Once Pinocchio escapes, he's almost immediately carted off to Pleasure Island, where badly behaved boys drink, smoke, and generally wreak havoc. The song "Welcome" written by Phil Collins was later used as the theme song for Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams during the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Someone might prefer This 2015 video from MTV News weekly series Decoded features Franchesca Ramsey breaking down 7 myths about cultural appropriation, or where dominant groups "borrow" or capitalize upon cultural practices or expressions from marginalized groups who are not similarly celebrated, but rather face oppression or are stigmatized for their cultural practices and expressions. Rapunzel is a German fairy tale based on a French story loosely based on an Italian story. ", In the original theatrical version of "Aladdin," a line from the opening song, "Arabian Nights," goes, "Where they cut off your ear, if they don't like your face / It's barbaric, but hey, it's home. The Princess and the Frog is inspired by a European fairy tale called The Frog Prince. And of course theres the pitfall of veering into hurtful stereotypes. Voiced by Christopher Walken, he forgoes any jive associations and is much more menacing towards Mowgli. The local shaman disagrees with this action, and transforms the brother into a bear. He later recorded his translation at an Anchorage studio while being videotaped for animation reference. "[11] After the filmmakers heard his audition tapes for Finding Nemo, Jeremy Suarez was cast as Koda. [6] In 1997, veteran animator Aaron Blaise came on board the project as director because he "wanted to be attached so that [he] could animate bears",[7] and was soon joined by co-director Robert Walker. 1. A lost cub bear, named Koda (taken perhaps from the Kodiak Eskimos, the enemy of the Tanaina) plays the role of a Zen koan becoming the key to Kenai's realization process. During a discussion among the bears, Koda tells a story about his mother recently fighting human hunters on a glacier, reminding Kenai of his and his brothers' fight with the bear that led to Sitka's death, making him realize that the entire time, the bear he killed was Koda's mother. The Mongolians, though, not so much. Sky lanterns are typically associated with China and Thailand, but they also exist in Portugal (still probably imported from China). [5] Around 2000, the story evolved into a tale in which the transformed Kenai is taken in by an older bear, Grizz, who was to be voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan. Last year, Disney showcased ancient Polynesian culture in Moana, and this year, Pixar will explore Mexican culture with Coco. A direct-to-video sequel called Brother Bear 2 was released on August 29, 2006. The film stars the voices of Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Jason Raize (in his only film role), and D.B. The character Jim Crow was also troublingly voiced by a white actor (Cliff Edwards). "Noticeably marked by their ethnically coded 'street' accents, the hyenas blatantly symbolize racist and anti-Semitic stereotypes of 'verminous' groups that form a threat to society.". To track the "king" idea, the hero would naturally be a bear, the king of the forest. "She loves singing more than anything but she won't be able to do that anymore because she has to make things work with the first dude she sets her eyes on. In 1994's "The Lion King," Scar's accomplices are three hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. CULTURAL APPROPIATION IN ROYALE HIGH!! This blending of two cultures is a timely concept and a nice love letter to immigrants. [15], Following the success of the Tarzan soundtrack, Phil Collins was offered the opportunity to compose songs for Brother Bear, as well as let him "co-write the score". Disney chose to cut them out entirely, probably to avoid having to deal with the racist themes of the original story. Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? It wasnt that well-received in China because they changed the legend too much. Brother Bear (2003) The film was the third and final Disney animated feature produced primarily by the Feature Animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida; the studio was shut down in March 2004, not long after the release of this film in favor of computer animated features. Disney doesnt have anything new on its horizon as of now. Ollie Millington / Getty Images. Kenai quickly discovers that the wildlife can now speak to him, meeting a pair of moose brothers named Rutt and Tuke. Kendrick Lamar performing at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. It's a controversial topic, one that activists and celebrities like Adrienne Keene and Jesse Williams have helped bring into the national spotlight. What Chuck Berry Taught Us About Cultural Appropriation. 2019, A Movie-Analysis of the Nature-Society Relations and underlying Cultural Values in Walt Disney Animation's Feature Film "Brother Bear", in respect of Norman K. Denzins Approach The relation between nature and society has been a topic of discussion not only in sociology but also other scientific fields such as ecology, biology . Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 20:57, Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production, Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in a Feature Production, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production, List of Disney theatrical animated features, "These Two Talking Moose Let Their Antlers Down", "Fraternal Obligation: Disney Revisits the Animal Picture with 'Brother Bear', "Brother Bear: Production Notes About the Production", "Brother Bear: Production Notes - Nature Calls", "Why For was Michael Clarke Duncan's Grizz character cut out of Disney's "Brother Bear"? I dont see why Tiana needed an obscenely rich white friend. Native American war bonnets are among the most instantly recognizable artifacts of Native American culture, and for this reason, often the most appropriated items of Native American culture.. A war bonnet is a piece of headgear made using eagle feathers and beads and worn either during battle or on special ceremonial occasions . The Emperors New Groove does for pre-Colombian Peru what Hercules did for Ancient Greece. In that sense, every person in the tribe is a shaman in his or her own right. [24][25] By January 2005, the film had earned $169 million in home video sales and rentals. as well as other partner offers and accept our, Walt Disney Productions/RKO Radio Pictures, Visit Insider's homepage for more stories, Kristen Bell recalled asking her young daughters in an interview with Parents.com, many believe the crows to be racist caricatures of black Americans, "Pinocchio" live-action remake moving forward, wrote Elizabeth Broadbent for The Huffington Post, apes embody historically dehumanizing, racist comparisons between black people and apes, Kenzie Allen, a descendant of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, told The Atlantic, The New York Times said of the song in 1993, Dann Hassler-Forest wrote in The Washington Post, argues YouTuber Rowan Ellis in her video essay. an act of cultural appropriation. Disney wisely avoided recreating this scene in the "Dumbo" remake, but they cheekily reference it. [8], After the project was green-lit, Blaise, Walker, and the story artists embarked on a research trip in August 1999 to visit Alaska where they traveled on the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and Kodiak Island. In a cultural sense, "Brother Bear" is nothing if not inclusive. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Contrary to speculation, news writer Jim Hill stated the release date switch was not because Home on the Range was suffering from story rewrites, but to promote Brother Bear on the Platinum Edition release of The Lion King. To fully understand its consequences, though, we need to make sure we have a working definition of culture itself. . The rest of the songs are Elvis Presley songs. Further, cultural appropriation often occurs as the backwash of colonization, and contributes to widening existing divisions and perpetuating patterns of historic dispossession and oppression. The concept of ohana (family in Hawaiian) is central to the movie. Required fields are marked *. [16] However, Collins explained, "Slowly, the bad news started to trickle down that I wouldn't be singing it all. The Sami officials were pleased with Kristoff though. In this form they can wreck havoc with their enemies and have additional skills at hunting as well. Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression and doesn't respect their original meaning or give credit to their source. Disney is increasingly recognizing its flaws and now seems to have understood its responsibility in the representation of other cultures. "[35] Kenneth Turan, reviewing for the Los Angeles Times, complimented "the richness and fluidity of its visuals" and the "satisfying ending", but derided that "Brother Bear has an appeal that can't be denied. But if festivals are a space for freedom of expression, where is the line betw. It is the 44th film in the Disney Animated Canon, and the last film in the canon to be released by the studio under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. Discover the world's research 20+ million members It defends the present day colonial mindset that believes it . It incorporates a few elements of African culture, like the Zulu chorus at the start of The Circle of Life and the Swahili catchphrase Hakuna Matata. Collins, who had never written a score before, was excited to learn and the end result is wonderful. "[] Yes, there is visibility in telling their stories, but it is a tainted visibility, a false reality rendered through the dominant culture, which seeks to ameliorate, always, the horrific methods by which they came to occupy an entire nation's worth of landmass.". 6 min read. Cultural Appropriation, by some it's seen as an adoption culture being stolen away from a dominant group. However, since Snow White is unconscious and essentially dead during the scene, this kiss could be viewed as non-consensual and an act of assault. 578. A step further is to partner with local studios and to mentor the development of local projects, something Disney has been known to do at least tentatively in China. If you show love and appreciation for parts of a culture, such as clothing, hairstyles, or accessories, but remain prejudiced against its people, that's appropriation. Collins's lyrics for the song were first translated into Iupiaq. It has an American narrator and Latin American actors. So here Kenai takes the first prerequisite step to succeeding. While the pilot tested well, it was not picked up as Disney Channel executives felt that adapting the film as a series was "counterproductive" to their goal of trying to reach a tween audience, combined with the fact that the movie performed below expectations.[42]. "[33] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a playful movie that celebrates nature and the spirit world with striking imagery and a smooth blend of drama and comedy. And, believe me, that reality still lives hidden away out there among our American Indians. ", "Isaak Surfing the Ironic / For Phoenix, life's a bear", "Looks like a bear market for 2-D animation", "Das Interview mit Ruben Aquino, Supervising-Animator (English transcript)", "Tina, Phil In 'Great Spirits' On Soundtrack", "Diverse Acts Interpret Collins For 'Brother Bear', "Inside Move: Disney wakes 'Bear' for Sat. The 44th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker (in their feature directorial debuts) and produced by Chuck Williams, from a screenplay written by Tab Murphy, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, and the writing team of Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman. The actress playing Nani was born in Hawaii and the actor playing David grew up there. One of the most well-known characters from Disney's "The Jungle Book" is King Louie, an orangutan who is "king of the apes" and famously tells Mowgli, the human protagonist, "I wanna be like you.". The film revolves around relationships between humans and their spirit helpers, and the beneficial magical powers derived from such relationships. He has been criticized for cultural appropriation, stirring up controversy to drum up publicity, and, perhaps most frequently, for his former rap moniker, "Rich Chigga," "chigga" being a . By Bari Weiss. It also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) Disney has gotten off us to a good start. Cultural appropriation is starting to become more . The voice actors, however, were still white on this film. Disney's Brother Bear games were released in November 2003 for Game Boy Advance, PC and mobile phones. And family audiences are treated to a vibrantly hued movie with appealing characters. "Brother Bear" is only the beginning of a soon-to-be growing revival of our interest in American Indians. The lead crow is even named Jim Crow in an obvious reference to the racist Southern segregation laws that lasted until the mid-1960s. King and Ray . As we meet Kenai, his two elder brothers have already received their totem spirit helpers from Tahana. DEFINITIONS. Thus, the account not only bolsters our un derstanding of how cultural appropriation can cause harm, but may also provide the resources to lodge objections to cultural appropriation without exacerbating the harms of essentialism. The Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative (CIPRI), founded by Monica Moisin, connects designers with traditional textile artisans within a framework that ensures that the artisans . ", A few examples of Disney villains people believe are queer-coded include Scar from "The Lion King," Jafar from "Aladdin," Hades from "Hercules," King Candy from "Wreck-It Ralph," and Ursula from "The Little Mermaid.". It likely takes place in Alaska as it features grizzlies, moose and auroras, but the animators said they visited national parks in Alaska and in the contiguous United-States for inspiration. (I'm sorry if this is not the right place to ask about Inuits, but I couldn't find a different sub to ask this in. "[17] While Collins composed six songs for the film, he shared vocal performance duties with Tina Turner, who sang the opening song;[18] the Blind Boys Of Alabama and the Bulgarian Women's Choir, who performed the song, "Transformation". Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. Its just too bad they got Eddie Murphy to voice Mushu instead of say Jackie Chan. One major criticism Keziah received was that she profaned the dress by wearing it to a party. As Ursula tells Ariel when she agrees to give up her ability to speak in order to become human and vie for Prince Eric's affections, "On land it's much preferred for ladies not to say a word / It's she who holds her tongue who gets a man. The clothes, jewelry and architecture look inspired by ancient Middle-Eastern cultures, with a bit of India mixed in. This fact applies only to more recent times. The Spirits, represented by Sitka's spirit in the form of a bald eagle, arrive and transform Kenai into a bear after the dead bear's body evaporates and joins them. The main protagonist is half Japanese and is played by an actor who is also half Japanese. The crowd, waiting to see B.B. Sami people traditionally raise reindeer to pull sleds but they dont typically ride them. "The hyenas had to change a lot," said Jon Favreau in Disney's press notes for the new movie. Cultural appropriation involves pillaging, especially for profit or cool cred, without respect or reverence, like non-Black kids who talk and dress in the hip-hop style because it's trendy but . Saludos Amigos, for example, was conceived to tighten the relations between the United-States and South America during World War 2. The two are hunted by Denahi, who is still determined to avenge Kenai, unaware that the bear he is pursuing is actually Kenai himself. Cultural appropriation is a seriously hot-button topic. The central question posed at the beginning of "Beauty and the Beast's" opening monologue is, "Who could ever learn to love a beast?". Is Brother Bear Cultural Appropriation. The cast doesnt feature any Indian or Indian-American voice actors though, and the cultural context remains generic for most of the film. A version of this trope seems to appear in the upcoming Pixar film, "Soul," in which Joe Gardner (the black main character) is separated from his body and appears as a teal mass (meant to be his "soul") for what seems like most of the story. Brother Vellies . I don't know if this is the right place to ask about Inuit culture as I am from Australia and have no clue about anything lol, but Brother Bear affected me deeply for whatever when I was a kid and although it isn't the best Disney movie ever made it is one of my favourites. American Indian medicine powers are badly understood by those who conquered Indian country. In 1941's "Dumbo," the elephant encounters a pack of crows who are some of the only characters who are friendly towards him in the movie. He later wrote: "This opulent movie, with gorgeous rainbow animation, is heavy on message but light on humor."[37]. Native American War Bonnet. "Dumbo" also includes a song called "Song of the Roustabouts," in which faceless black circus "workers" sing offensive lyrics like "We slave until we're almost dead / We're happy-hearted roustabouts" and "Keep on working / Stop that shirking / Pull that rope, you hairy ape.". Three Cheers for Cultural Appropriation. This begins to official process of consideration to change your local mascot from a racist depiction to something more culturally appropriate. 19 comments. Representation or appropriation? [26] In April 2004 alone, 5.51 million DVD copies of the film were sold. Life in this cold climate was extremely difficult, and it behooved everyone to have some form of medicine power. I will go over the movies that either take place outside the United-States or focus on minorities of the United-States (but I will skip Songs of the South!). The Jungle Book was Disneys first feature-length adventure outside of Europe and the United-States. [10], In March 2001, Joaquin Phoenix confirmed he was cast in the film, exclaiming, "Oh, but forget the Oscar nomination (for Gladiator). He has since responded. Of course, the former is a much larger portion . The 2019 live-action remake of the film also excludes both of these elements, opting to focus on a newly introduced family of circus workers (led by Colin Farrell). For Lavalier and many others, the origin of the term spirit animal is unclear. You speak of justice yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help! (As we will see, the representation of other cultures is often regarded as a form of cultural appropriation. On Disney Plus, Disney has since added a disclaimer to "Dumbo" that said the movie contains racist stereotypes. "I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother." Brown - born dirt-poor in Barnwell, South Carolina, on the other side of the . These errors are not only imprecise, but they are counter-productive, divisive, and downright dangerous. Here are some of the most common ways people end up causing harm through appropriation, even without meaning to - even when they're just trying to help. Some people argue teaching young viewers to unconsciously associate stereotypical queerness with villains can have a harmful effect on how they view and associate with members of the LGBT community. It was beautiful and moving. In one scene from the original "Dumbo," the elephant's friend, Timothy Q. I must go to fetch the water / Till the day that I am grown / Then I will have a handsome husband / And a daughter of my own / And Ill send her to fetch the water / Ill be cooking in the home. The cast is mostly from Hawaii and New-Zealand. [12], The film is traditionally animated but includes some CG elements such as "a salmon run and a caribou stampede". "The Emperor's New Groove's" Kuzco, and "Brother Bear's" Kenai all have one thing in common they're main characters of color in Disney movies who spend almost all of their respective stories . Much like European fairy tales have fairies, kings, sorcerers with long beards and flying broomsticks, Aladdin has a genie, a sultan, a mustache-twisting vizier and a flying carpet. The DVD also included a documentary on the production of the film, an audio commentary track by Rutt and Tuke with an option for visual mode, an artwork gallery narrated by the artists, three deleted scenes, two games called "Find Your Totem" and "Bone Puzzle", and two music videos with Phil Collins. Our modern understanding of cultural appropriation is highly individualised. Disney made its name adapting famous European stories. So another star for Disney's realistic portrayal of that seldom seen realm of American Indian medicine powers. After Kenai transforms into a bear twenty-four minutes into the picture, the film itself transforms as well: to an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and towards brighter, more fanciful colors and slightly more caricatured art direction. It features sailboats, coconuts, palm trees, pigs, chickens and tattoos. . "Sleeping Beauty" is actually derived from a darker Italian fairytale by Giambattista Basile called "Sun, Moon, and Talia," which is based on a folk tale dating back to the 14th century. February 21, 2022. The first disc contained the widescreen version (1.66:1 aspect ratio) and the second disc featured the original theatrical widescreen version (1.66:1 and 2.35:1 aspect ratio). People are belittling and mocking my spirituality with their faux feather headdresses.". Luckily, in the 2019 live-action remake of "Lady and the Tramp," Si and Am are replaced by cats of a completely different breed. While the first film dealt with Kenai's relationship with Koda, this one focuses more on his bond with a young human of his past, Nita. This helps the message reach a wider audience and helps get the . "I've struggled with Disney's 'Pocahontas' as a source of pain and stereotype," Kenzie Allen, a descendant of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, told The Atlantic. The concept of an ape wanting to be like a human is innocent enough, but the movie's use of Louie becomes more concerning when viewers realize that the character and his subjects are the only characters who speak in jive slang. The trend continued well into the latter half of the 20th century with all-European classics like Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Hercules. : Why Disney Channel turned down Brother Bear: The Series", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brother_Bear&oldid=1141793525, Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Young Actor, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 20:57. Adding a new wrinkle to the conversation is Bruno Mars, whose unmistakable references to funk, R&B, and New Jack Swing in his art have long sparked whispers of appropriation and lawsuits over . ! *coughs* Hey there, wanna become part of . India has a ton of filmmakers already and a huge demographic. Horrified of what he has done, Kenai runs away in a fit of guilt, but Koda soon follows him. Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas were to reprise their respective roles while Will Friedle would have replaced Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai. The wizened elder Tahana is the tribe's leading medicine person, but the other characters also wield a particular medicine power through an animal spirit helper.