I’ve always been a Disney kid. The first Disney films I’ve ever watched were Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. The Lion King was the first movie I’ve seen on theater; I was six years old. By the time Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame came out, I learned that Disney has been exploring its horizons; Disney has been exploring stories adapted or inspired by slightly heavier material than fairy tales. At that time, I didn’t care much that Disney was toning down the dark elements of those stories.
Even today, I still don’t mind that the little mermaid’s desire to have an immortal soul was edited out, or that Quasimodo didn’t die, or that Mulan’s comrades found out that she is a woman during the war and not after. However, I do mind that they changed the plot of Hercules altogether and messed up several details. (i.e. Philoctetes was human and a pupil of Hercules, not the other way around.) In any case, what I am glad about is that around that time, Disney has been expanding its horizons … adapting stories from beyond mainland America and Europe.
But after Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Disney seemed to have paused producing big “classic” films and limited itself with Disney Channel productions aimed at girls aged 12 to 15 years old. I blame this on The Princess Diaries, which started the trend. After that, the only good movies that came out were produced alongside Pixar. This isn’t a bad thing, but Disney/Pixar films did not provide the elevation and sublimity that Disney’s “classic” films exuded.
Lately, Disney has been trying again. They produced Enchanted, which is a tribute and a parody of the Disney Princesses, most notably Snow White and Cinderella. Two more new movies are coming out: The Princess and the Frog, which features the first black Disney Princess, and Rapunzel. This is great, except for one problem: this is only a safe move, a comfort zone, on Disney’s part. To this day, the classic fairy tale tradition is the most effective production of Disney, so they keep it that way. If you ask me, I hope they pick up where they left off: that is to explore stories from far-off places again.
I came up with a short list of great stories that would be fabulous if Disney adapts them:
Disney has drawn stories from Shakespeare plays before. The Lion King and its sequel were inspired by Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet respectively. I thought it would be cool of they adapted Othello, King Lear or The Merchant of Venice. Of the three, I think Othello would be most interesting: I’ve always had a weakness for interracial romances. Iago, who sabotages Othello’s relationship with Desdemona, would make an outstanding villain. His wicked ways would rank among those of the Wicked Queen, Lady Tremaine, Scar, Ursula and Jafar … to name a few.
The Princess and the Frog seems to be quite a disappointment among the African American community; like many individuals, I was not very pleased that the setting is not Africa and that it is adapted from a European fairy tale rather than an African one, which would have been great. If Disney’s going to make another black Disney Princess, I would suggest that they make an adaptation of "The Rain Came" by Kenyan writer Grace Ogot.
It tells the story of Oganda, the daughter of Labong’o, the chief of a clan of Luo people. She is the only girl among Labong’o’s twenty children and thus, his favorite. Meanwhile, their clan is suffering from a drought; Nditi, the medicine man, had a dream that Podho, the ancestor of the Luo, told him that “a young woman who has not known a man must die so that the country may have rain.” Nditi then had a vision of a maiden with “a glittering brass chain around her waist,” who must be sacrificed to the “lake monster.” Oganda happens to be this virgin maid; the chain was given to her by her lover Osinda. See? This would make a great movie.
Moving on toward Asia, I estimated that if Disney had kept on expanding, they might have picked up a story or two from the Philippines.
My sister thought that an adaptation of Noli Me Tangere would be splendid. I thought that the material for Jose Rizal’s controversial novel would be too heavy for children to comprehend; I couldn’t imagine Disney toning it down without ruining it. However, I could see why Disney would be interested in it: a tragic romance in a devastating colonial setting and a young man determined to avenge his father and liberate his country is quite tempting.
Another good story would be the origin of the Mayon Volcano. One myth tells of the tragic tale of Daragang Magayon and Pangaronon. Daragang Magayon, the lovely daughter of Rajah Makusog, fell in love with Pangaronon when he saved her from drowning. But another suitor, Pagtuga, a tribal chief from Iriga, wanted Daragang Magayon for himself. He kidnapped Rajah Makusog and demanded Daragang Magayon’s hand in marriage in exchange for her father’s freedom. Pangaronon learns of this and gathers an army to fight Pagtuga. War ensues, and Pangaronon successfully slays Pagtuga. According to an online source, Daragang Magayon rushes to meet her lover when a stray arrow pierces her back; Pangaronon is struck by a spear shortly after. According to a poem that I’ve heard as a child, the lovers were already hugging when they were struck dead by a single spear. Anyway, Rajah Makusog buries the couple in a single grave, which rose higher and higher into the magnificent volcano that is Mayon, short for Magayon.
Another cool story would be the Ilocano epic Ang Biag ni Lam-Ang.
But an even better epic would come from India: the Ramayana. If Disney adapts that one, it would so cool. A banished prince who rescues his wife from a demon king—C-L-A-S-S-I-C! I wouldn’t mind if Disney cuts out the part in the end where Rama questions Sita’s fidelity after rescuing her from Ravana; a hot kiss after the climactic battle would be just fine.
Here’s info on the stories I suggested.
http://www.philippinesinsider.com/philippines/myths-folklore-superstition/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Lear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1924130785265585243
http://www.viloria.com/secondthoughts/archives/00000416.html
http://tagaloglang.com/Philippine-Literature/Filipino-Epics/biag-ni-lam-ang-buod.html
No comments:
Post a Comment