Some Girl Takes a Nap and Everything Goes Downhill from There

How goes it everyone? I suppose this post is a bit over due as it's been a while since I chatted/ranted/raved about a Disney movie so I'm going to spend a quick minute doing just that with 4 movies (although I'll probably only go into details with one).

I have never been a fan of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. As far as plot goes it is as dull and straight forward as it comes. There is very little to embellish with this story. So it seems to me that Disney makes up for a lame story with some absolutely stunning imagery. Seriously, I love it! If there's one art style I adore it's that of the illuminated manuscript. I just makes me giddy. So the homage paid to the master illustrators of the Middle Ages in Sleeping Beauty is indeed a special treat for me. I love the flat shapes and bright colors used in the background art, especially during the opening sequences.



The character design of this film is pretty epic as well. I'm mostly referring to Madame Maleficent when I say that. She, like the Queen in Snow White, reads as wicked before she says or does anything. The sharp angles she's drawn in mixed with a secondary color palette explains her role as the antagonist better than any words could.

The musical adaptation on this film is pretty wonderful as well. Way to go Mr. Tchaikovsky on creating something fabulous that could be borrowed by Mr. Disney and turned into something the general public would actually know about and remember for generations. (As a side note: remember way back when when I mentioned singing with my sister + cousins for my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary? "I Know You" was one of the songs we performed along with "So This Is Love" from Cinderella.)

Sleeping Beauty also has my most favorite Disney prince. This is completely superficial of course, if I were rating the Disney guys based on merit I'd probably say Alladin or something but Prince Philp is a total stud. I have often thought that the title of Sleeping Beauty should be changed to "Prince Philp and the Three Fairies" or "The Three Good Fairies Do Most of the Work but Prince Philp Takes Credit for It." Considering that the girl is really only a footnote to the plot.

Tangent: I already mentioned that I don't like the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. Every rendition of it is dullsville and although I consider Disney's version to be pretty boring plot-wise I still consider it to be a step up from the original. The fairy tale has little to no actual conflict. A wicked fairy doesn't get invited to a christening so she curses the baby. Another fairy lessens the curse the same way it happens in the movie but she says the child will sleep for a hundred years and then be awakened by love's kiss, etc. And that's exactly what happens. It's so straight forward it hurts. The villain gets away with what's she's done and everyone's happy in the end. Even though most of the characters go to sleep and wake up a hundred years later and for some reason aren't completely flipping out about that. At least in Disney's take on the story there's a fight with a dragon and the villain is crazy and vengeful about not getting invited to stuff.

Also, I've always wondered what Aurora would be like if she wasn't given the gifts of song and beauty. Would she have a man voice and look more like her dad? I read a great fairy tale about the ironic consequences to fairy gifts and if I weren't feeling particularly lazy right now I'd attach a link to it. You'll just have to look it up yourselves.

Oh, and one more thing, it's a common theme in fairy tales for a fairy to decide to raise a child themselves. However, they don't usually do it out of compassion or anything but because they think the parents are too incompetent to do it themselves. I like Disney's hint to that theme in this movie although in the case of Sleeping Beauty I'd say she was better off with her parents. Seriously, I don't know how that girl didn't end up dying from neglect due to the idiocy of those three fairies.

Ok guys, I have 3 more movies to talk about but I swear I'll be quick about it.

Up next is 101 Dalmatians. As far as talking animal movies go this one's pretty boss. I had forgotten how stylistically amazing this movie is. The opening sequence feels like someone challenged the animators to see how many different things they could change a dalmatian into. And the little details and considerations that are taken into account with the animation is just stunning. For example, in the beginning when Roger is playing the piano I'd like to point out that he's actually playing the piano correctly. As in he's playing the correct notes at the correct time. OMG guys! This is a big deal! Oh, and I do love that sequence when Pongo is looking out the window judging the passersby. I know the artists just had a blast designing people to look like their pets. In fact, I could watch the first twenty minutes of this flick in a loop and be giddy as a teenager the whole time. I can stay pretty interested in this plot for the whole of it in fact, it's those last 5 minutes that I just have to roll my eyes. Anita and Roger are legitimately going to keep 101 dogs around? Even if they get a house in the country that's going to be disgusting. I would not want to visit. They better at least breed and sell the suckers.



Also, Cruella De Vil, need I say more?

Finally, there's The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book. I do not like The Sword in the Stone. The animation is choppy and sloppy and it makes me cringe to watch. The Jungle Book is fine. They do some stellar things with a surprisingly limited color pallet. If you count blue as a neutral (and for the sake of my argument it is) the only colors that are used in this film are orange, yellow, and green. Crazy! One thing that I have to roll my eyes about with this movie is that Mowgli finally proves to everyone that he can handle living in the jungle, which is all he wants, when he stumbles across some girl who sings a song about gender rolls and then he's suddenly like "I WANNA LIVE IN THE VILLAGE!" Seriously? He sacrifices the freedom of the jungle in order to become an Untouchable in the Indian caste system? That's not going to last long.

That's all for now. Let us have a moment of silence for Mr. Walt Disney who was cryogenically frozen during the making of The Jungle Book. His remains are hidden somewhere in Disneyland or something. Legend says that whoever finds them will inherit the magical treasure of Disney himself and live forever.

This Is Where I Am

Many years ago, while I was still in high school, I created a collage as part of my senior portfolio for my AP Art class. It was a massive amount of gesso and song lyrics and film noir oh-hum (this was high school so naturally I thought my favorite bands were the only ones who really understood me). I wrote the words "This Is Where I Am" in black sharpie right across the image. At the time I created it I didn't think much of it. It was just another piece of work to add to the collection:

When I came home from my mission (many years later) I took a darkroom photography class during my first semester back in school. For our final assignment we were supposed to take a self portrait that was not only an image of ourselves but was representational of who we considered ourselves to be. I printed my picture, dyed it in red kool-aid and gesso-transferred it onto a masonite board that I had spray painted gold. When I finished it I wrote "This Is Where I Am" on the back of it:

It was after I turned in this assignment that I considered the significance of that collage I had created during High School. I realized that that piece of work actually captured an incredibly hard transitional period in my life: I was overcoming some intense physical pain in my arm, I was making the great leap from high school to college. I was leaving my home for the unknown. That was where I was. The self portrait I did for my photo class also captures the essence of a hard transition in my life: I was going from a life that was very focused on serving others to one that was focused on myself. I was coming from a place where I felt the influence of the Savior in everything I said and did to a place where I suddenly had to try to find a way to fit Him into my everyday life. It was a time of reflection and (re)self-discovery.
This past week I decided to do another "This Is Where I Am" picture.
I have just completed the most difficult semester of my college career thus far. I got sick as often in the past 4 months as I usually do in the entire year. I have been stressed and upset and I had quite a few near breakdowns along the way. However, I also pushed myself harder this semester than I ever have before and I've improved immensely as an artist. I am deeply proud of the work I've produced. I've learned so much about myself and I've gained so much perspective on eternal principles (most especially on the nature and purpose of trails). Yes, things have been hard but look at all the good I have to show for it.
This is a large part of what's important to me.

This Is Where I Am:

There's Nothing Prettier...

(I meant to create this post on the first of May but that obviously didn't happen. Better late than never, right?)

So my blog is called "Virginia in May" and now that it's May I thought it would be a good time to explain where that title comes from.

My name is Virginia May. I was named that because my dad is from Virginia and he often tells me "There's nothing prettier than Virginia in May." This is around the time when most people feel the need to say "Awwww" or make some other equivalent noise... and it is pretty precious.

This quaint little story always makes me think of a topic I'm actually very passionate about: the importance of your own self image.

Let me paint you a picture of my home growing up:

My dad comes home to work and the first words out of his mouth upon seeing my mom are "Hi Beautiful." When we sit down for dinner he gives her no less than 5 compliments through the course of the meal. They're usually horribly sappy and obnoxious but they can be endearing.

I cannot think of a single time in my youth where I heard my mom talk negatively about her body or about any of her daughter's bodies and as a result it never occurred to me to talk negatively about my own.

I remember the first time I discovered not everyone had the same positive self image as I do. I was in gym class in 7th grade. Class was over and everyone was in the locker room getting ready to leave. There was a girl standing in front of a mirror going on about how fat she was and how terrible she looked (anyone with eyes could see that everything she was saying was not true). I listened to her for a while and it made me feel absolutely sick. I went through the whole day thinking about this encounter and as I walked home from school I resolved to never be that girl who stands in front of the mirror and points out all her flaws. Since then I have started everyday by looking in the mirror and saying "You look so good today!" and then I smile and wink and go on with my day.

I'm sure that makes me sound vain and egotistical...which is probably true but nevertheless starting my day this way has made so much of a difference in my life. I am 25 now and I have never compared my looks to someone else, it doesn't even occur to me to do so. I do not wish I was skinnier or taller or bigger or smaller. I am happy with who I am and what I look like.

We all receive enough criticism from the world but if we do not reaffirm those criticisms within ourselves they will not become true. The world may say that you must look a certain way but the world is wrong. We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father who knows how substantial our own self worth is. If we would only lean on that knowledge there is nothing anyone could say or do that would make us doubt how great we truly are.

I don't think my parents were aware of the impact the story behind my name was going to have on my life when they gave it to me. I would say that it has had an incredible impact in my self image. In fact, most of the time I think I'm pretty great and no matter what I look like I always think I look amazing. I sincerely hope anyone who has struggled with their self image before will honestly consider what I'm saying in this post. Whoever is reading this: you are a beautiful person. I can say that to you all I want but it will make no difference at all unless you begin to believe it yourself.

After all, there's nothing prettier than you.

'Twas Brillig, and The Slithy Toves...

Whelp, the semester's over (insert deep contented sigh here). I've compiled my summer reading list and my summer art projects list and I have COMIC CON to look forward to!! All in all it looks like it's shaping up to be a glorious summer. I've already watched five Disney movies (I promise not every post I put up will be about Disney, I will eventually post about other topics). I only have a few things to say about most of these films so hopefully this will go quickly.

First up is Alice in Wonderland. I have to admit, I really don't like the plot of Alice...or lack thereof; be it in movie form or the original book. This story seriously drives me crazy. I couldn't even sit through it as a child and it is near torture to try sitting through it as an adult. It bothers me how things just happen to Alice with no rhyme or reason and how everyone in Wonderland is just mean to Alice for no reason at all. Also, the whole premise for the story is that Alice wants to know where some rabbit is going. Why don't you mind your own business Alice?? Oh, and the reason everything is so messed up? It's all a dream! That's what I refer to as lazy writing Mr. Carroll. The whole Wonderland nostalgia has been so over used it's turned into a cliche. Bleh! Yeah, and I get that there's a lot of commentary on Victorian England and blah, blah, blah. But the whole thing is just so bonkers that I can't even appreciate the subtext.
I dislike this plot so much I have a hard time paying attention to the artwork in this movie. With the exception of the Caterpillar and those playing card knights. I do love the graphic quality of that sequence when those cards come marching in. But everything else can go to the pigs!

Luckily Alice is followed by Peter Pan and who doesn't love Peter? Peter Pan is charming and follows a logical sequence of events that makes sense and doesn't make my brain hurt. This is a story made for children that actually shows how awesome childhood can be...instead of how neurotic it can be.
They do so well in capturing the different facets of children in this movie. There's Peter who is the essence of childhood. All he wants to do is have fun and play games. He lives in the moment, he doesn't think of the consequences to his actions or the dangers. Life is a game to him.Wendy, although a bit of a wet blanket, is like the quintessential little girl playing house. I mean, Peter does bring her to Neverland so she can be the Lost Boys' mother. John is like that kid that says things like "When I grow up I want to be just like my dad!" And then tries to act older than he is; of course he has his moments where he acts his age...when no one is watching. Then there's Michael who is the innocent little child who doesn't get anything.
Oh, and the background design is like looking at a dream. Not the psychotic dream that is Alice but the wonderful dream of childhood that you don't want to wake up from and when you do wake up you wish you could just go back to sleep and dream forever.
Oh, and let me just geek out about one excellent transitional scene in this movie: When everyone flies off on the pirate ship there is a beautiful transition where Neverland turns into the moon which turns into Big Ben which turns into a grandfather clock in the Darling's home! And it is done so smoothly it's barely noticeable!
And this is one piece of nostalgia that hasn't turned cliche. Every rendition and recreation of Peter Pan is awesome.

I have one issue with this movie...and it isn't really an issue with the movie, it's an issue with Disney's treatment of certain characters in recent years. That's right, I'm talking about Tinker Bell. This little fairy is a brat. Why is Disney suddenly so bent on making her a role model for little girls? I get annoyed when they try to recreate old characters. It would be a better idea if they just made a new character for little girls to admire.

Ok, I'll wrap things up here with Lady and the Tramp.
I actually don't have a whole lot to say about this movie. As anyone who knows me can attest to, I do not like pets. I don't get the point of them. They seem like a waste of money and a hassle to take care of; I can rant about this for quite some time but I'll refrain. This post has enough ranting in it already.
To get to the point, I'm not a fan of this movie. It's so dull and I certainly don't approve of Lady hooking up with the Tramp at the end. I don't know if you've ever noticed but this movie follows the basic formula of a chick flick (it may be harder to pick up on since it's between dogs and not humans) and just like a chick flick there's no real basis for a lasting relationship. Also, this movie made the idea of making out with food in your mouth sexy. Can I just take a moment to say: Gross!
However, unlike Alice, my dislike of the premise for this movie is not enough to distract me from how pretty it s. The background design is so lovely and detailed and the artists are so clever with their perspective. Everything is drawn from a worms eye view so the whole movie feels like it's being seen from a dogs perspective. It can get a little uncomfortable to watch if you're paying too close attention since it'll make you feel like you're hunched over or crawling around on the floor. Nevertheless it does make for some intelligent design.


Well, next post I'll talk about Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians. I have a lot to say about both these films so stay tuned!

And just in time for Mother's Day: