#tangled review

[celsmedia]

My favourite Disney movie ౨ৎ

A review written by Cel

I finally decided to write my love and thoughts about this movie after never finding enough words for it. Tangled is the first 3D animated Disney movie with a disney princess and was their animated studios' 50th movie. It is loosely based on the german fairytale "Rapunzel" by the brothers Grimm from the early 1800s. Some of Disney's previous disney princess movies had also been based on the brothers Grimm fairytales. As we can see in the animated movie we're introduced to this kingdom called Corona, this place is based on the german culture and architecture along with some characters' names. The music is written and composed by the infamous Alan Menken, whom I've admired his work for as long as I can remember, he has composed for Disney multiple times such as the soundtrack for The Little Mermaid. I officially became a fan of him earlier last year when I started watching Tangled's sequel series "Rapunzel's tangled adventure" where he had also composed the music, I definitely recommend watching it if you really enjoyed the movie. One would assume it is some type of spin-off but surprisingly it connects with all the details from the original movie.

To start off with my love for this: I was never a big fan of this movie as a little kid as I am right now. Of course I knew all the words to the songs and the storyline, but I was more of a Cinderella and Frozen kid. Even so, this movie was still on repeat on my family's TV most of my childhood and I safely assume the DVD got ruined because of how much it played.

Tangled is my favourite Disney movie and have been for a very long time. I don't remember when it really got to me, but it was always a comfort movie I could watch all the time if I felt bored or didn't have any movie choices in mind. After watching it atleast once a month (unaware of the amount of rewatches), I felt emotionally attached to it and I knew I could relate to Rapunzel. She is a witty, creative, and curious 18 yr old girl who had been trapped in a tower for most of her life without knowing the true meaning about it. My favourite relatable thing about her is the amount of hobbies she mentions in "When will my life begin?". Disney did really well showing domestic abuse and passive aggression from mother Gothel, us as the viewers already know that she's the bad guy in the story but Rapunzel doesn't which makes her relationship with her feel so natural. Her realisation is one of my favourite scenes because of the recollection of her early memories. I feel the intention of this was to help young children who watches it would maybe realise if they are actually being treated badly and neglected. Of course a young kid wouldn't pick up the bits and pieces that fast but it is easy for someone to think their treatment and relationship with their parents are natural which is the same case with Rapunzel.

Now with Rapunzel's romance that I am very fond of. If you really think about the time Rapunzel and Eugene spent together and the ending of the movie, it is quite weird how they just got married already. They met a day before her 18th birthday, he was on the run and she wanted to see the "floating lights". The fact that Eugene was canonically 26 years old in the movie which can seem pretty weird, but in the series they reveal he was 23 as he turns 26 at the end of the last season. I love how they didn't make them flirty at the start of their friendship which obviously would be natural for two strangers and especially for a girl who's never talked to another human being other than her mother. Flynn Rider, the name Eugene went by, was not happy with this trip he had to do if he wanted his satchel back. It's just wholesome to watch them progress throughout the movie and the way their feelings begins to develop. I like to think Rapunzel admired him from the start, as Eugene fell for her later on. If their relationship had a trope I would definitely say the "she fell first, but he fell harder" trope. In the sequel series, they start the story some months (i think) after Rapunzel returned to her real parents. But she and Eugene hasn't been married yet, she actually said no first because she felt insecure and was still trying to be used to her new life. Their relationship took years with complicated feelings and miscommunication which is one of the best parts of the series. Me personally would've said "yes" right away to Eugene. He is probably the most handsome and dare I say best Disney man. I mean they did put a group of women at the studio to work out his best design..

This is definitely the best animated movie among Disney for me, every scene is just satisfying to watch and it's like letting your brain rest for over an hour. They captured such beautiful moments in animation and perfected it so well with dialogue and music. One of my biggest dreams would be to watch this on a big screen with a live orchestra, and possibly Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi sing too.

I also want to address the live action of Tangled because of the current rumours about the castings. As far as I know, Disney hasn't fully confirmed that the live action is in the works and everything so far is just rumours or assumptions. Only a few days ago 1-2 articles had been found informing that Disney has reportedly casted Avantika Vandanapu and Milo Manheim as Rapunzel and Eugene. This caught a huge amount of attention and controversy on social media, and my biggest problem with this is how people actually believe it. I really thought we were past believing absolute everything we see on the internet, especially from websites we've never gotten information from. Because why would a website almost no one reads suddenly have Disney's thoughts of their cast? Worst is the people believing this and being racist about it. Avantika had never been a choice in my fancast for Rapunzel as she doesn't fit her description, but that does NOT mean she shouldn't be allowed to play her as there are plenty versions of white Rapunzels from before. The people using this casting to compare it with saying "Tiana/Moana should be played by a *white woman*" are who annoy me the most in this situation. I've had multiple arguments with different people the past couple of days because of stating how comparing those two are not fair and the inaccurate casting isn't the same difference. First of all: Tiana's appearance and storyline are based on her skin colour and culture as she's an afro-american woman from the 1920s in New Orleans. In parts of her movie her "background" even gets represented as a problem for her to achieve her dream, this movie is obviously made to represent our beautiful black people in the world. Shocked they didn't get a representation until 2009. Second: Moana is based FULLY on polynesian culture and through polynesian mythology, even her voice actor was encouraged to be a part of that. Auli'i Cravalho, her voice actor, is native Hawaiian and encourages their culture along with the music Lin Manuel Miranda wrote. At last: Comparing this rumoured Rapunzel casting to Tiana or Moana is wrong as her story isn't meant for representation of oppression and not based on her skin colour. Yes, it is loosely based on the brothers Grimm's fairytale which is German and the movie does show German details in the story but things will always change and they already are. Why not let today's children grow up with beautiful characters that can let them feel as included as every white person can with the previous characters? I can say this has never been a problem to me growing up even though none of the disney princesses looked like me, it still makes children aware of it at some point and when I realised I didn't have a disney princess that looked or was based remotely on people like ME, I began hoping Disney would make a south-east Asian princess. That's why I agree that Disney should start making new disney princess movies representing more people instead of not having an accurate casting for the character but honestly, Rapunzel's SKIN colour is not that relevant to her story at all. Anyway, my fancast for Tangled has always been Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim after watching the Zombies movies. They have great chemistry and both of them sing perfectly! I'm excited to see how this live action movie will turn out, after Halle Bailey's "The Little Mermaid" I hope it will be as amazing.

My love for Tangled is endless but to finish my review I want to thank you for reading all the way down here. If I was only allowed to watch one movie the rest of my life I might have chosen this or a 2-3 hour long just to be entertained longer. The amount of times I've watched this has made me able to recite most of the scenes and the whole film is engraved to my mind. I think if I had enough time and peace I could literally sit still and watch the movie scene by scene in my mind. Again, thank you for reading!

Written and edited by Cel

05/04/2024 Friday.

#film review #tangled #rapunzel #flynn rider #eugene fitzherbert #tangled review #movies #letterboxd #digital journal #girlblogging #movie review #cinema #tangled live action #disney #disney movies #review

[ellapastoral]

Discussing my favorite genre <3! Link below !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKTUOCbaOds&t=3s

#tangled #mommy issues #video essay #ella pastoral #tangled video essay #tangled the sries #disney video essay #tangled analysis essay #enchanto video essay #tangled theory #tangled review #disney enchanto #video essay film #mirabel encanto #video essay film analysis #everything everywhere all at once #everything everywhere all the time

[adventuretolkienlover]

Thoughts on the Tangled Movie (By my kid brother)

My little brother give us his thoughts on the Tangled movie. It's below the cut. Enjoy!

Q: What's your favorite scene?

A: The scene were they're escaping the prison. It stuck out to me. Because I liked the characters and it was pretty funny. And I liked Shorty. Shorty's funny. And I also liked when Eugene was getting chased through the woods by the guards. It was like when Han Solo flew into the asteroid field to escape the Empire!

Q: Who's your favorite character?

A: Gotta be Eugene! He reminds me of Han Solo. I could see Han Solo doing heist like that. Instead of crown, it would be Kyber Crystals. All Eugene needs is a space ship and his own wookie!

Q: Who's your least favorite character?

A: Mother Gothal. She's mean and annoying. And I don't like that she was greedy. And just straight up cruel! But I did like her eccentric-ness. Eccentric villains are more fun. She would be cooler if she had a lightsaber like Darth Maul.

Q: Did you have a favorite song?

A: I GOTTA DREAM!

Q: What about the movie you would change?

A: It needs VARIAN! (We all agree with you buddy.🤣) And it needs the Cantina Band. (Where? The Snuggly Ducking? Oh my gosh. Haha!) And more explosions. And blasters. Who uses horses?! Speeder bikes are much faster. And E-Web blasters. (What? What are those?!😅)

Q: What did you think of the movie as a whole?

A: IT WAS AWESOME! There was one part I didn't like. It was when Eugene got stabbed. I didn't like that part.🙁 And I loved Rapunzel's Frying pan!

Q: Do you think it should have a movie sequel?

A: Yes. I think that would be very good. I'd enjoy that. And it needs Varian! I MEAN COME ON! THERE'S NOT ENOUGH VARIAN! The world's a sad sad place.🙁 (OMG. LOL!🤣)

So there you guys go! And we all agree with you bro. The world needs more Varian. And if you haven't guessed, my brother is a Star Wars fan.😂

#tangled #tts #tts Eugene #tts rapunzel #rapunzel's tangled adventure #tangled the movie #tangled the series #tts varian #eugene fitzherbert #flynn rider #rapunzel #princess rapunzel #varian #tts shorty #Tangled review

[tanglepelt]

Dp x dc idea 161

Danny counteracts kryptonite. He had no clue. Apparently he absorbs radiation. He doesn’t even realize the supers have a weakness.

Danny is in metropolis whether on the run or on an trip. Danny just keeps happening to witness Superman go against his villains. Well mainly one person in a suit who constantly waves a green rock around the man.

Danny didn’t notice Superman’s confusion when nothing happened. Or the fact when Danny goes the opposite way as the fight (he has his own robot to deal with. He doesn’t need to get involved here) Superman is effected by it again.

I’m sure after the third or fourth time someone was bound to notice. It couldn’t just be a coincidence.

#dpxdc #could be lex who notices #trying to find out why the kryptonite is being iffy #why it doesn’t work then will #how would he act? #or do the hero’s review the footage #then they see #it could be a race to find Danny #tangles ideas

[lavender-rosa]

God, I watched the HezuNeutral Revolutionary Girl Utena video and it was one of the worst reviews I have ever seen. The reviewer victimblames 14 year old Utena and Anthy for getting groomed and raped by Akio, (saying that Akio sexually abusing two underage girls is like a love triangle from a trashy soap opera). Says that Anthy "slept with Akio to spite Utena" even though that's not the case in the slightest and blames Utena for "sleeping with an engaged man"

She also adamantly refuses to engage with the obviously surrealist and symbolic nature of the show taking everything at face value and ignoring huge plot-points like Mamiya being Anthy, the Shiori/Juri/Ruka and the Mamiya/Mikage/Tokiko situation, calling Anthy backstabbing Utena "pointless shock value" and thinking that rgu's depiction of incest is an endorsement of it and not an examination of toxic and abusive dynamics.

Like it isn't hard to get Utena's core message you just have to possess just a little bit of sympathy for csa victims and critical thinking skills which this girl clearly lacks.

#rgu #revolutionary girl utena #utena #anthy himemiya #like she reviews only shows like hb su and tangled so what the hell was she doing with rgu

[randomalistic]

I rewatched tangled with my mom last night. that movie is fucking fantastic i swear to god. Eugene and Repunzel are still the best disney couple ever I think + MOTHER GOTHEL OH MY GODDD. First of all. Love her. I HATE HER. shes HORRIBLE. I love how HORRIBLE they made her. SHES SO FUCKING MANIPULATIVE EVERYTHING SHE DOES SHES ALWAYS DEFLECTING AND INSULTING REPUNZEL IN SOME WAY AND ugh just watch this video. Actually such an incredible villain and an Upsettingly Realistic Depiction of abusive parenting ..

It hurts so much to imagine what Repunzel has gone through for the past 18 years of confinement but she finally finds her freedom and fulfills her dreams and IM SO HAPPY FOR HER OKAY !?? Eugene too... they saved eachother... AND THE MUSIC??? AMAZING. "AND AT LAST I SEE THE LIGHT"?? I WAS THIS CLOSE TO CRYING.

anyways this movie is even better on a rewatch especially if you havent seen it in a while bc theres a lot of artistic subtly that went over my head as a kid

#in the comments of this vid someone said watching this movie as a kid helped them realize their own abusive situation #movies are so fucking powerful i swear to god #Tangled #movie #film #Youtube #review

[awestruck-atrophy]

watching tangled the series (rapunzel’s tangled adventure) and there’s so much of the Hazbin/Helluva cast that it feels like a crossover

(there are like. three of the VAs and I am sitting here drawing connections that don’t exist)

#tangled the series #hazbin hotel #rapunzel’s tangled adventure #helluva boss #james monroe iglehart #Jeremy Jordan #Christian Borle #atrophy says stuff #atrophy reviews

[vg-bird-reviews]

Bird Hat from Tangle Towers?

10/5

HAT BIRD HAT BIRD

#review #tangle tower

[azazel-dreams]

Tangled (Disney)

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

#Tangled #Disney #Rapunzel #movie #movie recommendation #films #film recommendation #film reviews #tv reviews

[mandoreviews]

📽️ Tangled (2010)

I can’t believe I haven’t written about this movie before. This is absolutely my favorite Disney movie. I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched it. The music, the jokes, Flynn Rider, Maximus, the Snuggly Duckling, this whole movie is just the absolute best. I love it so much!

Sex/nudity: 1/10 (kissing, old guy in underwear)

Language: 0/10

Violence: 3/10 (fight scenes, one scene with blood, a couple deaths, most fight scenes are more fun than violent)

Overall rating: 10/10

#review #movie #movie review #disney #walt disney #tangled #animation #adventure #comedy #family #fantasy #musical #romance #mandy moore #rapunzel #zachary levi #flynn rider #eugene fitzherbert #donna murphy #mother gothel #ron perlman #stabbington brothers #jeffrey tambor #brad garrett #paul f tompkins #richard kiel #byron howard #michael bell #alan menken #when will my life begin

[livrosencaracolados]

"A Princesa Adormecida" (Princesas Modernas #2)

Sɪɴᴏᴘsᴇ Oғɪᴄɪᴀʟ: Era uma vez uma princesa... Já deves ter ouvido esta introdução algumas vezes nas histórias que adoravas em criança. Mas essa princesa sou eu. Quer dizer, pelo menos foi assim que fiquei conhecida. Só que a minha vida não é tão romântica como nos contos de fadas. Muito pelo contrário. Reinos distantes? Linhagem real? Rapto? Uma bruxa vingativa? Para mim, tudo isso existia apenas nos livros. O meu quotidiano era normal. Está bem, quase normal. Vivia com os meus tios superprotetores, era boa aluna, tinha grandes amigas. Até que, de um dia para o outro, tudo mudou. Imagina acordares e descobrires que o mundo que achavas que era real nada mais é do que um sonho. E se todas as pessoas que conheceste na vida fossem apenas uma invenção e, ao despertares, percebesses que não sabes onde moras, nunca viste quem está ao teu lado e, especialmente, não tens a menor ideia de onde foi parar o amor da tua vida? Se alguma vez passares por isto, digo-te já que não serás a única pessoa a quem isso aconteceu. Não conheço a tua história, mas a minha é mais ou menos assim...

Aᴜᴛᴏʀᴀ: Paula Pimenta.

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ALERTA SPOILERS!

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O Mᴇᴜ Rᴇsᴜᴍᴏ: Há muito tempo atrás, numa terra distante, um príncipe (que sendo o último numa longa linhagem real nunca governaria o seu reino do tamanho de uma ervilha) e uma princesa (que em seu nome não tinha nem terras nem súbditos, só uma mão mágica para a cozinha que saltava gerações), conheceram-se, e apaixonaram-se através de um maravilhoso fondue de leite-creme. Não demoraram a perceber que o seu lugar feliz era ao lado um do outro e a sua relação floresceu de forma tão doce como a sobremesa que os juntou, talvez até mais, visto que numa questão de meses descobriram que tinham o seu próprio pãozinho no forno. Encantados com a notícia, decidiram casar logo após o nascimento da bebé e convidar toda a gente para a celebração da sua união, exceto uma mulher maléfica que era obcecada pelo príncipe. Furiosa, a vilã infiltrou a cerimónia para raptar o fruto do amor do casal, mas uma pequena interferência comprometeu-lhe os planos e forçou-a a esconder-se nas sombras permanentemente, para escapar a um destino nas masmorras. Mesmo sem se poder revelar, a bruxa não desistiu da sua vingança, aterrorizando os pais da princesinha com ameaças e perseguições constantes para lhes fazer clara a sua mensagem: se ela não tinha direito a um final feliz com o seu primeiro amor, então a filha deles também não teria a oportunidade de conhecer essa felicidade; ou morreria cedo pelas suas mãos, ou ficaria enclausurada até à maioridade e privada de experienciar a pureza das paixões da infância. O casal então percebeu que a supervisão constante à sua princesinha nunca seria suficiente, que estaria sempre em perigo, então para a proteger até apanharem a bruxa, fingiram a sua morte e enviaram-na para um lugar distante sob uma nova identidade. Algo que era suposto ser provisório tornou-se permanente, passaram anos, e sem sinais de onde a bruxa se pudesse esconder, a vida da princesinha continuou. À medida que o tempo foi passando, a rapariga começou a acreditar que toda aquela narrativa cheia de ação tinha sido um sonho, que não passara de uma das histórias mirabolantes que os tios lhe tinham contado na hora de dormir, e deixou-a para trás a favor da realidade. Agora conhecida como Ana Rosa Lopes, a princesa esquecida estuda num colégio interno e de anormal na sua vida só tem mesmo os três tios paranoicos. Aliás, o seu quotidiano é de tal forma banal que chega a ser aborrecido, daí o maior desejo da Rosa ser poder viver uma aventura, de ter a liberdade para encontrar um grande amor que lhe vire o mundo do avesso. Já se sabe, quando uma princesa pede, qualquer desejo se realiza, então no seu décimo sexto aniversário, graças à DJ Cinderela em pessoa, tudo muda, e um rapaz inesperado passa a ocupar-lhe tanto os pensamentos como as mensagens do telemóvel. Infelizmente, ou talvez felizmente, Rosa não está destinada à normalidade, então não se pode esperar que a sua vida amorosa siga esse rumo. Quando começa a desenvolver sentimentos por alguém que não só a obriga a quebrar a única regra dos tios, mas que não é nem perto de quem ela possa imaginar, os bloqueios que Rosa construiu à volta das suas memórias começam a desvanecer, colocando-a num caminho que tanto lhe pode conceder o entusiasmo a que ela aspirava como tirar a vida. De facto, um longo sono espera-a, e a isso ela não pode escapar, mas quando se tem três fadas-madrinhas e um príncipe muito apaixonado, o final feliz está garantido.

Cʀɪᴛᴇ́ʀɪᴏs ᴅᴇ Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ:

Qᴜᴀʟɪᴅᴀᴅᴇ ᴅᴀ Pʀᴏsᴀ: É divertida, direta e tem a mesma simplicidade que se vê nos próprios contos de fadas, mas de forma radicalmente mais moderna.

Hɪsᴛᴏ́ʀɪᴀ: A Paula Pimenta conseguiu outra vez, pegou em todas as partes vitais e elementos pelos quais conhecemos a história original e escreveu-os de forma a estarem mais interligados do que antes, e a ainda guardarem surpresas. A raiva da vilã, a "maldição" que leva Rosa a viver isolada, os três tios que agem como fadas-madrinhas, as picadas que levam a um longo sono que só não mata a protagonista graças à presença do seu verdadeiro amor...existe tudo sem o lado da fantasia e FAZ SENTIDO, o que faz parecer que não paramos de ler a história original, mas que apenas estivemos a olhar para ela demasiado de perto e que afinal havia algo maior a acontecer. O único conceito que não funcionou para mim foram as mensagens, estou perfeitamente consciente que hoje, mais do que nunca, isso é considerado normal, mas continuo a achar estranha a ideia de formar conexões com estranhos na internet. Essa parte da história foi demasiado atual para mim e deteriorou o ambiente que se estava a tentar construir.

Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀɢᴇɴs: Este livro não diverge muito da "Cinderela Pop" no que toca aos personagens secundários, continua a não ser um defeito que eles não recebam muita atenção, sendo que o seu propósito na narrativa é apoiarem a protagonista e serem hilariantes, e isso eles cumprem (os tios da Rosa em específico recebem um excelente mais nisto). Já a nível da protagonista, acontece o oposto do livro mencionado anteriormente. Ao contrário da história da Cíntia, em que ela só se torna interiormente na Cinderela no fim do livro, a Rosa é a Aurora desde o primeiro momento e isso reflete-se na forma como as coisas funcionam para ela. No que toca aos traços que são característicos da Aurora, a Rosa têm-nos: a inocência, a gentileza, a elegância, a extrema ingenuidade provinda de ter sido criada numa bolha...exatamente por essa última característica é que ela é terrivelmente sonhadora, e extremamente propensa a tomar decisões impulsivas que a podem colocar em risco em troca do ideal do amor. E é exatamente isso que ela faz, à primeira oportunidade que lhe aparece, ela quebra a promessa que fez aos tios de se manter discreta e de não falar com estranhos, simplesmente por quão novo é receber atenção masculina para ela. E apesar de isso parecer irritante ou demasiado conveniente para a autora, está totalmente de acordo com a personagem, mostrando que há uma consequência inevitável para o seu isolamento, e que isso moldou a forma como ela interage com o mundo. A melhor parte sobre a Rosa é que não é ela que muda ao longo da história, mas sim as suas circunstâncias, e esse é mais um aspeto em que o livro se mantém fiel ao filme, visto que um dos seus pontos principais é que é por a princesa ser intrinsecamente boa e se manter firme nos seus valores que recebe o seu final feliz. A Rosa é a Aurora até ao tutano e é refrescante ver uma história onde é intencional a ideia de que se calhar não temos de batalhar tanto para merecermos a felicidade, que enquanto trabalhar em nós mesmos é uma opção, o nosso "eu" atual é suficientemente perfeito para ser aceite.

Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ: Foi um pouco desapontante, e nesta história não deveria ser. Apesar de eu compreender que nos filmes da Disney as diferenças de idade são o que são e que a este ponto não se podem mudar, preferia que o livro não se tivesse mantido fiel a esse aspeto. A ideia de uma miúda que acabou de fazer 16 anos estar com um rapaz de 19 é, no mínimo, desconfortável. Com a idade que têm, três anos de diferença é muito, implica terem as cabeças em sítios totalmente diferentes e é alarmante que ele não se tenha afastado quando descobriu que ela ainda andava na escola, mas não é a primeira vez que uma obra da Paula Pimenta tem este problema. Fora isso, as mensagens que os protagonistas trocam têm um tom forçado e os "elogios", que supostamente servem para mostrar o encanto e cavalheirismo do Phil, parecem ter sido tirados de um site de frases de engate. Mesmo depois de as intenções reais e da identidade do Phil serem reveladas, o ângulo de ele ter ido atrás da Rosa através de mensagens quando ela nem sequer tinha reparado que ele existia, é esquisito, o que prova que o conceito não funciona independentemente do lado por onde se olha. Para o fim, já há algum romance a sério e começa a crescer a esperança que eles fiquem juntos mas, tirando a cena no último capítulo, não há grandes momentos que redimam a Rosa e o Phil como casal. Uma pena.

Iᴍᴇʀsᴀ̃ᴏ: É uma leitura rápida e que entretém, especialmente a partir do meio, onde tudo o que importa fica em jogo. Não nos é dado o tempo para nos distrairmos e abandonarmos o livro.

Iᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛᴏ: Nas minhas memórias este livro tem tonalidades cor de rosa e é extremamente romântico, perfeito para ler quando se quer borboletas na barriga, mas ao relê-lo percebi que não é bem assim. A minha impressão inicial diluiu-se um pouco, tal como alguma da significância que a obra tinha para mim.

Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ:⭐⭐⭐+ ½

Iᴅᴀᴅᴇ Aᴄᴏɴsᴇʟʜᴀᴅᴀ: Eu diria pelo menos 13 ou 14 anos, e sei que as minhas classificações de idade podem parecer um tanto inconsistentes mas os trabalhos da Paula Pimenta apresentam sempre o mesmo protótipo cliché do que é a vida depois da puberdade, e isso envolve sempre as festas, a bebida (embora de forma muitíssimo leve comparando com outras obras) e os namoros só porque sim. Já chegam todos os outros sítios (literalmente todo o lado) onde se diz ao miúdos que isto é o que é esperado deles nesta idade e que é totalmente aceitável, não é preciso agora os livros apoiarem esta noção. Daí eu dizer que é preciso alguma cabeça para ler isto, não vá alguém acreditar que a ideia de trocar mensagens com desconhecidos é romântica.

Cᴏɴᴄʟᴜsᴀ̃ᴏ/Oᴘɪɴɪᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ: É um livro agradável, com momentos doces e bom para desbloquear de uma fase onde parece que não se consegue ler nada. Começaria a ler a coleção das Princesas Modernas por causa deste volume? Provavelmente não, mas se já tivesse o primeiro, o investimento neste valeria a pena. Se estão à procura de um livro fino, fácil de digerir e gostam do estilo da Paula Pimenta e da Disney, então RECOMENDO.

Pᴀʀᴀ ᴏʙᴛᴇʀ: A Princesa Adormecida, Paula Pimenta - Livro - Bertrand

Assɪɴᴀᴅᴏ: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 𝐿𝓊𝓏 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

#críticas literárias #book reviews #book recommendations #book recs #princesas modernas #books & libraries #books and reading #paula pimenta #sleeping beauty #disney #disney movies #currently reading #princess aurora #cinderella #the little mermaid #booklr #ever after high #once upon a studio #bookworm #tangled the series #pinkcore #sanrio

[morethanaloveinterest]

A Quality Look at Rapunzel's Costumes in Tangled

She may just have the two, but let's talk about what we can learn about our first computer-generated princess from her costumes.

This is the costume Rapunzel wears for the majority of the film. The style is similar to Aurora's dress when she is in hiding, especially the bodice. The callback makes sense as both characters are princesses who do not know it. The sleeves and skirt are reminiscent of Snow White's when she was also hiding out in the woods. Given that these two characters have the most in common with Rapunzel, this makes sense.

The dress itself has a lot of shades of color and textures, something that the traditionally animated princesses did not have. This presumably is to show off what can be accomplished with computer animation that was not feasible traditionally.

The overall style of the costumes in this movie are most like that of Sleeping Beauty, though with a more modern edge to them. While many of the princesses are in a vaguely European setting, I'd say Rapunzel is most likely in the same place as Aurora, just sometime in the future. Both use the same styles and have similar flora and fauna.

As far as the character goes, it makes sense for her to have a dress upon which she has been experimenting. She likely made it herself and added details to it the same way she's added paintings and flowers and other things to the tower as a way to pass the time. So she has intricate embroidery on the skirt, made striped sleeves, corset ties in the front, etc. I like the detail of not wearing shoes, since she's never left the tower.

Female Representation: 10/10 It's a great costume for girls of any age to wear, with the corset ties mostly being for show.

Practicality: 8/10 The skirt is somewhat voluminous in a few shots, but seems to generally be close-fitting and easy to manage. Her hair of course gets in the way until braided, and she isn't wearing any shoes. Despite this, she gets along quite well on her adventure.

This is the dress Princess Rapunzel wears at the end of the film (please excuse the poor quality picture). It is similar in style and silhouette to her previous dress but clearly of a higher quality as befits a royal princess. The bodice and skirt are all clearly embroidered even more intricately than she had on her other skirt. The inset panel has its own embroidery, all of which is gold to represent the flower. The back of the bodice has the corseting instead of the front, clearly more functional than the other dress's ties.

Female Representation: 10/10 Again, great costume for girls of any age to enjoy.

Practicality: 9/10 While the fancier fabric might be more likely to snag on trees and whatnot, it's still a fairly practical dress for a princess to wear. Much easier to move in than the ballgowns of her peers, I would imagine. Her hair is a more practical style and she might even have started wearing shoes!

For more of my thoughts on Rapunzel, check out this video

#rapunzel #tangled #disney: tangled #costume reviews

[animepopheart]

It's been a slog reading volume three of Chitose in the Ramune Bottle. It's such a mess and continues to have the problem of featuring girls I don't have a pulse on and thus don’t care about.

Previous volumes were similar in that I didn’t like them at first (though that was because Chitose is insufferable), but they ended well, redeeming those stories. The problem here is different but I'm hoping for a similarly good landing.

#chitose is in the ramune bottle #light novels #I’m only 1/3 through—if it gets better I’ll let y’all know #a review should be going up on Beneath the Tangles for this volume in mid-February for its release

[bananaphone---t]

I just rewatched Be Very Afraid, and while there are some really good parts that I still enjoy, there are others that left me unsatisfied. (Under the cut)

To start, I'll say the parts that I can give credit where credit is due.

They did a really good job showing just how overwhelming and draining fear can be.

Fear really can stop you in your tracks, and can take over if you allow it to become you (as seen with the "frozen permanently" suggests, at least to me).

As someone who suffers from chronic anxiety (to the point of being treated and in therapy for it), the message of this episode hit me hard.

Speaking of this...

I love how the writers handled Varian.

I love that they showed the fact that he's still struggling with what happened to his father and the fact it made him turn evil. And that despite the fact it's all in the past and that everyone has seemingly forgiven him, the fear will remain, especially if he doesn't face it head-on.

On another note; LANCE. GETTING. A FUCKING. SOLO.

James Monroe Iglehart getting to show off his singing chops is one of my absolute favorite parts of this episode.

Whenever I watch this one and he begins singing, I'm just screaming happily that they finally just let him go off and show everyone why he belongs not only on this show but also as a freaking Broadway actor (*cough* kinda like Jeremy Jordan *cough*).

Okay... So here's where we run into where I was, and still am, dissatisfied with this episode...

While I enjoy most of this episode, I wasn't really happy with both Rapunzel and Eugene's fears... Specifically, Rapunzel's, as I've slowly started to make a bit more logical sense of Eugene's.

Throughout the entire episode (both watching it the first time and recently), I was expecting her fear to be of Gothel's return, sort of similar to her dream in What The Hair?!. Or her seeing Eugene's death again. Or some sad, heart-crushing combination of both.

Unfortunately for me, it was none of the above, and, instead, it was her losing Cass and seeing Corona in flames...

While I can see that to be a valid fear of Rapunzel's, I just can't see it as her worst fear.

This may just be me nitpicking at this point (and could also come across as me not liking Cass as a character, but that's a post for another time), but I also didn't like that they copied a lot of things from the movie, to be mirrored into being with Cass, in Rapunzel Day One.

Events like that, what happens in BVA, and her holding Cass in her arms while a tear falls in Plus Est En Vous, kind of annoy me... I feel like it affects the impact of what Eugene did for her, and the fact that those moments were supposed to be sort of... special between them, I guess?

With Flynnposter I can let it slide (sounds biased since I love said episode), because of the obvious implications of not only the name of the episode but the actual happenings in it as well; Brock is pretending to be Flynn Rider (and, in turn, pretending to be Eugene).

I just think that using Cass as Rapunzel's worst fear just because of their relationship at that point, and the fact that Cass essentially had the same fear, was just a cheap way of showing that Cass could still be saved.

Overall, despite all my nitpicking and dislike of certain parts, this episode is still one of my favorites. And even though I don't like certain parts, in a way, that's kind of a good thing. It leaves more room for freeform with fics. 💕

#eugene fitzherbert #tangled #rapunzel's tangled adventure #rapunzel #rapunzels tangled adventure #tts #tangled the series #tangled the movie #tangled before ever after #tbea #rta #episode be very afraid #cassandra #tts cassandra #rewatching #review #rewatch review #tts rewatch #zachary levi #eden espinosa #mandy moore #lance strongbow #james monroe Iglehart #eugene #flynn rider #varian #jeremy jordan #pascal #im both happy and not happy with this one

[historyhermann]

Gods' School Review

Gods' School is an indie animated series. It has elements of fantasy, mythology, and romance. 2D French animator Gaylord Cuvillier Philippe Libessart is the series creator. It received support from the French National Center for Cinema and Animation in 2018. Currently, seven episodes have aired on YouTube. This review will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-fifth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on June 13, 2023.

This series, which began airing in January 2019, is centered on Olympian gods. It is inspired by Greek mythology in Homer's Iliad and Hesiod's Theogony. The primary protagonist, Eris (voiced by Morgan Berry), is a teenage goddess of discord trying to find her place among the gods on Mount Olympus. This all changes when she meets Paris (voiced by Brandon Winckler), a young human on Mount Olympus. Both contend with the goddesses of beauty and love (Aphrodite), wisdom and battle (Athena), and marriage and family (Hera). Eris is helped by a sphinx named Sfiga (voiced by Lizzie Freeman).

The animation of this series is smooth, which fits with the adorable and cool nature of the animation itself, and its talented voice cast. Apart from those previously mentioned, there's Lizzie Freeman, Kira Buckland, Keenan Spencer, and Deneen Melody, who voice Aphrodite, Athena, Hera, and Demeter respectfully. Others, such as Melissa Sternberg, Ivy Dupler, Michele Knotz, Sean Chiplock, and Griffin Puatu lend their voices to the characters of Eos, Iris, Minthe, Persephone "Poppy", Apollo, and Ares, to give a few examples of the many characters within this series.

The first episode of Gods' School throws the viewer right into the action. Smart alecky talking columns, known as caryatids, claim to be sacred guardians of Olympus. They are hilariously scared off by Sfiga. It is easy to be drawn into the story, whether interpersonal conflicts or relationships between the gods. The story is set up so the viewer sympathizes with Eris, when Hera claims she is sneaky and cruel.

This exuberance is offset by the snobbishness of some goddesses, who detest humans, and jealousy. The latter is the case in the competition between Minthe and Persephone "Poppy", who both like Hades. In some ways, Gods' School shares themes with Lore Olympus, an ongoing popular webcomic by Rachel Smythe, although her webcomic has a fundamentally different perspective. As for Gods' School, these themes are reinforced by a careful focus on drama and music. The latter by Gold Tiger and SleepWalker.

Unlike other series based in Greek mythology, the characters in this series are all teenagers, and in a school environment like that Ever After High, except it is not as glitzy. As such, it is markedly tamer than mature series like Blood of Zeus. It is more akin to Disney series in that kids and family could watch this series with ease. This is not a surprise since the show's creator has said that Ariel, in The Little Mermaid (recently in the news because the live-action film adaptation), is his favorite character.

The importance of setting boundaries is a key theme. This is shown through Poppy's push against romantic advances by Hades. Eris also tells Paris to not touch Sfiga and treat her like a cat (and pet), but a living being. Gods' School makes clear that possessiveness is not acceptable. For instance, Poppy, who is easily influenced and intimidated, is pressured by Minthe, to leave Hades alone. Although Minthe declares that Hades is hers exclusively, Poppy still wants to be with Hades.

Like other fictional school environments, certain characters fulfill the "bad girl" and "bad boy" tropes. Some of those characters are bullies and their actions are not shown positively. Mount Olympus is not a peaceful place, but filled with discord. For example, Zeus commands Artemis to stay behind, even though she wants to fight the invaders of Mount Olympus.

The series promotes the value of self-acceptance, by stating that outcasts should not be rejected and that people should be true to themselves. All the while, men who flaunt their power for fun and two-timing men are criticized. In fact, the show's official Twitter account posted a video of Eris cutting her hair with two women's rights hashtags, while Artemis has a squad-of-sorts.

There is no easy division between good and evil in Gods' School. For instance, the Aloads want to take over Olympus, but would-be evildoers are scary and mysterious. For instance, Eris goes through a moral dilemma and lives with the consequences of telling Paris to go back to "where he came from", words which haunt her to no end. This dilemma first begins in the show's third episode, even going on a quest to find him while Olympus is under attack, but it fades after he is found injured. At the same time, Nyx, her mother, and goddess of night, is lording over her. She reminds me a bit of Orizaba in Elena of Avalor.

There are many secrets that each of the gods, and goddesses, try and keep from one another. To give one example, in the fourth episode, everyone is trying to stop Echo (voiced by Deneen Melody) from revealing unflattering information. Hera even mutes her, preventing her from speaking first ever again. This has a disastrous side effect that Hera never realized: it prevents her from warning those on Olympus about the coming danger!

Unlike other series, Gods' School features a disabled character, who uses a cane: Hephaestus (voiced by John Choi Carter). Premiering in the fifth episode, he listens to Aphrodite after her arguments with Ares, and tries to be understanding, after she enters his workshop. This humanizes him. It shows that the gods are not superhuman but can be physically disabled just like anyone else. In a conveyance that everyone is unique, he says that everyone has something that makes them special "even if they don't see it", which fits with the other themes of this series.

As one of the only indie animations currently airing, apart from Helluva Boss and Eddsworld, Gods' School already stands out from animations made by well-known and prominent companies, which I've often reviewed since I began writing pop culture reviews in 2020. The series' background designers, including Gavin O'Donnell and Libessart, also the animator and director, are skilled. Their work is showcased on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. As such, it is no surprise that some have even gone to the effort to draw fan art or fan fiction of the show's characters.

The series has aired in various languages. The English adaptation was headed by Brandon Winckler and Jenny Yokobori. There are different voice actors, including in French. There are also different episodes with French dubs, which means that the cast, and those who work on the series, is that much larger.

It is interesting that not all the episodes are necessarily sequential. Some of the shorter episodes focus on the growing relationship between Hephaestus and Aphrodite, the first meeting between Minthe and Hades, and the story of Hades with his previous lover, Leuke. While these episodes might be seen as "filler", they provide information which helps expand the story.

There is something missing through all of this: LGBTQ characters. There may be implied characters. Possibly, there is subtext between Paris and the person who brought him to Mount Olympus, Aeolos. However, no one is outwardly queer, as far as I can tell. So, that is an area for improvement.

Even so, there are people of color in the cast. Take, for example Kayla Pitts, who voices a nymph, John Choi who voices Hades, and Griffin Puatu who voices Ares. If High Guardian Spice, Young Justice, and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power can have Black characters, then any series can have such characters. Hopefully, more characters of color appear in the future. After all, the show's creator previously condemned racism, White supremacy, and called for equal rights in a social media thread.

Although the series may not reach the original goal of "an animated webseries project of 25 episodes" at 12 minutes long as the original Kickstarter for the series, stated, due to various factors, there is no doubt that Gods' School will continue. The quality remains at a strong level, for a project primarily spearheaded by Libessart. This is evidenced in the latest episode which focuses on Nyx (voiced by Emily Wallace), dreaded goddess of night, and strained family dynamics. Although it appears this is all a nightmare dreamt of by Eris, her concerns appear to be dismissed. At first, Medusa (voiced by Crystal Jade Vaughan) asks if she is ok. Then she says she needs to "get it together" so she can sleep, making Eris feel bad about herself.

The episode raises a number of questions. Was any of Eris dreamed about real? Can the balance between light and dark be disrupted? Nyx would likely love to do the latter, and unseat the goddess of day, Hemera, or Helios the Sun. She may be content in her castle shrouded in dark clouds. Furthermore, the nightmare makes me think that Eris has deeper problems which are manifesting themselves in her dreams.

The recent episode introduced new voice actors like Hannah Reed (as Little Eris) and Laila Berzins (as Hypnos). Ihe next episode is scheduled for Fall 2023. It will likely be listed on the page for the series on TV Time. That app was one way I learned about the new episode premiere.

This series is more than a lovely series with amazing visuals showing the talent and passion behind it. For one, there is an amazing group of characters and the use of Toonboom for animation of the series. Secondly, the favorite character of the series creator in The Iliad is Cassandra. She is described as a "cursed Trojan princess".

It would be great to see Cassandra in a future episode. When I hear the character's name, I thought of the similarly named character in Tangled: The Series (also known as Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure). That Cassandra who had a major part in the series as the lady-in-waiting for Princess Rapunzel. That character is mentally manipulated by a demon named Zhan Tri to manifest her anger against Rapunzel in a violent, destructive manner. In that series, that Cassandra is a complex lesbian-coded character exploited by the aforementioned demon. It is not known if the Cassandra within Gods' School will go down a similar path or how her character will be different from other fictional Cassandras.

I am hopeful that Gods' School will get even better as it moves forward, earning it an even-higher rating on IMDB and other online review sites. Brandon Winckler and Jenny Yokobori, who worked on previous episodes as show writers, and led the effort to adapt the episodes into English, from their original French. They are known for their voice roles in Fena: Pirate Princess, Edens Zero, The Simpsons, or Central Park.

The show's cast have voiced English dubs of characters in Lycoris Recoil, Titan's Bride, In the Land of Leadale, Komi Can't Communicate, Re:Zero, and High-Rise Invasion. Others have voiced characters in Rainbow High, RWBY, Nomad of Nowhere, Megaton Girl, and The Loud House. Some cast members are new voice actors, like Vaughan.

With that all being said, I highly recommend Gods' School. I hope that it continues onward, with new episodes, characters, and plotlines.

Gods' School is currently streaming on YouTube and can be supported on Patreon.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

#gods school #indie animation #blood of zeus #the little mermaid #mount olympus #lore olympus #pop culture #reviews #filler episodes #elena of avalor #characters of color #black characters #crowdfunding #patreon #cassandra tangled #cassunzel #Youtube

[allseeinganalyst]

Frozen II Novels - Review

It's been a while since I reviewed or analyzed anything here. This blog was made for that exact purpose, but I've posted one half-hearted review-ish thing about Mob Psycho and the Nanoha look-back is taking a while.

Part of that is due to being that I find myself in weird mental spaces more often than I'd like. The internet is a hell-hole, but it's also one that's borderline impossible (and certainly very impractical) to actually just sever ties to. I've ditched Twitter and I don't use TikTok (except to look at videos my partner sends me), but I still get, somehow, hit with a lot of LOUD, SHOUTY voices that seem to make it impossible to enjoy anything.

After about three-to-four midlife crises about things (i'm 30 this November), and a chat to my partner, I've managed to get the mental TARDIS that is my mind up and running again, ready to tour the fictional universe and enjoy what is has to offer, getting back into the things I love, without getting bogged down in the screeching of fandoms and social media.

Gods, that was a very long way of trying to say "I read a cool Frozen book."

Frozen 2 - Forest of Shadows and Frozen: Polar Nights - Cast into Darkness are two original novels set in the world of Frozen (Duh.) Forest of Shadows was released in 2019 and I actually read it back then, while Polar Nights was released in 2022, and I picked it up from Target and read it in march of 2023.

To get this out of the way, while it does sometimes throw people off, I am actually a big fan of Frozen. I've loved it since the first movie. It's not my favourite Disney film (that would be Tangled, and whoo-BOY, will we get to Tangled related media at some point on this blog!), it's probably a close second. I love the animation, I love the songs, I love the characters and I love the world. I was even sad when the hype for Frozen died down, and no, I don't think Enchanto is better - That's another LOUD SCREECHY OPINION that I'm not sad to hear less of.

These are obviously not the only Frozen novels out there. I do own "A Frozen Heart", which I've really got to get around to, because apparently it contains some Hans backstory, and Hans is a character I'm really interested in learning more about, and obviously there is a slew of additional Frozen media. Frozen-Mania gripped the world in a chokehold not seen since the god-damn Shrek movies, and it had an effect on our media and culture so great that no doubt, someday there will be an essay on youtube by Super Eyepatch Wolf explaining and analyzing the overwhelming impact of a Disney movie from 2013 and the INSANE fandom that sprung out of it - which I was a part of from very early on, and quite honestly you can use it as a self-contained example of how fandom has changed since then... BUT I'M DIGRESSING.

The point I was trying to make here is that, most of the media released post the original Frozen movie is fairly generic. Baring one or two things, and of course, the animated shorts, a lot of it is standard kids stuff - Storybooks, Quick Reads, Junior novels, picture books, etc. Some of it is really fun, and the art was almost always either a wonderful, bright cartoonish 2D style, or a painterly, soft style that's really pretty to look out - But not a lot of is espeically unique. It's got a "Frozen Flavour" to it, but it's all very standard. If you changed one or two things, you could swap out Elsa and Anna for Rapunzel, or Ariel, or any other number of Disney Princess characters and the stories would be more-or-less the same. Stuff that mum and dad can give to their kids to let them have their Frozen fix without having to endure "Let it Go" one more time. (Side note: If you do happen to be one of those people who're bitching about how over saturated that song is - Fuck you, I'm going to play it again on purpose.)

The point I'm getting around to is that these books, cheep target paperbacks they may be, are not that. There's a distinct world and continuity here, and it's even possible to place a timeline.

These books (I believe there may be a third between them for a reason I'll get too shortly) have recurring characters, direct continuity and callbacks. All of them expand on the world of Frozen, moving away from the generic Disney-Princess storytelling of kingdom mishaps and "oh-no! character X is lost/upset/lost a precious item/wants to do something special/has a special occasion/etc" and into a deliberately constructed world, with a soft but distinct influence from Nordic and Sandenavian folklore.

They are not perfect, but they are worth talking about. Spoilers abound below, for those of you who are interested!

I'm not going to summarize the plots. I want to talk what I find interesting, annoying, curious, fun or frustrating about these books. These reviews are intended as a form of looking after my own mental health anyway. If you're interested, I've given names and pictures of the covers. Go look them up. Or better yet, read the books yourselves and tell me what you think!

The coolest (pun 400% intended) part about these books is they are clearly on a timeline. They're designed to slot very nicely into Frozen canon, and do so very tightly I might add. The timeline that we can establish is:

Frozen > 3 YEARS > Forest of Shadows > Frozen 2 > Polar Nights.

Forest of Shadows leads directly into the events of Frozen 2, even referencing the scene where Elsa wakes up the spirits at the end, while Polar Nights is explicitly stated to be a matter of 2-3 months since Anna took the throne.

During that 3 YEARS period there, you can obviously slot in Frozen Fever, Olaf's christmas special and probably one or two of the storybook stuff released post Frozen. If the (hilarious) "Olaf Reenacts Disney Movies" shorts are in ANY way canon (and... They MIGHT be to some degree, I'll get to this later...) they almost definitely slot in between Frozen 2 and Polar Nights. Again, I'll get to why later.

I believe I am missing a novel or story somewhere that fits into the same timeline as Polar Nights references an event that's a bit too specific to not have been depicted in some form of media, but I can only work with what I find locally. Although I am in no uncertain terms a fan, I only have so many resources and time to put toward things, and Frozen isn't at the top of that list. If a novel appears on a store shelf, I'll buy it. If it doesn't, I go without.

While my thoughts are mostly focused on Polar Nights, because I read Forest of Shadows over 3 years ago. I'm talking about both novels for the most part.

They are decent in size. Small enough for kids to read with no trouble, but more than a short story. Both tell full length, original stories.

These books paint a slightly wider view of Arendelle and it's surroundings than what we see from the movies. Neighboring kingdoms are mentioned by name (including Corona - Rapunzel's kingdom from Tangled. - Again, I'm going to get back to this later), and there are several named, recurring characters like Tuva and Ada, lesbian blacksmith wives (explicitly mentioned as being married) or Sorensson, the Astronomer who lives far outside of Arendelle and is introduced in Forest of Shadows, then plays a small but significant role in Polar Nights. There's recurring references to Aren of Arendelle, the founder of Elsa and Anna's kingdom, and a secret room or passage discovered in one book is referenced and used again in the next. It's really consistent and it makes it feel rewarding to read these novels. I very much doubt that any future Frozen visual media will reference their events, but if the stories themselves can keep a continuity across writers, then that's good enough for me to feel like I'm really in a bona-fide expanded universe.

There's some stuff in these books that I have personally wanted to see since the first movie. Things like finding out how Anna never recovered the original memories the trolls took from her, or finding out what Elsa spends a lot of her time doing in Ahtohallan...

(conjuring ice memories, apparently. Yeah, seems like while she's not going to "drowning depth" again, she is using her magical ice powers to pull up home-movies of her parents... Gotta wonder if she didn't accidentally pull up one of their date nights and then shattered the whole thing into ice shards in a panic once her dad put on the Barry White music.)

The books ALSO give me something that I have held in my head since the very first movie - Anna cracking jokes about her past and her mistakes.

I've always loved the idea that Anna doesn't seem the type to get all "Shell-Shocked PTSD Veteran" over her traumatic memories. That's Elsa's job, so I've always imagined she makes a lot of jokes and lighthearted fun out of it. Like, she seems the type to go: "OH HEY! That's a great statue of me! And I'd know! I've been a statue! Made of ice! Wanna see me do the pose?"

And while we don't get that exactly, we do get her ribbing Elsa about having Marshmallow throw her out of her ice castle, grumbling about how "Hans isn't actually THAT good looking", and generally having a sense of "oh no, I remember what happened LAST TIME..." about her. It's not as explicit as I'd like, but it's there and it helps with that feeling of the world being alive and moving. These characters do remember what happened yesterday. They are actively learning their lessons and trying to avoid the mistakes of their past.

The stories are compelling enough. While not groundbreaking, edge-of-your seat page turners, they both offer an adventure that's very much on brand for Frozen, effectively utilizing the characters and the world. This isn't a story where you could change a few names and slap Aurora or Belle or Ariel in instead. These stories feel tailored to Elsa and Anna. Unfortunately, there's a bit of an issue that I assume arises from being an author hired to write your own original entry into a carefully curated, multi-million dollar franchise, owned by the real world's full on Mega-Corp.

See, while I love the connected, constructed world these novels build around the movies - They do in-fact, happen to be being built around the Frozen media franchise, and Disney have been notoriously strict with this before.

If you were a part of the early Frozen fandom (again, I was), you might remember the sheer excitement around when it was announced that Elsa and Anna, as well as Arendelle and a number of other movie characters would be coming to Once Upon a Time, flinging the universe of Frozen into unexpected live action.

I'm not going to get into my thoughts around OUAT, because... YEAH I'm trying to be focused and that is worth a WHOLE other blog post - which I don't have any REAL desire to write out unless someone BEGGED me to do it, but long story short, given that the show explicitly is alternate continuity for ALL Disney's franchises, it had a lot of leeway in what it could do with it's regular cast... But not the Frozen characters. Although the writers did get to play around creating new backstory and lore, and chopping and changing a bit, there was a strictness to what they could and couldn't do with the characters. They couldn't give Elsa a love interest. They couldn't dramatically change anything from the movie. Characters had firmly fixed personalities that were absolutely not allowed the usual "flex" of OUAT - No extra edginess snuck in, nothing out of character.

(They did have incredible costumes though. Way better than any other live action projects that I've seen).

My point in all of this is, that was explicitly in an alternate universe. OUAT had NEVER had any bearing on any of the franchises it pulled it's roster from, and was marketed to a whole different audience.

These books are NOT. They are marketed toward the same audience as the movies, and are intended to fit alongside it. And it is painfully obvious that Disney holds a tight leash when it comes to ways for writers to interpret their billion-dollar characters. Obviously this is pure speculation, but I would imagine the writers for these novels were given dedicated character bios of characters like Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and not allowed to deviate or even go into much depth beyond what was listed in those bios.

I say this for a couple of reasons - The most notable of which is the dialogue, and to a lesser extent the character actions. Characters have an unfortunate tendency to sprout stiff, unnatural dialogue, based on certain things that were mentioned in the moves.

Nowhere is this more egregious than with Anna and chocolate. The movies mention her having it as her favorite treat, and she has like two memorable moments involving it in the first movie, but the books treat it like it is NEVER off her mind. If the books mention Anna wanting to do ANYTHING, most of the time, it involves chocolate in some way. She brings it with her on expeditions. She can't wait to get back to the castle and eat some. She has a "choco-versary" with Kristoff, the anniversary of the first time they ate chocolate together. It comes off as a weird obsession, instead of the favorite food it was in the movies. Similarly, she's mentioned as having "Sandwiches" as her favorite meal a few times. Not only is this FRUSTRATINGLY non-specific, it also seems PURELY based on her one line in "Love is an Open Door" and it's callback during her conversation with Kristoff in the first movie... Although to be fair, this did also get a call back in Frozen Fever where we see her be enthusiastic about one, so... whatever.

It gets stiff with dialogue between characters too. Almost every conversation with Elsa and Anna seems to drift towards "we were seperated, but now we are together again, and I love you and am so proud of you!". They'll discuss the plot, and they do have some genuinely great moments (like Elsa talking about the trolls and Anna pointing out, somewhat sadly, that "no, sis, I can't remember, they took my memories as a child...") but a lot of it is re-hashing their end-of-movie "sisterly bond" stuff. It's a real shame especially in Polar Nights, because that is set AFTER Frozen 2. We could have had scenes of Anna asking Elsa for help ruling as Queen, or Elsa observing how Anna does things differently from her, but we learn nothing more about how these two interact than what we already knew.

The other problem that I assume crops up from Disney's strict oversight is that it's obvious the writers are not allowed to affect the world too much. They can play with the figures in it, but can't change the landscape dramatically. This is understandable, as it's unlikely the Mega-Mouse wants some kids novel throwing out a detail that might force them to change how they write the next movie. They're not going to kill off Kristoff, or suddenly give us a Hans redemption arc - As interesting as that would be, the writers need the all clear from Disney, and Disney won't want some hired novelist to make a major change to their giant money making machine which is no doubt shaped like Elsa's head.

This means that, although the stakes do feel real for the books themselves, there's a sense that nothing that happens within really affects the world that much. Characters don't learn a vital lesson or change in any significant way, and those that do are new characters, constructed for the book, who can easily be ignored by the wider narrative - Polar Nights has a whole segment with a pair of sisters, obviously designed to parallel Elsa and Anna, who's past and backstory, and the mysteries and mistruths thereof, form more-or-less the basis for the entire plot, but our ACTUAL sisters can't have a chat more complex that "boy I'm glad we're not separated anymore, also we're proud of each other!"

The result is - and this is kind of what I've been driving toward this entire time - these books give me a VERY distinct feeling, and it took me a while to identify what it was. I didn't catch it when I read "Forest of Shadows", but it WAS there, and Polar Nights has it there in full force.

These novels feel like FILLER.

Traditional, ACTUAL, filler.

SIGH - Quick sidetrack.

The term "Filler" is thrown around a lot these days, often by people that I don't think realized the term originally had a more specific meaning - At least from what my experience is.

"Filler" was primarily a term used by the anime community, referring to episodes of a show that were not adapted from the original manga. This practice was done as most anime, especially Shounen anime like those pictured above, ran almost continuously, and when your airing an episode a week which is sometimes able to adapt multiple chapters from the manga, you're going to close the gap pretty quickly.

This meant that things would be done in the episodes to stretch them out. Anything from lengthening fight scenes, to additional dialogue, all the way up to - perhaps most famously - whole new arcs created purely for the anime. These arcs had to tell their own stories that were entertaining, but obviously couldn't massively shake up the status quo, as they had no idea what would be coming next for these characters and this story. They relied on events distanced, often entirely unrelated to the plot at large (in-fact, rather infamously, Bleach once went to a year long filler arc in MID-SWORD-FIGHT BETWEEN CHARACTERS). Often they would invent new characters, new powers, and often draw on events of the past, or spotlight background characters to create an unobtrusive narrative.

These arcs can, and have, been good. There's nothing inherently wrong with filler, but as TV Tropes says: "These arcs can, and have, been good. There's nothing inherently wrong with filler, but as TV Tropes says: "At their most extreme, absolutely nothing that happens in a filler episode will affect things going forward, even if it seems like a character developed or grew in some manner."

Filler's definition has expanded a lot, and was never really as fixed as I tended to take it, though I still see it used incorrectly. If an episode of a show had the characters sitting around talking, with the plot not advancing at all, but we still learn things about the characters that matter, and have an impact or call back later, or their relationships change in SOME way, then it's NOT filler. In the words of my Media Teacher: "Just because it didn't feature a car chase and a shoot out, doesn't mean it doesn't matter." - Filler doesn't matter. Slow paced slice of life episodes can matter a LOT.

As a side note, to this side note, Filler in it's most traditional sense is dying out, and has been largely, though not entirely, gone from anime by the mid 2010's. Anime have switched over to the "cour" style of episode production, with a season consisting of usually around 12-or-24 episodes (a little leeway in either direction is common, like having 26 or 10 episodes), which focus on tightly adapting one arc or novel or portion of the story. They then take a break, and return with the next season whenever, picking up where they left off. This is why you don't really see stuff running for 200+ episodes in a row anymore, and why something like, say, Attack on Titan has five seasons. This has allowed for MUCH reduction of filler, and virtually eliminated the need for the filler arc. They do still pop up, but notice how today's "big shots" like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer have multiple seasons instead of just running for a billion episodes like shows such as One Piece, or Naruto.

Though speaking of that, apparently some new shows are determined to carry on the traditions laid by their parents... *side-eyes Boruto*

AHEM. I really need to drop this topic and get back on track. QUICK, what's an appropriate Frozen-related GIF to use to move on?

I fuckin' told you I was gonna play it again.

ANYWAY, so my point is that - despite feeling like we've really entered a living, breathing world, with its own history and people, it feels like we're never allowed to see that world DO anything.

This wasn't too bad in Forest of Shadows, because even though it couldn't do anything massive, it could create the illusion of movement, by transitioning characters from their Frozen selves to their Frozen 2 selves, laying down hints of what would be fully realized in that move, but it is REALLY on display in Polar Nights - The set up involves exploring Anna's first major kingdom event as Queen, and yet, we really don't get any meaningful detail about that. We don't get a sense of how it feels for her to suddenly wield all this power and responsibility when, not just a few months ago, she was more or less the spare princess that could spend her days having picnics with snowmen. I mean sure, there's mention that she's nervous, but it really doesn't go into much detail. She's just "Queen Anna", the same way we saw her at the end of Frozen 2.

(Elsa's also still referred to as Queen - sometimes she gets directly called "The Snow Queen" - but this is a detail I like. It's not like the people forgot or disavowed her as their monarch. The two are called "The Queens of Arendelle" at one point. It's an interesting touch.)

The events of Polar Nights involve a lot of things happening (including major characters losing their memories of each other), but it all amounts to a problem that's easily resolved with Sisterly Love, and by the end of the book, everything's normal. I know these books are not going to affect the movies, but one of the cool things, as I mentioned, was that they did have continuity between each other. Sorensson was introduced as a man of science in Forest of Shadows, and then in Polar Nights, Anna and Elsa go to him for help with something they want a scientific explanation for. While some of these characters might pop up again to be mentioned in the next novel, it's hard to believe it'll focus on Anna dealing with the fact that... Say Dragurs are real, and exist out there, and that things like grudges and nasty legends and rumors can bring unwelcome power.

Some of the dialogue and phrasing is just plain awkward too. A lot of the time, when Anna spoke to Kristoff, it felt very bland, and forced-romantic, rather than their natural, more banter and warm interactions in the movies. We don't even get a call-back to "I prefer you in leather ;)" - Although that may have been pushing the biscuit. If they went any further with how Anna feels about that, the LOUD SCREACHERS might lose the ability to pretend she was being 100% wholesome and child-friendly with that line...

There's another line where Elsa's narration indicates she wants Anna and Kristoff to have kids so she can be "the cool aunt, literally" - A line that exists purely for that one lazy joke, since no other mention of them having children exists that I can remember.

(Though I am borderline certain that Frozen 3 will focus on their child, but again, that's getting distracted)

Polar Nights also avoids any direct appearances of Northuldra. No Honeymaron or Rider or anything - The only other significant characters that appear from Frozen 2 are Mattias (who fills a bit of a generic "general/captain of the guard" role, but that's his job so it's fine), as well as Gale and Burnie and the Water Nokk, who do have roles to play, but relatively minor ones. They are mentioned, but even when we see the Enchanted Forest, it's purely featuring the cast from Frozen, plus the wind and the new plush mascot lizard. Again, it's a shame because beyond: "Elsa loves the fact that she is living free" and "Elsa spends time pulling up home movies made of snow", we get nothing about how the former Queen is living as a spirit. Okay, I don't expect the book to explain about how Elsa hates needing to pee in a bush now or something absurd like that, but when you go from living in a castle to living in tents and caves, you've got to feel more than just "free" right? We don't even see how she interacts with the Northuldra. How do these people, who revered the spirits, interact with one who can speak to them in their language? Who can sit and chill out with them? Who can pop round for dinner? We get none of that, and it's sad, because it would have been nice.

Polar Nights features a mystery story between two sisters, one of whom is said to have outright murdered the other, several fights between Elsa and a Nordic zombie wraith that mimics her powers at one point, a Pirate Queen and her fleet sitting menacingly at Arendelle's borders, at one point escalating to firing on royal ships during a massive storm in an eternal night, Anna and Elsa traveling to a whole different neighboring kingdom, and Anna's fiance explicitly losing his memory of her, and anything they ever did together...

... and somehow it comes off as less compelling and impactful than Frozen 2, where - and I don't want to downplay or insult Frozen 2 because I think it's amazing and obviously it's themes run far deeper BUT - the main antagonist force boils down to "Dam that a bastard-man built one time".

(On that, Polar Nights is intent on reminding everyone that King Runeard was a Bad Man™ and every single character essentially goes "BOO! HISS!" whenever his name comes up. And yeah, the dude was an absolute bastard, and he only gets revealed to be worse in Polar Nights but you would think Anna and Elsa would have more complex feelings than "hate that guy" to their granddad who they believed was a bit of a legend up until the events of the second movie. Still, maybe they genuinely don't and at any rate, unpacking those feelings might be a bit more complicated than a novel intended mostly for kids is willing to get into.)

There's more that could be said, but I worry I've been sticking to the negative for too long. Yes, these novels do feel like anime filler. Lots of stuff happens, but it doesn't really impact anyone. There's new characters introduced and side characters discussed and all sorts of things that really don't mean that much to the world in the long run, and no doubt will be forgotten by the time Frozen 3 rolls around BUT...

BUT

The books are an enjoyable read. They let me return to the world of Frozen and explore a bit more of the land these characters live in. Yes, I wish the book featured a conversation between Anna and Elsa that didn't just feature them rehashing what they've learned in the movies, but it is STILL good to see them together again. It's heartwarming to know that Elsa still stays in the castle, that Anna let her keep their parents bedroom, that the people of her former kingdom still call her "Queen".

It's great to see side characters mentioned, and not just appear once. It's great that these books are allowed to look outside of the generic fairy-tale fare and bring up things like Dragurs and Huldrefólk and, while I do think the Sisterly Love being the solution to Polar Night's problem isn't the best ending, it does FIT with the themes for the franchise and it isn't a re-hash of Anna and Elsa, instead holding up a mirror to them and showing them what they could have been had their lives been but a tiny bit different.

They're good books, and I would rate them:

A solid B

Was originally a B-, but upon writing this out, I re-evaluated and I wanted to stress that I actually really do like them, and I hope they make more. I really want Frozen to be that thing that winds up having 20 different novel series, six comic books, two original TV series and a line of successful movies. It'd make me happy.

That is just about all I have to say on this topic except for:

OKAY SO YOU KNOW HOW I HAVE BROUGHT UP TANGLED A COUPLE OF TIMES AND I'VE BEEN SAYING I'LL GET BACK TO HOW I THINK IT INTERACTS:

Well - We all know Frozen featured Rapunzel and Eugene visting Arendelle and, ignoring some of the crazy and common fan theories (they're cousins I swear it still works if you squint), that suggests that there is a shared universe and I believe these books CONFIRM that when taken in conjunction with other evidence...

Consider that, Corona is directly mentioned in Forest of Shadows, and that would seem to confirm it, but I've still seen that, and the Tangled character's cameos waved off as cheeky Easter Eggs, BUT... REMEMBER THOSE FUCKIN' OLAF SHORTS? The ones where he re-enacts disney movies?

YEAH WELL, in the Tangled one, he has a bit of extra dialogue where he goes something like "this one is for one of my favorite people in the world, Rapunzel" or SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT SUGGESTS HE'S MET RAPUNZEL PERSONALLY, and...

AAAAAND...

Polar Nights reveals that he and the others HAVE stayed in the Enchanted Forrest before, which gives him a timeframe where he could plausibly tell these stories in universe, AND AND AND AAAAANNNNND:

He also has a short where he re-enacts "The Little Mermaid" which IS CHEEKILY IMPLIED TO BE A BOOK THAT ANNA LOVES in Polar Nights, so Olaf has a REASON to know that story, AS A STORY--

AND BASICALLY THIS CONFIRMS THAT FROZEN AND TANGLED ARE SET IN THE SAME UNIVERSE AND THE FRANCHISE IS GOING TO CONCLUDE WITH AN ULTIMATE CROSSOVER THAT puts Avengers to shame and I SWEAR THAT IT'LL BE SO AWESOME AND--

The Analyst has been dragged off into the night by sensible people. Please ignore his ramblings.

#Frozen #Frozen 2 #Frozen Forest of Shadows #Frozen Polar Nights #Frozen Polar Nights Cast into Shadow #Anna #Elsa #Kristoff #Sven #Olaf #Review #Analyst #Ramblings #Tangled #Disney #disney princess