Resolutions and Disney

Hi again everybody! I hope you’re all easing into the new year comfortably.

Although if you’re a student, I’m guessing that you’re maybe not. January is not the most fun-filled time of the year, you sort of cruise through Christmas in a murky food haze, and then all of a sudden you’re on the other side of the new year and there’s a considerable amount of work staring you in the face in an intimidating manner.

And this is why I always think that January is not the best time to be making resolutions. I usually decide that January is the time I’m going to eat healthily and go to the gym more. I feel really good about the new me…right up until it’s about a week later and I’m crying into the large Dominoes pizza I just ordered, cheese hanging in a string off my chin. Unless your resolution is work related, the fact is that as a student your mind is going to be so occupied on other things that it’s going to be hard to find the motivation to focus on changing something about yourself. And then because you told yourself you would change, if you’re anything like me then you end up in a spiral of guilt about the resolutions you are resolutely not following through. So I’m going to take this moment to tell you to do this: give yourself a break. If your January is filled with work you have to get done, that is your priority. So don’t beat yourself up about anything- when your exams are over, you’ll have time then to focus on what it is you want to change (if that’s anything).

I hope if you’re applying to universities this year that your applications are going ok. My sister has been having interviews in various places for the course she wants to follow, and I know she’s been super stressed- another reason why you don’t need to concentrate on how you’re going to change yourself right now. Let’s just get through this tricky month, shall we?!

Anyway, this takes me on to the other aspect of the title of this post. I am currently making a presentation on how Disney influenced the fairy tale, and it’s proving very interesting- if a bit disturbing. I thought Disney was French, and that he was frozen under a ride in Disney land Paris. I have literally no idea where these ideas came from, but it turns out they’re completely wrong: he’s actually American, and he was (boringly) cremated when he died. So that was a shock for me to learn!

But also, get this. He completely revolutionised fairy tales. I guess that’s easy to see, most people know Disney’s version of the stories much better than any other version (his are usually much cheerier- did you know that the Little Mermaid dies in the original? Or the queen in Snow White has to dance herself to death in hot shoes?) But the way he did it was to sneak aspects of his own life into his work. I had no idea!

Take Snow White. It’s about a princess and some dwarves, right? Wrong. (Well no, it is, but there’s other stuff as well).

It’s about how the under-dog triumphs against great obstacles, deceit and betrayal. And whose life followed that pattern? You guessed it, Disney’s. I’m not explaining in detail because it’s a lot of stuff to go into, but basically that’s the main argument of the paper I am presenting (it’s Jack Zipes- Breaking the Disney Spell if you’re interested). It turns out that Disney had to break away from his controlling father to make animations, and was let down by someone who he worked with, who stole Disney’s animators and forced him to choose between accepting a huge reduction in pay or quitting- Disney quit. Despite this Disney moved on and now… well, you know the rest.

So there you go, that’s what I’ve been learning over in Heidelberg at the moment. Take care 🙂