When I started this project 2 years ago, I knew I was in for a conga line of pain, shame , and heartache.
Although the worst of it has come to pass and lies safely
behind me however, I don’t think that the true case for lost potential in
crafting sequels to Disney’s animated classics could be more perfectly
illustrated than within the highs and lows of their final 2 films.
While often looked down upon these days in the age of post-modern feminist reappraisal, the ever going passive aggressive cynic in me has always had a substantial fondness for “Cinderella.”
As a victim of psychological bullying spanning nearly the
majority of my childhood, there’s something that I always found about her
ability to swallow abuse with a fake smile and a low-key snide remark relatable
along with the defending the misunderstanding of having reward handed to her
via magic as some sort of cop out when she put in the work and simply received
the reward ripped away from her via outside intervention.
Of course, it also helps that it’s ostensibly the first true
post WWII era Disney film after the conflict in question diverted the studios
attention from feature film tales in the vein of Bambi in favor of short film
compilations as a cost cutting measure for their missing drafted staff.
In any case, one would think that “Cinderella III: A Twist
in Time” would be doomed from the start given the painful quality of the
previous “Cinderella” sequel but in an utter defiance of these film’s trending
nature, the movie is not only good but shockingly one of the absolute best of
the lot. Though that might not be saying much given the nature of its
competition and its similarities to other revisionist takes on the “Cinderella”
fable, credit where its due, it’s one of the few films that has clearly put
some actual thought into its story and the manner in which it reflects the source
material upon which it is based.
A year after marrying her prince and earning her happily
ever after, Cinderella’s joy stripped from her when her evil stepmother Lady
Tremaine manages to get a hold of her Fairy Godmother’s magic wand, rewriting
history to keep her undiscovered by the Prince and ultimately leading to her
daughter Anastasia successfully wearing the glass slipper.
As she struggles to attain the wand and set things right,
Anastasia questions whether or not she wants her stepsister’s happy ending or
an opportunity to earn her own.
I’ve always been the first to admit that the antics of time
travel tend to end in providing more needless questions than answers .
Regardless of the contrivances of this film’s plot’s circumstances however, the
results are surprisingly compelling.
Tremaine may remain as stereotypical as villains get but the
film’s humanization of the Prince and the Stepsister Anastasia, who isn’t quite
absolved of her wrongdoing but develops to a point of relatability and earned
redemption actually add far more dramatic weight to the story than the already successful
satisfaction of watching Cinderella play a more direct hand in seizing her destiny.
Add in the clever lamp shading of fairytale storytelling
plot structure that makes the film one easy rewrite away from being a dead on
modern satire of its own style and the end result is a film that is surprisingly
well balanced, whatever hiccups there may be.
“Cinderella III’s” celebration of its story and values,
along with its keen eye for finding a new story in a fairly closed off tale
offers a tragic glimpse of the sort of success these direct to video films
could have had with just a little more care put into them.
While I wish that I could say the same for “Ariel’s
Beginning” given the film’s production values of moderate range and apparently earnest
direction, There’s a bit too much about “The Little Mermaid 3” that was dubious
on every level to receive as much credit.
Set before the events of the first movie, the film follows
an Atlantica in the wake of its queen’s tragic death. King Triton has banned
all music from the ocean due to the painful memories that they stir of his late
wife, leaving his daughter and the film’s title subject to explore what he has
expressly forbidden out of curiosity in order to heal the king’s broken heart.
The movie isn’t without its charms in the production. I’m
willing to give credit where its due for the producers making a film that
apparently feels well directed regarding the attention to detail applied
towards making Atlantica feel like a real functioning society. Unfortunately, “Ariel’s
Beginning” can’t quite rise above the half baked mediocrity of its own script.
One would think that aspects of the story such as the death
of Triton’s wife above ground would be meaningfully tied into the conflict of
the original film. Sadly its oddly conceived areas like this that drag the
movie down, as Triton’s conflict with the surface world, itself tied to his
desire to protect his family are never properly fleshed out.
Familial themes are something of this series’ claim to fame,
so to see it all shafted for this bizarre focus on the trauma of music, which
we know doesn’t stick by virtue of the original film’s opening music number,
along with the awkward depiction of the queen’s tragic death, which fails to depict
any sort of malice that would justify Triton’s surface prejudice, as well an
underwhelming antagonist, the whole film ultimately comes off as filler. Not horrendously
made filler but unnecessary nevertheless.
While I could lament on the fact that “Ariel’s Beginning”
couldn’t have been canned before release to let this line of films end on a
surprising bang or fail to have the gall to reach memorable levels of WTF
terrible like “Fox and the Hound 2: Animal ‘Almost Famous,’” I feel like seeing
these films end on a fizzle is oddly appropriate. For all the highs and lows,
they by and large aren’t quite worth remembering.
The only reason why I choose to remember them is because
Disney seems a tad too keen on wanting them to be forgotten. I’ll bring up why
that’s problematic as close out discussion on the direct to video sequel
experiment once and for all, Friday.
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