There are a few things in life that make me smile, and surprisingly one of those things is the Disney entity. I am fully aware that any mega-corporation like Disney is likely full of corrupted individuals and cast members with broken dreams. And yet, for visitors to the parks, for children who grow up on the movies and cartoons, and for anyone willing to fork over their life's savings for a week spent in the "happiest place on Earth," there is an incredible allure about the entire experience. My family used to visit Walt Disney World once a year, usually around Christmas time. When the Disney Cruise Line came about, we sailed the Wonder a few times, to my infinite delight. Now every time we manage to return to either WDW, the Disneyland Resort in California, or snag a stateroom on the ever-coveted Disney Cruise, I find myself in a state of bliss that is rarely matched in man-made places.
Of course I grew up watching Disney movies; we even had a small television set in our Astrovan on which we would watch our favorites on long car rides. All of us, even my brother, would sing along to every tune, laughing at each childish joke as if it were the first time we'd heard it.
It's a wonder that I've grown so jaded since those days.
So naturally, even though I still get choked up when a costumed parade of my favorite princesses sings a song about believing in your dreams and waiting for your wish to come true, I still find ways to sneer at the spectacle of the Disney parks.
Allow me to preface by saying that I'm amazed at the caliber of employees, or cast members, that the Disney parks manage to summon. For the most part, they are polite, informative, and well trained. On occasion you will encounter the average teenager who hates his job, regardless of the obvious perk of having very expensive access to one of the most popular locations on the planet, and takes it out on visitors by being rude or simply refusing to wear a smile. For the actual performers, there is a whole different set of standards, and I'm often surprised at some of the people who manage to land their roles. You'd think that there is some unspoken rule about dancers' measurements, but every once in a while I'll see shorter, huskier girls dancing in parades. As for the stage shows...perhaps it is out of envy, but I find myself disappointed rather often by the Belles and the Ariels, etc. I see. Either their voices don't fit or they plain don't sing as well as they should. Of course the appearance is always spot on, thanks to the amazing costuming department.
In the defense of the stage performers, though, they are usually doing the same half-hour show four or so times a day and working with recordings of their fellow characters. Apart from the protagonist, the princess in the story usually, the other performers are puppeteers or dancers in full costume who do not speak, but act along with a recording of the entire show. This means no orchestra, and no stopping to take a breath even if something truly embarrassing happens.
As for costuming itself, I've come to take some issue with a certain new addition to the parks. Princess Tiana, whose story is as inspirational as the rest, has a costume that is likewise as familiar as the other princesses' dresses. Of course I'm referring to the swampy wedding gown from the end of The Princess and the Frog. While brushing up on Disney Dream footage, since the ship has been around quite a bit by now, I ran across a Youtube video of some of the TPatF segments from the live show on board called "Believe." One of the commenters had suggested that the gown was not appropriate for that particular scene, that being the number, "Dig a Little Deeper" (and the rest of the segment I assume, since it's only a 45-minute show). Someone else had responded, saying that it was her signature outfit and the most recognizable appearance for her. Commenter One replied, saying that Tiana had a just-as recognizable outfit from near the beginning that would have fit the formal '20's style of the number without being the out of place ballroom fashion.
Come to think of it, why is Tiana always in her ballgown now? Wouldn't it be more suited to her character to appear in her regular dress from the beginning of the film? To say that the ballgown is the most recognizable costume for her is due entirely to the costuming department of the parks. While every other Disney princess has appeared at length in her ballgown in their respective films, Tiana spent only a few minutes in hers, and it was after viewers had already gotten used to seeing her (and Naveen) as a frog. Of course, to keep the dreamy, sparkly allure of Disney, Tiana has to be in her ballgown when greeting visitors.
I find this rather silly. Belle from Beauty and the Beast appears just as often in her "street" clothes as she does in her ballgown in the parks. She's a tough but feminine Disney princess, which I suppose is why she is granted the dual privileges. So why isn't Tiana, often touted as too busy for romance, given the same respect? Why would she appear at a jazz jamboree in her ballgown when Belle gets to read stories in much more comfortable clothing?
While I love the idea of characters like Belle, Tiana, and especially Mulan - women who have strong personalities and will do whatever it takes to honor their families - I lose some respect for the Disney image when they pull crap like this. Instead of doing what's cool in the spirit of Imagineering, they do what they think people want to see. Any young girl who loves TPatF will recognize Tiana no matter what costume she's in, so why pander to the idiotic notion that your guests are complete morons who know nothing about the thing they came to see? The Disney parks used to be a lot more enjoyable before they were transformed into Neo-Tinkerbell and Nemo land. Pixar has clearly been one of Disney's major successes, because they are milking that cash cow like it's drinking from the fountain of youth. The same can be said of the Pirates series, where thankfully not much has changed in the original attraction.
As for Star Tours...well...I reserve the right to slay someone for all of the horrible CGI they've slapped all over a once classic attraction.
And I only just now realized: this is the second time I've blanted about the Disney parks. This, right after a post about the London riots? Clearly I need a vacation.
No comments:
Post a Comment