Disney-Pixar Revolution

                 I’m sure almost everyone, from 2 years old to 85 years old, is familiar with animation. It used to be that you could just say one name, and people understood exactly what you were talking about. That word, you may ask? Well, Disney of course! The wonderful, magical world of Disney. Certainly one cannot forget the Disney classics Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, or Sleeping Beauty. Over the years, more and more great Disney movies have made their way into our living rooms, such as The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hercules, or Mulan. Nowadays however, there is a new combination that is revolutionizing the animation world once again. And that great combination is Disney-Pixar. The two greatest animation companies of writers, producers, and directors have come together to create an unstoppable force. And thank goodness for that!

                    Many people were starting to lose faith in Disney alone…saying that they have lost their touch perhaps. And though Pixar created good movies and short films on their own, they were nothing compared to the classics of Disney. And so, the two companies decided to join forces and change the world. And they did just that. I mean, how many people did you see in line for the third installment of the Toy Story phenomenon? Hundreds, I’m sure. And just how many of those people were little children? Probably not as many as there were teenagers or young adults, to be quite honest. That movie was 11 years in the making, so of course there was a great deal of hype about it. And the fact that our generation grew up on the first Toy Story only meant that the third one would be that much more special. (there was even a Facebook group created for the premiere of the movie entitled: “Get Out of My Way Little Kids! I’ve Been Waiting For Toy Story 3 For 11 Years!”) So obviously there is a great want for the Disney-Pixar movies. Yes, I admit that I was there for the premiere, proudly standing in line for hours waiting for my ticket. And yes, when Andy went off to college and left his toys with the little girl, I proudly wore those tears upon my cheek.
You see, what makes those movies that Disney-Pixar so wonderful is the fact that they are relatable. The third Toy Story was all about Andy growing up and going off to college, so he was too old to play with the toys. At the same time this movie hit the theatres, I had recently graduated high school, so I could relate to the feelings about college; wanting to grow up and move on, but being scared to death about it as well. Though we are not fish swimming through the ocean, I’m sure we can all relate to the movie Finding Nemo because it is all about family and doing anything to be there for them. Though we aren’t all old widowers, or a little boy scout, we can still relate to what both of them were feeling in the movie Up. Perseverance and friendship were key components in that movie.

                    Disney-Pixar has revolutionized the animation industry through their wonderful movies, and they make it very clear with all of the successes they have had. I know for a fact that my childhood, and even my 11-year old sister’s childhood would not be the same with out the conjunction of Disney-Pixar and the great movies they made for the world to see.

eTrade baby makes us laugh again

Super bowl commercials are most definitely a highlight of the new year. I’m sure there’s some people out there that watch the super bowl simply for the new commercials! One commercial that stood out for me in particular was the eTrade baby and cat. In general, the rhetorical situation for all commercials or ads is to simply sell a product. The particular product eTrade is trying to sell is the fact that they have good rates for buying investments of stock online. The super bowl audience is most likely sports fans, families, and party people. However, the audience for this commercial is people planning to invest in stocks, but wish to do it online. The context for this commercial is light-hearted and humorous because the super bowl, for the most part, is not a serious matter. The premise of super bowl is having a good time with friends and family, and being able to laugh and smile about the good things. This is a very important aspect for the advertisers to take into consideration because light-hearted commercials make people want to watch it. The humor concept is more powerful because it makes people want to watch and listen. Therefore, the people will watch the baby give advice about the eTrade online products. It was very smart for the writers of the commercial to use a baby again to depict the information about eTrade because babies are almost always considered cute and adorable. These aspects make the public stop to watch the baby “talk.” Also, the eTrade baby is known for saying humorous things, so that will make the people want to watch it. This time however, there is a cat in the commercial; a cute cat at that! What makes this commercial even funnier is the fact that the cat keeps interrupting the eTrade baby with its sneezes. For some reason, people seem to laugh at the silly things cats do. It must be a human thing to laugh when animals do things that we find human (such as sneezing). Don’t get me wrong, I laughed at the commercial too! I love the eTrade baby because the commercials are always entertaining. I realized however that I didn’t really realize what the eTrade baby was pressing to sell until I looked up what eTrade actually was. If an advertisement has either animals or babies in it, people will stop to listen because they are aesthetically pleasing. This commercial also appeals to people’s needs in Maslow’s heiarchy of needs in the esteem needs portion because buying stocks can lead to power and wealth. There was little text in this commercial, but text wasn’t needed because this was a complete visual ad. I really enjoyed this commercial!

Princess Protection Program?

                     Every involved parent does it. Treating their little girl “like a princess.” But I ask you, is that a good idea in the long run? Sure, its totally cute to be able to get your little girl (or niece, or sister, or cousin, whatever the relation) a princess outfit because we all know how much they love to play dress-up. The pink dress or tutu, the sparkling tiara or crown, the bejeweled scepter, and the plastic “high heels” are all part of the package. Yes, they make the little girl “feel pretty” but is it only hurting her in the long run. I mean, if you get her all of those things, once she puts that costume on, she becomes that character: a princess. So she begins to demand things. And when you ask why she says “because I’M the princess.” She thinks that she can get whatever she wants because she feels powerful. That’s all the costume represents: power. Because once she puts that costume on, she personifies the “princess” that you allow her to be. She is in power; not the parent(s). Even after she takes the costume off she starts to demand things more and more because it gives her power; which makes her feel good. Because you treated her like a princess when she had the costume on, she wanted to get that same feeling even when it was nowhere in sight. And so, the trend begins: she demands and wines and the parent caves because they “just want their little princess to be happy.” See, that’s another place where the parent goes wrong: calling her a “princess” in front of her. That only solidifies it more in their tiny little-girl brains, here people! So they start to believe that they truly are princesses and that they always get what they want.

Ten years later.

              They are young adults now and are just beginning to go into the real world. They have had the world handed to them on a silver platter their entire lives because they were their parents’ “little princess.” After hearing nothing but “Yes” their entire lives, all the sudden, they are thrown into a world of “No’s.” And all too soon the Rolling Stones song resounds in their heads (No, you can’t always get what you want.) These girls are now distraught and completely heartbroken because they don’t know what “No” feels like. All because their parents spoiled them as children. This “little princess” is finally finding out what it feels like to be a pauper in the real world. But could it be true that they are feeling it more harshly because they were never taught how to accept defeat and overcome it?


                         Now by NO means am I saying that little girls shouldn’t be spoiled now and then. (Because I think everyone should; but in moderation). All I am saying is that we should be careful as to how the little girls are being treated nowadays because we don’t want to set them up for failure in their futures. We want them to be strong, don’t we? Strong doesn’t always mean getting whatever they want at their beck-and-call. We should just be cautious of how the girls are treated because they are so impressionable. I could only hope that my little girl would grow up to be strong and independent; not frail and demanding of whatever she wants. This may make you think twice about how you treat your daughters, hmm?