Reading/Watching Log #45

Wow, I got through a LOT of stuff this month. I’m not entirely sure how, but September ended up being extremely bountiful. I saw Miss Saigon for the first time a couple of days ago (mixed feelings), bid farewell to Killjoys, delved deeper into my Treat Yo Self reading pile, saw the latest in my Disney Princess rewatch, and started to get into some Dark Crystal supplementary material to go with the Netflix prequel. And more – so much more.

Standing Tall #26

So in the Souvenir Guide this giraffe is referred to as a “wild card”, which makes sense considering it’s the only interactive one. It’s essentially a three-dimensional blackboard, and came complete with a box of chalk so that passers-by could add their own drawings, doodles, names or dedications. As you can see, by the time we got there is was already covered from head to hoof.

The only permanent markings were a tic-tac-toe board on the back, a necklace of primary shapes around the neck and a few decorations on the head, which you can barely see amongst all the chalk scribbles – though I suppose we have to give artist Hayden Graham for them?

For Fun was situated outside Christchurch’s South Library, which allowed for a large foot-count of children and their artistic talent – though when I saw this giraffe again at the Russley Golf Course (where they gathered all the sculptures after January 24th of 2015) it had been wiped clean.

I suppose there’s some metaphor there about the impermanence of art, though it seemed a shame to lose all that work.

Meta: Why Aladdin and Jasmine are the Best Disney Power Couple

In hindsight it seems sad and strange that I picked Princess Jasmine to be March's Woman of the Month, Disney's first and only Middle Eastern Princess, knowing what happened in Christchurch just a few weeks later.

Aladdin came in for its fair share of criticism when it was first released, from its cartoonish portrayal of a fantasy Arabian city, to the ethnically-coded features of Jafar, to the infamous: "it's barbaric, but hey, it's home" lyric (the original lead-in to this was: “where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face…”)

A few "praise Allahs" and "salaams" are scattered throughout, and yet the tone is so intrinsically American and its narrative so Western that it can barely be described as a Middle Eastern tale at all. Disney took an aesthetic (or rather, the parts of it that were recognizable to Western audiences: the minarets, the harem girls, the turbans and scimitars – regardless of their authenticity) and wrapped it gauzily around a Disney tale of heroism, romance and believing in yourself.

The critique is out there, and it’s worth reading.

And yet despite the Disneyfication of the original Aladdin story, however much they diluted the culture upon which the film draws its inspiration, it nevertheless contains two likeable, relatable, three-dimensional leads – who happen to be Middle Eastern.

And though that fact may seem like a tiny drop in the ocean of the relentless awfulness in the world right now, this year it's been a balm. I saw the stage show in February for my birthday, re-watched the original animated film with my Disney-deprived friend a couple of weeks ago, and will probably see the live-action version when it's out on DVD later this year. From start to finish, and on so many levels, it's a great story.

So, I'm gonna talk about it some more. Specifically, why I think Aladdin and Jasmine are the best Disney power couple. Because what's the point of having your own blog if you can't go deep down the rabbit hole of your own incredibly specific interests? 

Woman of the Month: Artemis Crock

Artemis Crock from Young Justice

You guys know I’m a sucker for strong exteriors hiding vulnerable gooey centres, and there are few female characters out there that embody this better than Artemis from Young Justice. Granted, she’s certainly more spikes and sarcasm than nurture and niceness, but the show makes an interesting creative decision in that her attitude isn’t depicted as cool and edgy, but rather a little off-putting and detrimental to the team.

Not completely, but enough so there’s a bit of tension when she first joins the Young Justice ranks. She immediately butts heads with Wally, makes several inappropriate comments regarding Connor’s attractiveness, and isn’t particularly interested in following Aqualad’s rules (or anyone else’s). It was a clever way of feeding into the storyline of a potential spy within the group (her being the obvious contender), but also her growth into a more trusting, well-rounded person.

The first sign of her inner turmoil was when the team ends up stranded in the desert without their memories (long story), during which she gives a weary sigh and passes the whole thing off as an elaborate test concocted by her father. Then she casually tells Wally: “he probably wants me to kill you.” Yikes!

Turns out that her father and her sister are supervillains, which in turns leads to the role she takes in season two’s long-con: posing as a double-agent in disguise. Her fraught upbringing gives her an edge in this type of high stress undercover work, and for a few episodes she’s trying to keep several balls in the air regarding who knows her identity, who’s in on her faked death, and what the mission requires of her.

I recall some minor controversy back in the day when it came to Artemis’s ethnicity, as many couldn’t get their heads round the fact she was half-Vietnamese and a natural blonde. Show-runner Greg Weisman clarified the situation, divulging that Artemis’s design was based on a real person: Hanah Cook, the mixed-race daughter of one of the show’s directors/animators… who is in fact a natural blonde. Just the fact that Artemis’s design had to be backed up with “proof” of an Asian woman’s ability to have fair hair is sad, but it’s also an interesting behind-the-scenes tidbit that's worth sharing.

After the premature cancellation of Young Justice after its second season, it was a dream come true to learn that it would return for a third (and fourth), with all the original cast and crew members. I haven’t yet had a chance to settle in and binge-watch it to completion, but it’s at the top of my To Do list – and will probably warrant a blogpost all its own.