Does Russia Needs Its Own High School Musical?

What would I do without my friend Danielle? Without her, I might have never heard about the Russian rip-off of High School Musical, First Love: It’s the Music!

The trailer’s fabulous…you gotta read the subtitles as you go along, even though they’re easy to miss in their tiny little boxes. “It’s easier for the horse to start when the woman gets off the cart.”

And no, it’s not just a random copy-cat…according to IMDB, it was co-written with Bill Borden, with plenty of High School Musical credits to his name. Idolator has more commentary for your reading pleasure.

Disney Movie Club on Black History Month

Like many a Disney fanatic, I’m a member of the Disney Movie Club. And most of the time, it’s strangely fun and comforting to page through the monthly mailings, with ads for movies like Stub: The Best Cowdog in the West and Donald in Mathamagic Land. (A gold star to you if you can guess which of those movies I actually do own!)

But once a year, the mailings really irk me. And when would that be? February, which is not only the shortest month of the year but also Black History Month.

Disney has some odd ideas about what it means to celebrate “Black History.” Sure, I can see the relevance of Selma Lord Selma or even Glory Road. But Twitches? The Haunted Mansion? Jump In? I would no more consider these representation of Black History  than I would consider American Pie or Fast Times at Ridgemont High to be representations of White History, whatever that is.

And you see, this is my problem with Black History Month: It encourages us to think about Black History as separate from American History, or “our” History, whoever “we” are if we’re not Black. And that implies an “us” and a “them” which I’m not particularly comfortable with. What is there in Black History that is not also my history? What is there in Women’s History that does not also belong to my son and husband? And what is this apparently “regular” history which we’re distinguishing it from?

Selma isn’t Black History…it happened to all of us, affects the world in which all of us live today. So did the Nineteenth Amendement. And the American Civil War, and the Great Depression, and the fall of Troy.

Think I’m crazy? Listen to what Morgan Freeman has to say about Black History Month.

Now, I understand that from a pragmatic point of view, Black History Month might just ensure that a few schoolkids learn about the Tuskegee Airmen, or Loving v. Virginia, or any number of events in our collective history that have been segregated out of the curriculum. But in my crusty old leftist heart, I can’t help hoping that someday we could truly integrate the curriculum. I’ve seen it done, albeit on relatively small scales, and when it works, it’s beautiful.

Now, if you’re determined to celebrate Black History Month and want a Disney movie to focus on, might I suggest tracking down a bootleg copy of Song of the South? Especially if you yourself are not African American, this film can provide an interesting jumping-off place for a discussion of the unfortunate stereotypes and dynamics that color our collective past, and still exist today, though perhaps in modified and sometimes lesser forms.

And hey, if you watch The Haunted Mansion or Jump In! right after Song of the South, you’ll probablynotice some genuine changes in the way that people of color are represented. So maybe there’s good cause for a filmfest after all. Just don’t go thinking you’re gonna get me to watch Twitches Too in the name of history or civil rights.

Engrish: Troy Bolton, Hottie Superbum

Of course, any HSM fan will notice the other funny thing about this badly-translated item from Engrish.com is that Gabrielle is not the person on this page most likely to comment on the likability of jazz squares. Puh-leeze.

Adorable Totoro Bento

Can you imagine opening up your lunchbox to find this grinning Totoro? I’m not sure I could eat it! It’s too super-kawaii!

Lots more cute Bento are at Ai Bento. Hat tip: BoingBoing.

Weird Theme Parks, Magic Meets, and Another TDC Plug

image by Noel, via Dark Roasted Blend

How sad am I that I’ve never set foot in any of the World’s Strangest Theme Parks, at least according to Dark Roasted Blend? Truly I would’ve visited Diggerland had the weather been a little more promising while I was in the UK….and last summer I was pretty darn close to Hershey Park the day after Magic Meets 2008, when Lisa and I recorded the Hershey’s Chocolate World Tour ride-through for Those Darn Cats episode #14 (and no, I had not planned in advance to plug my podcast twice in a day, but so there!).

And hey, speaking of Magic Meets, they’ve just opened pre-registration for Magic Meets 2009. The event sells out wicked fast, so they have a two-step process: You pre-register for the event (without paying), and then later on you pay your money to secure your place. So, pre-registering is not a guarantee that you’ll get in, but speeds things up a bit once it’s time to plunk down the cash, and (I think) ensures that you’re on the email list to be informed when the all-important payment window opens up. I’m hoping to be there again this year, especially since I probably wouldn’t be able to make it to MouseFest this year, even if it were happening.

The Gender Politics of WALL-E

Yes indeed, my son and I whooped with joy and relief last night when WALL-E was awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Film (beating the Annie winner, Kung Fu Panda), and sighed a bit when it didn’t take home any others. I do believe the merits of this film will hold up over time, and are of interest not only to students of animation, but also to those who study sexual orientation and gender. The Oh! Industry blog has a great queer studies analysis I’ve linked to before, and now I’ve added my own two cents in last week’s Jentasmic! column at Studios Central. Here’s just one of the many reasons why this old crusty feminist loves WALL-E:

Shared parenting supports women’s full participation in society, and WALL-E is a great dad. Think back to the moment that EVE takes the plant into her body, and then shuts herself off from the world, focusing only on protection of the life within her. Sound familiar to any of you who’ve been pregnant, or whose partners have been? While WALL-E is heartbroken by her withdrawal, he protects her carefully, lovingly, with great dedication. Lightning strikes his umbrella? No problem, he’s got another. (And yes, it’s also borderline creepy when he takes her for the romantic canoe ride…but comedy returns when he tries to hold her hand watching the sunset.)

The current episode of the Those Darn Cats Podcast also has some discussion of WALL-E, and the Oscars in general….including some super-fun red-carpet commentary from Lisa. And for those of you who aren’t already subscribed to the podcast, we’ve got a handy-dandy past shows archive page, from which you can download shows on topics ranging from remembering Eartha Kitt (podcast), to feminist analysis of Minnie’s Country Home (podcast), to Disney Cruise Line (podcasts part one and two). You can also check us out on iTunes.

Peter Mahew to Appear Again at Star Wars Weekends?

Do I wish I were going to Star Wars Weekends 2009, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Absolutely! Especially given that Peter Mahew seems to be appearing again, according to his website and StudiosCentral.com.

And here’s another Star Wars LOL, just because.

What Do Kihei and Adventureland Have in Common?

Aside from the sometimes tacky Polynesian-style decor? Well, Dole Whip of course!

Imagine my surprise when I looked up from my delicious chocolate-covered banana to see this sign in the Lampert’s Ice Cream on South Kihei Road in Kihei, Maui, Hawaii!

(Forgive the lousy camera phone pic, I was unprepared!)

So did I grab a Dole Whip, and reminisce about happy times at Aloha Isle? No, I was too happily full of chocolate and banana, and Kihei’s quite a hike from where I’m staying this week. But hmm, we’re still here a few more days, ya never know.

And of course, The Disney Blog had a piece a while back about One Man’s Quest for Dole Whip that the true affectionadoes have no doubt already seen, but that the newly afflicted Dole Whip fan may still need to peruse.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Chad and Ryan!

I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the subversive tree, now does it? My son (aka the Watchamacallit) created this adorable Valentine’s Day Obamicon/Luvicon:

Missing the reference? Not an HSM2 fan? I’ve got a Jentasmic! column over at StudiosCentral to get you in the wise: Show You How I Swing: The Hays Production Code.

And on the off chance that any of y’all watch Death Note (which, by the way, totally 0wnz J00!), I’ll share this one with you too:

Rizzo Rat, Midnight Cowboy

CNN’s got a great piece today on the origins of some well-loved Muppets. My personal favorite story?

18. Rizzo the Rat might sound familiar to you, especially if you’ve seen “Midnight Cowboy” — he is named for Dustin Hoffman’s character, Ratso Rizzo. He was created after puppeteer Steve Whitmire was inspired by rat puppets made from bottles. He first showed up on “The Muppet Show” as one of a group of rats following Christopher Reeve around — he’s easy to spot because he hams it up more than any of the other rats. He occasionally performs with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

Hat tip: Mr Broke Hoedown’s Twitter feed.