Although the film has been praised for its non-stereotypical portrayal of characters with disabilities- be it, Dory with her short-term memory loss, the near sighted shark Destiny, or Nemo with his lucky fin- Finding Dory is by no means particularly groundbreaking or novel, especially compared to Disney’s more recent hits like Inside Out and Zootopia (at least, from what I have heard). The plot is rather cliché and frankly overdone: Dory recovers glimpses of her past, which leads her out on an exciting adventure across the sea to find her parents and where she came from. Really, this is no different from Rapunzel escaping her tower and traveling to see the floating lanterns gleam and also finding her real parents along the way. Despite all this, the unoriginal storyline is undoubtedly what Disney does best. This film is no exception and proves that the tried-and-true formula of a charismatic underdog finding her roots and overcoming hardship still can provide for waterworks galore.
When I was in third grade, I went on a field trip to see Finding Nemo at a local theater. That was back in the days when field trips apparently did not have to be 100% educational. There was no tangential lesson on clown fish or the ocean, just a bunch of eight year olds enjoying a cartoon and becoming fully invested in all the quirky characters-especially the hilarious Dory. Thirteen years, I find myself, almost a senior in college, walking into the cinema to see Finding Dory as it finally swims onto the big screen. Like other young adults my age, who have not only grown up with the first film, but also the Ellen Show, I have been waiting desperately for this sequel, hoping that it would not be a train wreck like many sequels usually are. Anyone remember The Little Mermaid II? No? Point made. Thankfully, Finding Dory stands apart as a Disney/Pixar sequel that still manages to enchant and charm the children in all of us.
Although the film has been praised for its non-stereotypical portrayal of characters with disabilities- be it, Dory with her short-term memory loss, the near sighted shark Destiny, or Nemo with his lucky fin- Finding Dory is by no means particularly groundbreaking or novel, especially compared to Disney’s more recent hits like Inside Out and Zootopia (at least, from what I have heard). The plot is rather cliché and frankly overdone: Dory recovers glimpses of her past, which leads her out on an exciting adventure across the sea to find her parents and where she came from. Really, this is no different from Rapunzel escaping her tower and traveling to see the floating lanterns gleam and also finding her real parents along the way. Despite all this, the unoriginal storyline is undoubtedly what Disney does best. This film is no exception and proves that the tried-and-true formula of a charismatic underdog finding her roots and overcoming hardship still can provide for waterworks galore.
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Perhaps I have gotten super cheap. The last time I went out for a meal, I found myself very frustrated having to pay close to ten dollars for a turkey sandwich. I was even more livid when I took a bite and found that there was more mayonnaise than turkey between two slices of stale bread. How can anyone charge $9.95 for this terrible excuse for food? For some reason I always find myself being somewhat stingy when it comes to eating out. Even at restaurants with rave Yelp reviews, I am reluctant to relinquish my hard-earned twenty bucks for an allegedly delicious meal.
Really, the source of my problem is less about money and more about knowing how to cook. I have always loved being in the kitchen and creating my own food. There is just something so rewarding about watching your meal come together from conception to frying pan to plate to mouth. It would be a stretch to say that I am the next Iron Chef, but all in all, I do not think I fare too badly when it comes to cooking. My parents seem to enjoy my homemade edibles, although, they seem to have a soft spot for food (and also for me). Disney has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up watching classics like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, belting “Part of Your World” around the house, begging to go to Disneyworld, and snuggling with my Dumbo stuffed animal at night. Now, as a college student, I am still somewhat obsessed with Disney. I belong to a Disney a cappella group at my school, still dress up as my favorite princess for Halloween, and still make trips to the cinema to see the newest cartoons. However, as a racial minority, I am far from the ideal demographic that Disney was originally meant for.
I have always known that Disney was slightly problematic. It does not take a genius to figure out that Disney has promoted seemingly weak female characters like Sleeping Beauty, who has maybe twenty or so lines in her own movie and has depicted racial minorities offensively, such as the monkeys in the Jungle Book, which were meant to be animal representations of African Americans. I was even aware that Walt Disney himself was a bit of a bigot. He was unapologetically anti-communist and also anti-Semitic. However, these problems really stemmed from the conception of the Disney company and more so, Disneyland. Originally built to be a suburban paradise, Disneyland was built in the semblance of white, middle class Americans. Perhaps most shocking is that the park’s manipulation of space and exclusion of race somehow morphed into a powerful corporation that is synonymous with happiness and Americanism. After a long semester staring at nothing but textbooks, it is nice to look at something more scenic. By no means does this imply that Williamstown is not idyllic or picturesque because it is. However, when the purple mountains can only remind you of school and school can only mean stress, it is kind of hard to just enjoy the view.
Hence, I kicked off my summer this year with a week exploring the great wilderness of Northern California and Oregon. Mother Nature does provide the perfect retreat. How can you not be inspired by her fantastic mountain ranges, towering trees, rushing rivers, and rolling hills? I had the choice of going to San Diego. My parents even tried to entice me with a day trip to Disneyland. As much as I love Disney (I could honestly live there), the idea of crowds and people seemed a bit sickening. After all, when you live in the Big Apple, there is no need to go searching for city life because whatever you find (at least in America) will seem to be a sad comparison to what you have at home. I had my first introduction to the Marvel Universe this year because of my friend at college, who I was also living with, is OBSESSED with comic books and literally owns the entire film canon on Blu Ray. She eats, sleeps, and breathes Marvel. Her particular favorite is Captain America and any mention of Steve Rogers or even more so, Bucky Barnes would send her into a frenzy of elated fawning. I have no idea how I ever managed to talk her out of buying a Captain America tsum tsum at the Disney store. For the record, no human character should ever exist in tsum tsum form! Though I am not an excessive fan of Marvel (alright, maybe I do have a soft spot for Spiderman because we’re both from Queens), I do enjoy the whole vigilante and underdog concept. The few movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I have seen have been quite entertaining and fun. I only agreed to see Captain America: Civil War because I was actually caught up on most of the Captain America series (and my homework!) and my school was hosting a free screening at a nearby movie theater. As a rule of thumb, I’m pretty much down for anything that gets me away from my homework and/or is free. Perhaps for those fully invested in the storyline and canon, this film may really hit the feels, but for me, a moviegoer partial to plot over action, the newest addition to the Marvel lineup was what one should expect from a superhero film: plenty of action, great fight choreography and special effects, and an average execution of the storyline that relies heavily on one’s prior knowledge of the series. |
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