In
entertainment, there are a number of tropes that we're familiar with.
These devices are artistic choices and not necessary ones. Over time,
we've not only come to accept these tropes, we expect them.
Additionally, we look at them to determine our personal tastes and to
define our chosen culture.
Classic
Movie Trailers - Tarzan (1999)
Today's
animation owes a lot to Walt Disney. More specifically, the company
that bears his name is largely responsible, for how Americans and
much of the world views cartoons. Let's use tone as a basic example.
When many of us see animated characters, we expect that the story is
heavily comical.
There
is nothing inherent to animation, which demands that it be comedic in
nature. There is no law or tenet of fiction that's broken, if an
animated film is somber instead. If we had not been exposed to
"Aladdin" and "Peter Pan" and "Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs", we might well assume that all movies of
that sort end in tragedy. In fact there is nothing, whatsoever
incorrect in saying, that if the past had been different, we would
expect horror movies to be drawn rather than filmed. It may feel
incorrect to suggest that alternative outcome, but that feeling is
only due to your expectations.
Putting
tone aside for a while, there are some specific things that Disney
films are known for. Anthropomorphism strikes me as one of the most
common, but unlike "Tom and Jerry", Disney animals talk a
lot and I wonder if people think about that. What if we moved that
device over to live action films? There's "Doctor Dolittle"
sure, but what if every movie was like that?
What
if every actor stopped to sing, in the middle of a scene? What if
every score was replaced by a soundtrack filled with voices, instead
of the sounds of an orchestra? You may argue that those choices are
fitting, but they are choices. If we fail to point them out, we run
the risk of taking them for granted.
So
Disney films are musicals. Disney films are comedies. Disney films
show intelligent, talking animals, and feature well known musicians
like Phil Collins. Given those tropes, you might assume that Disney
films are also limited, but "Tarzan" proves they are not.
This
particular Disney film is an action movie as well. It is in fact, so
bold in that pursuit, that it tackles subjects we may not associate
with Disney films. If I were to tell you, that this kind of film
could suggest infanticide, you might not believe me at first. If I
said that Disney films are full of gunfire and death, I doubt there
is one person that would immediately agree.
If
I'm wrong however, if you are such a person, then I'd bet my bottom
dollar you're a Disney fan. You know about the tough scenes and the
quieter moments, between all of the laughs. You've sung along with
all of the tunes and cried moments later, when they decided to darken
the mood.
I
would even guess, that you have cried at the same scenes multiple
times. Even though you know they are coming, even though you have the
movies all but memorized, it's possible to feel the same emotions,
every time. I'll tell you something else you already know: what
matters is not what is shown but how it is shown. What matters is not
what's said but how it is said, and Disney movies are masterful at
saying just enough.
So
this toast is to you my friends, for all of us are in the same camp.
Despite our regional, racial, religious and political differences,
there is a common bond. We may not all appreciate Disney's work to
the same extent, but we were all children. In some way, our lives
have been affected by the influence those movies have, and they've
shaped our way of thinking as well as they have shaped the genre.
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@ChannelSeals
See
"Tarzan" on Netflix!
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