Again and again Disney Pixar never ceases to amaze us with their creative and exciting stories that encaptures our hearts. Recently, Disney had released a trailer for their all new animated movie; Moana. The story is of a young girl as she travels to save her island with the Demigod, Maui. But Disney had received a lot of backlash for their choice to portray Maui as a larger character. The opposition comes from the stigma that Polynesian men and women are stereotyped as overweight, obese, and lazy. Many people resent Disney's choice, feeling that it reflects Polynesians negatively.
When inklings of this movie first came out two years ago, I got so excited! It makes me ecstatic to see Disney going beyond the typical white, fragile, cookie cutter characters. Presenting children with diverse characters helps them accept themselves and others despite differences. This goes beyond race and ethnicity. People come in different races and ethnicities, but they also come in different body shapes. It's about time for Disney to discard this mold that all people have to look and act a certain way. I believe this is the first time Disney will have ever had a larger character be portrayed positively- and be a main character. Maui's character is depicted as strong, trustworthy,funny, and powerful. Something that has nothing to do with his physical appearance. The sooner we start to teach children that looking different is ok, the sooner we'll start to believe in ourselves. Children's movies have a bigger role than simply entertaining little kids. They teach lessons, and inspire dreams. It's our job to make sure that we teach children the humanity of everyone- adding a little adventure or two on the way.
http://moviepilot.com/posts/3985660
You never seem to let me down with your blogs ! I really like the way you had the blog very well written! I will be the first to see this movie
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I think Disney is taking a positive step to break down the barriers for women of different ethnicity. More little girls will learn to love their body, and more importantly their personality strengths.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this is actually a positive portrayal of larger people. He is a powerful demigod, regardless of his size.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that Disney is incorporating more realistic qualities in characters! Young children look up to these types of characters, so its very important that they see differences in personalities, ethnicity, and size so they can be taught to accept themselves and others, regardless to what they look like.
ReplyDelete-Alix Burns
I really admire the way Disney is now taking a step towards the idea that overweight people can be strong and powerful, instead of lazy
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