Sleeping Beauty

Synopsis

Two kingdoms plan to unite when a daughter (Aurora) is born that can wed the son (Phillip) of the other kingdom. The plans are at risk when the evil Maleficent prophesies that on the girl's 16th birthday she will die. The girls father, in an attempt to foil Maleficent's plan, sends her to live with the fairies deep in the woods. Aurora is found and Phillip must fight the powers of Hell to save her.

Entertainment Value

Rating: A

This is probably one of my favorite Disney princess movies (right up there with Beauty and the Beast). Maleficent's character particularly intrigues me (probably one of Disney's most evil villains) and the prince's fight against her at the end is pretty intense. The whole falling in love after dancing together isn't much of a story, it's kind of a side story to the battle between good and evil in the film.  The musical score is excellent!

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate?

Rating: 4

Love really is the thing that Satan cannot understand (in the movie Maleficent = Satan), particularly the love God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ have for us. Just as Maleficent tried to ruin the life of the princess, Satan tried to ruin God's plan, but Jesus Christ stepped in and put enmity between Satan and man (just as the fairies stepped in and blessed the child that she would not die, but sleep).

The Princess and the Frog

Synopsis

A lazy prince turns into a frog and must get a princess to kiss him before he remains one permanently. When the frog mistakenly kisses a servant girl dressed up as a princess, she too becomes a frog, and together they must find a princess for him to kiss.

Entertainment Value - B

Great jazz music and humor; an all around fun story. Definitely different from all of Disney's other princess stories.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 3

The message presented isn't very strong. We're somewhat shown the importance of a good work ethic and gaining an education. There's quite a contrast between the work ethic of Tiana and Prince Naveen, the former works too hard and the latter plays too much. The two learn that there must be a balance between work and play.

We see a good model for friendship between Tiana and Charlotte. This relationship is important in not only overlooking racial barriers, but also class barriers which can sometimes be hard to overlook without the rich person becoming too condescending or the poorer one too covetous.

Tiana and Prince Naveen fell in love way too quick, even for a fairy tale. In less than a day they go from having nothing in common to falling in love. Maybe some relationships don't need years (or even a year) to mature before feeling ready to take the plunge into marriage, but a day is ridiculous. (This would be a fault in many princess movies - Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella; but there are some good examples of developed relationships with Beauty and the Beast and Enchanted, to name a few.)

The Shadow man (villain) was a little dark with all the voodoo and communicating with "the other side" (not sure if this meant just those dead, or more likely dealing with the dark, shadowy side with the devil and his minions). Though dark, it did seem rather fitting with the setting being New Orleans, but might be a little scary for kids afraid of shadows.

Up

Rating: 5

The first 15 mintues or so of the movie really draws you into the happiness the Frederickson's had in their lives despite the inability to fulfill their dreams of exploring South America. Their hardships are what really drew them close together in their marriage. Throughout the story you see Mr. Frederickson's continued love for his wife and how her love for him encourages him to love and serve others. Ellie's enduring love for Carl helps him gain the courage to befriend and help Russell and Kevin. These concepts are very applicable to any marriage. Once either partner in the marriage starts trying to figure out "what's in it for them," they lose their focus of loving and serving their spouse and children, putting the relationship at risk.

One of my favorite parts is when the old man is flipping through his wife's scrapbook and discovers that she had filled in the Paradise pages (saved for their dream vacation that they never got to do) with pictures of their life together. To her, life with him was her paradise. *Sigh*

There is a conflict between good and evil in the film, but the real conflict is within the old man. Learning to live with the passing of his wife and living his life to the fullest, not letting his time waste away is what continues to make him happy, even in the absense of his wife. We whole-heartedly encourage you to make an effort to see this if you haven't already.