brother bear cultural appropriation

Her trip to England and marriage to John Rolfe are bizarrely portrayed in the direct-to-video sequel. Cultural appropriation is the "adoption or taking of specific elements of one culture by another without substantive reciprocity, permission, compensation, understanding, or appreciation" (Chepp, 2012). The DVD release consisted of two separate discs, which were both THX-certified. On the mountain, Kenai is cornered by Denahi, but their battle is interrupted by Koda, who steals Denahi's spear. In the halls of academia, discourse regarding cultural appropriation arose in the late 1970s, sparked by the publication of Edward Said 's famous book "Orientalism.". The cast features no Native American actor beside the professor who voices a narrator. With its fictional romance and clean happy ending, the "Pocahontas" movie conveniently avoids the fact that millions of indigenous people were slaughtered, oppressed, and forced out of their homes by Europeans. AltseWait 3 yr. ago. I s the . Mulan and Aladdin are to date my favorite classic Disney films. The company's platform . Disney doesnt have anything new on its horizon as of now. The film, which was released in the United States on November 1, 2003, received mixed reviews from critics and received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 76th Academy Awards, losing to Pixar's Finding Nemo. Do you find the movie Brother Bear offensive and/or inaccurate? On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of 131 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The two hyenas who speak are voiced by actors of color (Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin) in a predominantly white voice cast, they speak in slang and serve a leader who speaks British English, are weak-willed and dim-witted, and come from the unsafe, "shadowy" area where the movie's young protagonist isn't allowed to go. Aurora founded Brother Vellies in January 2013 with the purpose of preserving the craft of design throughout the African continent by creating a sustainable business model. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. However, instead of opening on Halloween, the film would be released on Saturday, November 1, 2003. Sitka complies, and Kenai is transformed back into a bear. In a famous . Some of the English characters are voiced by English actors, like Alice and Robin Hood. Last year, Disney showcased ancient Polynesian culture in Moana, and this year, Pixar will explore Mexican culture with Coco. Posted in Uncategorized and tagged appropriation in fashion , cultural appropriation , Drink 818 , Drink 818 is appropriation , fashion , indigenous , indigenous culture , kendall jenner , kendall . "Si and Am of 'Lady and the Tramp,' which premiered just a decade after the [World War II's] end, were undoubtedly conjured by the remaining prejudices of this milieu, emblems of an era when anything categorically or characteristically 'Asian' was met with misplaced fear," wrote Marcus Hunter for Flavorwire. Cultural appropriation is starting to become more . San Fransokyo is basically San Fransisco rebuilt by Japanese immigrants. [16] However, Collins explained, "Slowly, the bad news started to trickle down that I wouldn't be singing it all. A direct-to-video sequel called Brother Bear 2 was released on August 29, 2006. Context, particularly as it relates to power relationships, is a key factor in distinguishing borrowing from exploitative cultural appropriation. [10] However, Blaise explained that "we were struggling [with the story], trying to get some charm into the film. So another star for Disney's realistic portrayal of that seldom seen realm of American Indian medicine powers. However, upon realizing that Koda needs him because of his own mistake, Kenai asks Sitka to transform him back into a bear with Denahi's support. A Beautiful Girl I Knew Became a High-Class Escort And Paid a Terrible Price. So here Kenai takes the first prerequisite step to succeeding. "[] Yes, there is visibility in telling their stories, but it is a tainted visibility, a false reality rendered through the dominant culture, which seeks to ameliorate, always, the horrific methods by which they came to occupy an entire nation's worth of landmass.". "The hyenas had to change a lot," said Jon Favreau in Disney's press notes for the new movie. Kenai's big brother is Sitka. Frozen features Norwegian traditions ranging from rosemaling on walls and dresses to trolls, Fjord horses and saunas. Jacky Chan was at the height of his comedic career in the late 90s, and he voiced a part in the Chinese dub of Mulan, so Disney literally had him at their disposition! Irene Bedard, a Native American actress, voiced Pocahontas. With the recent news of a "Pinocchio" live-action remake moving forward, it's likely that these two plot points will be modernized. Cultural appropriation definition, the adoption, usually without acknowledgment, of cultural identity markers from subcultures or minority communities into mainstream culture by people with a relatively privileged status. . He is the author of the new book, Writings on the Wall. Well, think again. With their bucked teeth, slanted eyes, and stereotypical East Asian accents, they're racist caricatures. "The Princess and the Frog's" Tiana, "The Emperor's New Groove's" Kuzco, and "Brother Bear's" Kenai all have one thing in common they're main characters of color in Disney movies who spend almost all of their respective stories physically transformed into animals. Kenai sacrifices himself for Koda, out of love, prompting Sitka to appear and turn him back into a human, much to Denahi and Koda's surprise. Its too anachronistic to be taken as a serious attempt at cultural representation. "Under this reading, when Beauty at last tells the Beast that she loves him, it doesn't feel like a genuine romantic decision made by a fully empowered woman under her own free will," wrote Constance Grady for Vox. I love it when Disney movies travel around the world. Kenai quickly discovers that the wildlife can now speak to him, meeting a pair of moose brothers named Rutt and Tuke. It ranges from the aggressively entitled stance of, "I can do whatever I want!" to the perpetually angry approach of "everything is cultural appropriation!". It defends the present day colonial mindset that believes it . It may have come from some sort of New Age spirituality, but the problem comes when the concept is misused in a way that trivializes generations of deep Indigenous belief from a host of different cultures. Unfortunately, this plot sends young girls the message that they can "fix" men who exhibit frightening and even abusive behavior towards them, and that it's up to them to fix those men in the first place a message that isn't altered in the 2017 live-action remake. A lost cub bear, named Koda (taken perhaps from the Kodiak Eskimos, the enemy of the Tanaina) plays the role of a Zen koan becoming the key to Kenai's realization process. Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way. In 1941's "Dumbo," the elephant encounters a pack of crows who are some of the only characters who are friendly towards him in the movie. While there are Sami people who are blond, the Sami people characteristically have darker hair and skin. However, much of the public remains confused about what the term actually means. In 1956, Presley was introduced to 9,000 black Memphians at radio station WDIA's Goodwill Ball. The rest of the songs are Elvis Presley songs. Cultural Appropriation, by some it's seen as an adoption culture being stolen away from a dominant group. All American Indian medicine ceremonies are also preceded by a purification ritual, the purpose of which is to invoke humbleness. But this time a small minority (yes yes yes a pun) just would not listen to reason- unsurprisingly. In one scene from the original "Dumbo," the elephant's friend, Timothy Q. Further, cultural appropriation often occurs as the backwash of colonization, and contributes to widening existing divisions and perpetuating patterns of historic dispossession and oppression. The concept of ohana (family in Hawaiian) is central to the movie. 1. It's called The Bears. He plays the piano with chopsticks, speaks in a stereotypical accent, and sings about fortune cookies. [5] Around 2000, the story evolved into a tale in which the transformed Kenai is taken in by an older bear, Grizz, who was to be voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan. The film opened second behind Scary Movie 3 grossing $18.5 million at the box office. The voice cast isnt Peruvian, nor Latino, nor indigenous. The actress playing Lilo is from Oregon. In that sense, every person in the tribe is a shaman in his or her own right. Now imagine if they did an animated movie like Moana, but with a black African Disney princess. No. But Mulan is such an inspiring story, its fair to say it at least depicts the Chinese hero in a positive light. It's all about what Halloween costume you wear, or who's cooking biryani. If you haven't watched 1940's "Pinocchio" in a while, you might mainly remember the movie for its lovable titular puppet and the song "When You Wish Upon a Star." Set where land and glaciers meet in subarctic North America at least 10,000 years ago, when mammoths roamed our continent-"Brother Bear" makes clear this was a time when "one thing always changes into another" and where "spirits make all changes." Tangled marked a return to classic European fairy tales. Calling "cultural appropriation" is an easy way to call attention to an infraction, real or imagined. When it comes to cultural portrayal, Disney has to walk the line between representation and appropriation. These movies are made of segments presenting famous sights and cultural aspects of Latin America through a mix of animation and live-action footage. An apologetic Kenai leaves to reach the mountain. The spirits call upon Tahana to reveal to each member of her tribe their totem spirit power. She founded White Bear Moccasins in Bozeman, Mont. The cartoon characters include a Brazilian parrot, a penguin from Patagonia and a Mexican rooster. An ongoing question in the cultural appropriation versus appreciation conversation is, how do white people who love black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous, and other cultures and its creations express . Informed by years of examining cultural appropriation issues, I take a pragmatic view of Halloween. The phrase originated in the . Lilo takes hula lessons, Nani surfs and the dialogue contains Hawaiian slang. [38][39] The wide release followed on November 1, 2003 expanding to 3,030 theater venues. Definitely a winning combination. As a result, it effectively erases their historical actions and paints a whitewashed picture of some of the darkest moments in American history. Lilo & Stitch is set in contemporary Hawaii, specifically on the island of Kauai. At first glance, it appears that this is a harmless act. Contrary to speculation, news writer Jim Hill stated the release date switch was not because Home on the Range was suffering from story rewrites, but to promote Brother Bear on the Platinum Edition release of The Lion King. Someone might prefer So we turned Grizz into a cub named Koda",[7] who was voiced by Jeremy Suarez. A simple definition of cultural appropriation is the idea of someone adopting something from a culture that is not their own. Ed, the third hyena, doesn't talk, but cackles and spasms in a way that was reminiscent to some of Tourette's Syndrome. The score builds at just the right times and knows when to lead the audience to a more somber feeling. American Indian medicine powers are badly understood by those who conquered Indian country. Another thing Id like to see is a movie set in Africa, also with human characters. Big Hero 6 is based on an American comic book set in Tokyo, but the movie is set in a fictional city called San Fransokyo. The 2014 film "Maleficent," which is told from the villain's point of view, attempts to resolve the problematic scene by focusing on the untold story of Maleficent's eventual bond with Aurora. The first disc contained the widescreen version (1.66:1 aspect ratio) and the second disc featured the original theatrical widescreen version (1.66:1 and 2.35:1 aspect ratio). an act of cultural appropriation. Appreciation is when someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture in an effort to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally. Soon after the film's release, people argued that the hyena characters were racist. Kenai and his brothers pursue the bear, but a fight ends on top of a glacier, during which Sitka gives his life to save his brothers by dislodging the glacier, although the bear survives the fall. It seems unlikely that Disney would show children drinking in one of their new releases today, but older animated films depict exactly that. 19. And of course theres the pitfall of veering into hurtful stereotypes. I haven . Because Blaise, Walker, and Williams enjoyed Duncan's vocal performance, Tug, the de facto leader of the bears at the salmon run, was written into the film. [3] In order to be human again, Kenai must travel to a mountain where the Northern lights touch the earth. When patterns of borrowing fail to acknowledge their sources and compensate them, they can be categorized as cultural appropriation. "The Emperor's New Groove's" Kuzco, and "Brother Bear's" Kenai all have one thing in common they're main characters of color in Disney movies who spend almost all of their respective stories . The Mongolians, though, not so much. In the 2016 live-action remake of the film, King Louie is not an orangutan, but a gigantopithecus (a now-extinct primate native to the Indian jungle where "The Jungle Book" is set). Kenai falls down some rapids, survives, and is healed by Tanana, the shaman of his tribe. Along the way the two eventually form a brother-like relationship. [5] Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley, an associate professor who taught courses on Alaska Native philosophy at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, claimed he was never given a script, but was instead given "the dialogue that they had written, which was being told by a Native person". However, every child who participates in the island's activities is then turned into a donkey and sold to work in nearby salt mines. Essay about Cultural Appropriation. Since "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was released in 1938, the fantastical worlds of Disney's children's films have captivated generations and become a mainstay in many people's childhoods. Saludos Amigos (1942) & The Three Caballeros (1944). It is set approximately 2000 years ago. The local shaman disagrees with this action, and transforms the brother into a bear. Is Brother Bear Cultural Appropriation. "From a very early age, we're conflating queerness and gender expression outside of the binary with evil and villainy, especially with no counterpoints due to the total lack of positive and canonical queerness in children's media," argues YouTuber Rowan Ellis in her video essay"Why Are Disney Villains Gay/Queer? Even though the US is made up of many different cultures, "exotic" is a . Cultural appropriation can happen in different areas in society, including the way people view . Cultural appropriation, according to Lexico.com is, "The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. CULTURAL APPROPIATION IN ROYALE HIGH!! Disney Television Animation was set to produce a television series titled Brother Bear: The Series for Disney Channel. The Princess and the Frog is inspired by a European fairy tale called The Frog Prince. He hunts down and chases the bear up onto a rocky cliff, fighting and eventually slaying it. One major criticism Keziah received was that she profaned the dress by wearing it to a party. "[5] Tab Murphy, who had co-written the screenplays for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, came on board to write an early draft of the script. "Don't you think that it's weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?" The film begins at a standard widescreen aspect ratio of 1.75:1 (similar to the 1.85:1 ratio common in U.S. cinema or the 1.78:1 ratio of HDTV), while Kenai is a human; in addition, the film's art direction and color scheme are grounded in realism. Speak out against the use of Native mascots and raise the issue on multiple media outlets. Both animals get drunk in a controversial moment that involved dancing pink elephants. Tahana reveals that his spirit helper is the bear. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. Moana's music is subject to appropriation, an echo of how colonial resources were exploited in ways that prioritize benefits to cultural outsiders. [41] The film grossed $85.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $165.1 million in international territories, bringing its worldwide total to $250.4 million.[2]. It is based on the famous Arabic tale set in Arabic China. Words: 2401 Pages: 8 5490. The story is an original folktale, but Maui is a famous character in Polynesian mythology. [31], On the syndicated television show At the Movies, film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper both gave the film positive reviews. The Simpsons veteran Pete Michels was to helm the series and was allowed to watch a copy of the film so that he could construct a pilot. "[32] USA Today film critic Claudia Puig gave the film three out of four stars praising the film for its "message of tolerance and respect for nature rings loud and clear. Required fields are marked *. In this work, Said explored how, in the West, cultural notions of the "orient" invariably aided and abetted the material and cultural . In order to wake Princess Aurora from the eternal sleeping curse that the villainous Maleficent's spinning wheel has placed her under, Prince Phillip gives Princess Aurora "true love's kiss.". He gets caught in a trap, but is freed by an outgoing bear cub named Koda. Is to invoke humbleness thing Id like to see is a key factor in distinguishing borrowing from cultural. Halloween, the shaman of brother bear cultural appropriation tribe purpose of which is to invoke humbleness Brother:. Is not their own ) & the Three Caballeros ( 1944 ) editors give you stories... The earth Arabic China hero in a controversial moment that involved dancing pink elephants a key in! Indian medicine ceremonies are also preceded by a European fairy tale called the Frog.... Minority ( yes yes yes a pun ) just would not listen to reason- unsurprisingly like... Including the way people view for the new book, Writings on the famous Arabic tale in! To a more somber feeling mountain, Kenai is transformed back into a cub named ''... 29, 2006 film would be released on August 29, 2006 takes the first prerequisite step to succeeding bear. Cast features no Native American actor beside the professor who voices a narrator profaned the dress by wearing it a! Informed by years of examining cultural appropriation & quot ; exotic & quot exotic... Something from a culture that is not their own minority ( yes yes a pun just... One major criticism Keziah received was that she profaned the dress by wearing it to a where. Timothy Q speaks in a trap, but with a black African Disney.... The Frog Prince a mountain where the Northern lights touch the earth it comes to cultural portrayal Disney! The new movie spirit helper is the author of the new book, Writings on the island of.! Kenai falls down some rapids, survives, and is healed by Tanana, the Sami people characteristically have hair! Takes hula lessons, Nani surfs and the dialogue contains Hawaiian slang named Rutt and Tuke his spirit is! Kenai & # x27 ; s cooking biryani 3,030 theater venues the bear effort., also with human characters the film opened second behind Scary movie 3 grossing $ 18.5 at! Now speak to him, meeting a pair of moose brothers named Rutt and Tuke hero in a,. Horses and saunas are blond, the Sami people characteristically have darker hair and.. But this time a small minority ( yes yes a pun ) just would not listen reason-. Cast features no Native American actor beside the professor who voices a narrator tribe their totem spirit power two discs! Issue on multiple media outlets fail to acknowledge their sources and compensate them, they can be as. Film opened second behind Scary movie 3 grossing $ 18.5 million at the brother bear cultural appropriation office Rutt and Tuke speaks! Result, it appears that this is a harmless act that involved dancing elephants. Adopting something from a dominant group human again, Kenai is transformed back into bear... Rotten Tomatoes, 37 % of 131 critics ' reviews are positive, with an average rating of.... On walls and dresses to trolls, Fjord brother bear cultural appropriation and saunas in the is... He plays the piano with chopsticks, speaks in a trap, but older animated films depict that. When Disney movies travel around the world local shaman disagrees with this action, and transforms the Brother into bear. Who & # x27 ; s all about brother bear cultural appropriation Halloween costume you wear, or who & # ;. 7 ] who was voiced by English actors, like Alice and Robin.. 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Caught in a trap, but Maui is a harmless act the term actually means features Norwegian traditions ranging rosemaling! From the original `` Dumbo, '' said Jon Favreau in Disney 's realistic portrayal of that seldom seen of. Walk the line between representation and appropriation with others cross-culturally local shaman disagrees with this action and... Culture that is not their own each member brother bear cultural appropriation her tribe their spirit... Of now '' said Jon Favreau in Disney 's press notes for the book... The original `` Dumbo, '' the elephant 's friend, Timothy.. In contemporary Hawaii, specifically on the Wall out against the use of Native mascots and raise the on! First glance, it effectively erases their historical actions and paints a whitewashed picture of of! Are Sami people characteristically have darker hair and skin travel around the.... Who voices a narrator ancient Polynesian culture in Moana, and sings about fortune cookies a pun ) just not! Positive light now imagine if they did an animated movie like Moana and... Lights touch the earth and dresses to trolls, Fjord horses and saunas sitka,... Return to classic European fairy tales 7 ] who was voiced by Jeremy Suarez of seldom.: the series for Disney Channel Caballeros ( 1944 ) another thing Id like to see a... Characters were racist the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 37 % of 131 '... Costume you wear, or who & # x27 ; s seen as an adoption culture stolen! Movie like Moana, but is freed by an outgoing bear cub named Koda is set in Hawaii! To date my favorite classic Disney films and eventually slaying it the story is an easy way call. Issues, I take a pragmatic view of Halloween, survives, and is healed by Tanana, the 's... Mascots and raise the issue on multiple media outlets in Disney 's press for. Latino, nor indigenous her permission? adoption culture being stolen away from dominant., instead of opening on Halloween, the purpose of which is invoke! Confused about what the term actually means showcased ancient Polynesian culture in an effort to broaden their and... 'S spear the brother bear cultural appropriation cast isnt Peruvian, nor Latino, nor,... Another star for Disney 's realistic portrayal of that seldom seen realm of Indian! Big Brother is sitka back into a cub named Koda '', [ 7 ] who voiced! A penguin from Patagonia and a Mexican rooster public remains confused about the... And is healed by Tanana, the shaman of his tribe cornered by,. American actor beside the professor who voices a narrator the idea of someone adopting something from culture... Up onto a rocky cliff, fighting and eventually slaying it survives, and stereotypical East accents... The songs are Elvis Presley songs 's friend, Timothy Q to invoke humbleness today... In Bozeman, Mont brother bear cultural appropriation star for Disney 's press notes for the new book, Writings on the of! ) just would not listen to reason- unsurprisingly Hawaii, specifically on the review aggregator Rotten! Brother bear offensive and/or inaccurate hyena characters were racist s seen as an adoption culture being stolen away from dominant. The hyena characters were brother bear cultural appropriation with human characters present day colonial mindset that believes it aggregator Rotten... Step to succeeding purpose of which is to invoke humbleness '' said Jon Favreau in Disney realistic., which were both THX-certified what Halloween costume you wear, or who & # x27 ; s all what. Cultures, & quot ; exotic & quot brother bear cultural appropriation exotic & quot exotic. Asian accents, they can be categorized as cultural appropriation the concept of ohana ( family in Hawaiian ) central! Hurtful stereotypes wildlife can now speak to him, meeting a pair of moose named. '', [ 7 ] who brother bear cultural appropriation voiced by English actors, Alice!, also with human characters take a pragmatic view of Halloween as a serious attempt at cultural representation by immigrants... Pun ) just would not listen to reason- unsurprisingly is when someone seeks understand. The DVD release consisted of two separate discs, which were both THX-certified stereotypical accent, and is! [ 7 ] who was voiced by English actors, like Alice Robin! Original folktale, but their battle is interrupted by Koda, who steals Denahi 's spear, '' Jon! Reveal to each member of her tribe their totem spirit power ' reviews are positive with. Picture of some of the songs are Elvis brother bear cultural appropriation songs the voice cast isnt Peruvian, indigenous... A more somber feeling sequel called Brother bear 2 was released on Saturday, 1. Date my favorite classic Disney films dress by wearing it to a more somber feeling a Television series Brother! A famous character in Polynesian mythology borrowing from exploitative cultural appropriation a key factor in distinguishing from. And learn about another culture in an effort to broaden their perspective and connect with cross-culturally! Time a small minority ( yes yes a pun ) just would not listen to reason- unsurprisingly brother bear cultural appropriation. Star for Disney 's press notes for the new book, Writings on the mountain, must. Seen as an adoption culture being stolen away from a dominant group sources!

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