Top Five Disney Princes

Today, I’m staying home for all the sanitation workers out there.

Is it sexist that I’m compiling a Top Five of princes before I get to princesses? I’d say no – I’m starting with the princes because it’s easier for me to just pick five. I’m not sure when I’ll get around to doing a similar post for the Disney princesses, but I know I’m going to be debating long and hard to winnow down my list to my absolute favorites.

Phillip (Sleeping Beauty) – Going old-school for the first name on this list. If I were basing this on my initial memories of this movie, I wouldn’t have included Phillip, but rewatching the film in recent years made me remember how cool he is. After a couple mostly-blank-slates in Snow White and Cinderella, Phillip is fun and energetic and dashing. It’s easy to see why he and Aurora get so caught up in one another (“love at first sight” tropes notwithstanding,) and I still get a kick out of his declaration, “Now, father, you’re living in the past. This is the 14^th century!”

Best Musical Bit: Gotta go with the classic, “Once Upon a Dream.” I like the ending, with Aurora and Phillip singing together. “If I know you, / I know what you’ll do. / You’ll love me at once / The way I did once / Upon a dream.” Lovely.

The Beast (Beauty and the Beast) – More so in the live-action version, even though I did always enjoy him in the original. The Beast is someone who’s had a long time to feel sorry for himself, punished for his past cruelty but reflecting on how hard it is for him rather than recognizing that he needs to change his ways. It’s not until Belle comes along, someone who doesn’t capitulate to his growling and his tantrums, that he starts to uncover the man he could be.

Best Musical Bit: Again, we’re talking live action, because “Evermore” is worth the damn price of admission. “Wasting in my lonely tower, / Waiting by an open door, / I’ll fool myself she’ll walk right in. / And as the long, long nights begin, / I’ll think of all that might have been / Waiting here forevermore.” Oh, the angst! The way it’s shot, with the Beast clamboring about the castle, is so windswept and dramatic, and the emotion in his voice is really affecting.

Aladdin (Aladdin) –Aladdin is the first Disney movie I have really clear memories of seeing in the theater, and Aladdin will probably always be my favorite. A scrappy and resourceful thief with a good heart, Aladdin brims with potential that he doesn’t fully trust he has. I love watching him come into his own and realize he doesn’t have to be someone he’s not to get the sort of life that he wants. (Also, Mena Massoud was totally the best part of the live-action movie.)

Best Musical Bit: I’m gonna go with the reprise of “One Jump Ahead,” short but very sweet. “If only they’d look closer, / Would they see a poor boy? / No siree. / They’d find out / There’s so much more to me…” You really feel that yearning, and it comes through even more for borrowing the melody of the previous song, which displays such cockiness and charm.

Li Shang (Mulan) – Gotta love Shang. Not technically a prince, but Mulan isn’t a princess either – both get honorary status just ‘cause they’re that cool. A dedicated captain with daddy issues, Shang is brave and principled, and his experiences with Mulan help expand his notions beyond doing what is expected/ordering into doing what is right. Sad we won't see him in the live-action movie.

Best Musical Bit: Obviously “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” come on now. I especially love those vocals at the start of the last verse. “Time is racing toward us till the Huns arrive. / Heed my every order and you might survive.” A kickass song set to an awesome montage. It’s just *chef’s kiss*!

Kristoff (Frozen) – I get such a kick out curmudgeonly Kristoff being slightly stunned at Anna’s sunshiny naivete. He can be a bit of a grouch, but he has a good heart, and for all that he’s irritated by Anna early on, he still keeps helping her. And when the chips are really down, he’s all in. I don’t think Frozen 2 serves him quite as well, but he delights me as a character in both the movie and the musical.

Best Musical Bit: I do love me some Jonathan Groff, but the first Frozen completely drops the ball on Kristoff singing, and while Groff sings the heck out of “Lost in the Woods” in Frozen 2, it’s a little too cheesy for my tastes. So I’m going Broadway version, with “What Do You Know About Love?” Kristoff’s parts in bold: “Some people know their hearts / The minute true love starts.” – “Some people read a lot of books.” – “Some people simply know / When true love says, ‘Hello!’” – “Some folks are taken in by curly locks and princely looks!” Great contrast between the low softness of the first line and the rising intensity of the second, and it’s a nice demonstration of his cynicism where instant-love is concerned.

More Mulan Thoughts

Since rewatching Mulan, it’s really stayed in my head (and not just “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”!)  I’ve been trying to pinpoint why I love Mulan so much as a heroine, and despite my love for female characters who can throw down – Mulan was likely the first woman warrior I admired – I’m a bit surprised to realize what a small role the action stuff plays in what makes her so great.

At a glance, people might say the film is about a girl proving she can fight with the boys.  There are elements of that, to be sure, and I can see why the theme is touted so often.  It’s a clear, uncomplicated girl-power message that’s pretty accessible.   Which is good – it’s a theme worth presenting – but really, there’s so much more that Mulan is doing, which, for me, is what really elevates the film into something magnificient.

Mulan’s introduction makes it clear that she doesn’t fit in.  She’s awkward and uncomfortable in the ostentatious outfit she’s swathed in to meet the matchmaker, and she really can’t hold her tongue when she has something important to say.  She doesn’t align with the graceful, blandly appealing picture of silent femininity to which the people of her village subscribe.  It’s no wonder she doesn’t truly find herself until she escapes those narrow, gendered expectations.

But that’s not to say she was longing to wear armor, go to war, and do some damage with a sword.  Merida from Brave would’ve been all over that; if she’d been in Mulan’s movie, she’d have joined the army because she wanted to, for the adventure and the chance to show she’s just as good as anybody else.  Mulan, however, isn’t a fighter.  She’s not an Action Girl.  She’s not a “tomboy.”  She becomes a soldier, not for excitement, adrenaline, or a place to belong, but for the love of her family.  Her father is ailing and wouldn’t survive a war.  The whole family knows that, but they also know he won’t refuse the emperor’s call.  Rather than let him go off to fight and die, Mulan takes his place and enters a completely different world where she doesn’t fit in.

Out of the dolled-up frying pan and into the testosterone-fueled fire.  Mulan isn’t herself here, either, and her first day of training goes almost as disastrously as her visit to the matchmaker.  The big difference is that, while the other future brides all seemed picture-perfect, the other soldiers are just as untrained as she is, and unlike the matchmaker, her captain’s job is to teach her, not merely judge her.  Having embraced the army as her last real chance to bring honor to her family, Mulan works her butt off, and she grows immensely in strength and abilities.  It’s not a lark or an opportunity to show off – it’s serious work, and she puts everything she has into it.

I also like that, although Mulan definitely gets her well-deserved share of Big Damn Hero moments, they tend to hinge on her already-established attritube:  her brains.  Mulan fights smart, taking out opponents that are way bigger and more technically-skilled than she is by a) taking stock of her surroundings, b) using what’s on hand to her advantage, and c) keeping her eyes on the big picture.  Similarly, her final triumph involves plenty of (awesome) action, but her biggest personal win has nothing to do with her combat skills.  Again, it comes back to an established trait – her assertiveness – and brings her story full circle.  For her, victory isn’t beating up all the boys.  It’s getting the boys to listen to what she has to say and trust her intelligence and insight, even after they find out she’s a woman.  To protect those she loves, she goes to war in disguise, but when she comes back a hero, it’s finally as herself.

Mulan (1998, G)

When I was eleven, Mulan was totally my girl.  Loved her to bits – still do.  Like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this Disney renaissance film holds up fantastically well in adulthood.  The story rocks, the animation is fabulous, and a few of the musical numbers are just superb.

Mulan is a young woman who can never seem to get it right.  As her parents’ only child, the family looks to her to make a good match and bring honor to them, but she’s not really considered “marriage material” in their village.  She’s too spirited, too outspoken, not ladylike enough.  When the emperor requires a man from every family to join the war against the invading Huns, Mulan takes the place of her ailing father, making off with his armor and intending to pass herself off as male.  With the help of her faithful horse, a lucky cricket, and a little dragon with a big personality (who’s similarly desperate to make good,) Mulan is determined to fit in and prove herself among her rough ‘n’ tumble fellow soldiers, finally bringing honor to her family.

Honestly, this movie just has it all.  Mulan has a gorgeous hero’s journey, fighting for her country, her family, and recognition of her own worth as a person.  Gender expectations are explored, subverted, parodied, and challenged.  The action is exciting, the humor is fun, and the heart is stunning.  Rewatching the film, I had multiple tearjerk moments, either because I was empathizing so hard with Mulan or just because my girl was making me so proud.  (My vote for the most affecting?  During the song “Reflection,” where Mulan kneels before the family shrine as she sings, “Somehow I can’t hide / Who I am, / Though I’ve tried” – ugh, my heart!)  And the animation – I just adore the wordless sequence of Mulan making her decision, taking her father’s armor, cutting her long hair short, and leaving home.  We’re talking goose bumps, so good.  While I think Alan Menken’s Disney scores are generally better, Matthew Wilder and David Zippel’s score is nothing to sneeze at.  Mostly, it’s just short, with only four numbers in the whole film.  “Reflection” is lovely, though, and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is both ridiculously catchy and one of my favorite Disney montages ever.

I may love Mulan even more now that I’m a grown-up and a geek.  I almost always knew that the sublime Lea Salonga did her singing voice (Mulan and Jasmine – the woman’s a Disney princess twice over!), but it’s only recently that I learned her speaking voice is provided by none other than Ming-na Wen, a.k.a. May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (a.k.a. one of the absolute best reasons to watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)  Wen is stellar from word one, and B.D. Wong does a fine job as Shang, the captain Mulan fights alongside and begins to fall for.  The movie also features the voices of Eddie Murphy as Mushu the dragon, James Hong, Pat Morita, and the incomparable George Takei.

Warnings

Battle violence (it’s Disney, but still pretty intense,) some frightening images, a little implied nudity, and some gross-out humor.

Relationship Spotlight: Mulan & Aurora (Once Upon a Time)

First off, way to go, Supreme Court!!  I’m so happy about the ruling, and in light of it, I want to spend some time exploring LGTBQ in the media – the good, the not-so-good, and the puzzling.  It won’t be all LGBTQ all the time (I’d have a hard time with Buster Mondays otherwise!), but expect plenty more in the near future.  Spoilers for Mulan-Aurora plots on Once Upon a Time.

These two are maybe an odd subject to start with.  After all, they’re not a couple – all signs point to Mulan falling for the straight princess – and I’ve complained before about Mulan disappearing from the show immediately after being confirmed as queer.  Not exactly celebratory, right?  There are better examples of fictional same-sex relationships I could’ve highlighted for my first post in our brave new country.  So why am I writing about Aurora and Mulan?  Because a big primetime ABC/Disney show features one of the coolest Disney Renaissance princesses falling in love with one of the first classic Disney princesses, and I just love that that happened.

Admittedly, I’d heard Mulan-Aurora rumblings before watching Once Upon a Time, so when I got to their story, I was viewing through a will-they-won’t-they lens, which may not have been the writers’ intention.  It’s possible that, initially, their story is what it seems on the surface:  Mulan travels with Phillip to help him find and rescue Aurora from the sleeping curse but is secretly in love with him herself.  She’s then harsh with Aurora because she’s jealous and blames Aurora for the dangers Phillip is put in on her behalf.  Wholly possible.  But for me, the other story, the one they ultimately go with, is much more interesting.  Mulan travels with Phillip to help him find and rescue Aurora from the sleeping curse but is secretly in love with Aurora herself.  She’s then harsh with Aurora because she’s worried about Aurora’s safety, is afraid she won’t able to protect her, and doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings about that.  At the same time, she blames Aurora for the dangers Phillip is put in on her behalf because Phillip is her dear friend and she knows firsthand what someone will risk when they love Aurora, and she’s upset that Phillip has Aurora’s heart when she can’t bring herself to voice how she feels.

Do you see how much more involved the second reading is?  There’s the obvious fact that it’s longer and more complex.  It’s also a lot less clichéd (not without cliché – Pining for the Straight Friend is an old chestnut, but I’ll take it over The Boy Likes the Pretty Girl Instead of the Tomboy or Two Women Resent Each Other Because of a Guy.)  And as that last point shows, it’s more interesting from a gender perspective as well.  Mulan snapping at Aurora because she’s jealous is petty.  Mulan snapping at Aurora because she’s trying to juggle her hidden affections with her fear that she can’t keep Aurora safe is a lot meatier.  It’s made more complex when Aurora doesn’t take kindly to being treated like a china doll, so she pushes back against Mulan, which just makes Mulan double down on the brusque, protective routine.  Eventually though, Mulan reluctantly adapts as Aurora grows and starts to take on a more heroic role (in her own way – I like that Aurora isn’t a fighter, but she’s still strong.)  Though Mulan continues to look out for Aurora about all else, each sees the other’s worth, and they accomplish things together.

So, even though Phillip is Aurora’s True Love and, in the end, Mulan leaves because it would break her heart more to stay, I like these two.  I like their plot, I like how they grow alongside each other, and I love that a mainstream TV show wrote a love story (even if it was unrequited) between two Disney princesses.  That’s a lot of wins in my book.