Disney has really diverted from the beautiful art of ... say ... Snow White. I just took it for granted that it was a beautiful cartoon, but when my parents raved about the realism in the artwork, I noticed those things more closely. The wood grain in the well's bucket. The shapes and shadows of the stone pavers around the well. The way the water sloshed and dribbled down the well's wall. While Disney/Pixar hasn't devolved to the level of Hanna Barbera cartoons yet, the frenetic motion and pace is blinding. Of course, my grandson's favorites are the Cars series, but the freneticism fits there. It's racecars, for pete's sake.
And the mythology themes are still intact in those two movies. When I saw Bambi as an adult, I was truly moved at the end when the old stag stepped off the mountain top and Bambi ascended to take his place. I doubt if anyone really understood what was happening there. And today's DisneyPixar stuff is based on ... what? Nothing. Flash and bang. It's like the writers are all working out their frustrations and emotional issues from high school.
"frustrations and emotional issues from high school." OMG...that totally nails it for me! I did not enjoy my teenage years and have no interest in revisiting it, either in memory and certainly not in optional entertainment!
Having grown up in a conservative homeschool environment and landing in a different place religiously and politically, I am wary of much from my past...but I often wonder if a "classical" "great books" education (interpreted with more contemporary values) would be better at shaping the culture than the educational system we have now.
At least, I know that I'm drawn to older and older books now. I've almost lost all appetite for any books that are younger than I am (aside from Murakami).
I homeschooled my daughter, but was not in a religious/conservative mindset. We just wanted to flee the system, following the non-schooling method of following the child's interests. It was a yeasty time for comparing the movies out then and reading the books to compare them. After watching the Little Mermaid, we read H.A. Andersen's version of the story, which of course ended differently. Val's friend was besotted by the movie. One day, Val told her the Anderson version and it was then that I felt vindicated that homeschooling was working for us. We were learning how to learn, not WHAT to learn.
Yup! hmm maybe this will become our annual Christmas movie. I could certainly do worse! When the kids are older, the Xmas movie may well end up being Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers (brilliant film if you haven't had a chance to watch it).
Disney has really diverted from the beautiful art of ... say ... Snow White. I just took it for granted that it was a beautiful cartoon, but when my parents raved about the realism in the artwork, I noticed those things more closely. The wood grain in the well's bucket. The shapes and shadows of the stone pavers around the well. The way the water sloshed and dribbled down the well's wall. While Disney/Pixar hasn't devolved to the level of Hanna Barbera cartoons yet, the frenetic motion and pace is blinding. Of course, my grandson's favorites are the Cars series, but the freneticism fits there. It's racecars, for pete's sake.
Yes, I was shocked at the modernist beauty of Cinderella and Bambi when we watched it last year. The artwork in those movies are top notch.
And the mythology themes are still intact in those two movies. When I saw Bambi as an adult, I was truly moved at the end when the old stag stepped off the mountain top and Bambi ascended to take his place. I doubt if anyone really understood what was happening there. And today's DisneyPixar stuff is based on ... what? Nothing. Flash and bang. It's like the writers are all working out their frustrations and emotional issues from high school.
"frustrations and emotional issues from high school." OMG...that totally nails it for me! I did not enjoy my teenage years and have no interest in revisiting it, either in memory and certainly not in optional entertainment!
Having grown up in a conservative homeschool environment and landing in a different place religiously and politically, I am wary of much from my past...but I often wonder if a "classical" "great books" education (interpreted with more contemporary values) would be better at shaping the culture than the educational system we have now.
At least, I know that I'm drawn to older and older books now. I've almost lost all appetite for any books that are younger than I am (aside from Murakami).
I homeschooled my daughter, but was not in a religious/conservative mindset. We just wanted to flee the system, following the non-schooling method of following the child's interests. It was a yeasty time for comparing the movies out then and reading the books to compare them. After watching the Little Mermaid, we read H.A. Andersen's version of the story, which of course ended differently. Val's friend was besotted by the movie. One day, Val told her the Anderson version and it was then that I felt vindicated that homeschooling was working for us. We were learning how to learn, not WHAT to learn.
Beautiful calligraphy!
Thanks! I’m having fun with the practice! It’s meditative in its own way.
Yup! hmm maybe this will become our annual Christmas movie. I could certainly do worse! When the kids are older, the Xmas movie may well end up being Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers (brilliant film if you haven't had a chance to watch it).
Yes! you can watch it on Hoopla if your local library system has an agreement with that streaming platform!