Disney Messages

This was a friend's Facebook wall photo the other day, along with a caption, apparently by George Takei, that read: "This may be where it starts for little girls. Parents, think about the messages your children receive."  I agree that parents need to think about the messages their children receive, especially in movies and TV shows, but I wholeheartedly disagree that these are the messages girls receive by watching Disney movies.

First, I think Disney movies are like anything else in that they can be interpreted various ways depending on the eye of the beholder.  If you are specifically looking for messages of gender inequality (or racial profiling, or religious bias, or discriminatory language toward persons with disabilities), you are likely to find it.  In other words, you see what you want to see.  But that does not mean that other people, especially children, will necessarily take away the same message.

Second, I think that it is important to remember that these are old Disney movies based on ancient fairy tales and folklore.  Any messages of gender inequality that may come across in the story lines are a product of the times in which the stories were created. If a parent is overly concerned with the messages in these fairy tales, then perhaps this is a golden opportunity to teach children a mini-history lesson.

• Sleeping Beauty was originally a French fairy tale first published in 1697 by Charles Perrault in Contes de ma Mère l'Oye ("Tales of Mother Goose"), later published by the German Brothers Grimm, and then made into the Russian Tchaikovsky's ballet, which premiered at Saint Petersburg in 1890.  The Disney animated film was released in 1959. 
• Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), although it was actually added to the collection by its French translator, Antoine Galland, who heard it from an Arab Syrian storyteller from Aleppo. His translation of "Aladdin" was made in the winter of 1709–10. The Disney animated film was released in 1992.
  
• Beauty and the Beast is a traditional French fairy tale, first published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740. The Disney animated film was released in 1991.
• Cinderella is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The oldest known version of the story is often considered to have been recorded by the Ancient Greek historian Strabo in the 1st century BC.  The Disney version of the story was based on the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, written in 1634 in Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé. The Disney animated film was released in 1950.
• Snow White is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales) in 1812. The Disney animated film was released in 1937.
• The Little Mermaid is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen.  It was originally written as a ballet and first published in 1837. The Disney animated film was released in 1989.

Third - and yes, I know I am repeating myself - these are old Disney movies that came out 20-74 years ago around the time that I was a kid (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin), my mother was a kid (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty), and even when my grandmother was a kid (Snow White).  In the past 20 years, Disney has released some exceptional animated movies, such as The Lion King, Hercules, Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt and Tangled, not to mention all the fantastic animated movies released by DreamWorks (Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, How To Train Your Dragon, Megamind, etc.) and Pixar (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Up, etc.) during that same time frame.  These more recent animated films often feature strong female protagonists.  I think that it would be difficult to argue that Mulan or Rapunzel (Tangled) or Fiona (Shrek) or Mrs. Incredible is sending the message to little girls that all that matters in life is your beauty and your marriageability.

And finally, I think that it is important to remember that children receive message from many different mediums. Books, magazines, advertisements, TV shows, commercials, movies, plays, ballets, family members, friends, teachers ... they all play a part. Parents wishing to shield their children from any possible or perceived messages of gender inequality face an impossible uphill battle. In my view, it would be wiser to accept that no matter how vigilant you may be as a parent, your children are going to receive message that you do not agree with. Maybe instead of fixating on the perceived message of gender inequality in Beauty and the Beast, you should focus on the fact that Belle exerts her strong personality by refusing to be peer-pressured by the townspeople: she loves reading books and continues to do so even though it makes her unpopular, she loves her father and helps care for him even though the townspeople make fun of him for being a crazy old man, and she is willing to look beyond the Beast's external appearance (not to mention the external appearance of the Beast's entire household staff) to discover the person he is on the inside. Are these not appropriate messages for little girls to receive?

Long story short, I just think that there are far worse things than a little girl enjoying a Disney movie and imagining herself to be the heroine. I was that little girl. I remember watching Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid countless times, and I am proud to report that I have no lasting psychological damage. In fact, I still love those movies and I think I may go watch one right now ...

The Power of Six

I just finished reading The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (pseudonym, obviously).  I am bitterly disappointed with this second book in the  Lorien Legacies series.  In fact, I feel so cheated by the sloppy writing that I am furious with the author/editor/publisher for allowing the series to be ruined in such a spectacular fashion. 

Here's my problem.  I enjoyed reading I Am Number Four, the first book in the series.  It was fun, fast-paced eye candy.  Critically speaking, the book had some issues with quality of writing, overly juvenile content and gaping plot holes, but I was willing to overlook these flaws and just enjoy the ride.  I was intrigued because the author had created a semi-original storyline in the teen science fiction genre and the next books in the series were bursting with potential! I was so excited to read the next books and learn more about this new world and its cast of characters.

Let's just say that I am no longer excited to read the next books.  In my view, the author in The Power of Six committed the most unforgivable written act by repeatedly insulting the reader's intelligence.  I understand that the book is aimed at an audience of 15 year old misunderstood boys who just want to blow stuff up, save the world and get the prettiest girl in school.  I am not trying to hold the book to a higher standard.  But still, I have to think that even a hormonal 15 year old boy might notice that when Six (from America) finally meets Marina, Ella and Crayton (from Spain) in the Spanish countryside after taking out 20, or 30 or 100 Mogadorians (always in large numbers, always men who are presumably trained soldiers, always with superior weapons, always killed by a couple Lorien teenagers with little or no previous training - how exactly did the Mogadorians wipe out the entire Lorien planet??) ... anyway, when Six and Marina finally meet near the end of the book they have a nice little conversation.  Apparently, in English.  Even though there was no prior indication that Marina speaks any English (considering she's spent the last 10 or so years living in a secluded convent in rural Spain) or that Six speaks any Spanish.

If this were an isolated incident, I would be able to overlook it.  But unfortunately, this level of sloppy writing and half-ass plot development pervades the entire book.  I mean, give the reader a little bit of credit!  One more example.  If there are only 9 surviving children from the entire Loric race who are sent to Earth to hide out with their guardians for the sole purpose of coming into their powers, winning the war against the evil Mogadorians and saving the planets Loric and Earth, then wouldn't you expect these children to have spent the past 11 years on Earth training for this very purpose?  Or at the very least, that they would have been given a small history lesson to understand who they were and what they were fighting?  Instead, of the 6-7 remaining Loric children, we know that at least two of them (John and Marina) have already lost their guardians, have no formal training whatsoever and have an extremely limited knowledge of anything Loric.  Heck, John had to learn his parents' names from reading Henri's last letter?! 

Once again, I understand that this is teen fiction, not Governor General prize material.  But kids aren't stupid, and they deserve good books just as much as the rest of us.  I still remember when I was around 10 years old and I read a short fiction book from the library about this normal boy who by the end of the book discovered that he was adopted and his biological parents were British royalty.  But then, after all the signs pointed to the fact that he was a real life prince, the boy realized that his biological parents couldn't possibly be British royalty because he didn't have a British accent!!  I was only 10 years old, but I was furious with the author for writing such an incredibly stupid ending.  As you can tell, I'm still rather angry about the whole thing!  My point is, you can write age appropriate material without offending the sensibilities of the reader, it just takes slightly more thought and planning.

Which is really what is lacking in the Lorien Legacies series - thought and planning.  The author built a solid foundation for the series in the first book, but instead of carefully creating a detailed and internally consistent storyline, he got lazy and rushed into the next leg of the story without much consideration.  And who's to say that wasn't his intention all along?  Sure, I would love to have a great new teenage science fiction series to read over the next few years, but maybe all the author wanted was a lot of money very quickly.  In that case, well played.  Especially with the movie franchise already in full swing (although don't get me started on the movie, which is terrible for many different reasons and not worth discussing).

Okay, so I am done with my rant against Pittacus Lore.  If you are looking for a GREAT series to read in the teenage science fiction/fantasy genre (also aimed at an audience of 15 year old misunderstood boys who just want to blow stuff up, save the world and get the prettiest girl in school), I would highly recommend the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.  Also fun, fast-paced eye candy, but much better written than the Lorien Legacies series.  The Lightening Thief  is the first book in the series and is definitely worth reading.

Elk Island National Park

Welcome to the lesser known and easily overlooked national park in Alberta!  I have lived in Edmonton for over 6 years now, and I only just discovered that Elk Island National Park is a mere 30 minute drive east of the city.  A couple weekends ago we decided to take a drive out to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather and gorgeous fall colours.  We took Odin for a walk around the Astotin Lake area.  There were a lot of families picnicking near Sandy Beach and canoeing or kayaking out on the lake.  Next summer we hope to buy (or rent) a canoe and go out on the water ourselves.

 

We walked the entire length of the Living Waters Boardwalk (all 150 metres of it!) which starts on Astotin Lake and makes its way onto a lakeside marsh.  Odin did not enjoy the boardwalk, but he only fell into the pond once!

 

We also hiked along the Lakeview Trial, which boasts a golden aspen forest and black spruce bog, complete with its own beaver lodge!

  

We did see a few elk on our drive up the Elk Island Parkway, but I wasn't able to get a picture.  And we saw lots and lots of bison on the Bison Loop Road.  This guy decided to pose for me.

 

Final verdict?  The park may not be as breathtaking as Banff or Jasper, but it is still worth a visit.  There are a number of lakes and hiking trails to explore, and we have heard that there are excellent cross-country ski trails in the winter.  And it definitely gets bonus points for its close proximity to Edmonton!  We'll be back soon, I'm sure of it.