Second Star to the Right

"You can fly! You can fly! You can fly!!!" - Disney's Peter Pan was released on February 5, 1953

Today marks the 60th anniversary since the release of Walt Disney's Peter Pan. Although I wasn't around to see the first run of this movie, I caught it on a subsequent re-release during the 1970s. It is one of the first movies that I remember seeing and, therefore, it has always had a special place in my imagination.

As a child, my interest was in the fantasy adventure elements of the story, as well as the mischievous antics of Tinker Bell, always the troublesome pixie. However, looking at it again in adulthood, the themes of nostalgia for the carefree days of youth create a bittersweet counterpoint throughout the story. I eventually read the original work by J.M. Barrie and, though it was a bit of a grind, my appreciation for the story grew.

There's something very pertinent about Peter Pan to those who cultivate artistic aspirations. The desire to express how one feels through an aesthetic work is a very intense engagement with the imagination, an act of innocence which presumes that others would actually wish to receive one's creative vision. Every time one reaches within one's mind to engage in artistry, it is as if the artist is journeying to their own personal Neverland.

Tinker Bell stuck in a keyhole

Yet, it is so hard to make a living as an artist, of any type. There is always a nagging pressure to "grow up" and "be responsible" by getting a "real" job or accepting assignments that pay the bills but have little to do with artistry, in other words, selling out. Moreover, there is nothing fun about being a starving artist, working part-time minimum wage jobs in retail or food services to barely get by.

Even with supportive friends and family, it is hard to ignore the social expectations into which we are born. An inner voice will always criticize the "perpetual childhood" of the artistic life.

But, when the creative spirit flows, all the troubles of this world fall away. You can fly!!!

Somewhere Under the Sea

Ariel from The Little Mermaid (1989), based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale.


Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805. I figured we would think about one of his most famous stories, "The Little Mermaid".

Except for the preachy ending, I always enjoyed this story. It captured the thrill of exploration, the wonder of being someplace new. I could empathize with the mermaid as she learned a whole new way of life. The dilemma that she faces when her time starts to run out would twist at my heart; I always wished she could find a way to win out.

Although Andersen gives a "happy" ending, I can't say that I ever liked it. It felt like a dodge. And the moralizing "good child/bad child" situation was simply a manner by which to browbeat the child audience. Very bad form!!! >:(

Detail form the 1989 theatrical release poster of The Little Mermaid


That's why I like the 1989 Disney retelling. Sure, it's a radically different story, but the premise is faithfully preserved. Moreover, it avoids Andersen's relationship angst issues and his sermonizing. All the magic that made the original so effective is kept, but all the dross is discarded. And the Sea Witch is somethin' fierce! ;-)

A Wish Your Heart Makes

Disney's Cinderella was released on February 15, 1950.

It's time to celebrate another Disney animated classic, Cinderella.

The Valentine's Day synergy works well with this film, probably the most overtly romantic of the Disney classics. Sure, Snow White or Sleeping Beauty can contend for the romance title, but I feel that their narratives don't focus on the "girl desires to meet boy" aspects nearly as much as Cinderella. And their antagonists command significant screen time, which some might argue makes the story more interesting overall, with greater imaginative conflict.

But Cinderella is more overt in dealing with wish fulfillment fantasies. Her goal is to attend the Prince's ball, not a matter of survival. She is an active seeker of romance, not the beneficiary of a rescuing Prince Charming. Yes, she must overcome oppression, but it is for love and not for life.

Running in glass slippers is difficult.

So, let's celebrate Cinderella and all the rags-to-riches, "scullery maid Princess" stories that this fairy tale has inspired. ;-)