I was a child once. I fondly remember watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday night. In those days, there wasn't a lot of programming on the three networks we had in East Texas for children - especially in Prime Time. But you could count on something fun from Disney each week. I didn't attend movies often at that age, and Disney films didn't come out nearly as frequently as they do now. But there was the occasional film that found its way to TV that was entertaining. And it should be noted that even in the distant past, Disney was already leaning left. Bambi, for instance, probably did more for the anti-hunting folks than any other film in history. Even in a country where guns and hunting were quite common, young children were traumatized by the death of Bambi's mother, and man was clearly the villain.
 |
| It Wasn't Always This Way, Was It? |
Flash forward to college. I was at SMU when I landed an internship with the publicity department of MGM/UA. This was a fun engagement. I helped with screenings, confirming press attendance, and gathering their clippings. It was pretty easy work that also included a whole lot of film watching. But it was this experience that led to my first job. MGM/UA's regional ad agency was a company called Moroch, and they were growing and needed another account person. The introduction was made, and in no time I was working for them - officially as an intern, since I was taking two final classes in the Summer to graduate. The latter was a directed studies - a paper on passive TV viewing and advertising. It scored an A, and was the final grade I needed to wrap up my degree. And that very day, I became an Assistant Account Executive of Moroch - cubicle, business cards, and a brave new career in advertising.
 |
| I Was Officially The World's Tallest Account Executive! |
The division I was in did motion picture advertising (buying local/regional ads for films) and publicity. The engagement varied from studio to studio. Since there was little creativity involved, the studios did not care if we handled multiple clients. We became very proficient at the process, and continued to add studios to our list of clients. By the time I left, we had everyone but Paramount and Warner Brothers. There was one other agency in town that I assumed had compromising pictures of the execs at those two, as we could never crack that nut. But no worries, we had plenty of business without them. And any small studio that came along was always referred to us. Including a small one called Vestron, with some little film they called Dirty Dancing.
 |
| Dirty Dancing - The Movie That Would Not Die! |
Disney was an account we picked up right as I started. One of the first films we worked on was Adventures in Babysitting, with the ever so lovely Elisabeth Shue. I was hoping she would come through Dallas on a publicity tour for AIB or Cocktail, but alas our chance encounter never materialized. I did meet Rebecca De Mornay that first year, and marked that down as a win.
About once a year, I would travel out west to meet our clients, watch a few upcoming films, and discuss our engagement. Everyone at Disney distribution and marketing was very nice. If they were radical leftists, they hid it well,
And then it started with The Little Mermaid. A handful of people complained to the local newspapers that the ads for the new Disney film had inappropriate images in them. The complaints were forwarded to the agency, and we sent them on to Disney. Since we did not create the artwork, there was really nothing we could say about it. In one of my advertising classes, we read a book on subliminal advertising, which honestly I simply dismissed. But staring at the underwater kingdom, you know, the towers did have a remarkable resemblance to a penis. And there was more than one. And those complaints continued. And have gotten worse with time.
Why The Little Mermaid's 1989 VHS Cover Was Banned
I provide all this background simply to demonstrate the situation with the remake of Snow White is just another in a long line of steps by Disney away from their roots as wholesome family entertainment. The declining box office, less traffic at the parks, less merchandise sales, people canceling Disney+, and the declining stock price, are all the result of this long steady march not just to the left, but the extreme left, alienating just about everyone. Most parents want to protect their children from sexual and political nonsense, at least until their teen years. They will learn all about everything soon enough. But while they are young, let them enjoy life without the grooming, far left politics, and creepy sexual deviancy.
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
It's full blown woke we go!
With a brown Snow White
Whose not too bright
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Bankrupt the Mouse our goal
No True Lovers Kiss
Ever After Bliss
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
People seem really focused on Rachel Zegler and her comments, which are truly annoying. She just turned 22. How many people in their twenties know anything about anything? She is simply parroting what she has heard. Her short life has been totally focused on the entertainment business. She has been surrounded by folks who truly think that they have the power, and should use it, to change the world into their bizarre utopian vision. She wants to fit in, and wants to be considered a serious player in the business. Of course she is going to talk their talk!
Let's talk Snow White for a moment. It is definitely a cinema classic. For ANYONE to suggest it is dated or needs to be radically reimagined is NUTS! Multiple generations of young girls have dreamed of being a Princess, and finding true love - even if that's revolting to a small militant handful in Hollywood. And the idea that we have to reimagine Snow White into this Mary Sue Princess is laughable - She's the freakin' PRINCESS. She was born to reign! If not for the wicked stepmother, a woman no less, she would already be queen!
Snow White is a perfectly fine fairy tale. I am more offended by taking a classic story that is timeless, and then "reimagining" into some dark, dystopian feminist nonsense that looks nothing like what the author intended. If you must make a film with a strong female who hates princes, create it from scratch. And don't call it Snow White!
Or if you must do a remake of the film, why not follow a successful formula? If it was successful once, why wouldn't it be even better as a live action film? I guess what I am asking is, why reimagine it?
Brown Snow And the Diverse Collection Of Differently Challenged Folks -- See the exciting tale of the Princess who lusts for power more than men. Who even needs a Prince when you are the Most Mary Sue Princess of them ALL!
I found the Daily Mail headline rather humorous - "could" RUIN? Either this is most diabolical film marketing campaign ever, or this film is DOA. Critics say the fuss is all about Zegler being of Columbian/Polish ancestry. I didn't even know that until I just looked it up. It is a little odd when the character is called SNOW WHITE, with skin as WHITE AS SNOW, to be played by someone whose skin is more a lite mocha color. But hey, we can look past that. It was her obnoxious comments first towards the original film, and then toward love of all things, that are hard to forget. Here was the first interview.
Does this make you eager to see Snow White, especially if you were a fan of the original story or Disney film? Probably not. To get back to my point, this is the ignorance of youth. She wants to project confidence, and knowledge of the world, but instead craps over everything many Americans hold dear. Somebody in PR needs to do some serious coaching, or her career is going to crash before it really takes off. You would almost think Zegler was cast as the evil queen instead of Gal Gadot. Her as the evil queen makes little sense, as she clearly is the fairest in the land - at least by physical appearance, and apparently what's inside too.
The attacks on Zegler I believe are a little harsh. Disney is the Big Bad Wolf here. This is not the first iconic brand or film to be reimagined into crap. And Zegler is not the first actor to say really stupid things promoting a Disney project. I want to believe that she was heavily influenced by Disney, and was simply parroting what she heard. And now that there is a backlash, Disney goes into damage control and blames it on the out of control actor. Zegler's career is just now blossoming with opportunity. Why would she knowingly torpedo this unless it was youthful ignorance? Either way, the film is damaged. Disney must decide quickly whether to reshoot, or simply cancel Snow White.
If they do decide to start from scratch, take a long look at Cinderella (2015), the recent remake featuring Lily James. The original story was respected. Appropriate actors were cast for all the key parts. It was lavish when it needed to be, and simple when it mattered. And the only real criticism it had was from the bat guano crazy left. James played the abused stepdaughter flawlessly. She was loyal, honest, hopeful, and just a wee bit feisty. But also, she didn't yearn to be a "girl boss" or even a "Mary Sue". She simply wanted to be loved, and have a family. A timeless tale that most can relate to, especially young girls. That movie grossed over $540M on a budget under $100M. And yet it seems like Disney learned nothing from that success.
And then there was this...
When the picture of the 7 Hippies circulated, and it was confirmed to come from Snow White, this was truly the final straw. Where were the dwarves? The one part that Little People could count on goes to regular actors? And not only that, its some bizarre diversity casting. Why? Again, if you HATE the source material, make a new movie featuring 7 freaky hippies. Call it, Snow White does Burning Man.
Will Snow White survive and get released as shot? I suspect Disney is hoping the controversies will run their course, people will forget and focus on the holidays. Disney can make some minor adjustments, and maybe, just maybe the public will forget all the bad press. I doubt it. I bet it will be yet another big loser at the box office. But what do I know.
No comments:
Post a Comment