Comments on: TDC #12: Feminist Disney Guys

By: TDC#15: Listeners, We Has Them! « Those Darn Cats

TDC#15: Listeners, We Has Them! « Those Darn Cats — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:53:41 +0000

[...] listen to our podcast! On this week’s show, we discuss your comments on our show #12, on Disney male characters from a feminist perspective. Download the episode here, or subscribe using iTunes or [...]

By: WALL-E: Queer Studies Analysis from “Oh! Industry” « Broke Hoedown

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:00:58 +0000

[...] lord, even as I was hailing the gender subversion of the film in Those Darn Cats last week, the queer undertones of the film hadn’t risen above the level of subconscious. But as I [...]

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:26:28 +0000

Ken, the more you talk about Sleeping Beauty the more I realize I haven’t given that prince a fair shake. Sure, I prefer movies where the women have *slightly* more agency, but he’s definitely not milquetoast.

And clearly his ability to make rapid wardrobe changes rivals that even of our dear Lisa!

By: Ken in Atlanta

Ken in Atlanta — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:35:48 +0000

Just watched Sleeping Beauty again last night while sorting laundry. And it got me thinking in a rather jokenly fashion. I don’t know what you women are complaining about…..

Sleeping Beauty just got to lay there having a nap while the man was out there doing all the hard work escaping from dungeons, fighting evil faires and her minions, dodging arrows, jumping gorges, hacking through razor sharp magical thorns, fighting dragons, and having to climb all those steps…all while she gets to lay on her back taking a nap

*wink*
*again just kidding*

But I do wonder how he found time to change clothes and where did they come from between the time he kissed her and bringing her downstairs. And if he changed infront of her… Shades of Anne Rice’s Sleepy beauty series.

By: ColeenL

ColeenL — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:38:08 +0000

Hi Jen and Lisa. It was great to meet you at Magic Meets! I was the woman so thrilled to show you the pictures of my evacuation from Spaceship Earth. I watched “Plane Crazy” on youtube after listening to your latest podcast. I completely agree….Mickey was like Chester the Molester. How frightening for Minnie! So much so that she had to jump from the plane! Keep up the great work on the podcast!

By: sambycat

sambycat — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:48:37 +0000

thanks for commenting, richO… sometimes a cigar is just a cigar…. but sometimes…. it isn’t!

By: MikeF.

MikeF. — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:54:45 +0000

Hey Jen and Lisa another great and thought provoking show.

By: VegasPixie

VegasPixie — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:11:15 +0000

Well, I wish I had something meaningful to add to this discussion, but the topic of feminism (with respect to analysis) is just not an area I feel confident in. But I do appreciate and enjoy hearing these perspectives; I agree that on the one hand yes, these are just “cartoons” meant to entertain. But on the other hand, I enjoy looking at films and other forms of entertainment from an analytical POV (especially in terms of narrative and myth), because I learn about our culture, how culture influences art and vice versa, in subtle ways that I may not have realized otherwise. In this way, I learn more about myself and the world around me. I think especially in terms of historical perspective, analyzing film (and Disney animation in particular) you can really begin to understand the mood of the period in which a film was released, and how it may have influenced people during that period. I’m about 2/3 through Gabler’s biography of Disney, and I find it fascinating how important Mickey Mouse and films like the Three Little Pigs were in the depression era, how symbolic those characters were (sorry, I’m way off the topic of feminism so I’ll stop).

Good show, gals!

BTW, I find it amusing that the theme song for the “Cats” is a song about a “Mouse”!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:41:04 +0000

RichO, I admire your ability to shut off the analytical mind! For me though, for some reason it’s *way* more fun to go ahead and indulge my left brain, delve into what I perceive as the deeper meanings (regardless of artist intent).

Lisa, I do agree that we incorporated a family/child-centric perception of feminism, but I’m not sure that’s the only one we considered…it seems to me that sexual harassment and gender subversion are not just family issues (thinking here of my comments about Mickey Mouse and WALL-E). I’d love to hear more about how you perceive feminist men, coming from a single/childfree point of view!

By: RichO

RichO — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:55:34 +0000

OK, IMHO I think sometimes people take a simple thing and analyze it so much that it takes the fun out of life. Animated movies are cartons and are meant to be fun! Yes some do have a message they want to share with everyone. Usually I watch the movies, decide if I like them or not and go from there. Life is much simpler that way!