her dress for "That's How You Know", and eventually goes full on Lady Tremaine. (I want that red dress so much holy shit) "My hair's so high! And my dress is so low, oh!" I love you Giselle never change please. And Pip's "I feel like the most superior being in the whole world". I have cats and that is so true, we laughed far too much at that line...

The plot!!!! I love this idea so so much! I remember throughout the years hearing rumors of what the plot was (well before we ever had a real announcement from Disney). From what I can recall, the plot was originally (or supposedly, anyway) that they all were living happily in NYC, but Morgan's biological mom came back into the picture and was trying to muck things up. I don't know how that would've worked, which is probably why it didn't go that way lmao. Anyway, this plot is so cool! And I wish that i could watch it again for the first time! I don't think I will ever react as genuinely as I did that first time with my parents. The acting is top notch, and Amy Adams really pulled out all the stops to convince us that there's two of her inside fighting for control. I like that even when the wish occurs, there's still a lot of nods to other tales. Morgan has a whole "Belle"-esque number while dressed like her, and they even have her plot match Cinderella (mostly). Disney definitely did the same thing here with Morgan that they did with Andy in Toy Story 3. The kids who were roughly Morgan's age (like me) who have grown up with Enchanted are now adults in their late teens or twenties, and are maybe struggling to find themselves and what that means. My mom and I were definitely not crying (and by that, I mean, we bawled like children) at the end where Giselle reassures Morgan that she is her daughter, and that her love for her has power. That's something that I (and I'm assuming just about everyone else my age) needed to hear. Even if it wasn't from my own mother, I know the sentiment was shared. And even Robert's feelings of time slipping away from him and his hopelessness resonated with me and I'm guessing others too.

In conclusion, this was a fantastic movie, and the sequel Enchanted deserves. An amazing plot, excellent soundtrack, and beautiful design. I couldn't have asked for a better way to suitably sate my nostalgia while giving me a whole new movie to love. People can criticize me all they want, but it won't change the fact that this movie is brilliant and one of my new absolute favorites.

(what my family sees sometimes when they look at me and my cats)