Disney's dropping the ball

By Melissa Mongi
Senior Staff Writer
February 28, 2007

Remember when Disney movies were quality Disney movies? I do. My only hope for the future, and the health of our children, is that the legacy left by Walt starts making new classics.

I feel lucky to have been a child during the glory days of Disney films. Classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were staples of my early childhood. Then, as I got older, Disney movies got more mature, still aimed for kids, and far more awesome.

Little Mermaid rocked my aquatic world. A singing crab, mermaids, a love story with a father who just doesn’t understand his daughter and a maniacal octopus were all I needed to be entertained for hours. Some girls liked pretending they were Ariel as they sang “Part of Your World,” holding a fork dramatically. Then there was me, standing on my kitchen table, belting out “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” to my poor, unfortunate, neighborhood chums. Regardless, can children sing songs from any new Disney movies? I think not.

When Aladdin came out, and Robin Williams wowed me as the fast talking genie, I was once again hooked on Disney. Kicking off my faux-fins and clam-shell bra, I exchanged them for parachute pants and a veil like Jasmine. Those were the days when, for Christmas, I asked my parents for a monkey, stole bread and paraded around the house singing, “Make Way for Prince Ali!”

The Lion King was a beautiful movie in its animation and its message. The movie was fun, slightly dramatic and made me want to be friends with all the kids on the playground because they were a part of the “Circle of Life.”

Pocahontas, Mulan and Hercules took historical and mythical icons and created exciting plot lines and fun fictional friends, who aided each lead character. Yet, these movies were the beginning of the end of Disney classic animation.

Technology advanced and Disney films adapted with it. Animation is now too expensive and time consuming compared to computer generation. Loyal Disney fans have to wait for Disney to re-release the classics. Lame sequels and prequels are released every year to abate the true Disney animation fans. These loyalists can only hope they will make a Cinderella 7: Grandkids for Cindy!

Do children these days sing along with talking warthogs? No. They’ve got quasi-drama driven Finding Nemo. The 3-D characters seem more mature then my precious Flounder from The Little Mermaid. Granted, I loved Finding Nemo and the hilarious maturity of the film, but there is no cheesiness, no singing and no evil villain who gets power hungry, turns the sky red (somehow) and gets his/her comeuppance.

Disney movies of the now focus too much on the parents watching the films, and a potential young adult audience, forsaking the children the films are allegedly for. Disney movies today are tailored to the dissipating attention spans of the 21st century child: children who live in a fast-paced society of the Internet and violent video games. These kids seemingly can’t focus through the fun song and dances of zany cartoon characters. And, can I just ask, what in the world was Lilo & Stitch?

mongim1@lasalle.edu