Hi there! Thanks for stopping by and reading my first post on my new blog. It may not be as exciting as the 1937 release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves—the first animated feature-length film—but it's still pretty exciting (at least for me). If you want to know more about me, then fly over to my "About Me" page. The main thing you need to know is that I love storytelling and I love Disney, so there's no better topic for me to blog about than the storytelling behind Disney.
As a writer, dreamer, and consumer of stories, reading a book or watching a movie or TV show is only half the fun. Sitting down and processing the techniques behind my favorite stories continues the magic of the tales, and it helps me improve my own storytelling craft.
Sometimes these thought trains turn into essays for class, recommendations for friends, or just general topics of conversation. For the longest time, my thoughts behind the storytelling of Disney stayed informal and mostly to myself. I knew that I found their craft fascinating, but what's to say other people wouldn't think I just needed to stop talking about Disney and get a new hobby?
I'm not just using my blog to list my favorite Disney movies or prove I know way too many fun facts about Aladdin. I want to analyze the storytelling techniques of Disney and how they interact with our evolving society and are shaped by and changed based on our culture.
For example, what makes a Disney or Pixar sequel successful? Why were past sequels almost always direct-to-video, rarely to be rewatched or included in common Disney knowledge? Why did successful original films sometimes create terrible sequels (See Mulan’s 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the zero percent the sequel received).
And when it comes to successful sequels, what makes them successful? How does Disney utilize audience and time to create emotional sequels? Why are current sequels doing so well? (SeeToy Story One, Two, Three, and Four, which are all in the high 90s; Ralph Break the Internet, which is (albeit slightly) higher than its original; and Frozen 2, which while still lower, was still very successful and even liked better than the original by some audience members—you'll note that the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes is higher for the sequel).
What about live-action recreations? Are they really just ways for Disney to make a bunch of money without creating original scripts, as many people claim? Or are there benefits to them, ways to reflect our current culture and social issues?
I’m excited to start delving into these interesting and creative techniques, but for now I’m going to answer the big question: of all the topics that I could have chosen for my blog, why did I choose to spend even more time geeking out over Disney? It's not just because I love their movies.
The audience of Disney is massive. Even if we don't include Disney-owned franchises like MCU or Star Wars, the audience of Disney/Pixar movies encompasses several ages—especially children—and demographics. Any type of media or storytelling marketed toward kids is important because we are shaping their minds. This content isn’t just important for creative and imaginative uses; it is how we educate them about the world, how we show positive representation and start planting the seeds for progress and activism. I think that we—especially those working in children’s storytelling—have a responsibility to recognize how we can use a platform (especially one as large and inclusive as Disney’s) to create stories that are not only fun and joyful and imaginative and smart, but are also gearing us toward a more inclusive and progressive future.
So yes, I may mention from time to time the problematic pasts of some Disney movies. I am a firm believer that just because you love something doesn’t mean you can’t critique it. But I will also talk about Disney’s incredible talent for creating films that kids will love and understand in every way while also being enjoyed by the whole family. And I want to examine their craft so I can apply it to my own storytelling, especially my current honors capstone project for college, which is a children's fairytale play that features disability.
Diving into the storytelling of Disney is a way for me to have fun talking about my favorite movies, but it's also a way to look at how craft can be used to reach an expansive audience, and in turn, include positive representations. This is important for everyone, because no matter what your career field is, we all consume and recommend media.
I hope that whether you are a writer or a reader, a storyteller or a dreamer, you will enjoy my thoughts and analysis on some of the biggest movies out there. Thanks for joining me on this magical adventure!
Until later, have courage and be kind.
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