Review: Toy Story 3

Perhaps the smartest thing Pixar ever did when it came to the continuation of the Toy Story franchise was to wait. Wait eleven years in fact.

At the conclusion of Toy Story 2, it would seem the story had run its course, for if the first movie was Buzz coming to terms with his identity crisis, then the sequel did the same for Woody. In those final moments, the two friends are at peace with each other and their joint purpose in life. One day Andy would no longer need them, but that day was not today, and it was enough to simply enjoy his childhood while it lasted.

But then… that day did come. And it came in real time. Those who watched Toy Story as kids were now at the end of their adolescence, and it was time to leave their childhoods behind. The third instalment and culmination of the franchise was therefore perfectly primed to make a potent statement on the passage of time, the inevitability of growing up, and the putting away of childish things… if Pixar could pull it off.

Well, of course they could. Just as the sequel was built heavily on the ideas and themes established in the original, Toy Story 3 had the advantage of expanding on everything the first two films had set up for it, as well as an obvious built-in premise: Andy finally outgrows his toys.

This was an impending reality that was discussed throughout Toy Story 2, largely through conversations between Woody and the Prospector, with the latter’s secret agenda leading him to stoke the former’s fear of change and rejection. “Do you really think Andy is going to take you to college?” he asks at one point, a question that’s unexpectedly answered eleven years later.

Um, yes actually.

Xena Warrior Princess: A Necessary Evil, A Day in the Life, For Him the Bell Tolls

For our next lot of episodes, we have the final episode of the quasi-trilogy, which wasn’t so much a three-part story as three separate adventures that managed to run-on from each other’s conclusion.

Along with the end of Melinda Clarke’s psychotic (and fun) turn as Amazon Velasca, we’ve got a fan favourite that brings Xena and Gabrielle’s Sapphic subtext to the foreground, and a fairly ho-hum comedic episode that once more combines Joxer’s buffoonery with a love potion.

Woman of the Month: Victoria Everglot

Victoria Everglot from Corpse Bride

It’s October, and that requires an appropriately themed Woman of the Month. As it happens, this is the third consecutive year in which a stop-motion heroine has featured, and not entirely by design. There’s just something about those movies that’s inherently spooky.

But I always try to make a point of revisiting my favourite spooky stories in the Halloween season, and this year was Corpse Bride – nowhere near as beloved as Coraline or The Nightmare Before Christmas, but with its own macabre charm.

You may be surprised that I’m going with Victoria instead of Emily, the titular corpse bride, but that’s only because I don’t think Victoria gets enough credit. She’s meek and quiet where Emily is vivacious and passionate, and the film genuinely keeps you in suspense over who Victor will eventually marry – especially when the story makes a point of Emily sharing Victor’s skill at the piano (performing a sweet duet with him), whereas Victoria has never been allowed to touch any instrument in her life.

And yet Victoria is a great example of how a female character can be innately passive and yet still have sweetness, dignity and strength in abundance. And when Victor finds her after accidentally committing himself to Emily, she grabs the sheets off her bed, turns them into a rope, and abseils off her balcony in the pouring rain to seek out help from the bishop.

Granted, this is her sole moment of agency, and it ends with said bishop dragging her home with the admonishment: “you should be at home, prostrate with grief.” Whether it’s being described by her parents as having “a face like an otter in disgrace”, used as a pawn to replenish their depleted fortunes, or getting held hostage by the film’s villain, Victoria isn’t allowed to control the narrative in any way.

Heck, it’s Emily herself who finally gives up her claim on Victor, realizing that she’s wrong to come between Victor and his living bride.

Yet there’s a moment at the beginning of the film, when Victor is struggling with his vows, in which Victoria silently reaches out and lights the candle he’s accidentally extinguished. It’s such a sweet moment of solidarity and sympathy towards someone who is clearly burdened by the expectations put upon him, and it’s this that makes Victoria special. You don’t have to sword fight or play piano or partake in witty repartee to be worthy of love – just be kind.

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.