Thoughts on the Merida Re-Design? Creator "blasts" Disney's change..

[Colleen27]

My son, always thinking from a practical standpoint, came in as my 11yo and I were talking about this and shared his brilliant teenage insight... "Mom, it isn't about the look. It is just more efficient to use the same mold for all the doll bodies." He might be on to something there.

ETA: My kids all got very different first impressions of the makeover. The 4yo immediately noticed the sparkly dress and loves it - she's a redhead and adores Merida because she "looks like her", and now wants me to make "Merida's pretty dress" instead of the velvety-looking one. Which is probably what Disney was going for with that aspect of the makeover - little girls in the "princess" stage do tend to love sparkle. The 11yo noticed the body shape first and had the same reaction I did, that Merida now looks very much like an Irish-themed Barbie in my collection and that they could have changed her dress without putting her on a diet. And the 15yo boy went to the practicalities of mass production rather than anything aesthetic at all.

 

[phorsenuf]

Years ago, I remember a TV interview involving little girls. I do not remember exactly what they were discussing or how they were researching them but I do remember a little girl (made 6 or 7) saying Disney princesses were sexy and to be sexy you must show your shoulders and she took her top and pulled it down so her shoulders were showing.

I remember being annoyed that Disney does this. It's just not the message I've sent to my daughter.

Did they do this to Mulan also?

That certainly doesn't sound like something a 6 or 7 year old would say, but more likely repeating something their mother said.

I agree with the others who thinks it's just a more grown up version of her.

 

[Colleen27]

Logged on to Facebook to find this link from a friend: http://rebeccahains.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/disney-faces-backlash/

 

[tyzzle]

That certainly doesn't sound like something a 6 or 7 year old would say, but more likely repeating something their mother said.

I agree with the others who thinks it's just a more grown up version of her.

You underestimate 6-7 y.o. As a former teacher you would be surprised how early girls develop and awareness of their bodies and develop body issues. I have heard more than one girl that age say she was fat or needed to diet (and they were perfectly healthy and normal). This makeover will only reinforce this attitude. It was a stupid change

 

[DisneyDude71]

Can't wait to see how they handle merchandising for Princess Leia, now that they own Star Wars.

Ohhhh Cant wait to see the Empire Strikes Back version!!

 

[emsparkles]

I think the thing is sadly that there is no way she could match up to the other princesses with their 'new' look in her current form. The director knew she was been make an 'official' Disney princess when the film was in pre-production and she should have been aware of what that would entail and so i find it strange she's complaining now. Disney wanted a 'Pixar' princess before the film was thought of as it would combine two of their biggest money-makers, Pixar and Princesses. Win Win for Disney. I think they would have been better just going for the Pixar marketing route and to target the 'girl' market in a different way to the princesses. There obvious intention was to have her in the princess group all along which is why i find it strange people are complaining of her 'new' look because having this in the back of my mind I was expecting this in all honesty. Its a shame that they have used pixar's amazing film making and popularity to make the princess range even bigger, and not have Merida as part of the Pixar family, which i personaly think is where she belongs.

 

[KristaTX]

I don't think Merida would want to be part of the princess group anyway. When the DIS posted it on Facebook, I asked, "Did they ask Merida if she wanted to be part of the Princess group??". Not sure Mulan would want to be, either.

Oh that is awful. Horrible. At least Merida still looks kind of the same. But they took away everything that that made Pocahontas' features look Native American!!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Signers variously described the new Merida as "vapid," "arm candy," "unrealistic" and "vacant looking."

Source

Somehow her now being skinnier/wearing makeup makes her vapid and relegated to being arm candy? She's no longer capable of being brave and independent because of her looks? What kind of message does that send?

While I don't agree with the redesign, I have to say that it says something about our society when changing a character's look apparently renders all of her intrinsic qualities invalid.

 

[burnurcomputer]

Source

Somehow her now being skinnier/wearing makeup makes her vapid and relegated to being arm candy? She's no longer capable of being brave and independent because of her looks? What kind of message does that send?

While I don't agree with the redesign, I have to say that it says something about our society when changing a character's look apparently renders all of her intrinsic qualities invalid.

But the Merida in the movie wanted to be free of the expectations of what her station in life held for her. The hair in the movie was a major part of her personality, as was her attire. She was angry about being bound in the one dress and made to look different then she was. The physical changes made to her go directly against the story line. If Disney wanted to look that way, then they should have made Pixar put that image of her out first, rather then modify her to meet the "norms" of a Disney princess in terms of physical expectations and costuming. Merida is the newest princess, and so they could have had her Disneyfied from the get-go, as compared to a classic princess. I see it as insulting to the people who put their heart and soul into the brave and free lass that stole hearts not with her physical beauty but the transformation of her soul and the true love that a child has with their parent.

On a personal note all 4 of my sons (15, 13, 5, and 3) had a very negative reaction to the "new" Merida. My 5 year old son has a Merida Build a Bear that he sleeps with every night and was not happy to see her that way. My 3 year old argued that the person he was looking at wasn't Merida. My big boys said she looked stupid, and not like the Merida that the story showed.

 

[smallblackstars]

I think all the new princesses are pretty badly designed. I think they have lost their Disney feel and all look like Barbie dolls now. My daughter has lots of Disney princess merchandise including some new stuff but I feel the new image of the princesses looks 'cheap' compared with the older one. It's a terrible shame, they were classic and now someone has decided to interfere and the result is pretty poor. The dresses in the parks reflect this, they look so tacky and cheap now. Such a shame.

 

[hollygolitely93]

Looks like they may have gone back...on the disney princess site it is reported she was missing this morning and now the old Merida is back...

http://princess.disney.com/

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Can't wait to see how they handle merchandising for Princess Leia, now that they own Star Wars.

They don't need to touch a thing about Princess Leia.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

You know, in comics, they do this all of the time.

Case in point, Superman:

 

[FlightlessDuck]

http://www.dorktower.com/2013/05/14/princess-makeover-dork-tower-14-05-13/

 

[RitaE]

http://www.dorktower.com/2013/05/14/princess-makeover-dork-tower-14-05-13/

That made my day.

 

[eliza61]

Source

Somehow her now being skinnier/wearing makeup makes her vapid and relegated to being arm candy? She's no longer capable of being brave and independent because of her looks? What kind of message does that send?

While I don't agree with the redesign, I have to say that it says something about our society when changing a character's look apparently renders all of her intrinsic qualities invalid.

because in the movie the message was NOT to be rendered as socities "image" of beauty. that was the whole idea. So the redesign is pretty much screaming, "I'm not ok as I am, I need to be skinnier in order to be worthy of being a princess".

If her intrinsic character was enough, they never would have redesigned her. Basically IMO they are saying the same ole message "I have value only if I look a certain way"

 

[eliza61]

http://www.dorktower.com/2013/05/14/princess-makeover-dork-tower-14-05-13/

right on the mark, FD

 

[Angel Ariel]

But the Merida in the movie wanted to be free of the expectations of what her station in life held for her. The hair in the movie was a major part of her personality, as was her attire. She was angry about being bound in the one dress and made to look different then she was. The physical changes made to her go directly against the story line.

I understand that - which is why I specifically stated that I did *not* agree with the makeover.

However, that doesn't change the fact that those who are now calling her "vapid" and "arm-candy" are also putting more emphasis and power on her looks than they are on her intrinsic character traits. Changing her hair does not make Merida less brave or independent or feisty. While I agree that the makeover completely goes against the character in the movie, I think it's an equally bad message to say that if one becomes more stereotypically pretty/girly looking then they no longer exemplify the character traits they embodied before the makeover.

Changing the look of a character (or person) does not change who that character/person is.

 

[Angel Ariel]

If her intrinsic character was enough, they never would have redesigned her. Basically IMO they are saying the same ole message "I have value only if I look a certain way"

And my point is that those who are now calling Merida "vapid" and "arm candy" are doing the same exact thing.

If they wouldn't have called her vapid and arm candy before the makeover, they shouldn't be now - as intrinsic character isn't affected by looks.

 

[burnurcomputer]

I understand that - which is why I specifically stated that I did *not* agree with the makeover.

However, that doesn't change the fact that those who are now calling her "vapid" and "arm-candy" are also putting more emphasis and power on her looks than they are on her intrinsic character traits. Changing her hair does not make Merida less brave or independent or feisty. While I agree that the makeover completely goes against the character in the movie, I think it's an equally bad message to say that if one becomes more stereotypically pretty/girly looking then they no longer exemplify the character traits they embodied before the makeover.

Changing the look of a character (or person) does not change who that character/person is.

I disagree. Making her look like a stereotypical princess plays into the arm candy issue directly. Her physical looks were not part of her character and by putting the focus on her body- changes what her character stands for. If she had started out that way to begin with would have been fine....but they didn't. The focus was on her personality, not her physical appearance. Now is changes the message to: something was "wrong" with Merida and that they need to "fix" her. There was nothing to fix.

Merida was beautiful the way she was. She wasn't anyone's arm candy before because her movie isn't about finding Prince Charming. Now they have altered her to make her more attractive. To what end?

If Merida in the movie changed her appearance, as part of her story to mock what Disney did, then this wouldn't be an issue. My point was that she was a new character and if they intended for her to look a certain way then they should have made her that way to begin with.


People got excited that a princess was more then a face looking for a man to save her. Then around a year after release, just before her coronation, they decide to make her look and act like the other princesses. At the coronation she is acting like Merida from the movie (watch the video, the other princesses pose and make a point to be admired, Merida strides on stage in full Merida attitude), but they wanted to change her to the floaty handed girl that they turned some other amazing princesses into! Its not about beauty, its about stripping away the princesses dignity (NOT just Merida's) and turning them into a vapid shadow of the Princess Disney created. Look at Mulan, she was a warrior for pete's sake! They made her a shadow of her awesomeness by just posing her and waiving....so I can see how vapid applies.

Its not just about Merida, she's the straw that broke the camels back! If you look at the progression of Disney stories and the development of princess characters they started with the "my prince will save me" to the modern "I can save myself, but my husband also happens to be a prince". The back lash is that why do we need to alter an awesome person to fit a role that the character wasn't made to play? Mulan asked who she was inside, a warrior of fierce spirit! She wanted to be more then a silent baby maker ("a man by bearing arms, a girl by bearing sons) but now she wears traditional garb and is painted to look like a western idea of Asian beauty.

Look at Pocohontas too. Robbed of her natural beauty; she now has earrings, make up, and a body that was stripped of its athletic femininity. Her waist was altered, her hair, and by each change they robbed her and her character of what made her special. She's not white, why does she need to look like the causation princesses that came from Europe??

Its the stripping the essence of the character to fit an ideal of beauty that doesn't match the character. You can be drop dead gorgeous and be a good person, just like you can be a natural beauty and be drop dead gorgeous too. But, why does one have to compromise on what the character would do, in the context of their story, just so we can make the princess fit an ideal of beauty that isn't authentic to them.

Its not a separate issue to look at the changes and see them as vapid people or arm candy. Its the message that they weren't good enough the way they were and now they have to act a way that just is disingenuous for the character.