CAN HER MOTHER BEAR ALL THE EXCITEMENT? Next weekend, Walt Disney World will hold royal coronation ceremonies to induct Merida as The Eleventh Official Disney Princess. She is the first Princess (a) from Pixar, (b) not inspired by literature or history, (c) without a love interest, as well as (d) who doesn't sing.
ALOTT5MA Style Guide Question: do we accept "coronate" as a verb, or is Dennis Green right and we should only use "crown"?
"Not inspired by literature or history"? Wait a tick now, are we claiming the Scots didn't exist or that the legend of Tam Lin didn't? Because Brave is definitely right in the sweet spot of Celtic literature, full of shape-shifting, triads (the brothers, the suitors and so on) and tricksters in the woods. Maybe not 100% a specific legend (though Tam Lin comes closest in my mind) but definitely an amalgam of various ones.
ReplyDeleteBut boy, I like that she's the first who doesn't have a love story bolted on.
I was walking through the Disney store this weekend, among the tiaras and miniature wedding gowns, when it hit me that she didn't get matched up or married at the end. Also, is she the first princess with an official weapon accessory set?
ReplyDeleteIs Vanellope von Schweetz getting inducted as well, because it seems unfair that "Brave" would get the Oscar ~and~ the Princess crowning over the far superior film released in the same year.
ReplyDeleteI was going to include the list of Potential Princesses On The Outside, Looking In in the main post. She's not in. Wendy Darling isn't. Alice isn't. Nala isn't. Megara, too, has a gripe.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for most occurrences of English productivity (yay! productivity!), but yuck- coronate, I just don't like it, an neither does my spell-check.
ReplyDelete(too bad spell-check doesn't check grammar!)
ReplyDeleteVanellope should be in. In our household, the nine-year-old tomboy with Asperger's nearly wept with joy and relief to see herself onscreen. I've never seen a girl who despises Disney so much be so proud to call herself a glitchy princess.
ReplyDeleteI think Sofia (Sophia?) the First should definitely be crowned. I mean, Tim Gunn is part of her posse. Is that not enough?
ReplyDeleteI have no problem that Merida is a single gal, but I'm a little disappointed that she can't sing. Maybe she'll take it up when she's not performing her royal duties.
With Brave, I was really disappointed that Merida's suitors weren't physically strong, chisel-jawed hyper masculine men. I couldn't take them as serious suitors so, to me, it seemed like she was refusing to settle -- rather than refusing to be paired off. Imagine if one of those suitors looked like Brad Pitt and dominated the competition. And then imagine if she still didn't want to marry him. Now THAT's something to applaud. (And would be the complete opposite of, say, Maid Mariam in Robin Hood.)
ReplyDeleteBut to CW, I love Vanellope and how she was transformed into a princess and then said, "Just kidding!" and went back to her regular clothes (and still kept her glitch). That's a story I want all young women to know.
I'm hoping this means we're getting a Brave attraction at some point. Frankly, a good Brave dark ride (maybe with you on "horseback" shooting arrows through targets using the Buzz Lightyear/Toy Story Mania ride style) would make a lot of sense in the UK pavilion of World Showcase and help with the crowd issues that park has.
ReplyDelete(And to deal with Wreck It Ralph, retheme the Tomorrowland Speedway to Sugar Rush Speedway.)
I'll add my love for Wreck-It-Ralph for just that reason. If you haven't read it before, this is a good essay from the dad whose daughter had a similar reaction to the movie:
ReplyDeletehttp://supportforspecialneeds.com/2012/11/05/glitch/
No Dejah Thoris?
ReplyDeleteHad no idea there was such love here for Wreck-It Ralph. I guess I'll have to watch it.
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