The Great Disney Debate!

[Goodbye Blue Monday]

my opinion on disney:
give me my fantasia and gtfo ಠ_ಠ

Same here! LOVE Fantasia! (I'm a music composition major, so yeah.)

I'm generally kind of lukewarm about Disney. Their movies are fun and the songs are nice, but it's just kind of unsatisfying watching them now and comparing to the experience of watching them when I was younger. It just isn't the same. Plus it's a lot easier to notice some of the less fantastic stuff - racism, etc. - that went over my head when I was a kid.

One thing I don't get is why there are so many women my age (I'm 19, college sophomore) who are still obsessed with Disney. I'm talking about the people who act like you're evil if you, say, point out the racism or historical inaccuracy in some of them (or, in the case of me every time I watch Hercules, the way it differs from the real myths). And not in a sort of "I'm trying to watch this, you're ruining the movie" sort of a way. In a WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? DO YOU NOT HAVE A HEART? sort of way. I'm all for keeping in touch with your inner child, but you have to grow up somewhat.

(Then again, I'm sure they'd have some choice words for me about the fact that I'm still into Pokemon...)

And ftr I've always hated Disney Channel. I was always a Nickeloden/Cartoon Network sort of a kid. Part of the reason I love Glee so much is how much they skewer High School Musical, whether intentionally or unintentionally...

 

[Luxio2k8]

bell02+ made many of the stronger statements that I agree with and there is no point in repeating them, but I will add my own two cents.

I never really understand the idea that Disney is “evil”. I mean they are an entertainment company and are going to make money the best way they can. I am not a big fan of the Disney Channel. It’s a great idea, but you really never get the sense that it’s in the traditional Disney-style. I have long been a fan of their classic animation like Mickey Mouse and the rest and enjoy many (but not all) their animated films. Still, Disney has to be credited with bringing Naruto: Shippuden on the air in the U.S. and in a way “saving anime from the U.S. airwaves”. I may not be a Naruto fan, but I still believe that it should be on the air for those that want to watch it. The fact that Naruto airs on Disney XD to me is proof that Disney is serious with making Disney XD, a network for male audiences.

After all, Disney bought Marvel Comics because they have long suffered with male demographics and what better way to “win them over” then with Super-heroes and anime?

If Disney XD wasn’t airing Naruto: Shippuden, then who would? Cartoon Network sure won’t as proof with they way that they have handled their programming in recent years (airing Pokémon at 7am on a Saturday, anyone)?

So, give Disney some credit. Just because their well-known (right now) with shows like Hannah Montana, The Suite Life on Deck, and Wizards of Waverly Place doesn’t mean that it’s the only programming that Disney airs.

 

[Dorothy]

Disney's movies have been slipping in quality since they switched to CGI, and all their first-party TV shows (except Phineas and Ferb and the Zack and Cody shows) are just crap.

That's what I think.

The Princess and the Frog was good, though.

 

[cascade88]

Disney's movies have been slipping in quality since they switched to CGI

I agree. When I used to think of Disney, it was of their magnificent animated feature films, like the Lion King, or Aladdin, the Jungle Book, etc. Films like, say, Chicken Little, they're pretty cool, but I miss the straight up cartoon films. =|

 

[jorge27]

disney sucks, they're only making they're next movie to put a black person and a mexican guy

my names jorge...

 

[Glaciachan]

Well, I agree with the above posts that no company, even Disney, is "evil" in the sense of the word. (Except Microsoft, hee.) Anyway, I personally prefer the older Disney movies over new ones. As for Disney Channel? I think it just went down the drain since 2004/2005-ish. I like Phineas and Ferb, though. Also, there's the cartoons which aired in syndication in the 80's and 90's, which I'm a fan of. Unfortunatly, the DVD releases of these shows, while there has been some progress, has been limited. Also, because of them, ABC Sports is a shell of their former glory. So needless to say, I have some quibbles with them. But still, I understand they are a company that's trying to make money.

 

[Glitchipedia]

Disney has always been really good. Their older animated films are fun to watch—yes, even less-appreciated works such as The Black Cauldron. Some more recent traditionally-animated works, such as The Lion King, are just flat-out win. I will admit that films such as Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules greatly deviated from the source material, but they are good films in their own right.

Disney/Pixar collaborations turn out some of the best movies I've ever seen—when I went to see WALL-E at the theater, I had never before heard an audience laugh so hard! And with a third Toy Story on the way, fans have even more to look forward to.

One of Disney's best decisions, in my opinion, was collaborating with Studio Ghibli to bring their works stateside (and wherever else English is spoken). Though it is generally better to watch the films in their original Japanese form, there are those who do not speak the language and who do not wish to have to pay attention to subtitles. Disney, in my opinion, has done a marvelous job of adapting Ghibli's films and I hope they will continue to do so for a long time.

There is one thing about Disney that aggravates me somewhat: they seem to dislike darker and edgier. For a long time, if they wanted to release an overly scary or violent movie, they decided they needed to release it under a different label so as to not "tarnish their image". Examples include The Nightmare Before Christmas, which was originally released under the Touchstone Pictures label, and Princess Mononoke, which was dubbed and released under the Miramax Films label. It wasn't until the 2002 English dub of Spirited Away that they actually released a dark, edgy film under the Disney banner the first go-round, and it wasn't until 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl that they went as far as to produce such a film in-house.

As for these rumors about Disney ceasing production of 2-D animated films....that was supposed to happen with Brother Bear. I don't think Disney will be scrapping its signature style anytime soon.

As to all these complaints about the Disney Channel....I can say nothing on the subject, since I don't really watch the channel.

All-in-all, I think Disney's still got it. They'll last at least as long as they still have Warner Bros. to compete with. :-D

 

[Hector]

When I was a kid, I loved their work. Their animated movies (Aladdin, The Lion King etc.) were wonderful and some of their TV shows (Kim Possible is my personal favorite from back in the day) weren't bad either.

But now... I just shake my head. When I've been babysitting for younger children, the stuff they're making now just isn't the same. And in my opinion not as good. But that being said, they are making a killing off HSM and Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus, so I really don't blame them.

 

[Terra Force]

They have been gradually changing (for the worse, might I add) since after the 90's successes like Aladdin, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, etc. I heard the Princess and the Frog was pretty good, though.

 

[Lazyboy0337]

I never really liked Disney... one, because Walt supported the Nazis (although not as much as Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh did), and because he also had a field day during McCarthy Red Scare accusing his colleagues.

Have you seen the cartoons Disney did against the Axis powers in WW2?

 

[Goodbye Blue Monday]

Have you seen the cartoons Disney did against the Axis powers in WW2?

Well they were Americans, and America was fighting against the Axis - of course they were going to do something to promote the war effort, because that was how one earned fans and made money during that time. That doesn't override the fact that Walt Disney was a huge anti-Semite who sympathized at least somewhat with Hitler's views (whether he took it to the level of supporting the Nazis or just had some similar ideas to Hitler I'm not quite certain).

 

[Gligar13]

Their films got old for me a long time ago. But anyways, pochanis was historically inaccurate (and some of their other ones were). In fact one teacher at my school made us watch it so we could bash it. Their newer pixar movies are bad as well, and also the stuff on disney channel is EVEN WORSE!! Like Fail School Musical for example.

And even though this is slightly off topic, disney games are really terrible.

 

[Dorothy]

Their newer pixar movies are bad as well

WUT

UNTRUE STATEMENT IS FUCKING UNTRUE

Also, yeah Pochahantis (or however that's spelled) is historically inaccurate. Doesn't mean it's a bad movie.

 

[boop]

Their newer pixar movies are bad as well.

Disney doesn't make (in the sense of writing/directing) Pixar flicks. Pixar makes Pixar flicks. Disney has simply been partnered with (and now owns) them... but Disney allows Pixar to have complete creative control (in the same sense that Disney doesn't write Sportscenter).

And on the "newer Pixar movies are bad" account, you are wrong. If anything, their last three (Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up) are their best. Their most technically brilliant. Their most poignant. They had a few misses in the past, namely; A Bug's Life and Cars. Other than those, though, Pixar has been nothing short of genius for 15 years straight.

 

[ferrari-kun187]

Pocahontas was historically inaccurate (with the exception of the not-so-popular sequel which is even more historically accurate than the first.), but it is indeed a very good film.

EDIT: agrees with YeOldeJacobe. I personally think that Pixar is doing fine. I thought the beginning of UP was sad, but it is a good film.

 

[Lazyboy0337]

Well they were Americans, and America was fighting against the Axis - of course they were going to do something to promote the war effort, because that was how one earned fans and made money during that time. That doesn't override the fact that Walt Disney was a huge anti-Semite who sympathized at least somewhat with Hitler's views (whether he took it to the level of supporting the Nazis or just had some similar ideas to Hitler I'm not quite certain).

true...

 

[Glaciachan]

Their films got old for me a long time ago. But anyways, pochanis was historically inaccurate (and some of their other ones were). In fact one teacher at my school made us watch it so we could bash it. Their newer pixar movies are bad as well, and also the stuff on disney channel is EVEN WORSE!! Like Fail School Musical for example.

And even though this is slightly off topic, disney games are really terrible.

Actually, I heard the Disney NES games made by Capcom in the early 90's aren't bad. They were based on the old Disney Afternoon shows that ran in syndication at the time.

 

[Gligar13]

I mainly mean the newer disney games, like High School Musical dance, not older ones like Alladin for genesis, or ToyStory Genesis. I should make that more clear next time.
And i also didnt like rattatoue and wall-e that much either. I havent seen Up though.

 

[Raves]

Admittedly, Pirates of the Carribean, or however that stretch of water is spelt, is one of Disney's ive-action movies that's actually loved universally. The incredibly sad thing? Disney XD.

Differences between XD and regular Disney:

 

[Barb]

Also, maybe it is just me, but I don't consider "The Lion King" as an old Disney movie (maybe it's just my age), but I consider it like a second wave movie.

Actually, I consider the second wave of Disney animation as having started in 1989 with "The Little Mermaid." That was one of their biggest successes, after a drought in the early to mid-70s of awful live-action films ("The $1,000,000 Duck" and "The Black Hole") and animated films ("Robin Hood").

...because the idea that they had the prince go to slay the dragon for the sake of it being a dragon.

But it wasn't just a dragon, it was the film's villain, Maleficent, after transforming into a dragon. Killing her broke the spell on Aurora/Sleeping Beauty and the rest of the kingdom.

I also wasn't a fan of the Black Cauldron, I just didn't like that movie.

The movie was meh, but the books that the movie was based on (The Prydain Chronicles) are excellent. Read them. If Disney had animated only the final book in the series (The High King) I would've been happy.

Disney Channel started out as basically a 24 hour network to show Disney and Children's movies, and that was great because back then there was no cartoon network and sometimes you didn't want to watch Nickelodeon because not everyone loved every program at the time (Because they were really the only kid's channels).

In my day, we had to get up early on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons. Now off my lawn!

As for the Disney Channel itself, I like the idea, but I strongly dislike the direction it is going in.

Me, too. I'm very sick of The Suite Life of Hannah Montana's High School Musical. However, Phineas and Ferb is great.