Has Disney Lost Its Way?

A bit like the Labour Party - where’s Alistair Campbell when you need him

I think people are choosing not to watch it though that is the problem. PR wise it has been a disaster.

Thanks Jasudow, I haven’t seem the film but your summary tends to knock the complainers who haven’t seen it, out the window.

BlessedArt

Much ado about nothing, driven by right-leaning Disney haters. The film was fine. I hated the CGI dwarves aesthetically. I wish more original stories were made. Everything is a remake. For all those upset about the changing details of a fairytale…newsflash: None of it is real

Quite agree
For me tho , the most awful thing , and I’ve seen no one else mention it , is the reason why Dopey has his name.
It was said he was a dope because he can’t talk !
Appears he was selectively mute which is actually an anxiety disorder
So many have this condition, especially children , and to be referred to as stupid is just horrible 😞

Newdawn

Prince kissing snow white shows lack of consent? Really? Perhaps they should have had him giving the kiss of life and CPR..an educational film for children. What nonsense.

In the original the Prince “ falls in love” with snowwhite by hearing her sing and spying on her . The newer version shows them meeting and being together and mutually falling for each other which opens up the phrase of true loves kiss a bit wider.

Even so the kissing on the lips of an unconscious girl begs the question is that consensual ?

I went to see this last weekend with the grandchildren. You actually barely notice Snow Whites Latino skin and it takes nothing away from the story . There are plenty of white actors/ actresses in the film. The dwarves are CGI and therefore very like the original cartoon characters. I believe there were mixed reactions from the Achondroplasia community , those relieved because of the stereotype and bullying it causes and those concerned about work . The “Prince” is actually someone who is on the Royals side and wants justice and good but outcast by the wicked Queen and he and snowwhite meet and fall in love before she is poisoned and unconscious. In that respect the “ true loves kiss” is so much better as it is a two way street of feelings rather than the original where the Prince falls in love by spying on her and is actually a stranger…. That is rather creepy when you think about it in today’s world ! It practically follows the original story with just a couple of changes . Whilst certainly not the best film , the updates are appropriate and even required for the times we live in. At the end of the day it’s a fairytale and you can watch or not. You can still see the old cartoon too if you prefer.

Boz you are absolutely right!!!

Much ado about nothing, driven by right-leaning Disney haters. The film was fine. I hated the CGI dwarves aesthetically. I wish more original stories were made. Everything is a remake. For all those upset about the changing details of a fairytale…newsflash: None of it is real

Witzend

MayBee70

Witzend

4allweknow

I saw the first SnowWhite film when I was 4 years old. Apparently, I cried for a large part of the film and those in the audience around us tried so hard to get me to stop being so upset offering bribes of anything they thought I'd like and showing me their children weren't upset about the wicked witch. Apparently a stick of barley sugar did the trick!

I was taken to see Fantasia at 4, when a trip to the cinema was a very rare event. The evolution (Rite of Spring) sequence made a deep impression on me even then, and I still remember my father explaining how land animals had evolved from fishes.

OTOH I found the Night On Bare Mountain sequence exceedingly scary!

I went to see Fantasia at a cinema when I was in my twenties and there was a lot of wacky baccy being smoked in some parts of the cinema. I love the film but wouldn’t dare show it to my younger grandchildren:some parts are very scary.

I’d stop it before the scary Night On Bare Mountain sequence, but showed Fantasia to dds from a very young age. They always loved the Pastoral Symphony sequence (I’m sure most children would) ditto naughty Mickey Mouse (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) and were interested in the evolution sequence, although like me they felt very sorry for the poor old Stegosaurus falling prey to T Rex. 😰

I still think Fantasia was a truly brilliant creation, especially when you think of all those images produced by artists, not by computers.

And it was a way of introducing children to classical music. I still sometimes hum The Sorcerers Apprentice when I’m mopping the floor.

IamMaz

I saw Bambi when I was very young. I like all the ‘original’ Disney films.
I don’t see characters in fiction as ‘role models’. I just accept that fictional characters can act differently than ones in ‘real life’. I differentiate between the two.
After all, who watches a car chase in a film and thinks that’s how they should be driving?
The world had gone mad.

This exactly !

Mynamestaken

So do Disney own the copyright to stories written by The Brothers Grimm.

The Brothers Grimm's fairy tales are considered public domain, meaning they are not subject to copyright restrictions and anyone can use them freely

So do Disney own the copyright to stories written by The Brothers Grimm.

MayBee70

Witzend

4allweknow

I saw the first SnowWhite film when I was 4 years old. Apparently, I cried for a large part of the film and those in the audience around us tried so hard to get me to stop being so upset offering bribes of anything they thought I'd like and showing me their children weren't upset about the wicked witch. Apparently a stick of barley sugar did the trick!

I was taken to see Fantasia at 4, when a trip to the cinema was a very rare event. The evolution (Rite of Spring) sequence made a deep impression on me even then, and I still remember my father explaining how land animals had evolved from fishes.

OTOH I found the Night On Bare Mountain sequence exceedingly scary!

I went to see Fantasia at a cinema when I was in my twenties and there was a lot of wacky baccy being smoked in some parts of the cinema. I love the film but wouldn’t dare show it to my younger grandchildren:some parts are very scary.

I’d stop it before the scary Night On Bare Mountain sequence, but showed Fantasia to dds from a very young age. They always loved the Pastoral Symphony sequence (I’m sure most children would) ditto naughty Mickey Mouse (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) and were interested in the evolution sequence, although like me they felt very sorry for the poor old Stegosaurus falling prey to T Rex. 😰

I still think Fantasia was a truly brilliant creation, especially when you think of all those images produced by artists, not by computers.

CanadianGran

I just wish Disney would stop re-making movies, and stick to some original stories, even though most of those are based on fairy or folk tales. Moana and Frozen are some that I can think of that did so well. The original Lion King was actually based on Hamlet, but has since been re-done too many times.

They need some new material. I don't need to see re-made movies.

I wish there were more original films/tv programmes. Why do we keep having to have remakes. Bergerac is the latest I think.

It is particularly annoying when they change the stories so it has the old name but not the same story. Why not just write an original?

I thought it was the Wicked Queen not the Ugly Queen. Wasn't she just worried that she was getting older and a new young beauty was going to steal all the admiring glances.

It isn’t navel gazing its awareness of Sleeling beauty syndrome. Women like Madame Picolet and others drugged so men could rape her

icanhandthemback

It's fiction, let's not get too caught up in bashing it. Things change with the times. If a man crept up on a sleeping woman (or one in a coma) and kissed her, no matter how chastely, in real life, there would be an outcry. As this is a children's film maybe we need to take that into account as we want children to learn from a young age that "consent" is extremely important. I'm not sure whether we can pick and choose when we role model versus when we don't when it comes to children.
The old animated version was lovely for its time and can certainly be used as a discussion about the old ways and new when kids are old enough to understand.

Too much navel gazing. The old Snow White, true to the story, was a romance, about good versus evil. Why cannot it be shown as such today. Not all men, or women for that matter are stalkers. When I think about it now it remains a romance. As for black snow, never seen any.

IamMaz

I saw Bambi when I was very young. I like all the ‘original’ Disney films.
I don’t see characters in fiction as ‘role models’. I just accept that fictional characters can act differently than ones in ‘real life’. I differentiate between the two.
After all, who watches a car chase in a film and thinks that’s how they should be driving?
The world had gone mad.

Totally agree with you!

I saw Bambi when I was very young. I like all the ‘original’ Disney films.
I don’t see characters in fiction as ‘role models’. I just accept that fictional characters can act differently than ones in ‘real life’. I differentiate between the two.
After all, who watches a car chase in a film and thinks that’s how they should be driving?
The world had gone mad.

I just wish Disney would stop re-making movies, and stick to some original stories, even though most of those are based on fairy or folk tales. Moana and Frozen are some that I can think of that did so well. The original Lion King was actually based on Hamlet, but has since been re-done too many times.

They need some new material. I don't need to see re-made movies.

Nah. It's becomes writers have run out of ideas.

I saw the film this afternoon. It was much better than I’d anticipated. I’d always found the original boring - I hated that she needed a man to solve the day.

The young people in the theatre all seemed to enjoy it as well

Bambi was the first film my mother took me to see at the cinema. I have no memory of that day but apparently I cried so much she took me home after half an hour ( the dark perhaps, the enormity of the old Odeon with the circle and stalls… we eventually got the VHS video when my own children were small and I love it.

I enjoyed all the old Disney cartoons and we had many of them on video, up as far as The Lion King. I don’t know why they were less magical after that one, my youngest was only a toddler when it was released. I even liked 101 Dalmatians, and I never usually enjoy a film when I’ve read the book first!

I do think they’ve got it wrong with CGI though, it just looks silly to me, cartoons are much better. Mary Poppins was a perfect non-cartoon though.

I’m of the same generation and Snow White was one I saw at the cinema. I think they have lost their way. Children of today will never know the magic of having to wait until a bank holiday when you got the compilation of various Disney Films. Yhey weren’t in demand in those days!

Newdawn

Prince kissing snow white shows lack of consent? Really? Perhaps they should have had him giving the kiss of life and CPR..an educational film for children. What nonsense.

I believe there’s an important debate to be had about consent, have you read about Madame Pelicot? This brave woman highlighted the issue of Sleeping Beauty rape scenarios. She drew attention to the perverted desire to have sex with an unresponsive woman.
It’s A Thing it seems - men wanting sex with unresponsive (drugged/dead) women

I stress I’m not about to say thins to my grandchildren but definitely would explore how they felt about ‘kissing’ someone who wasn’t awake