Mouse Vs. Ice Queen

[bloodyrosemccoy]

I’m trying to decide whether to be distraught or pleased that Disney is bringing the smackdown to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. On the one hand, I like everything they’ve done with Hans Christian Andersen’s stories so far, and Alan Menken writes music made of candy and sparkles.

On the other hand, the reason I like them so much is because those treatments generally consist of beating most of the source material's actual plot into an unrecognizable pulp of Family-Friendly Fun.

Dude, you ever read his stories? They’re loony. Now, I don't want to actually hide the books from kids, but I do wish to point out that the guy was a froot loop. The original Little Mermaid is not so much a romance as it is a sordid psychodrama of obsession and a scorching martyr complex, mixed in with some really sketchy theology about God's role for non-human, sentient beings and the spiritual havoc disobedient children can wreak upon the undead.*

Frankly, after that the Disney version, where they stab a somewhat handsy (and tentaclesy) giant sea witch with a boat, is a vast improvement.**

All I'm sayin' is, The Snow Queen better be nothing like, y'know, The Snow Queen.

In other Disney movies, I just found out that JENIFER LEWIS is going to be Mama Odie in The Princess and the Frog, and saw a little bit of the animation of Facilier tag-teaming with his shadow, and dudes, I tell you, I AM ALL OVER THIS MOVIE. My god, that animation is just … GAH. SO COOL.

I know my plans for Friday.


*Especially traumatic if you read it from the story collections illustrated by Michael Hague, whose hideous art DOES NOT HELP.

**Still one of the more badass villain deaths ever. Lately the villains have gotten into the habit of dying accidentally, but there's nothing accidental about this death. And really, who says to himself, "Hey, a wrecked ship! I can use this AS A SPEAR"? A BADASS, THAT'S WHO.

Comments

[die-monster.livejournal.com]

Fairytales? With frightening art and psychologically distressing themes? I am of course all over that. I need to find a copy with those illustrations; I don't believe I ever read much Andersen, somehow, in all my love of folklore...

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I think my trouble was that Andersen was one buy who had ALL the issues. That, and the way the prince treats the little former mermaid as some kind of pet. And the weird moralizing. And the ... oh, hell. It's just a different kind of wrong from the fun wrong of fairy tales, I guess.

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of wishing they'd to Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince. I *dare* them to stay true to the story *and* make sure everyone isn't utterly depressed at the end.

Hell, they can pick one of Wilde's fairy tales at random and I still don't think they could make it cheery.

I hate the message of Disney's Little Mermaid (Give up *EVERYTHING and EVERYONE* you know at sixteen and you'll have true love and happiness forever. Uh-huh. Also, give up your voice to find love.) but I still like the movie. Ursula is one of my favorite villains.

I love the story of the Snow Queen. The episode of Fairy Tale Theatre, with Melissa Gilbert as Gerda was my childhood favorite. I really hope Disney doesn't screw it up.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Somewhere there is an animation of The Happy Prince, and it stays true to the story. It's a total downer.

Ursula's one of my favorite, too. I suppose you could rearrange the movie to say that the moral is not to run off with someone you met on the internet without telling your family because you never know when that will cause evil witches to take over the ocean or something. But that's definitely a stretch. ;)

[pandoras-closet.livejournal.com]

I was actually forced to watch Little Mermaid in the theater because the movie me and my friend wanted to see was deemed to be too violent by our mothers.

Ursula's death was about the only really interesting part for me aside from "Under the Sea" and, for some reason, "Kiss The Girl".

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

That was the FIRST movie I saw in theaters. I was three, and watched the whole thing backwards through the projector because I was terrified to look at the screen.

[anagramofbrat.livejournal.com]

metaquote plz?

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Sure!

[beccastareyes]

The original Little Mermaid was why I liked Jim Hines's The Mermaid's Madness so much*.

* Basically Hines has two series out -- the one he's working on now is sort of a post-end-of-story retelling of fairy tales. Actually, I think given the title of the fourth book, it should be a Snow Queen story. (First book was about Cinderella, but featured Snow White and Sleeping Beauty**, second was about the Little Mermaid, third appears to be about Red Riding Hood, previously mentioned as 'The Lady of the Red Hood', a skilled assassin.)

** Under the more creepy variant of 'Sun, Moon and Talia'.

[sanachan1.livejournal.com]

This quote from the article amused me - "They also have a bit of concept art on the site of the new queen, who looks much more like a villain than a hero (but maybe that's the twist in this story)." Really dude? Did you not even think to check Wikipedia for a synopsis of the story before you wrote that? The Snow Queen is about as much of a hero as the White Witch of Narnia.

The Little Mermaid came out when I was nine, and I knew the original story (which I thought was horrid - obviously I was rooting for the mermaid, not the namby pamby human princess) so I was waiting through the whole movie to see if they killed her at the end. Needless to saw I was greatly pleased by the changes they made. Also is it just me, or does Ariel = Anthropologist? I mean come on, the girl is all ABOUT participant observation. I think a lot of people overlook the fact that Ariel was ready to jump out of the water and move to dry land long before she laid eyes on Eric.

As for Frog Princess? I am RIDICULOUSLY excited about that movie. I'm going to drag my parents to see it when they come out to visit next week. I already foresee a Princess Tiana costume in my future.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

That made me laugh, too. Obviously someone hasn't done his homework.

I'm totally with you--she is completely an anthropologist! Eric's a nice bonus.

Frog Princess is looking really good so far ... I'm all ready to see the actual thing!

[chibicharibdys.livejournal.com]

Man, though, what with the reindeer and the crazy robber girl and the talking ravens and the frozen tundra I'd really love to see Miyazaki tackle that one.

Although that concept art of the Snow Queen is kind of hot.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

... It would have made a pretty darn good Miyazaki film, you're right!

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Not enough wacky flying machines. He could probably work in his pet antiwar themes somehow.

[chibicharibdys.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but would flying machines really be such a stretch? Maybe the ice castle could fly! Or float, at least.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Perhaps the sleigh can fly? And who knows, perhaps the castle is all, uh, icepunk.

I want to see his version of the evil demon mirror, as well.

[toast-zombie.livejournal.com]

You have nooo idea how happy I am to know that Disney finally realized that CG films does not equal instant success. And this Friday, I'm totally there with you. The Shadow Man villain in this movie looks sooo cool and it's fucking Keith David so he's earned legend status in my mind already.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I knew you'd be pleased by their decision!

And my god, I've heard a bit of the song, too--Keith David busts it out for this movie, my god.

[chibicharibdys.livejournal.com]

... I want to see the movie for that one sequence. Because ... yeah. Keith David.