Check out my newest blog, Why Disney Princesses Are Good Role Models, Part 2, in honor of National Princess week!
Showing posts with label Visual Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visual Arts. Show all posts
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Danielle's Corner: Repost: Why Disney Princesses Are Good Role Models, Part 2...
Check out my newest blog, Why Disney Princesses Are Good Role Models, Part 2, in honor of National Princess week!
Friday, March 14, 2014
Danielle's Corner: Ring Composition in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
If you've never heard of the term Ring Composition, don't be alarmed. I wouldn't be surprised to know that you've never heard of it though I know for a fact that you've come across it. How do I know? If you have watched any Disney film, you have experienced Ring Composition in some form. Ring Composition, as defined by John Granger (known as the Hogwarts Professor for his study of the Harry Potter book series) is a structure used by many creators (whether they realize it or not) as a means to bring a story full circle. Granger asks the question, "What is it about [a] story that makes me, the serious [consumer], love it?" He believes that Ring Composition is the key to this question.
It is from John Granger that I learned about Ring Composition. I was lucky enough to be a guest host on the podcast he co-hosts called MuggleNet Academia and the big topic of my episode was narrative transformation and Ring Composition. Granger believes that we are somehow "hard-wired" for the circular story. The fact that we keep returning to the magic of Disney time and time again gives reason to believe in this theory. Though a Disney movie may not carry the same weight or complexities as Harry Potter in terms of content (but not audience interpretations/feedback), I have noticed that a ring is most definitely in most of these films. I can't say all because I have not seen every single Disney animated film.
Still confused? I can tell you I was confused too when I first heard about this concept. Don't worry. I will put further reading below this blog post.
Harry Potter isn't the only book series to take advantage of this structure. Classic series such as the Chronicles of Narnia use it as well as modern day series such as the Hunger Games. Epic poems such as Beowulf use the structure too. All three of these book series and Beowulf have something in common with Disney - most people seem to love them and want to return to experience them over and over again. I was an English major in college and, surprisingly enough, I never once heard this term. None of my professors touched upon it or even mentioned it. This could be for several reasons but two come to mind. One could be that Ring Composition is an intensely internal idea that can't truly be proven and as an English major we were often searching for clear cut points or literary symbols. Of course, many would say we English majors are obscure and they would be right but also wrong. There are a lot of things I learned in college and a lot I didn't but I can say that most of what I learned was very standard while Ring Composition is not. Which leads me to my second point which is that Ring Composition is not a familiar aspect of story telling in the Western world. When I say "familiar", I don't mean the Western world doesn't use Ring Composition because obviously that would contradict this entire blog. What I am saying is that even though many artists use it, few understand it or even know it is a template. As Granger says, we seem to be hard-wired for something like this and that means it comes naturally to us. If we are good story-tellers, we may use Ring Composition. If we are good judges of film, we may like the films that come full circle by the end, which Disney does a lot!
Speaking from the stand point that we do know what Ring Composition and it isn't just a subconscious theory in our heads, essentially, Ring Composition is when a narrator (or in Disney's case, film maker(s)) hints on a certain topic or topics that are significant to the story being told until this topic is realized. The narrator will then move in reverse order by creating scenes that reflect the ones previously mentioned. They do this to drill in a specific point that is important to the plot of the story.
Now, as my fellow hosts and I mention in our podcast episode about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this is the very first Disney full length animated film and not everything was done perfectly. But Walt and his team weren't stupid and they knew how to tell a good tale. Whether they knew it or not, they were using Ring Composition in their movies from the very beginning. I found three specific incidences of the theory while watching this movie and want to share them with you guys and tell you why they are categorized as Ring Composition.
The first Ring I noticed is with the Seven Dwarfs as they return from working at the mine. There are three scenes where we see them returning to their cottage and two of them form a circle. The first scene is when the Dwarfs are walking in the dark toward their home when suddenly Doc comes to a halt and the other Dwarfs slam into him, causing a commotion. Doc has stopped because something fishy is going on - the lights are lit in their house and the chimney is smoking. The cause of this business is Snow White. The Ring comes full circle toward the end of the film when once again we see the Dwarfs returning home from a day of mining when a herd of animals comes running toward them and Doc comes to a halt and the other Dwarfs slam into him. The herd of animals is once again fishy and once again, the cause of this fishy business is Snow White. These two scenes form a Ring because they reflect one another, not only in scene structure but scene content. Both scenes show the Dwarfs running into Doc and both scenes are concerning something that has to do with Snow White that makes Doc stop in his tracks. The first scene we see the Dwarfs are weary about the situation while in the second, they choose to act straight away. This shows character development.
The second Ring I noticed in this film is one that compares the evil Queen to Snow White. As discussed in the podcast, Disney didn't do such a good job at tackling the mother/stepmother - daughter relationship between the Queen and Snow White. This isn't a negative aspect to the film but one that gives the story a bit more depth. Obviously it wasn't a story Disney wanted to tell and I won't get into that because it is a whole different issue. Anyway, there are two scenes that do reflect this relationship between Snow White and her step mother. The first scene takes place in the beginning of the film where we see Snow White flee into the woods on the orders from the Huntsman. As she runs through the trees, she is frightened by the darkness and the supposed monsters around her. The second scene is at the end of the film when the Queen also runs through the woods, though on very different circumstances. Both women are running from something and meet different fates based on their rigid personality types. Snow White, the good and pure character, met a nice fate after running through the forest while the Queen, the evil character, met a terrible fate after running through the forest. The Ring ties together because all we want is for Snow White to get away from the Queen and all we want is the Queen to get away from Snow White. Both of them running away and eventual deaths (though Snow White is only temporary) closes the Ring.
And the obvious Ring is at the very very beginning of the film and the very very end when we see the book open to introduce the story and then closes at the end of the movie to suggest we once again see this is a fairy-tale and we are now completely finished since the book is closing for good.
This post is brought to you from Danielle's corner. Be sure to give this post a plus if you liked it. Do you agree with Danielle's points? Do you disagree? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!
If you want to learn more about Ring Composition, please refer to the source material below!
How Does 'Ring Composition' Work, Anyway? | Harry Potter as Ring Composition | Beowulf | Harry Potter book series | The Chronicles of Narnia book series | The Hunger Games book series | Ring Theory Interview with John Granger on MuggleNet | Thinking In Circles
It is from John Granger that I learned about Ring Composition. I was lucky enough to be a guest host on the podcast he co-hosts called MuggleNet Academia and the big topic of my episode was narrative transformation and Ring Composition. Granger believes that we are somehow "hard-wired" for the circular story. The fact that we keep returning to the magic of Disney time and time again gives reason to believe in this theory. Though a Disney movie may not carry the same weight or complexities as Harry Potter in terms of content (but not audience interpretations/feedback), I have noticed that a ring is most definitely in most of these films. I can't say all because I have not seen every single Disney animated film.
Still confused? I can tell you I was confused too when I first heard about this concept. Don't worry. I will put further reading below this blog post.
Harry Potter isn't the only book series to take advantage of this structure. Classic series such as the Chronicles of Narnia use it as well as modern day series such as the Hunger Games. Epic poems such as Beowulf use the structure too. All three of these book series and Beowulf have something in common with Disney - most people seem to love them and want to return to experience them over and over again. I was an English major in college and, surprisingly enough, I never once heard this term. None of my professors touched upon it or even mentioned it. This could be for several reasons but two come to mind. One could be that Ring Composition is an intensely internal idea that can't truly be proven and as an English major we were often searching for clear cut points or literary symbols. Of course, many would say we English majors are obscure and they would be right but also wrong. There are a lot of things I learned in college and a lot I didn't but I can say that most of what I learned was very standard while Ring Composition is not. Which leads me to my second point which is that Ring Composition is not a familiar aspect of story telling in the Western world. When I say "familiar", I don't mean the Western world doesn't use Ring Composition because obviously that would contradict this entire blog. What I am saying is that even though many artists use it, few understand it or even know it is a template. As Granger says, we seem to be hard-wired for something like this and that means it comes naturally to us. If we are good story-tellers, we may use Ring Composition. If we are good judges of film, we may like the films that come full circle by the end, which Disney does a lot!
Speaking from the stand point that we do know what Ring Composition and it isn't just a subconscious theory in our heads, essentially, Ring Composition is when a narrator (or in Disney's case, film maker(s)) hints on a certain topic or topics that are significant to the story being told until this topic is realized. The narrator will then move in reverse order by creating scenes that reflect the ones previously mentioned. They do this to drill in a specific point that is important to the plot of the story.
Now, as my fellow hosts and I mention in our podcast episode about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this is the very first Disney full length animated film and not everything was done perfectly. But Walt and his team weren't stupid and they knew how to tell a good tale. Whether they knew it or not, they were using Ring Composition in their movies from the very beginning. I found three specific incidences of the theory while watching this movie and want to share them with you guys and tell you why they are categorized as Ring Composition.
The first Ring I noticed is with the Seven Dwarfs as they return from working at the mine. There are three scenes where we see them returning to their cottage and two of them form a circle. The first scene is when the Dwarfs are walking in the dark toward their home when suddenly Doc comes to a halt and the other Dwarfs slam into him, causing a commotion. Doc has stopped because something fishy is going on - the lights are lit in their house and the chimney is smoking. The cause of this business is Snow White. The Ring comes full circle toward the end of the film when once again we see the Dwarfs returning home from a day of mining when a herd of animals comes running toward them and Doc comes to a halt and the other Dwarfs slam into him. The herd of animals is once again fishy and once again, the cause of this fishy business is Snow White. These two scenes form a Ring because they reflect one another, not only in scene structure but scene content. Both scenes show the Dwarfs running into Doc and both scenes are concerning something that has to do with Snow White that makes Doc stop in his tracks. The first scene we see the Dwarfs are weary about the situation while in the second, they choose to act straight away. This shows character development.
The second Ring I noticed in this film is one that compares the evil Queen to Snow White. As discussed in the podcast, Disney didn't do such a good job at tackling the mother/stepmother - daughter relationship between the Queen and Snow White. This isn't a negative aspect to the film but one that gives the story a bit more depth. Obviously it wasn't a story Disney wanted to tell and I won't get into that because it is a whole different issue. Anyway, there are two scenes that do reflect this relationship between Snow White and her step mother. The first scene takes place in the beginning of the film where we see Snow White flee into the woods on the orders from the Huntsman. As she runs through the trees, she is frightened by the darkness and the supposed monsters around her. The second scene is at the end of the film when the Queen also runs through the woods, though on very different circumstances. Both women are running from something and meet different fates based on their rigid personality types. Snow White, the good and pure character, met a nice fate after running through the forest while the Queen, the evil character, met a terrible fate after running through the forest. The Ring ties together because all we want is for Snow White to get away from the Queen and all we want is the Queen to get away from Snow White. Both of them running away and eventual deaths (though Snow White is only temporary) closes the Ring.
And the obvious Ring is at the very very beginning of the film and the very very end when we see the book open to introduce the story and then closes at the end of the movie to suggest we once again see this is a fairy-tale and we are now completely finished since the book is closing for good.
This post is brought to you from Danielle's corner. Be sure to give this post a plus if you liked it. Do you agree with Danielle's points? Do you disagree? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!
If you want to learn more about Ring Composition, please refer to the source material below!
How Does 'Ring Composition' Work, Anyway? | Harry Potter as Ring Composition | Beowulf | Harry Potter book series | The Chronicles of Narnia book series | The Hunger Games book series | Ring Theory Interview with John Granger on MuggleNet | Thinking In Circles
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Danielle's Corner: The Art of a Disney Fairy-Tale
There are a lot of big issues that surround the Walt Disney Company. I grew up with Disney and still love it as an adult...heck, I just started a weekly podcast about the whole thing! I must love it to do something like that...but that doesn't mean I don't take these issues lightly. Disney is a global phenomenon. At it's heart, the company was founded on the principal that they would make films not just for children but for the child in all of us. Yet they are also a business and like all businesses, they often make choices for the sake of staying in business or making a prophet. What we then see is the thin line between artistic creations and manipulation. What do I mean by that? Simply put, Disney has released films that are artistically amazing in my opinion. Then there are some films that contain certain elements there for the sake of getting people to go see the film rather than making a genuinely good movie. Hey, it happens. Every company seems to do it. It bothers me and I still can't quite get my thoughts together about it. But that doesn't get to the core of Disney's issues, that is only a surface issue. Other issues that come to mind are race, hidden sexual images, the passive female and here-to-save-the-day male companion/future husband, and more. Please know that I'm not saying my stance on any of these things - I'm just throwing them out there.
However, there is one issue that really bothers me and it fits right into the movie we talked about in our most recent podcast episode, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There is a scene in the Dream Works film Shrek where Princess Fiona goes out walking in the early morning when she comes across a bird and begins to sing to it. The bird mimics her and each of them sing higher and higher until the bird can no longer compete and explodes. The scene is hilarious and I should state right now that Shrek is one of my all time favorite movies. But it is clearly poking fun at Disney movies, particularly Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs since there is a scene almost identical where Snow White sings to a bird who tries to sing as high as she sings but fails (though doesn't explode).
This is something critics can't stand about Disney. The relationship Disney characters have with animals is highly implausible and therefore should not be, for it apparently sends kids the wrong message.
For starters, Disney, as I stated above, at it's core is set on the principle of making a good film for all, not just for kids. They aren't educational videos to teach kids how to behave...though they certainly aren't excused from the right to teach those who watch them. I believe we can learn from every corner of the universe and Disney can't be excluded from that.
So what is wrong with Disney characters having nice animal friends? Well, in real life animals won't be there to warn your friends that you are in danger. Animals won't be there in real life to make you a dress for the ball. Animals aren't your conscience and they certainly can't talk.
Is it just me or am I the only one who watched these films as a kid and knew right from the get go that they were make believe? When I watched Disney movies I immersed myself in the world they presented to me that expanded my imagination and encouraged me to write stories of my own. I loved to pretend to be a character in a make believe world with animals friends and adventures but I also was aware that this wasn't real life and that was okay. I loved living outside of myself. My whole childhood was practically living outside myself since I was constantly watching television and movies and reading books that took me away from real life. Disney never taught me that my problems would be solved by talking animals or magic though these things gave me hope. Sure I might have wished upon a star like my favorite characters did in hopes of my dreams coming true but that is reality. Disney, in my opinion, isn't to blame for kids thinking this way. Sure, Disney has helped propel this thinking but it is human nature to dream, to imagine the impossible happening and hoping for the impossible to happen. Things that I believed impossible have become possible and they were mythical things but real things and it was Disney that taught me to hold on to hope from a young age.
In my opinion, Disney isn't meant to reflect our scientific or physical reality but our spiritual and mental reality that goes deeper than what is literally seen on screen. The child within all of us craves a good story and it just so happens that Disney is pretty darn good at telling them. When the birds help save Snow White and the mice help sew Cinderella's dress, Disney isn't saying this is how we should solve our problems - by letting others do it for us. If you remember, it was Snow White who solved her problem by finding shelter and making company with the Seven Dwarfs. Cinderella never condoned staying at home forever passively but instead passively worked through the evilness that surrounded her, teaching viewers that even during hardship we must keep going.
In the end, Disney is a fairy-tale! Things like this are expected to occur in a fairy-tale! As a child, I was completely aware of this fact and my growing concern is why so many others are not aware of this.
This post is brought to you from Danielle's corner. Be sure to give this post a plus if you liked it. Do you agree with Danielle's points? Do you disagree? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!
This post is brought to you from Danielle's corner. Be sure to give this post a plus if you liked it. Do you agree with Danielle's points? Do you disagree? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Danielle's Corner Introduction Post
Hi there everybody! Danielle here. Before I begin I just want to give all of you listeners / fans / downloaders
a HUGE thank you! If you look at the picture I have posted to the right, we are in the New and Noteworthy section of the visual arts category on iTunes! Hooray! And it is all thanks to you guys! We can only imagine things going up from here!
And now back to the blog....
WELCOME to my corner, Danielle's Corner! Each of us on the podcast have our own corners where we come after the episode is posted and expand on topics we may not have been able to touch on during the recording of the episode or we may have touched on but feel we didn't get to say as much as we would have liked to. Again, this is another interactive aspect to the podcast! We want your feedback! Discussions are always welcome in the comments below. Obviously this is a very different platform than speaking on the podcast and it will be our own personal thoughts with no one there to help us elaborate or critique us to later edit certain things out. This is as raw as it is gonna get. Just a reminder though to be friendly, not only to each other but to me too. We all have different opinions and as Disney fans it is awesome that we can come together and respect each others opinions and politely agree to disagree. I'm excited to share my thoughts and hear the thoughts you throw back at me!
Since this is an intro, I am briefly going to tell you guys my background in blogging and what I plan to blog about.
I have been blogging ever since I was 13 years old in some way, shape or form. In 2012 I started up a blog called the Reader where I posted book reviews for the books I was reading to complete the challenge of reading 50 books in one year. It was an awesome experience! Blogging about books and literature has always been a passion of mine since then...but Disney is also something I am passionate about. One thing I was always eager to blog about was my stance on the issue of the Disney Princesses being good role models or not. My answer is yes, they are good role models. But I knew I had to give the issue justice and always feared writing a blog in the princesses defense for fear I would write poorly or not explain myself properly. Finally I wrote the blog and can not have been more pleased. It is my personal favorite blog post to date. The experience of writing that blog was stressful but also exciting and rewarding. I think it took me 5 or 6 hours to write when I should have been doing homework but the hours and hours I put in were worth it in the end. I always wanted to write more about Disney but felt that one post was enough (I did squeeze in another Disney blog though when I wrote a semi review of Monsters University). After all, I wasn't running a Disney blog but I was running a reading blog. Now that I have a new platform to write about all of my Disney thoughts, my brain has gone wild!
There are many things I plan to blog about but just to name a few...I will often write posts in defense of Disney. I plan on writing posts about comparing Disney to faith because faith is a huge aspect of my life and something Disney has had a big influence on. I also plan on blogging about music in the Disney films, social issues surrounding the films, narrative structure, and the artistic license Disney has to tell the stories they tell. All that and more will be in my corner...and maybe a memory piece or two. I do have a lot of Disney memories from when I was a kid...
So that is my introduction! I hope you all look forward to my corner posts along with Eric, Jen's and JD's! HAZA!
For further reading: Why Disney Princesses Are Good Role Models | Monsters University
And now back to the blog....
WELCOME to my corner, Danielle's Corner! Each of us on the podcast have our own corners where we come after the episode is posted and expand on topics we may not have been able to touch on during the recording of the episode or we may have touched on but feel we didn't get to say as much as we would have liked to. Again, this is another interactive aspect to the podcast! We want your feedback! Discussions are always welcome in the comments below. Obviously this is a very different platform than speaking on the podcast and it will be our own personal thoughts with no one there to help us elaborate or critique us to later edit certain things out. This is as raw as it is gonna get. Just a reminder though to be friendly, not only to each other but to me too. We all have different opinions and as Disney fans it is awesome that we can come together and respect each others opinions and politely agree to disagree. I'm excited to share my thoughts and hear the thoughts you throw back at me!
Since this is an intro, I am briefly going to tell you guys my background in blogging and what I plan to blog about.
I have been blogging ever since I was 13 years old in some way, shape or form. In 2012 I started up a blog called the Reader where I posted book reviews for the books I was reading to complete the challenge of reading 50 books in one year. It was an awesome experience! Blogging about books and literature has always been a passion of mine since then...but Disney is also something I am passionate about. One thing I was always eager to blog about was my stance on the issue of the Disney Princesses being good role models or not. My answer is yes, they are good role models. But I knew I had to give the issue justice and always feared writing a blog in the princesses defense for fear I would write poorly or not explain myself properly. Finally I wrote the blog and can not have been more pleased. It is my personal favorite blog post to date. The experience of writing that blog was stressful but also exciting and rewarding. I think it took me 5 or 6 hours to write when I should have been doing homework but the hours and hours I put in were worth it in the end. I always wanted to write more about Disney but felt that one post was enough (I did squeeze in another Disney blog though when I wrote a semi review of Monsters University). After all, I wasn't running a Disney blog but I was running a reading blog. Now that I have a new platform to write about all of my Disney thoughts, my brain has gone wild!
.jpg) |
| Halloween '96 when I dressed up as Snow White! |
There are many things I plan to blog about but just to name a few...I will often write posts in defense of Disney. I plan on writing posts about comparing Disney to faith because faith is a huge aspect of my life and something Disney has had a big influence on. I also plan on blogging about music in the Disney films, social issues surrounding the films, narrative structure, and the artistic license Disney has to tell the stories they tell. All that and more will be in my corner...and maybe a memory piece or two. I do have a lot of Disney memories from when I was a kid...
So that is my introduction! I hope you all look forward to my corner posts along with Eric, Jen's and JD's! HAZA!
For further reading: Why Disney Princesses Are Good Role Models | Monsters University
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Episode 001
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Episode 001
Download @ iTunes | SoundCloud | PodOmatic
________________________________________________________________________________
On the first episode of Talk Magic to Me, Jen, Eric,
Danielle and JD, discuss Walt Disney’s first full length animated feature film,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Discussion ranges from the cultural impact the film has had to the
music, story, animation, and characters!
Jen’s phone rings off the hook, Eric sings the theme song
from Phil of the Future, Danielle tells us about the original Brothers Grimm
fairy-tale, and JD likes to say HAZA!
Talk Magic to Me is a Disney critical discussion
podcast. Episodes will be posted every
Wednesday.
Snow White; Episode 001
Visit us at our website – www.talkmagic2me.com
Music used: Fairy Dust Sound (credit - IMovieAndSoundEffect
on YouTube), Festival (credit - http://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary)
Source Material:
The Annotated Brothers Grimm - http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Brothers-Grimm-Bicentennial/dp/0393088863/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394499759&sr=1-3&keywords=the+brothers+grimm
Buzz Feed Facts - http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/20-fascinating-facts-about-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs
Animation Look-back - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmoMOSDtUJc
Extras:
Dave Digs Disney CD - https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dave-digs-disney/id180142600
Showboat - Make Believe – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VvpDE87b7E
Leave us a
comment below and let us know what you thought of our very first episode! Is there anything you wish we would have talked about more? What is your favorite aspect of this movie? Your least favorite? Let
us know in the comments or via social media! And, be sure to let us
know your "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" moment from The Wonders of Disney Animation video on YouTube (CLICK HERE) and you may be featured on our second episode!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Introduction Episode 000
Introduction Episode 000
Download @ iTunes | SoundCloud | PodOmatic
________________________________________________________________________________
In this episode Danielle begins to recite the Lion King, Eric tells us the story of his experience riding Mr. Toad’s wild ride, Jen may or may not like pancakes while JD goes on to claim that pancakes were discovered by Zeus. All of this and more on the introduction episode of Talk Magic to Me!
Talk Magic to Me is a Disney critical discussion
podcast. Episodes will be posted every
Wednesday.
Introduction Episode 000
Visit us at our website – www.talkmagic2me.com
Music used: Fairy Dust Sound (credit - IMovieAndSoundEffect
on YouTube), Festival (credit - http://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary)
Leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought of the introduction episode! Are you excited? What do you look forward to the most? What is your favorite Disney movie? What is your favorite Disney ride? Let us know in the comments or via social media! And, be sure to let us know your "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" moment from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and you may be featured on our first episode!
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