The Dissection of Mr. Toad's Staring Role and Ichabod's Film Encounter

Film is a very intense way of story-telling. Being the visual medium that it is, it depends less on interpretation and more on wowing the audience and presenting certain images to foreshadow or represent something/someone as a metaphor. Of course there are a good amount of films that challenge the viewers in unique ways but the majority of films aren't very intellectual endeavors. The audience sits in front of the screen and watches images set before them. That doesn't take much thought. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad stems from two great works of literature and presents Disney with a unique challenge, especially when it comes to Ichabod's story. Adapting book to screen is always hard. In this blog I want to talk about both sides of this film...Ichabod's and Toad's. I will first start out with Ichabod and discuss the visualization of the headless horseman. I will then move on to Mr. Toad and discuss why Walt Disney might have chosen this character out of all the other main protagonists in The Wind in the Willows to represent half of this package film.

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There are plenty of examples of literary works where the author literally invites the reader to write their own version of the story, and no I don't mean fan fiction. I mean the author leaves the reader with questions that allow them to imagine what might have happened. This challenges the reader to understand character psych and writing style and create their own ideas. For example, why did Alaska really drive into another vehicle (Looking for Alaska by John Green)? How will Nick handle his relationship with Amy after all that has happened (Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn)? Did Pi truly survive on a lifeboat for most of the year with a Bengal tiger or was it all just a metaphor he created in his subconscious (Life of Pi by Yann Martel)? And in the case of Ichabod, we the reader have to ask - did he really see the headless horseman or was it all just an illusion (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving)? As readers, we are invited to take guesses and work out reasons why our guess is valid. But film takes on such a different tone because the story is no longer just words and images we created in our head. A film is a literal picture and leaves no room for interpretation in this way. Of course many great films know there are ways to distort an image to make the audience think but it is still visual and never quite like a book. In Ichabod's case, we are entirely dependent on the animation we see before us to tell us the story.

Disney does not try to be like the source material and leave the audience guessing in such a way (and it could be argued that they couldn't do such a thing in the same way the book does) but they do create their own interpretation and therefore drop hints to the audience as to what they were intending. A great movie knows that they have to show the audience and not tell. A great example is the film Clueless. In the film, main character Cher has a crush on new kid Christian. Through subtle hints during their interaction, the filmmakers drop hints that let us come to our own conclusion that Christian is gay. It is only when Cher needs to be let out of the dark when another character actually voices this fact. In Disney's adaption of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow we are never actually told who the headless horseman is. We are given many clues that it is Brom Bones but at the end of the day still wonder if it could have been a demon. While the book offers a much wider gap for interpretation, the film does a good job tapping into a similar spirit and should be applauded for doing so. 

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The choice of who is going to be the main character to represent a film is a hard one. As discussed earlier, a film depends on visuals and requires more wow factor because audiences can often be shallow. The main characters in The Wind in the Willows are Rat and Mole. Toad is more of a plot point and side character - the trickster character which was discussed on the most recent episode of Talk Magic to Me (listen at the end of this blog post). So why did Disney choose Toad to be one of the faces to represent this film?

The obvious answer is that Toad is very interesting. All of Rat and Mole's adventures are slow and would be quite boring to a child audience. But when Toad comes along, things become fast paced and suspenseful. The reader is constantly wondering - how will Toad get out of this situation? Naturally, this makes Toad an interesting character and a good face for a film. But I believe there were other motivations for Toad's casting as well.

When I read The Wind in the Willows for the first time (actually I listened to the audiobook), I found that Toad reminded me of Walt Disney himself! That may sound weird because Walt Disney didn't steal cars or go on train chases...but he was very obsessed with the newest pieces of technology. The similarities between man and character are most apparent when Toad sees the motor car driving up the road and becomes mesmerized. Even when his friends restrain him, Toad can think of nothing else but that motor car. He goes through many lengths to get that car. Walt Disney was the same way. He was straight forward and knew what he wanted and didn't try to hide it. When he saw his daughters reading Mary Poppins, he knew he would go to all lengths to make that story into one of his motion pictures. Mary Poppins was his motor car. Both cross boundaries yet at the end of the day we love them and route for them. I'm sure Walt saw some of himself in Toad.

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There is so much more that can be said about this film but I will end it there. Be sure to listen to our newest episode of Talk Magic to Me where we discuss this very film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad!

Aladdin and Original Sin and the Message of Forgiveness

The films of the Disney Renaissance all share many of the same qualities. One of the qualities is the spiritual and religious metaphors and symbolism ingrained into each story. What sets the Renaissance apart from other eras in Disney film history is that the content not only looks and sounds good like normal but each film reaches it's audience on a deeper level. The characters are no longer boring two dimensional cartoons, nor are their story arcs. Each film has something profound to say and can be taken seriously unlike most animated films in years previous. Animation has never been an exactly respected medium but it gained more respect during the 90's and that is largely credited to Disney.
Aladdin carries a lot of weight in the spiritual realm of the story, particularly in our main two characters - Aladdin and Jasmine. I believe Aladdin is a metaphor for original sin while Jasmine is a metaphor for forgiveness. I don't believe Disney went into this project with this intent however I do believe that if an art form is good, it will be open to interpretation because it will automatically leave the audience with those questions that bring about discussion and overall spiritual or narrative or scientific reassurance.

Allow me to go into more detail as to why I see Aladdin and Jasmine being symbols of these two religious symbols. Spark Notes published a blog a few years ago discussing why the Disney Princesses are bad role models. I disagreed with the article 100% and it inspired me to write my own article in defense of the princesses. One thing the author wrote on Spark Notes was that Jasmine was teaching young girls to allow their boyfriend to lie to them. While I can see why this may be true, I see Jasmine's choice to continue loving Aladdin as a decision to forgive him. She knows he is not perfect (nor is she) but a good man who she loves and understands and he obviously feels the same way. He pursues her but unlike the other men who have done the same thing, he values her. He knows she isn't a prize to be won (or at least comes to learn this) and that is why he makes the decision to not be a prince at the end and free the Genie. He acknowledges his unworthiness which is ultimately what makes him worthy. Jasmine, the symbol of forgiveness because of her unfaltering decision to love Aladdin and see him for more than his mistakes, forgives Aladdin because she puts herself in his shoes. When Aladdin apologizes for lying, Jasmine leans close and says, "I know why you did." That is all that needs to be exchanged between them. She isn't excusing him from his mistakes but saying, "I love you and our love is more important than either of our mistakes." This isn't to say this is a method every woman should use in a relationship but in this case it works. Forgiveness is a really hard place to get to. Disney realizes that love is complex and messy but it is rewarding and ultimately their films strive to display this reward. Whether their depiction of how it is achieved is accurate or not, it has taken the culture by storm. Jasmine is ready to let go of the hurt she felt because not only does it weigh her down but by letting go she has more room for love in all areas of her life.

Aladdin is on the other side of the spectrum, representing the allure of original sin. The symbolism of the Adam and Eve parable is beautiful. They take a bite of the sweet apple and it feels good but leaves them feeling naked and vulnerable and unworthy. Aladdin, who is frequently seem with apples in the film, also bites off more than he can chew when he lies. In the beginning lying is sweet. The moment the Sultan announces to Aladdin that one day he will take over and become Sultan, Aladdin has the realization that he has never been worthy for this and is suddenly ashamed and afraid of being found out. He has dug his own grave. This leads him to take the easy road by not freeing the Genie like he promised. It is only when he admits to his fallen nature that he realizes he never had to be perfect, he just had to be himself and that is when he becomes worthy. It takes Jasmine's forgiveness to also make this possible.

What do you think of this analysis? Do you agree or disagree? Do you want to expand on my points? Leave it all in the comments or enter discussion on the Talk Magic to Me forums!


We talked about Aladdin on last month's episode of Talk Magic to Me! You can listen to it in the video below!

The Redemption of the Evil Queen

Original post: http://talkmagic2mepodcast.blogspot.com/2014/03/danielles-corner-redemption-of-evil.html

I watch the show Once Upon a Time on ABC.  I won't lie to you, the show appeals to me.  I love fairy stories with their fun lighthearted and moral elements.  But I also like raw stories that are dark and don't sugar coat things.  Once Upon a Time tries to be the show that bridges that gap between those two elements...though in my opinion the show fails to truly bring these two genres together.  Season four has started and continues to let me down. Between the constant Disney-fying and shoving Frozen on the audience, I'm seriously questioning why I continue to watch the show. The show has a ton of flaws and is cliche.  The actors are okay.  Some are awesome and some I can't stand.  But I still watch the show because there is something about it that brings me back.  That something, or someone I should say,  is the Evil Queen.
First of all, the Evil Queen (Regina) is arguably the best character in the entire show.  There are many attributes to this statement.  The first attribute is that her character is complex but not in a cliche sort of way.  Tons of characters from Once Upon a Time are made to seem complex when really it is just easy writing.  I'm in no way saying I could do better but that is just my opinion.  Regina is by far the most well thought out character.  Her back-story is beautiful and heartbreaking.  She is flawed in the best way possible and is the balance in the show.  She balances the show by being the bridge between good and evil, the see-saw that constantly is falling back and forth and living out the eternal struggle of living for one's own self interests or living for something greater and beyond themselves.  Besides her actual character, the actress who plays her, Lana Parrilla, is incredible!  She plays Regina with such grace and charisma.  The best part of her performance is watching her facial expressions.  The performance is all in her face.  No other actor in the show seems to capture the complexities of their character as she does...though Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin comes close.
As I said above, I watch the show and enjoy it but don't think it is a good show per say.  However, I do have a hope for the show that would redeem it.  I hope beyond hope that my wish will come true (pun intended)!  My hope is that the show will end with Regina becoming good.  Not a temporary good like we have seen in previous episodes.  I mean she will truly become a good human being.  It won't mean she is perfect. I want her to still question her goodness but I also want to see her cling to something bigger than herself and long for something good and not something evil. The show seems to revolve around the struggle she encounters every day about choosing which side she wants to be on and it is so good, it makes me feel like she is the show and it should end with a focus on her.  That would make me so incredibly happy!