Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

[aradia22]

My only issue with Ariel is the red hair. The Little Mermaid doesn't have to have red hair. They could have done something fantastic with "mermaid" colors of purple, blue, teal, etc. But that's more of an issue with the creativity of the filmmakers. I'm hoping for the best but the visuals from the trailers mostly have me worried. Is that really Melissa McCarthy's makeup? Is Ariel really going to spend so much of her time talking to those weird CGI animals? Halle is the least of their worries. 

[Spartan Girl]

I really love the whiners going on about how the hair isn’t “red” enough. Uh, that IS red hair, they just want it to look natural and nice instead of fake.

[Trini]

4 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I really love the whiners going on about how the hair isn’t “red” enough. Uh, that IS red hair, they just want it to look natural and nice instead of fake.

They would definitely still be whining if her hair was the exact same color as the cartoon.

5 hours ago, aradia22 said:

My only issue with Ariel is the red hair. The Little Mermaid doesn't have to have red hair. They could have done something fantastic with "mermaid" colors of purple, blue, teal, etc. But that's more of an issue with the creativity of the filmmakers....

I think Ariel's sisters might have you covered on that point.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Trini
dropped word

[aradia22]

Counterpoint, it's a Disney fairy tale. I don't want natural, I want FANTASY. Kat Blaque's old dye job would have been a great starting point. I know there were complaints about Emma Watson's Belle dress as well, but a lot of people have pinned their expectations on this movie. I just hope Disney is giving her the movie she deserves after throwing her out there to receive all this hate.

I'm just annoyed at studios underdelivering and then claiming people don't want representation in movies. 

[Spartan Girl]

It annoys me to no end how idiots are quick to laud successful movies like Top Gun Maverick and Super Mario Bros as “anti-woke” while crowing that the bombs are “too woke.” This after those same people trashed the trailer for alluding that Princess Peach seemed too much of a “girl boss.”

Back to TLM, is it really so unbelievable that the filmmakers decided not to limit actresses auditioning for Ariel to “white girls only” and gave Halle the part because she blew them all away with her singing?! Even if you don’t like Disney remakes or think that there should be more original Black characters, why do you want to ruin it for all those little girls who are happy that they have their own Ariel? It doesn’t mean they love cartoon Ariel any less.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 3/19/2023 at 9:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

No matter how much they rage, they aren't winning. I pointed out the other day that most of the good parts of MCU Phase 4 have revolved around female characters - WandaVision, Hawkeye with Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, Kamala Khan, She-Hulk. Many would add Wakanda Forever, but I didn't care for it.

I mostly agree with this, but it also underlines that Kate hasn't been seen or heard from since Hawkeye. Hailee Steinfeld is rumored to be part of The Kang Dynasty, but that's just a rumor and the film won't be out until 2025 at the earliest, and if they end up having to fire Jonathan Majors it might be longer than that. Yes, Yelena will be heavily featured in Thunderbolts, as she should be, but after the utter hatchet job* Wanda suffered during Mutliverse of Madness I'm worried they'll saddle her with the job of being Bucky Barnes' new nanny and be done with it. Having more female characters is great, but it would be greater if the "professionals" behind the scenes were actually professionals.

*Still bitter? Yep.

[possibilities]

On 4/16/2023 at 8:20 AM, Spartan Girl said:

why do you want to ruin it for all those little girls who are happy

We know why.

[methodwriter85]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:13 PM, Dani said:

I agree. I do feel bad for the actress because while she fits the Hollywood mold more than an actress with more distinctive native Hawaiian features she still going to face racism. I can’t blame her for going out for a Hawaiian lead role when they are few and far between. 

I honestly thought they were casting Auli'i Cravalho. I mean, having Moanna herself playing the beloved big sister to Lilo? That seemed like such a no-brainer. She might have turned it down. 

 

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I honestly thought they were casting Auli'i Cravalho. I mean, having Moanna herself playing the beloved big sister to Lilo? That seemed like such a no-brainer. She might have turned it down. 

That was rumored and would have been a good choice. I’ve seen people saying she turned it down due to another project but haven’t  found anything supporting that. It was announced she and the Rock are developing a live action Moana so that may have been a factor. 

[methodwriter85]

4 hours ago, Dani said:

That was rumored and would have been a good choice. I’ve seen people saying she turned it down due to another project but haven’t  found anything supporting that. It was announced she and the Rock are developing a live action Moana so that may have been a factor. 

That's pretty cool. If they're going to do it with her still playing the part, they need to do it now before she gets too old. I always kind of felt bad for Mandy Moore that she won't get to play a live action Rapunzel. She did get to do a cartoon, though.

Edited April 19, 2023 by methodwriter85

[Trini]

Luminate's 2023 Entertainment Diversity Progress Report

And a summary of major points at Deadline: 'Intersectionality Grows On Screen But Diversity In Film & TV Sees Minimal Overall Changes In 2022'

[Spartan Girl]

So there’s another “controversy” about The Little Mermaid that people are upset about regarding the plot: 

Spoiler

Apparently, according to the novelization, Ariel is the one that kills Ursula instead of Eric, this time. And the purists/mennists are acting like this somehow takes something away from Eric.

I have to bitterly laugh at the irony that after years of Ariel being crapped on because she’s supposedly anti-feminist, now people are complaining that she’s too feminist.  JFC I can’t even…

 

[dewelar]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

So there’s another “controversy” about The Little Mermaid that people are upset about regarding the plot: 

  Hide contents

Apparently, according to the novelization, Ariel is the one that kills Ursula instead of Eric, this time. And the purists/mennists are acting like this somehow takes something away from Eric.

I have to bitterly laugh at the irony that after years of Ariel being crapped on because she’s supposedly anti-feminist, now people are complaining that she’s too feminist.  JFC I can’t even…

 

Well, to be honest...

Spoiler

...in the original movie, Eric's got very little going for him beyond bravery and...being pretty, I guess? Not that this makes him that much worse than the classic Disney princes, but maybe they'll give him a personality to make up for taking away the hero moment.

And of course it probably goes without saying that those two groups of complainers are pretty much entirely different groups.

 

[Annber03]

Frankly, I think anyone feeling the need to make a huge controversy about a fictional story involving a fictional mermaid really needs to go outside and touch some grass. 

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

So there’s another “controversy” about The Little Mermaid that people are upset about regarding the plot: 

  Hide contents

Apparently, according to the novelization, Ariel is the one that kills Ursula instead of Eric, this time. And the purists/mennists are acting like this somehow takes something away from Eric.

I have to bitterly laugh at the irony that after years of Ariel being crapped on because she’s supposedly anti-feminist, now people are complaining that she’s too feminist.  JFC I can’t even…

 

Of course they are. Because a mute 16 year old falling in love and getting married is no big deal but rewriting the plot to give her more agency in her own story is unacceptable. 

The same group also lost their minds when it was reported that Kiss The Girl was being changed to account for consent. Because godforbid the hero prince cares about his love interest’s feelings. 

[Trini]

At Deadline: 'Afro-German Film Collective Publishes Open Letter Raising Concerns About “Anti-Black” Berlin Film Festival Movies '

As noted in the article, at least one filmmaker has responded with a rebuttal.

[Danny Franks]

On 4/24/2023 at 1:13 AM, Dani said:

Of course they are. Because a mute 16 year old falling in love and getting married is no big deal

Well, those are just good old conservative values, right there.

This will happen to every movie or TV series that has a woman, POC or (especially) a POC woman as the lead character.

This is the hill that chuds are choosing to die on, because a key aspect of their culture war, and even of their own identity, is that only white males can be marketable as heroes.

Disney is a great target for them because they know there's already ambivalence amongst a lot of people as to whether these live action remakes are necessary or wanted. It gives them a bigger potential audience for their poison.

None of these people cared about The Little Mermaid to begin with, and they don't care about it now. Just like they probably won't care about the next movie or TV show that has a lead that isn't a white cis man. But they'll be up in arms about that too.

[proserpina65]

8 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

None of these people cared about The Little Mermaid to begin with, and they don't care about it now.

I wouldn't say that.  I'm sure a few of them do care about it, probably far more than any normal person should.  Which is a whole 'nother problem.

[starri]

The pending Little Mermaid release has gotten me doing a deep dive into the Disney Renaissance, and I am struck by how queer the whole thing was.  Yes, you've got the obvious campy villains, but there are some pretty evident trans themes in both LM and obviously Mulan.  In the case of the latter (and from what I know of the folktale about Hua Mulan, I still think this), it's barely subtextual.

"Reflection" is already the saddest of the "I Want" songs: Ariel wants to explore, Belle wants adventure, Mulan...wants to be free to be herself.  But put the lyrics, especially the longer version that was only released as a single, in the mouth of a trans person ("Must I pretend that I'm/Someone else for all time?") and it's heartbreaking.

[Spartan Girl]

On 5/22/2023 at 8:59 PM, starri said:

The pending Little Mermaid release has gotten me doing a deep dive into the Disney Renaissance, and I am struck by how queer the whole thing was.  Yes, you've got the obvious campy villains, but there are some pretty evident trans themes in both LM and obviously Mulan.  In the case of the latter (and from what I know of the folktale about Hua Mulan, I still think this), it's barely subtextual.

"Reflection" is already the saddest of the "I Want" songs: Ariel wants to explore, Belle wants adventure, Mulan...wants to be free to be herself.  But put the lyrics, especially the longer version that was only released as a single, in the mouth of a trans person ("Must I pretend that I'm/Someone else for all time?") and it's heartbreaking.

Definitely.

The destruction of the grotto in The Little Mermaid also has the heartbreaking subtext of every LGBTQ person’s worst fear about their parents finding out about their secret lives. Triton believes he’s using tough love get through to Ariel, but the destruction of her safe place completely and utterly destroys her. And even though he sees this and knows he crossed that line, he just wordlessly leaves her there, still convinced that he did the right thing. Then, of course, Ursula swoops in, ready to take advantage.

The popular consensus that “Ariel abandons her family” isn’t that different from shaming LGTBQ people for leaving their families—the parents are the ones that drive them away with their inability to accept them. Would Ariel still have made that deal with Ursula if Triton hadn’t reacted he way she did? I’m guessing no. She NEVER wanted to lose her family—give the girl some credit, she understood the gravity of her actions: “If I become human, I’ll never be with my father and sisters again.” But as Ursula says, life’s full of tough choices.

Even at the end, when Triton turns her human permanently, I don’t see it as Ariel leaving her family forever. Since Triton realizes humans aren’t all bad, the surface isn’t off-limits to merfolk anymore. They could probably come see her when she’s by the shore or in a boat. People tend to forget that.

Edited May 24, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Trini]

It will forever suck that WB disappeared the Batgirl film, but I thought this was a nice quote from Leslie Grace (related to Sasha Calle playing Supergirl):

https://ew.com/movies/leslie-grace-reaction-meeting-the-flash-latina-supergirl-sasha-calle/

Quote

"Something that's important within this conversation of representation — Latino representation in film and TV — is more than being seen in a specific light whenever we play a role," Grace says now. "It's very important that when we're playing roles that are specifically Latino, that they're nuanced and that they have detail when it's merited." 

She continues, "But I also think that just existing, having the right to just play a role and exist like any other actor has the privilege to do, is so important. And in this case, I had the opportunity to do that as a superhero and exist in this space and be where I'm from and look how I look and speak how I speak and bring that value, for whatever it's worth, to the story of Batgirl and Barbara Gordon.... There are more roles ahead. I'm grateful that I got to have that experience and I get to still speak on it."

 

[Jaded]

I'm hoping the disappeared Batgirl movie will see the light of day eventually.  

[Spartan Girl]

11 hours ago, Jaded said:

I'm hoping the disappeared Batgirl movie will see the light of day eventually.  

Still seething with the injustice that they threw away this movie, but won’t even consider recasting Miller.

And speaking of injustice: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/06/06/media/little-mermaid-box-office-china-korea-intl-hnk/index.html

“We’re not racist, just liked the original white cartoon Ariel.” That IS being racist.

Again, the fact that Halle Bailey (who is a perfect sweetheart and has does nothing wrong and was a wonderful Ariel) has gotten more backlash than Ezra Miller is just…I’m sorry, I feel a rage stroke coming on.

[Scarlett45]

On 5/23/2023 at 7:08 AM, Spartan Girl said:

Definitely.

The destruction of the grotto in The Little Mermaid also has the heartbreaking subtext of every LGBTQ person’s worst fear about their parents finding out about their secret lives. Triton believes he’s using tough love get through to Ariel, but the destruction of her safe place completely and utterly destroys her. And even though he sees this and knows he crossed that line, he just wordlessly leaves her there, still convinced that he did the right thing. Then, of course, Ursula swoops in, ready to take advantage.

The popular consensus that “Ariel abandons her family” isn’t that different from shaming LGTBQ people for leaving their families—the parents are the ones that drive them away with their inability to accept them. Would Ariel still have made that deal with Ursula if Triton hadn’t reacted he way she did? I’m guessing no. She NEVER wanted to lose her family—give the girl some credit, she understood the gravity of her actions: “If I become human, I’ll never be with my father and sisters again.” But as Ursula says, life’s full of tough choices.

Even at the end, when Triton turns her human permanently, I don’t see it as Ariel leaving her family forever. Since Triton realizes humans aren’t all bad, the surface isn’t off-limits to merfolk anymore. They could probably come see her when she’s by the shore or in a boat. People tend to forget that.

I was a little girl when The Little Mermaid came out, and it was the first movie I saw in theatres. I remember thinking “her father could’ve given her legs the ENTIRE TIME!” My Mom explained to me that it wasn’t right of him to yell, but parents aren’t perfect and lash out when angry, he was thinking of her safety. I am not LGBTQ+, but I know a lot of black (specifically ADOS) parents (especially fathers) like King Triton. “Don’t do this, don’t go there, don’t disobey, it’s not safe.”(for good reason) I could understand why King Triton felt the way he felt although he learned humans weren’t all bad. And how worried he was when he realized he drove her away, as an adult (although I’m not a parent) I really get it!

[arc]

NYT: ‘Joy Ride,’ ‘Shortcomings,’ ‘Beef’ and the Onscreen Rise of the Flawed Asian American

Quote

Taken together, these productions [Beef, Joy Ride, Shortcomings] represent an important moment in the relatively short history of Asian American lives onscreen. For decades after the 1993 drama “The Joy Luck Club” proved a landmark hit, the handful of movies with Asian American casts mostly offered family-centric stories filled with generational hardship, sacrifice and culture clash. But now, in part thanks to the 2018 blockbuster, “Crazy Rich Asians,” audiences are finally getting to see all dimensions of the Asian American experience — even the weird, bad and raunchy parts.

Quote

[after "All-American Girl" and "The Joy Luck Club"] “There was this underlying feeling of ‘Don’t air out our dirty laundry, don’t let them see us fighting,’” he added. “It was like, we’ve got to put out something that’s more palatable, more friendly to everybody.”

Yu, who created the long-running blog Angry Asian Man in 2001, came up with a term for this feeling with his friends. They called it the “rep sweats” — the anxiety they felt any time they watched an Asian American onscreen. It was a pressure emanating from the fact that those appearances were so few and far between.

 

[Trini]

One could probably go even deeper on the topic, but I thought this was a good analysis on the current state of movies targeted to women, at Time: 'Barbie Is Directly Targeting Women—A Rare Thing in Hollywood'

a few excerpts:

Quote

In today’s fractured moviegoing landscape, that remains a rare feat. Even as representation of all types in Hollywood is improving, the kinds of movies in which women star aren’t stereotypically girly—for better or worse. Only 33% of the top 100 grossing films in 2022 featured female protagonists to begin with, and many of those movies slotted into the sorts of genres that typically cater to men: The Woman King is a historical action epic that happens to star women; Everything Everywhere All at Once is a multiversal movie stuffed with fight scenes that happens to center a mother and daughter; Scream 6 is a sequel to a classic horror flick. The intent with those movies is to reach as broad an audience as possible. They’re all solid to excellent movies. They are also, frankly, devoid of the color pink.

Quote

Where are the alternatives? The death of the big-screen rom-com hastened the death of movies marketed to women. Like all mid-budget films, they fell out of favor with studios eager to earn big bucks on comic book adaptations or awards gold with cheaper ventures. But female-centric films that had more on their minds than romance have largely vanished too. What is the 2020s equivalent of Mean Girls, a movie more concerned with the complexities of female friendships than who got the guy? Or The Devil Wears Prada, a movie about work-life balance struggle that seriously considers consumerism even as it celebrates it? It’s no coincidence these classics feature some of our greatest modern movie stars: Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, among them.

Quote

History shows us that the few times studios do “take a risk” on a movie marketed primarily to women, the bet can pay off handsomely. The two Mamma Mia! movies have made over $1 billion collectively by virtue of being fun musical diversions. Crazy Rich Asians dominated the box office, becoming the highest grossing romantic comedy of the 2010s, by refusing to apologize for the fact that it was a movie about love, fashion, and travel, all while overdelivering on the abundance of its title. ...

 

[Trini]

Situation kinda sus:

July 5 at Variety: 'Why Are Black Women Leaving Studio Leadership Positions?'

July 20 at Hollywood Reporter: 'After a Mass Exodus of Diversity Execs, What’s Next?'

 

[kathyk24]

The uproar over the Little Mermaid is stupid. Disney has changed classic literature in order to make movies. The original version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame is much darker than the Disney movie. Hera wasn't Hercules's mother in the original myth. Hera tried to kill him as a baby because she objected to Zeus having children with mortals.

[Spartan Girl]

And they’re already throwing stupid tantrums over the new Snow White movie with Rachel Ziegler that hasn’t even come out yet. Look, I get that sometimes people overdo trying to make the fairy tales more “modern” but if you’re going to be in this much of a snit over them having a more diverse cast, a Latina Snow White, and foregoing dwarves for other supernatural creatures, then here’s a simple solution: DON’T GO SEE IT.

And for the record, Peter Dinklage was absolutely right that little people  shouldn’t have to settle for playing dwarves, elves, and goblins etc. People should not blame him for Hollywood opting to use CGI instead of trying to give them more depth.

[possibilities]

I don't understand why fairy tales are so revered anyway. A lot  of the time they're pretty much horrible. 

Anne Sexton's "Transformations" made chopped liver of them, and that was generations ago.

I don't think any of this is really about a reverence for fairy tales. It's all just a way to spew the same garbage being thrown at other current day people, places, and things, both fictional and otherwise.

 

P.S. I love Peter Dinklage. 

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

if you’re going to be in this much of a snit over them having a more diverse cast, a Latina Snow White, and foregoing dwarves for other supernatural creatures, then here’s a simple solution: DON’T GO SEE IT.

But that's just too EASY a solution! Don't you know the people who throw those kinds of tantrums need to ensure that everyone else knows exactly what they think about this movie they've never seen and have no plans to see, because, uh, "reasons"? If they're not happy, they have to try ruin the fun for everyone else, because god forbid they go find something else to do with their time/lives. 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't think any of this is really about a reverence for fairy tales. It's all just a way to spew the same garbage being thrown at other current day people, places, and things, both fictional and otherwise.

[kathyk24]

7 hours ago, Annber03 said:

But that's just too EASY a solution! Don't you know the people who throw those kinds of tantrums need to ensure that everyone else knows exactly what they think about this movie they've never seen and have no plans to see, because, uh, "reasons"? If they're not happy, they have to try ruin the fun for everyone else, because god forbid they go find something else to do with their time/lives. 

They also never talk to people who benefit from the diversity. How many Black girls were happy to see Tiana on screen? 

[Spartan Girl]

6 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

They also never talk to people who benefit from the diversity. How many Black girls were happy to see Tiana on screen? 

Or Halle as Ariel? True, some people said there should be more original Black and POC princesses and that’s valid, but come on, Halle was so damn good. Nobody got hurt having a Black Ariel except in their own narrow mind.

[DearEvette]

20 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't think any of this is really about a reverence for fairy tales. It's all just a way to spew the same garbage being thrown at other current day people, places, and things, both fictional and otherwise.

Right? The number of grown ass men with full ass beards who were pressed about Halle would have been funny if it weren't sad. They knew they didn't care about a Disney mermaid.

[possibilities]

12 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

They also never talk to people who benefit from the diversity. How many Black girls were happy to see Tiana on screen? 

I think this is what really bothers them. They don't want certain people to benefit. They like having hegemony, any way they can get it.

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Or Halle as Ariel? True, some people said there should be more original Black and POC princesses and that’s valid, but come on, Halle was so damn good. Nobody got hurt having a Black Ariel except in their own narrow mind.

And the reality is that the same group moans and complains just as much when new Black and characters of color are introduced. Then it’s somehow woke and becomes “stop shoving it in our faces”. They just can’t handle not being the target audience for a movie. You see it so much around the reaction to the Barbie movie.

It’s so bad that Brie Larson is on their permanent shit list just for saying she wanted to hear what WOC thought of A Wrinkle in Time not what white men thought because it wasn’t made from them. 

[possibilities]

If they would expand what they were interested in, they could stil lbe the target for a movie, regardless of what demographics its actors come from. I sure watch all kinds of stuff that doesn't feature people  exactly like me. 

It's weird how many folks will watch a show about a mythical being or a human serial killer and not feel like it offends them because they aren't a mythical being or a serial killer, yet... they can't get interested if the character doesn't LOOK like them? 

It's almost funny, and almost sad, if it wasn't so annoying.

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, possibilities said:

If they would expand what they were interested in, they could stil lbe the target for a movie, regardless of what demographics its actors come from. I sure watch all kinds of stuff that doesn't feature people  exactly like me. 

It's weird how many folks will watch a show about a mythical being or a human serial killer and not feel like it offends them because they aren't a mythical being or a serial killer, yet... they can't get interested if the character doesn't LOOK like them? 

It's almost funny, and almost sad, if it wasn't so annoying.

"it's not realistic to have a bunch of POC or women in this fantasy world!" 'Cause, y'know, when I'm watching something fantasy-oriented, realism is totally what I'm here for. 

I also always like how the reverse apparently never applies - when a show or movie has an all white/straight/mostly male cast, despite being set in a place that would have a lot of diversity, and people note how unrealistic that is, the same people who throw hissy fits over diverse casts are now suddenly like, "It's just fiction, it's just a show/movie! It doesn't have to be realistic!" 

Funny how that works. 

[kiddo82]

I've been thinking since I saw Oppenheimer that the backlash against Barbie for being anti-man is pretty rich given that Oppenheimer isn't exactly "Rah!  Rah!  Men!  Bombs!  U! S! A!"  The message about small men being petty and dooming us all isn't even that veiled.  It's just not wrapped in pink and it's being told by the Batman guy as opposed to the Little Women chick.  

[JustHereForFood]

On 7/30/2023 at 11:56 PM, possibilities said:

If they would expand what they were interested in, they could stil lbe the target for a movie, regardless of what demographics its actors come from. I sure watch all kinds of stuff that doesn't feature people  exactly like me. 

Somehow, it was ok when women and minorities had to watch mostly stories about straight, white, cis men because that's all there was, but it's a problem for some of those men to watch stories about other people.

[kathyk24]

On 7/30/2023 at 5:56 PM, possibilities said:

If they would expand what they were interested in, they could stil lbe the target for a movie, regardless of what demographics its actors come from. I sure watch all kinds of stuff that doesn't feature people  exactly like me. 

It's weird how many folks will watch a show about a mythical being or a human serial killer and not feel like it offends them because they aren't a mythical being or a serial killer, yet... they can't get interested if the character doesn't LOOK like them? 

It's almost funny, and almost sad, if it wasn't so annoying.

When disabled people complain about able bodied actors playing disabled characters they are told that's why it's called acting. The problem is many people might believe that actual disabled people are faking it. 

[Trini]

Deadline has a better presentation of the letter, but Variety has the better context: '27 Latino Organizations Unite in Support for ‘Blue Beetle’ During Hollywood Strikes'

 

[Trini]

New study from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative; direct PDF (with graphs!), and Deadline's summary.

Quote

The study, released Thursday, examined characters’ genders, race/ethnicities, LGBTQ+ identities and those with disabilities for the 1,600 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2022, spanning 69,858 speaking roles.

While 2022 films saw increases in characters onscreen among women and girls as well as among underrepresented racial ethnic groups, overall those numbers were static over time, specifically among the former group, which despite seeing a 16-year high in leading or co-leading roles in 2022 (44%) saw almost no change since 2007 in the percentage of female-identified speaking characters (34.6% in 2022 compared with 29.9% in ’07).

The study found that only 15% of 2022’s top 100 films featured a cast that was gender-balanced, or featured girls and women in 45-54.9% of speaking roles.

 

[Trini]

'Congressman Joaquin Castro nominates 27 Latino movies for inclusion in National Film Registry'

List at the link.

Quote

Castro, a Democrat from San Antonio, added, "Movies remain a crucial form of storytelling, and movies are uniquely accessible to the public. The media and entertainment industry is the narrative-creating and image-defining institution in America."

Every year, after reviewing titles nominated by the public and conferring with members of the National Film Preservation Board, the Librarian of Congress adds 25 movies to the National Film Registry. Nominated titles must be at least 10 years old to qualify. As of now, only 24 Latino films are included in the registry — comprising less than 3 percent of the 850 movies preserved.

 

[methodwriter85]

I thought it was interesting to see Jenna Ortega being pitted against Rachel Zegler as the "good Latina" vs. Rachel's "bad" one. Okay, he doesn't come right out and say that, but come on.

I did think it was interesting that he chose them as a comparison because they're about the same age and "starting out", except that Jenna Ortega has a lot more experience. 

It kind of feels really unfair to compare them because Jenna has had much more time to understand celebrity and what it means to be one in a way that Rachel hasn't.

I do think after watching West Side Story that Rachel is legitimately talented but there's this cynical side of me that thinks that Hollywood is going to look at the bad press and go, "Well, we already have one with Jenna Ortega, so...see ya later!" 

It'll be interesting to see how this affects the promotion of Snakes and Songbirds.

 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

10 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

It kind of feels really unfair to compare them because Jenna has had much more time to understand celebrity and what it means to be one in a way that Rachel hasn't.

I would add that it's kind of on the same level as people calling Joe Locke ugly when mostly all he's done is exist, because there's a feeling of "Leave those children alone!" to it for me. As far as I can tell, there's never been this deep love for Snow White, since I've seen articles about how she's the worst Disney princess. I'm sure people like the character and enjoy seeing her onscreen, but I wonder now if Jenna Ortega had been cast if she'd pass muster. Because it'd still be the same character with the same themes, just with a different Latina actress in the role.

[methodwriter85]

And Prince Charming has never been anyone's favorite prince, yet it's horrible now that he's been "minimized." 

It's funny how Snow White and the Huntsmen got by everyone just fine in 2012, which also emphasized Snow White as a leader and completely 86ed the romance, but for some reason this isn't sitting well. Gee, I wonder what it can be?

[kiddo82]

To all your points, I find it really hard to believe that all these people are that attached to the 1937 Snow White.  I've read some of Rachel's comments and my reaction is "And...?"  She hasn't said anything that hasn't already been said about a movie that is clearly a product of its time.  Even if you disregard society's ever evolving opinions on things like themes or representation, the actual story beats are outdated.  We spend  valuable run time on the hand washing song, for the love of Pete, but they never even bother to give Snow a real name.  And yeah, color me shocked as to the fact that this particular iteration with this particular young star had everyone's panties in a twist.  

[kathyk24]

27 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

To all your points, I find it really hard to believe that all these people are that attached to the 1937 Snow White.  I've read some of Rachel's comments and my reaction is "And...?"  She hasn't said anything that hasn't already been said about a movie that is clearly a product of its time.  Even if you disregard society's ever evolving opinions on things like themes or representation, the actual story beats are outdated.  We spend  valuable run time on the hand washing song, for the love of Pete, but they never even bother to give Snow a real name.  And yeah, color me shocked as to the fact that this particular iteration with this particular young star had everyone's panties in a twist.  

I think the reaction to her and Peter Dinklage"s comments means that minority actors should be grateful and not complain.