IGNORE THIS POST IF YOU DONT LIKE LOTS OF READING, BUT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO POINT THIS OUT AND ITS SUPER IMPORTANT IF YOU LIKE ANIMATION SO PLEASE READ YES. I dont often give my opinion on large subjects or any sort of huge followings but my recent boom of animation study has gotten me a bit more passionate than normal about a particular thought. There is indeed a large increase of Feminists movements, practices, beliefs and debates recently. While all of that is wonderful, I dont get involved. Do what you do, say what you will, in the end everyone is equal in my eyes.. but something came to my attention! Now see, theres a lot of hype about getting the badass ladies of animation the spotlights they deserve. Everyone is going on about making ladies STAND UP FOR THEMSELVES YEAAAH, or FIGHT BACK FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN YESSS. Strong female leads are everything now and its vitally important that more of them appear in animation as a whole. More diversity, more exposition, more character development, the whole sh-bang! Recently weve even gotten some wonderful women in film, I mean look at the HTTYD2 cast! Valka was a wonder to behold and Astrid is her usual strong willed, sassmaster self. They both hold pivotal roles in the world as a whole, and in fact, itd seem much less without them! What about our boys though? What about the men of animation now? Now, obviously by screen-time, scripting, and overall AMOUNT, men outright own the screen in animation, but really its the KIND of men that Ive begun to notice is odd. Im going to use some classic Disney examples of them done RIGHT and youll understand why Im doing my Disney sketches now. Tarzan: This movie is filled with themes of family, understanding, acceptance, trust and several other things and its done simply magically really. Tarzan himself is such an innocent soul, that when tested (subtly in his fight with Clayton) genuinely proves his worth as a man and the stark contrast from him then, comparative to the beginning of the film is incredible. Come on! Be a man! Shoot me! Clayton roars at him and he simply says Im not a man like you. He isnt a killer, and would never use his strengths to do anything but protect, as represented by the fight with the Jaguar. But so much power in such a short line, but its all because the build up was gentle. It was a tender and sincere learning experience between he and Jane. Really it seemed he (Tarzan) owed everything he was to her, but in the end proved his own mettle as well! Atlantis: A movie entirely devoted to following your dreams, the pursuit and acceptance of knowledge, and the purity and beauty of life as a whole. This movie heavily relies on its characters to pull the story along and is represented wonderfully by fantastic antagonist and protagonist opposites. Rourke is willing to completely disregard human life in the pursuit of money. Going so far as to take away the very essence of their lives. Where as Milo, who is by no means even close to being a physical match for Rourke, puts everything on the line including his own life to protect this culture hes searched his whole life for. Thats the best example Ive seen of the bookworm nerdy kid fighting for his dreams basically ever. Treasure Planet: The film that sparked all of our love of steampunk (admit it). The points presented in this film are both varied and numerous. Trust, fear of the unknown, depression, family, discipline and above all the importance of family. Now family is a rough word, because James comes from a broken world. With the disappearance of his father and the belittlement of his mother he has almost no where to turn to. Then comes along Captain John Silver, The Cyborg. He is the embodiment of everything a good man can be. He pushes James to become the obedient little work horse the crew members need, then teaches him the lessons of respect and authority. At first a hard headed boss, you soon realize his place in the story. The Cyborg is that father James never had. Because of his guidance James can realize his mothers reasons for being so protective, the importance of respecting the crew and everyone else, the fundamentals of leadership and strength. The scenes of betrayal cut deep and from the first moment The Cyborg begins to be the villain you can see the loss in his eyes. He truly has come to care for James and in the end, cant get away from that fact. You see? This isnt undermining the female co-stars in any way. Jane is an intelligent and brilliant woman whos just the person Tarzan needed to experience love and belonging. Kida is a warrior princess, strong and stoic , whos love for Milo simply comes from his appreciation of her culture and people, he truly cares for her like none have before! Captain Silver is rough, gritty, bold and cocky. But hes a respectful man, honest and good. He kept his word and made up for all broken bonds and taught James everything he needed to know about the past and anything in the future. The reason he even makes this list is because hes not TOO powerful of a male lead. He was never meant to steal the spotlight from the leading ladies, hes simply there to be an accessory to James exploits. Captain Amelia MORE than meets the criteria of the strong leading lady. None of this happens anymore. What we get are well flushed out, nicely designed, pretty boys. They can have wonderful histories and interesting interactions, but none Ive seen have any sort of depth beyond a mysterious past, a connection to the villain, or a romantic interest in an unexpected character. These three people, Kida, Jane and Captain Silver, they are teachers. The men of these stories are dependent on them to become the men they really are in the end. Were so quick to give girls the powerful woman they want, or the perfect princess they deserve to make them a strong woman that we forget about teaching our sons to be the right KIND of man. The words The Cyborg gave to James on the deck of that ship in his lowest moments, the acceptance and guidance Kida gave Milo in his most vulnerable moments, the gentle curiosity Jane led Tarzan into knowledge and in turn recieved- these are all things that truly have had a major role in MY life. Theyve stuck with me all these years and I dont think Ill ever forget them. If you want teach a boy to treat a girl, you cant bash it into an already broken mind. You ask for ladies to fight back, or stand up for themselves. But think about it. You have to give the boys true and honest examples of GREAT men and their journey to that greatness. THEN, youll have someday taught a man the right way to treat a woman. With that in play? Well, wouldnt you agree there would be no reason for conflict.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 06:58:30 +0000
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