From: drwho@wpi.WPI.EDU (Eric Ant Von Laudermann)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Re: What's with the HOSTILITY? (My first flame-war!)
Date: 28 Jan 1993 05:51:35 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: wpi.wpi.edu

I know I'm going to kick myself for posting this, but, I don't like it
when someone doesn't have the facts straight.  (And by the way, I
don't consider myself a raving Disney fan.)  Here is my summary on
exactly why Phase's complaints about the movie "Aladdin" are invalid.

1. Phase, you complain about the changes that were made to the Aladdin
story.  As if this was a phenomenon you have never encountered before.
Did you ever read J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" books?  E. B. White's
"The Sword in The Stone"?  "The Rescuers" by (author escapes me at the
moment)?  Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books?  "Mary Poppins" by P. M. Travers?  
How about Gary Wolf's "Who Censored Roger Rabbit"?  All of these
stories were drastically, and I mean *DRASTICALLY* changed for the
Disney versions.  Did you complain about the movies which these books
engendered?  If not, then there's no point complaining about "Aladdin".

2. You complain about the "pop music" in "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty
and the Beast", and "Aladdin".  "Pop music", as far as I know, means
music that is popular.  Are you suggesting that Disney movies should
have music that today's audience wouldn't like?  Not a smart way to
make a musical.  Did you complain about the use of popular music in
Disney's "The Jungle Book"?  If not, then there's no point complaining
about "Aladdin".

3. You say something about the "MTV" mentality in the new Disney
movies.  I'm not sure what you're talking about, exactly.  If you mean
the fast-paced style of "Aladdin", then you're right.  Another example
of Disney changing with the times.  Is there something wrong with 
keeping up to date?

4. "Moichandising!!!"  Well, gee, if the consumers didn't buy so much,
Disney wouldn't make so much.  Is it Disney's fault that the public
wants to buy "Little Mermaid" products?  Nobody's *forcing* anybody to
buy anything.  We can easily keep them from making so many movie-based
products by simply not buying them.  Since people keep buying them,
they must like them.  Give the public what they like.  Again, do you
think they should try giving the public something they don't like?
The idea of making anybody "think" they like something is nonsensical.

5. "Walt Disney never approved of this kind of merchandising when he
was alive."  Now that's simply a lie.

6. "The movie's just a commercial for the merchandise."  Well, it must
be a pretty entertaining commercial, considering the number of people
who are going to see it more than once.  There are also lots of
commercials on TV which I find very entertaining (let's face it, some
commercials are less entertaining than the shows).  That doesn't mean
I buy everything I see a commercial for.  But I enjoy watching some
commercials more than once, just for the entertainment value.  Do you 
have something against entertainment?  (And let's not forget that
commercials are considered an art form.  There's the annual Clio
awards, for one thing.  And I could ramble about one or two directors
and their styles...)

And finally, as a public service, I will now summarize the past,
present and future of this debate.

Phase: "There's too much merchandise!"
Net: "But what did you think of the movie itself?"
Phase: "I hated it!"
Net: "What did you hate about it?"
Phase: "There's too much merchandise!"
Net: "Yes, but what did you think about the movie itself?"
Phase: "I hated it!"
Net: "What did you hate about it?"
Phase: "There's too much merchandise!"
Net: "The merchandise wasn't actually *in* the movie.  What did you
      think about *the movie*?"
Phase: "I hated it!"
Net: "What did you hate about it?"
Phase: "There's too much merchandise!" 

etc.  The point is that you, Phase, are the only one here who seems to
care about the commercial aspects of the movie.  We, however, have the
unique ability to go to a movie and simply *watch* it.  We aren't
receiving this "go out and buy" message that you seem to see printed
on the very film itself.

(You know, I haven't flamed anyone in years.  This is kinda fun.)

--E.V.L. (drwho@wpi.wpi.edu)  # "Aw, did I hurt your feelings?  ...good!
a.k.a.:  The Eternal Newbie,  # This is all part of my master plan."
The Amazing Tubeman!,         # --Don Karnage
Murphy's Law Incarnate        # 
Any similarities between what I say and what I mean are purely coincidental.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney