From: emru@CAM.ORG (Emru Townsend)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Re: my aladdin review....
Date: 27 Jan 93 19:10:55 GMT
Organization: MegaCorp Central Complex

rcook@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Robert Cook) writes:

>In article <1993Jan25.220522.26836@cs.ucla.edu> reiher@ficus.cs.ucla.edu (Peter Reiher) writes:
>>
>>making it the top grossing film of the week.  It could very easily end
>>up grossing in excess of $200 million in the U.S. and Canada alone.  That's 
>>bad news for those who didn't like it, as Disney will regard it as a crystal-
>>clear signal that they did something right, and would be well advised to do it
>>again.

>Great, even more movies with rules against marriage and young people
>feeling "trapped" by their parents (and tours, and big magic monster
>fights, and even less clothing on characters).  Now, morality is
>very personal, but wouldn't most of us think that it is wrong to
>repeatedly assert that children are oppressed by parents, and when
>they disobey, they get rewarded?  The idea seemed okay once when I
>saw The Little Mermaid, but Aladdin greatly reinforces that notion.
>Something more universal like Beauty and the Beast's moral works
>nicely almost every time.  Disney is responsible for what it
>"teaches," whether or not they want it, or whether it is "fair" for
>them to bear such a burden.

Ah, one of my favorite arguments.  I'll sum my rebuttal up thusly: if you're
that influenced by a movie (especially one as unreal as a cartoon), you've got
problems.

Aladdin is FANTASY.  Most fantasy is escapist, and in order for the "kid" to
go out and seek adventure or whatever, we have to have the removal of a parent
figure, since no sensible parent would let their children out to seek
adventure when there are safer things to do.  So what do you get?  Orphans and
runaways, or kids who just go ahead and do it without asking.  Examples? 
Hansel and Gretel.  Jack and the Beanstalk.  Aladdin.  Red Sonja.  The X-Men. 
Laputa.  Akira.  Alice in Wonderland.  Waiting for the Galactic Bus.  RIck
Cook's "Wizard" series.  In all of these, the parents are missing, dead, or
disobeyed because there'd be no plot otherwise.


>>Personally, I enjoyed "Aladdin", but preferred "Beauty and the Beast".  I 
>>think "Aladdin"is doing better largely because Disney has had more success in
>>selling it as a film that adults will like.  I've heard of several people who 
>>didn't go see "Beauty and the Beast" because they thought it was just for kids.
>>(Most of them have enjoyed it very much when they did catch up with it.)
>>The presence of Robin Williams and the style of the film makes "Aladdin"
>>an easier sell for adults.

>Warning: use of some light stereotypes ahead--I don't make'em, I
>just observe them.

>In my experience, Beauty and the Beast has been considered a
>"feminine" movie--a sappy love story.  Aladdin appears to be more
>"hip" and suitable for males young and old for some reason (don't
>ask me why).  When I watched BatB for the umpteenth time here at
>UCSD last year, much of the audience consisted of couples.  I might
>be imagining things, but some of the guys near me looked like they
>didn't want to be there (like their dates dragged them there).  I
>deliberately watch audiences during Disney viewings, BTW.  However,
>by the end, I didn't see one face without a sincere smile. :-)  BatB
>seemed to help make seeing a Disney movie cool, and Aladdin has
>benefited from this.

Aladdin was also marketed as more of a comedy, rather than a love story.

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