Musings on art and modern audiences

  Fantasia : an underrated Disney gem Disney’s Fantasia (1940) is definitely a film which sticks out when you look at Disney’s archive. If you aren’t already familiar with Fantasia I can’t recommend it enough, I genuinely believe it’s one of Disney’s most underrated films. It’s a literal symphony of music and visual art, storytelling and aesthetics. It’s pure escapism.  We all know Disney isn’t just for children. (In fact, Fantasia was initially intended to be a series of films which routinely introduced audiences old and young alike to classical music.) These films are a showcase of great artistic talents coming together on a project which has the power to move audiences of all ages and generations. Fantasia does precisely that, combining the musical compositions of a range of classical composers, performances of the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski, and the creative work of countless animators and artists. The fact that this film is a team effort is ...

  The Princess and the Frog : a fresh eye on a complicated Disney classic When I first encountered The Princess and the Frog in cinemas for a friend’s birthday, I have to admit 6-year-old me was underwhelmed. That feeling is one that stuck with me for a long time, confusing and unexpected as it was, and over the years my thoughts on the film have changed a lot. What I do know now, reflecting on that cinema trip, is this: while I left the cinema feeling underwhelmed, there were plenty of other young girls watching this film (including my friend, the birthday girl) for whom this film was overwhelmingly important. This film was an opportunity for her to see a Disney princess who looked like her.  What I’m proposing here is a re-evaluation of The Princess and the Frog , taking into account some of its important issues, but also trying to take an optimistic view of the film with fresh eyes. Is it really possible to look past the issues (of racial representation, amongst other thin...

  Cyrano de Bergerac : the pen is mightier? When I came across Cyrano de Bergerac I was struck by how self-consciously contrived it was. It’s a work of fiction, yes, but it’s actually not very often we find stories that are aware of their fictionality, let alone lean into that element. Musical theatre might be an example of a genre which embraces its own fictionality and asks its audiences to do the same - to let go of reality and fully escape into fiction. With Cyrano what we have is a story which at its core makes use of poetry as a means of communication, with all the characters speaking in verse and narrating through poetry. Since this story is a play, we can also think about the particular conditions of the theatre: actors performing roles, having memorised their lines and their cues, whilst wearing costumes and make-up. Everything about the play suddenly becomes very self-conscious. Cyrano’s circumstances (cursed as he is with an abnormally large nose) and his complex aroun...

  Robin Hood : animals and morality A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog on Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story Fantastic Mr Fox , and clearly I’m sticking to a theme so this week we’re having a look at Disney’s 1973 film Robin Hood .  First of all, why foxes? Or more broadly speaking, why animals? On a very basic level, the story of Robin Hood is based on legend anyway so why not take the extra creative leap and use animal characters when reimagining the story, especially if it can be more entertaining and accessible to young audiences.  The use of animals and anthropomorphism is actually a highly effective way of bringing young audiences closer to the story and characters. If the characters were human, audiences may not find the story as engaging because of the element of realism and seriousness, whereas animal characters create a wondrous new imagining of the Robin Hood legend which is whimsical and fun. Animal symbolism plays an importan...