WARNING! Unrelated to Movies!

NOTE! For those of you who read my blog as a genuine resource, i.e. not my English teacher, be warned. This post is completely unrelated to animated movies. I have been required to do an English assignment here, but hopefully I’ll have a new movie ready in a week or two. (I seriously doubt that there are any of you out there anyway, but this is just to make sure.)

Now, getting on with business. In my English class at school, we have recently begun a unit about food. To kick off the unit, we were asked to keep a journal of our meals for a week. Here is my report on what I found.

The first thing that stands out when looking through my food journal is realizing what creatures of habit we are at my house. Almost every morning without fail, I have a bowl of cold cereal in milk for my breakfast, Raisin Bran if possible. On school days, my typical lunch consists of:
-a small sandwich, either deli meat or PB&J
-a snacky, grain-related food such as pretzels, crackers, or chips
-carrots, either sticks or baby
-at least one fruit item
-a granola bar
At dinner, we toss together a simple salad (lettuces, sunflower seeds, dressing, and something extra) about 80% of nights. Sometimes I resist, but it’s a habit of mine to have another bowl of cereal (albeit smaller) before bedtime.

Seeing this in my journal made me realize what food means to us; more often than not I simply eat what is given me or what I can find easily. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the different flavors that food has to offer—quite the opposite! I am pretty sensitive to the tastes and textures that different foods have. It’s just a bit of a wake-up call to realize just how much we rely on repetition, on having a norm.

Something else I noticed was a recurring affinity of making note in the journal what things were “healthy” and which things were not. These comments consisted of my explanations for the recurring Raisin Bran, produce-heavy lunches, and daily salads, among other things. I remember there was a word for it that someone in the other English class mentioned, but it’s eluding me right now.

I hadn’t before really thought of myself as a health nut. This journal forced me to recognize how health-conscious my family is. True, my mother recently took it upon herself to exercise more and eat more vegetables, resulting in an impressive weight loss that has been drawing attention from relatives whenever we have visits. The mentality clearly still lingers in our house, though I think it’s mostly a good thing.

I was also shocked to realize just how little I know about where our groceries come from. What store, what company? Most of the time I just let my family do the grocery shopping, just as most of the time I let them create dinner and feed me with it. This was probably the biggest wake-up call of this entire project. I am a very dependent creature, even for a high schooler. My mother has often bemoaned what will happen to me when I leave for college, but only now can I perceive the scope of her worry. If I keep waiting for nourishment to come to my mouth, what in the world will I do when I leave the house?

When I look back at all of this that I previously didn’t recognize, I have to say that this assignment, the food journal, was a very useful one. Thank you for opening my eyes enough that I could see myself.

Anybody Want to Go to the Circus?

Hello again! As promised, this next film features animals, and lots of them. Join me in welcoming one of Disney's oldest and finest to the stage:

Dumbo
Original release: October 23, 1941

So there's a little baby elephant who comes to a mama elephant in a circus. As it turns out, his ears are far too big. "Hmm," Mahewa mutters. "They must have shipped an African elephant by mistake." He is ridiculed by the other elephants and by obnoxious kids attending the circus; when his mother tries furiously to protect him, the workers think she is going mad and put her in solitary confinement. The poor baby elephant is befriended by Timothy Q. Mouse, who tries to make the kid a star attraction so he can feel good about himself and get his mother out of her cage. Little does anyone know that Dumbo has a surprising secret up his sleeve...

This classic is the fourth if the Disney animated features canon; it was preceded only by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinnochio, and Fantasia. So it's a real oldie. And, though it hurts to admit it, it's a bit...strange. My mother prefers to use the term "stylized." A handful of the scenes are definitely a bit spacey. Let's take a look.

Firstly there's the intimidating introductory narration, in the midst of a stormy night, which yields to nothing but calm storks carrying baby animals. Then there's the somewhat anthropomorphized engine of the circus train (which is actually fairly funny). There's that strange, unnecessary song when the workers and the elephants set up the circus tent in the rain. (Those are some really smart elephants!) There was Timothy's bit where he pretends to be the ringmaster's subconscious. There were the partying clowns silhouetted against the tent. And then there's the scene when Dumbo and Timothy get drunk. Ooh boy, where to start on that. At first they're hiccuping, grinning stupidly, and playing with bubbles: that was the funny part. And then...then there came the *shudder* DISTURBING part.



If that scene didn't scare you, I don't know what will.

But aside from the more (ahem) artistic scenes, this movie features a deep, endearing story. My favorite scenes are when Mrs. Jumbo is cuddling or playing with her son. "Baby Mine" almost made me cry. Every time Dumbo trips on his ears or is laughed at, you can't help but feel the utmost sympathy. There's a definite 'Don't judge a book by its cover' strain in this movie, as well as a predominant theme of unconditional motherly love.

A controversial aspect of this movie is the possibly racist portrayal of the gang of crows. While the primary crow was voiced by Cliff Edwards, the other four were voiced by members of the African-American Hall Johnson Choir. Though the crows' names are never mentioned, the lead crow is affectionately nicknamed "Jim Crow" in the script. Some have claimed that the crows were results of a racist attitude from the studio. But if you think about it, the crows are the most helpful characters towards Dumbo (besides Timothy) in the entire movie. In fact, it struck me as very similar to the Spanish-speaking Adélie penguins from Happy Feet. They are simply a nation of sorts, a familial group of characters.

The bottom line: this movie has its peculiarities, but it's sweet and moving underneath.

Mahewa's rating: 3.2/5




Check out some reviews at Ultimate Disney, The New York Times, and DVD Verdict.