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New Merida design aborted


Harlow

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I remember that once Dras was talking about the staple image of the perfect girl in media (or something along that matter), focusing mainly on cartoons and Disney Princesses. Recently found something that may be of interest.

 

Stated:

"Disney has been forced to remove a "glammed-up" version of Princess Merida from the Pixar fantasy fairytale Brave from its official website following a high-profile campaign.

Red-headed teenage tomboy Merida had been given a makeover in advance of her induction into the Disney Princess collection, rendering the character slimmer, older and somewhat sexualised in comparison with her appearance in 2012's Oscar-winning animation. More than 200,000 people signed a Change.org petition calling on the studio to return the character to her more realistic origins and the redesign was also criticised by Merida's Oscar-winning creator Brenda Chapman.

While Disney has not officially announced a U-turn, the creator of the Change.org petition says "glam" Merida has gone missing from the Disney Princesses website after being officially inducted at Disney World last weekend."

 

 

brave-merida-makeover1.jpg

 

Her creator had this to say.

 

She described the new Merida as "atrocious" in an interview with her local newspaper, the Marin Independent Journal.

"When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come-hither' look and the skinny aspect of the new version," Chapman said. "It's horrible. Merida was created to break that mould," she added. "To give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model; something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance."

 

 

"New" Merida products are still selling, but it's part of a limited set of products. You can also buy "old" Merida stuff. Think this might affect the future of Disney?

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/may/16/disney-princess-merida-makeover

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/16/disney-wont-alter-princess-redesign-of-braves-merida

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/merida-disney-princess-controversial-makeover-brave-heroine-really-224924634.html

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Yeah good. I hate this sexed up Disney princess shit. Subtle as it can be (although not in this case, look at that exposed chest and shoulders wtf), it still promotes tiny waistlines, makeup and inappropriate clothing. Not what I would expose my little girl to. We already have shitty Bratz dolls, Disney is supposed to be better than that.

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True; The original design from Brave is much better in comparison than the Disney Princesses look. Pulling out the new design is an excellent move.

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Disney needs to halt a bit with the makeup. It looks wrong when it doesn't match the era settled in.

 

Although there is a point. What would the target audience buy between the two?

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To me they're rather similar, almost to were I can't distinguish which is suppose to be upsetting. But i'm aware i have a poor eye for such. I can tell ;however, the trim on the second is slightly brighter above the breast, drawing the eyes to her shoulder and chest. Hands on the hips are slightly "eh". But is there really that big a difference or am I just blind? 

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To me they're rather similar, almost to were I can't distinguish which is suppose to be upsetting. But i'm aware i have a poor eye for such. I can tell ;however, the trim on the second is slightly brighter above the breast, drawing the eyes to her shoulder and chest. Hands on the hips are slightly "eh". But is there really that big a difference or am I just blind? 

 

What's drawing the eye is the low cut of that dress. She's also slimmer and seems to be wearing makeup, though I am fucking horrendous about make up unless it's blatantly obvious clown make up.

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Myu did a really good edit of the "glam" version that shows that it wouldn't have exactly been that hard to design her to suit the look without losing EVERYTHING about her original design intention:

 

tumblr_mmrz1kf5jg1qgc8sto1_r1_400.png

 

I'm glad they recalled it but good god how is it so easy to miss the point of your own fucking movie

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Because the people who ok'd that design are the same folks that slapped the Disney Pixar name on it, the actual message of it being the point and goal of a whole 'nother department.

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Yeah, I know, it was rhetorical. You just think somebody would be, y'know, paying attention to that, but the multiheaded Leviathan that is Disney isn't exactly easy to put a leash on, even when you're running the company apparently.

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Also, the dress in the glammed up version is the one that she never wanted to wear in the movie.

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At least the very own creator of the character stopped the defacing, let's put it that way. Proves Disney still has a bit of respect to private property.

 

And Myu did awesome. Glittery enough for the public to be attracted to, but still "real". Did she ever thought of emailing that to Chapman? Not a surefire chance, but anything can happen.

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Also, the dress in the glammed up version is the one that she never wanted to wear in the movie.

 

For the record, no it's not. The only thing it has in common with that dress is the color and trim. The only thing Merida didn't like about the dress anyways was that it was horribly constrictive and it didn't allow her the freedom to move. When she ripped it in the archery competition, it looks an awful lot like this design, and she had no problems wearing it after she had ripped it.

 

The major problems with this redesign (and really the redesign of all the princesses) is her "beautification". She was designed as a stubbly sort of character, and they made her skinnier and decided to bare her shoulders a bit more.

 

ETA: Also I don't like the makeup either, haha, I prefer her without as well.

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Holy shit when I stare at this more and more, they didn't just pin her waist in, they also made her neck thinner ever-so-slightly, and gave her breasts more shading and definition.

 

Well, whatever. At least Disney has withdrawn it, piece of crap that it is. I love Brave, it's one of my favourite movies.

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