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EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 1- Classic Disney [Nostalgia Hits Differently]

James Humphrey

7 comments on EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 1- Classic Disney [Nostalgia Hits Differently]

This first episode of EVEN MORE EYES’ retrospective series ‘Nostalgia Hits Differently‘ has two very opinionated critics, James and Imo, learn that nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.

In this debut, they dig up the hell-scape from their childhood that is Classic Disney: a place where ‘dreams’ are now nightmares in the harsh light of 2021. (Hell, they were pretty nightmarish in 1959!)

They discover:

How ‘Snow White’ (1937) established a pretty problematic model for Princesses (and Princes) to come...

...when ‘Cinderella’ (1950) put more agency into the rodents than its titular star…

..and why iconic villain Maleficent reigns supreme in the otherwise snore-inducing ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (1959).

This is the first of four episodes that will chart a journey with the Disney Princesses from the Classic Era (mid-20th Century) through the Renaissance (late 20th Century to early 21st) and into the Revival (early 2010s onward).

Click here to listen to the episode or on Spotify below:

If you enjoyed this episode, please like and/or follow on Spotify. Got feedback, criticism or complaints? Your voice can be heard in the comment section below.

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7 responses to “EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 1- Classic Disney [Nostalgia Hits Differently]”

  1. ospreyshire Avatar
    ospreyshire

    Nice job with the podcast. Watching some of those princess movies can be so outdated and sexist. As much as I criticize Disney for tons of things, I can at least say that they’ve improved with female characterization in recent times. I get why people like Maleficent as a villain, but I still found her to be shallow in hindsight as the only reason why she’s attacking everyone is because she wasn’t invited to a baby shower. I do appreciate you and your co-host criticizing those movies because they certainly deserve that scrutiny as viewers took those aspects for granted.

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    1. James Humphrey Avatar
      James Humphrey

      Thanks for listening! Yes, we’ve found that as we’ve gone through (check out our next few episodes to see how). Maleficent’s characterisation is very two-dimensional, but she stands out in a film of otherwise very boring characters. There’s something about seeing a villain with total self-possession and passionate commitment to their cause that’s hard to not like. That being said, villainy in Disney movies (and mainstream blockbusters in general) has by and large moved away from this model too.

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      1. ospreyshire Avatar
        ospreyshire

        No problem! I’ll check out the future episodes. To be fair, Maleficent has more personality than everyone else in Sleeping Beauty. She does seem to be more genre savvy than other Disney villains. I’ve noticed that about more recent movies about that kind of villainy.

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  2. EVEN MORE EYES EPISODE # 2- Early Disney Renaissance [Nostalgia Hits Differently] Avatar
    EVEN MORE EYES EPISODE # 2- Early Disney Renaissance [Nostalgia Hits Differently]

    […] Listen to Episode 1 on Classic Disney here. […]

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  3. EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 3- Late/Post Disney Renaissance [Nostalgia Hits Differently] Avatar
    EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 3- Late/Post Disney Renaissance [Nostalgia Hits Differently]

    […] to Episode 1 on Classic Disney here and Episode 2 on the early Disney Renaissance […]

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  4. EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 4- Disney Revival [Nostalgia Hits Differently] Avatar
    EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 4- Disney Revival [Nostalgia Hits Differently]

    […] on Episode 1 (Classic Disney), Episode 2 on the early Disney Renaissance, and Episode 3 on the post-Disney […]

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  5. EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 5- Raya and the Last Dragon [Review] Avatar
    EVEN MORE EYES: Episode # 5- Raya and the Last Dragon [Review]

    […] off their recent discussion of Disney Princesses past, the critics focus on how the franchise continues with Raya’s representations and […]

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