#the best live action remake

[artist-issues]

Anyone notice the Compare & Contrast in Cinderella (2015?)

Nothing major, just another reason why this movie is so good: going to talk about Ella/Kit v.s. Lady Tremaine/the Court.

You know how Ella, and more secondarily, Kit, have to hang on to their faith in “have courage and be kind?” And you know how the book-ends of the movie are “Ella saw the world not as it was, but as it could be?”

Okay obviously Ella has to have courage to withstand abuse, but I think more focus is placed on her kindness: she’s kind to mice, she’s kind to lizards, she’s kind to bratty stepsisters and kind to a super-horrible stepmother. And what’s the opposite of kind?

Cruel. Lady Tremaine is cruel, but it’s because she sees the world as cruel. Unlike Ella, who is kind and sees the world as it could be.

How do I know? When she returns from the ball, she (cruelly) points out the fact that the Prince is not free to marry for love, the game was rigged, and then watches Ella for a reaction. And when her girls say, “it’s so dreadfully unfair!” The Stepmother says: “Yes…the way of the world.”

That parallels what another character, presenting an obstacle and contrast to Kit, says in the movie: the King. When he learns he’s dying, he says: “Way of all flesh, boy.”

Why? Because the King—as wise, and noble, and loving as he is (certainly no villain) is succumbing to fear as he gets closer to death. Not fear for himself; the movie shows no hint of that. But he literally tells Kit, “I want to see you and the kingdom safe.”

He’s afraid for Kit. He wants Kit’s safety, and the kingdom’s, and he can’t do what a father should do when he passes; protect. So he’s insisting on a princess, and the divisions that the Kingdom might get, to make it stronger, from an advantageous marriage.

That’s a great foil for Kit, who is kind, but is even braver than he is kind. He’s not being abused, like Cinderella is, but he is about to face a world where he’s got everyone’s fate riding on his shoulders—alone—without the loving father he’s always had. He has to become his own man fast, and defend what he believes in…

…no matter what’s “done.” No matter what’s proper, and no matter what everyone else thinks.

You have the Prince who must be courageous when even his own father is beginning to fear, and you have Cinderella who must be kind even to those who are cruel to her. It’s awesome.

But then, that whole idea of perspective comes into it.

The Stepmother is cruel because she has experienced what she believes is life’s cruelty.

She’s arguing with Cinderella in the climactic scene, explaining that her first husband, whom she loved, was taken from her—and then so was her second, who never loved her as much as he did his daughter, who is so much more beautiful than her own—and all the opportunities for hope that she had expected to come with him. Lady Tremaine thinks the whole world, all of fate, is cruel.

She’s been subjected to hard circumstances—the first thing the audience gets to learn about her is, “she too had known grief.”

Ella’s stepmother has had hardships—just like Ella. She lost “the light of her life.” She lost her second husband. She’s snared in debt, her daughters are mean and (by her own admission) stupid, and she doesn’t even like the house she lives in with them. She’s let her circumstances twist the way she sees the world. Now she believes everything comes at a price, and one that the world is just cruel enough to wring out of you.

Ella, on the other hand, has known even greater grief than her stepmother. We watch her lose her mother, her father, her dignity, and even (briefly) her faith in the course of the movie. By the time she has that conversation with her stepmother, she’s also apparently lost the chance to ever see the Prince again. But does she let it change the way she looks at the world? No!

She keeps seeing the world as it could be. She won’t let her circumstances change what she has faith in; that love is free, courage and kindness have power, and will carry her through all of life’s trials. And the characters that change the way they look at things—the ones who are willing to, like Ella, see the world as it could be instead of as it is, find it to be true. Look at the king!

We know (from what the Prince says: “the wars have brought sorrow on us all,”) that he’s seen hardship. He’s seeing how fragile even his own life is; it’s coming to an end. He has every reason to be afraid for his son’s future when he’s not there to help him.

He’s thinking, “the way of all flesh is to die.” And he’s hoping that by convincing his son to marry a princess, he and his kingdom will be safer. Safety, safety, because he’s afraid for Kit.

But what happens? He meets “the mystery girl,” who is, by definition, unknown, unsure, and unsafe. Clearly Kit is besotted with her; she bumps into him, then makes a darling little speech about how good and brave Kit is and how much he loves his father. And then Kit, who learned to verbalize it this way from Cinderella, tells his father on his deathbed, “I believe we need not look outside our borders for strength. We need only have the courage and kindness to see it.”

And when he passes away, he does so by telling Kit that he should marry for love—even though the girl Kit loves may never be found again; even though, when she does, they have no guarantee it will strengthen the kingdom. But this is the King, acting on faith that those ideals his son believes in, and his son, himself, will be see things through. That’s him, having courage.

He stops seeing the world as dangerous, first and foremost, and starts seeing it as it could be, like Ella and Kit.

Comparing the King’s fear to Kit’s courage, and the Stepmother’s cruelty to Ella’s kindness, was such a good choice. And comparing the way these characters saw the world as dangerous and cruel, versus how Ella and Kit see the world, was an even better one. And they used lines like “The way of the world/way of all flesh” to do it.

This movie’s so good.

[artist-issues]

Hi. I really appreciate you taking the time to analyze both the 1950 Cinderella and the 2015 Cinderella, then make points backed up by what is actually in each of the films. A lot of people don’t take the time to do those things.

As someone who also likes to do those things and is very passionate about Cinderella, I’d like to help you appreciate Cinderella (2015) more for what it is—and maybe the whole fairy tale in general. Because I think you’re completely misreading the Cinderella story, what the message of the 1950 movie was, and most importantly, what the true strengths of the character are.

Your post is such an earnest, genuine swing and near miss. You’ll forgive me for offering an alternate and maybe equally-unhinged perspective below the cut.

The main point of what I’m going to be talking about is this: OG Cinderella’s strength was never in her desire and willingness to free herself from abuse. OG Cinderella’s strength is in her ability to be kind, courageous, and selfless in the face of abuse.

That is true whether you mean “Charles Perrault’s Cinderella,” or “Walt a Disney’s Cinderella” when you say “OG Cinderella.”

Whether the story is about a girl who would be free if not for her circumstances, or exercises freedom in the way she acts in spite of circumstances, is an important distinction.

What I think a lot of people don’t understand is that Cinderella, in the original, most popular versions of the fairy tale, is the heiress to her father’s estate. Because neither he nor his new wife have sons, when she comes of age, she will have her own independence and ownership of resources.

(Disney’s adaptations are based on Charles Perrault’s version of the fairy tale: it was written in 17th-century France, for French audiences, where these laws about inheritance would have been understood without needing to be said. )

That means something. It means that she is not trapped there forever. In fact, in most versions of the fairy tale, her father isn’t even dead. It means that the character of Cinderella is choosing to be kind and to serve her stepfamily despite how unfairly they are treating her. That is a character trait. That is something that has to be displayed, regardless of the adaptation, or else it’s not “Cinderella,” it’s just a bad OC that the writers are calling “Cinderella.”

If you place all the emphasis on how she’s a little girl and she doesn’t know to stand up for herself, she’s got no friends and no chance to better her life, she’s trapped, etc., then you lose the strength of character that is only revealed by her choice to stay there and be kind.

That is what the Cinderella 2015 movie understood so well. It’s why they made the changes they made.

The main point of Cinderella 1950 was: “Have faith in your dreams and they will come true.”

The main point of Cinderella 2015 was: “Have courage and be kind and you’ll be able to see the world as it could be.”

They’re different words but the implications of what “true strength” is are the exact same—because what is faith? Faith is believing in something (BASED ON EVIDENCE) and acting on that belief, regardless of how you feel or what circumstances you’re in. Cinderella believes in the good results of kindness and love in both films. She acts on that belief, no matter how badly they treat her, and she’s not only awarded with magic and marriage, but awarded with contentment in any circumstance.

So now that you hopefully understand why I (and Cinderella 2015) are coming at this the way we’re coming at this, let me go into your other points.

hhhheeeere we go.

1. Cinderella’s Commitment to Dead Parents

I would re-phrase this point to: “Cinderella’s commitment to love.”

In Cinderella 1950, she didn’t have as much of a surface emphasis on love for her parents—that’s because this is a 1950s-era fairy tale, when nuance was still capitalized on. We’re meant to infer that she misses and greatly esteems the memory of her parents from her mother’s dress. But in a 2015-era fairy tale, audiences need more evidence than that because we don’t like nuance that much anymore.

So they build in more screen-time with the birth-parents—and kill like three birds with one stone, characterization-wise, at the same time! Because Ella’s parents teach her to care for the little folk (her “subjects) of the house and care for the servants well, too. That sets her up to be a Queen at heart—she’s constantly given little moments of scolding Gus for being greedy, removing Lucifer from bothering mice, and warning Mr. Goose to be careful of oncoming carriages.

Her parents also, of course, impress upon her the importance of having courage and being kind above all else. (Not just in the big death scene with the mom—There’s tiny moments, like where Ella’s father murmurs to the doctor, “it must have been very hard for you,” after caring for the dying mother because he’s kind no matter what terrible circumstances he is in, himself—Ella does the same exact thing later when the man comes to the door to tell her that her father has died.)

Then it’s her father who connects the house with the idea of love for Ella when he says: “I always leave a part of me behind. And your mother is here too, though you see her not. She’s the very heart of this place.” The conversation, in-context, is that he is about to be absent, but he doesn’t want her to think of the house as empty of love—he wants it to be a place where she feels safe and still, symbolically, in the loving arms of her parents.

When he dies, that is all Ella has left of that love. And where else would she go, anyway? She still has her animal friends to care for. Until the household staff is dismissed, she has them, too. She was raised to think of herself as the “queen” of that little kingdom, and to take care of everyone living there. And you’re missing another very important fact—and another one that points to the true Strength of OG Cinderella—she actually cares about the stepfamily.

In 2015’s changes this is more evident—and it should be, because as much as the original is wonderful, remember, the spotlight is supposed to be on Cinderella’s strength to choose selfless kindness, not on her status as an abused prisoner.

So instead of just saying nice things and being polite when she’s ordered around, 2015 Ella does more than the bare minimum. She gives up her room to her stepsisters. She responds graciously to their insults about her hair. She engages them in conversation about the ball and helps them get dressed. She assures them (when she doesn’t have to) that she won’t try to ruin their plans at the ball. She very clearly cares about their comfort—and pities them—and remember that her father asked her to promise to be kind to them even if they were “trying.” Compound that with Cinderella knowing that her kindness is her greatest strength.

What I’m saying is, there are more reasons than just “my dead parents used to live in this house so I’m staying even when I’m abused.” She’s staying because:

She’s keeping her promise to her father to love her stepfamily through kindness, no matter how they act. (Remember, she is the one who encouraged her father to make them part of their family if it would lead to his happiness, because she is selfless.)

She is caring for her “kingdom,” taking responsibility for the little folk she’s cared for all her life: the household staff and then the animals, and the house itself.

She is staying where she feels the love of her father and mother. She believes what her father says, that her mother is at the heart of this place and he leaves a part of himself behind. The movie takes great care to remind the audience that Ella’s family has lived in that house for generations, and that the mother decorated it. She puts the personification of her parents in everything—even her dress. Everything is orchestrated to help you remember that Ella stays and hangs on to things for love, not for herself.

That last one might seem odd, but once you accept it, you realize that that is why she is okay to leave the house at the end. Because she has new love—the Prince’s love. (Plus, side-note, you also must remember that they re-iterate—the stepfamily leaves Cinderella’s house at the end.)

On to the next point.

2. Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother Tests Her Instead of Comforting Her

This is a really big misread. I totally understand where you’re coming from, but it’s a very, very big misread and misunderstanding of the Fairy Godmother’s whole role.

Remember, the spotlight is on Ella’s strength of faith in kindness.

If the movie were about the Fairy Godmother, sure, have her comfort Ella. Devote the whole scene to a consoling conversation, where the Fairy Godmother assures Cinderella that she’s not a ragged servant girl, she doesn’t deserve to be treated this way, she’s been so brave, etc.

But the movie—the story, the original fairy tale—is not about who the Fairy Godmother is. It’s about who Cinderella is. Just like the story is not about how to seize the opportunity to escape abuse—it’s about how strong faith, goodness, and kindness can be.

The truth of the matter is, in Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, and many versions like it, the emphasis of the Fairy Godmother is not on her Fairy-ness. It’s on her Godmother status. It’s not about her role as a magical eucatastrophe saving the day. It’s about her role as a godmother—do you know what that was, back in the day of the fairy tale? A godmother is responsible for the spiritual and moral upbringing of the child.

That’s right. She’s not there to bring comfort. She’s there to prove to Cinderella that her faith in kindness and goodness was worth having all along. She’s the promised result of staying kind and good.

In the original fairy tale, the Fairy Godmother doesn’t pop in and say, “you shall go to the ball,” just out of the kindness of her heart and because Cinderella’s had a rough time of it. She says, “but be a good girl, and you shall go to the ball.” And in the 1950 film, the first thing the Fairy Godmother says—the very first thing—is “nonsense, child! If you’d lost all your faith, I couldn’t be here—and here I am!”

That means Cinderella’s goodness is a direct cause of her going to the ball. Instead of just getting a cosmic reward for being abused, Cinderella has—what’s that ladies and gentlemen?—agency in her own rescue. She chooses to be good and kind against all odds, and she’s rewarded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams for it.

That’s what makes the Fairy Godmother so great in both movies. She’s not there to pat Cinderella on the head and say “there, there.” She’s there to restore Cinderella’s faith. What could be more comforting than that, as a side bonus? It’s not just empowering, it’s comforting, and it’s a great lesson to pass on to everyone—there’s literally no way to make the story or the characters stronger than to tie the Fairy Godmother’s actions to the rewarding of Cinderella’s actions.

3. The Diminished Horror of the Dress Scene

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this one because I know you already admitted it was nitpicky, but I understand, I get it. It’s not played with the same emphasis on fear as the 1950s one was, I agree.

But remember, the 2015 one still portrayed this scene as horrible—it just returned the emphasis more on how her stepmother is determined to re-define who Cinderella is. That’s the most horrible part. So she does that by literally trying to dismantle the thing that Ella associates with her mother—a foundational part of her motives and identity—and then caps it off with: “a ragged servant girl—because that is what you are. And that is what you will always be.”

The scene is setting up this contrast: the stepmother thinks she can choose what Cinderella is. By making her wear rags and do the work of servants and treating her like a slave, she thinks she can twist a girl who is more beautiful and good than herself or her two daughters into something ugly. But she can’t. She has no power over who Cinderella is—and she doesn’t even have any power over who she is to Cinderella, which is emphasized at the end of the movie when Ella firmly tells her, “you are not, nor will you ever be, my mother.”

4. Cinderella’s “Escape.”

I need to take a breath too. Because boy, do I understand getting passionate about this part of the story. It’s the climax. It’s the defining moment for Cinderella.

And 2015 enhances it.

Assuming you’ve read this far and read that initial part where I explained that the emphasis is all on Ella’s strength of character. You can probably guess the argument I’m going to make here.

Ella choosing to be content, and knowing that she has the superpower of being kind, courageous, and selflessly loving no matter WHAT, is so much more impactful than screaming through a keyhole at some mice.

You have to understand. You just have to, it’s too important. Why are mice in the movies at all? In either of them? In either of them?!

Don’t you understand? Cinderella 2015 understood. OG Cinderella isn’t just friends with mice because they’re all she’s got. She’s friends with mice (in 2015) before the stepfamily ever gets there because she is kind to everyone and everything.

THAT IS HER SUPERPOWER.

She is just selflessly, indiscriminately, unashamedly kind. No matter what. Doesn’t matter if she’s being kind to the humblest little dirt-crawling mice—or the nastiest, cruelest stepfamily. She’s just kind, no matter what.

And if she had not been, then the mice would not look out for her, in either movie. In either movie. Because both movies are putting emphasis on her faith in being kind and courageous no matter what. That’s what saves her—not screaming through a keyhole and coming up with escape ideas and running down the stairs fast enough.

She doesn’t need to be despairing—she’s not giving up—because her goal was never escape. It was always to hang on to faith. And she did that, and it saved her. Her faith was rewarded. You have to stop seeing Cinderella’s circumstances as so powerful.

The point of the story is that she is stronger than her circumstances—that strength comes from faith, and it looks like a choice to be kind and self-sacrificial, not self-freeing.

Then the reward for self-sacrifice happens to be freedom. Not just physical, situational freedom—freedom of mind, of an oppressed spirit, of negative emotions—because she’s content in her ability to love and sacrifice. It’s an ability that she prizes, and that she knows her stepfamily doesn’t have—they can’t sacrifice for others, they can’t truly love, so she pities them, not herself. That’s why she can dance and sing in an attic when every part of her circumstance is horrible—because in her darkest hour she’s still herself. She’s still got her superpower. Nothing can take away her ability to be kind, and self-sacrificing, and even forgiving. That’s why the Prince loves her. That’s her real strength.

You guys are taking all the actual power of Cinderella away by missing that, and you’re doing it all in the name of empowering her. It’s ironic, and it’s super sad.

The changes made in Cinderella 2015 are truer to the 1950 Cinderella, and the real strengths of the classical fairy tale, than any of the arguments for Cinderella’s “willingness to fight for her freedom.” You’re right—it does take away the cruelty of her situation, because no situation is more powerful than her faith.

THAT is why it is the only good Live Action Disney Remake.

(Tagging people who might appreciate this and realize they weren’t wrong for liking this version: @aeinridi , @pan-pixie, @cannedbubbles , @fluffypotatey , @rosiewitchescottage and if you don’t appreciate it or care…oh well, it’s just a tag to a long post you may disagree with, life will go on.)

UNNECESSARY AND UNHINGED RANT ABOUT CINDERELLA'S CHARACTER FROM CINDERELLA (2015) INCOMING

Lemme talk about Cinderella from Cinderella (2015) for a bit actually yeah because these changes to my girl completely baffle me

She has friends now

Goes outside on her own

Says the only reason why she's staying is because it's her parent's house- bruh.

All of this takes away (+ more reasons down the cut) from the true cruelty of OG!Cinderella's backstory and how it all connects so well to inform you of her character and the actions she takes

OG!Cinderella has been indoctrinated into accepting her life as a maid to her step family since she was a small child. She is never seen going outside of the house besides the night at the ball. The only friends she had were random animals around her she couldn't even fully converse with. She had no other human perspective on her situation or how to get out of it. It makes sense why she's just taking her stepmother's tyranny while holding everything in because this isolation and neglect is all she knows. This is the entire limited scope of her world. A sad reality to many cases of abuse in real life.

And they just. Erased all of this for some. Reason???

The night at the ball was a big deal because she literally NEVER gets to go out. This is the only time she interacts with the outside world aside from the ending. The impact of that was HUGE in the original movie. The new one just cheapened that imo by implying she goes out in town and talks to others regularly. This event was an impossible, fantastical dream come true to someone who is never treated as anything but a servant to everyone she knows.

Basically OG!Cinderella has it way worse which is what makes the ball such a huge deal in the first place.

Third point I don't think I need to explain how Cinderella staying in her abusive home bc the house is "hers to love now that her parents are dead" is not a good character change and doesn't make sense. I would understand if her dad was alive and insisting on staying, but he is GONE. It is a building you grew up in sure, but that's all it is. Not something you sacrifice your wellbeing for. So that's a shit reason they didn't need to make up to say why this character is stuck in her abusive household. The isolation and years of gaslighting were enough. (Also showing how much of a frightening presence and manipulative villain Lady Tremaine is.)

And she sure left it quick after getting hitched lol

The Fairy Godmother having the audacity to test Cinderella with that "oh I'm a poor old woman and I want some milk please" nonsense

Not very godmotherly of her in this version. 🥴 The Fairy Godmother appeared in the original to offer pure comfort to Cinderella in a time of desperate need, when this resilient and kind spirit finally reached her breaking point. The dress, slippers, pumpkin carriage, and magic were all given freely as a present to make her feel better at least for one night.

Meanwhile this goofy ass Godmother has the audacity to be like "hey is she gonna be nice or not even though she's crying in tattered, recently destroyed clothing- I need to see that or else she doesn't get the magic juice". Like why did this become a way to test her morality all of a sudden? Why did you need something from her to give up the magic goods?? It's not even a good test she just walked a couple steps and poured some milk in a bowl,,,

Idk man they made their relationship transactional for no reason which taints the original purpose of this scene imo. The original Fairy Godmother already KNEW Cinderella was kind without having to make sure by disguising herself as a rancid old lady. 😭 Weird and unnecessary addition.

Kinda nitpicky here but this film did not at all match the terror of the torn dress scene which really shows you how horrifying and humiliating it was to Cinderella

Comparison

AND THE BIGGEST OFFENDER: THE WAY SHE "ESCAPED".

I NEED TO TAKE A BREATH

BECAUSE LIKE. WHAT WAS THAT.

Original Cinderella, seeing a real chance of escape from her abuse, uses everything in her possession to do so. She's yelling for the mice to get the key, to get Bruno to chase away the cat, running down to meet the prince's attendants to make sure they get the proof of her identity from her- and that moment she oh-so-casually pulled out the second slipper??? SEEING HER STEPMOTHER'S SLACKED JAW??? GAGGED US ALL.

ICONIC

But 2015. Bitch. What is going on. She gets locked up and easily accepts her doom. She just twirls and sings in her prison like a dunce because cINDerELLa wAs aLReADy cONTenT wIth her sMaLL mOMEnts oF hAPPIneSs anD dREamS wItH thE pRinCE.

Just. Gives up.

Not the mice begging her to get up and save herself come on now

The mice have to do their best on their own to push open her window so the prince and his crew hear her on time.

And yeah, all she had to do was open a window.

WHAT. WHY. HOW. WAS THIS??? MORE EMPOWERING???

1950: use your brain to fight to the very end

2015: quit while you're still ahead, or don't try you just gotta dance and sing all pretty then someone will come along and save you

I'm sorry, but for a production that was so critical of the notion of "Cinderella just waited around for a prince to save her"...is that not literally what they changed the ending to?

You wanna talk about lack of agency in princess stories well here you go 😭

You know what's sad about all this in the end is this is still the best recent live action Disney remake imo LOL

Anyways hello if you've made it all the way down here I rest my case

[dani-luminae]

I feel like these two pictures alone really encompass their presence in the movies. Be confused, be dramatic, do nothing actually useful.

[my-lady-galadriel]

No offence, but at the present moment Disney isn't capable of telling love stories like these 👇

[muffingnf]

nobody understands how much the how to train your dragon live action remake hurts my soul on the most severe level. just had to sit through the trailer almost puked

[fulltimeviking]

the raucous over the live action httyd movie on every other platform as opposed to the eerie silence on my dashboard here is crazy 😭 like oof... we're not happy are we

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

"Oh, I think you would be!" Susannah encouraged sweetly, reaching out to take his hands in hers as she continued, "You're already a wonderful dancer, Philippe, and I'd love to see you...follow your passion too, once we get to California! I think you would amaze anyone who saw you dancing...you certainly amaze me."

Was Philippe self-taught when it came to dancing? Certainly. Was that a ding against him? Not in her eyes: He was a marvelously elegant dancer, that she could attest to over and over again, and she imagined anyone who saw him in action would agree. In fact, they might be deeply impressed to know he was self-taught, and not taught formally-he certainly looked as if he had taken lessons for years when he was on the dance floor.

"Who knows?" she ventured to suggest with a chuckle, as their waiter came along with a small bowl of bread and butter as an appetizer. "If you do...maybe someday I'll be costuming you too!"

She couldn't help but get excited at the prospect of making her beloved a costume: Although she'd technically already made him something (that hat that had, she realized, brought them together in the first place), it made her grin, made her heart flutter as she imagined making him an elegant, lavish suit to wear on the stage-something romantic and regal, like the noble prince of Fair, Brown, and Trembling...

[medicinemane]

There's honestly... just so many people, just so so so so so many people in this world where I'm like... aren't you people tired of this fucking... you know, I was going to call them clowns but that's really disrespectful to clowns, these people could never get their face on an egg...

Anyway, aren't you tired of this childish jackass? Don't you just want to ignore them and never have to hear about them again? If we just ignored them they legitimately would go away... don't you want that?

And this applies to... just ungodly amounts of people, from jake paul to even elon musk (just... don't touch his shit, he'll run out of money eventually with how bad he is with it), to just... name an annoying famous person and you'll name someone I've literally forgotten right now that I could never have to hear about again if people would just ignore them (unless they committed crimes, investigators are welcome to pay attention while gathering a case)

Yet the answer's always "no, we're paying so much attention to them!" and I'm just like... why? Why would you watch jake paul box? I heard about that and was like "he's still doing that shit?", and yet I guess it made a lot of money yet again and it's just like... ignore him

These people could go away, and yet

[mellowmeadows0]

Me when there’s no jasmine tea at the function

[queeringclassiclit]

Scout Finch

from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

[deathsmallcaps]

So, I was just looking for a Snow White gif set, and I came across quite a few posts expressing displeasure about Rachel Zegler’s flippant attitude to the original Disney film. And while I agree she was being a bit glib, you have to remember, it’s all about playing it up for the camera. Maybe her manager told her to push a love-to-hate-it angle. Who knows. Disney is still trying to work that little bit of feminism that is truly marketable but is ‘safe’ in their standards.

But what irritates me is that those posts immediately delve into the history and animation of the work in the film. As an artist, I totally respect the work and success Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was in 1937. It’s a beautiful piece, to be sure.

And Snow White was kind of modern for the movie’s supposed setting and time period! She has a bob! It’s easily demonstrated and acknowledged by the audience how hard she works, in both the castle and the cottage! She’s a upper class woman who manages to stay chaste despite living with, horror among horrors, seven unmarried men!

But, come on. She was relatively safe, barely pushing the envelope, in 1937. Women were in factories, wearing pants, and were still actively fighting for their rights at the time. All while weathering the Great Depression!

Films like Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman have already done more-feminine-modern takes on the tale. But Zegler isn’t wrong. If the original film’s story, no changes, came out today, it would be disappointing to a lot of feminists. So if you’ve watched the other live action Disney princess films, I’d say don’t knock the Snow White one just yet. It might actually offer something new but nice to more modern feminist audiences.

Just please don’t forget that something can be wonderful in one way and meh in another. The original film was an artistic masterpiece, but wasn’t the be-all end-all of feminism in the 30s. Check out this film, for example.

And hey, this is the webbed site of anxiety. You’ve all probably said things you regret, whether you ‘deserve’ to regret it or not. Don’t forget actors can make mistakes too. They’re human.

[robotpussy]

hm the diversity everybody seems to be ok with (all white cast and a token) is what forced diversity actually is, not when the best person for a lead role just so happens to not be white/mostly not white cast but we all know what people mean by "forced diversity" so I'm not gonna lament too much anymore

[surpriserose]

My hottest goofiest most tumblr brain take is that genuinely most if not all media would be better if it was animated

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

I will never understand why some people feel the need to defend the indefensible.

[welcometogrouchland]

Not to be someone who has thoughts on the soundtrack of a Disney live action remake of all things but I just listened to the 'new' little mermaid soundtrack and I've concluded a) it is painfully obvious just from this that Halle is too good for this movie and b) THAT VERSION OF KISS THE GIRL IS SO WEAK SAUCE WHAT THE HELL. NO DRAMATIC BUILD UP OR EXCITING CLIMAX WHATSOEVER!!! also why is there no chorus on any of the group numbers. Why does under the sea and kiss the girl sound so empty (yess kiss the girl has fucking awkwafina and Jacob trembly on it but like. They're not exactly doing much for the track). New song slaps though! Actually sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack, which is a nice surprise. Good insight into the character. Rip daveed diggs though. You got payed to play an ugly crab with bad songs I'm so sorry they'd do that to you

[ixtaek]

I’m begging you all—go see live shows. Go see local theater. The magic of theater is 50x more impressive when you realize the acting is done without CGI and, often, with a sliver of a fraction of a budget of a movie. The actors in a local show are often ten times more talented than anyone on screen because they got there on skill and not name alone. And even if it’s kinda hokey, it’s fun, it supports your community, and, best of all—there’s an intermission you can go to the bathroom during.

Support theater.