Y’all know when Mulan is sitting in the rain and watches her parents silhouette disappear as the candle is blown out and then her eyes squint in determination and the music that starts to play and you see her go into the family temple and light a match and bow in respect and then sneak into her parents room and switch the scroll for her hair brooch and then the way her reflection is shown as she pulls the sword and cuts her hair?? It’s literally more iconic than any marvel movie
Y’all know that there is heavy symbolism in that scene to show that Mulan is the spirit of the Great Stone Dragon and that’s why Mushu wasn’t able to awaken it?
im sorry What!! i never knew this! my life feels fuller!!! ahhhh
Mulan sits in the rain underneath the statue of the Great Stone Dragon (who is looking down on her), and suddenly decides on a course of action. She looks up, resolved to go to war in place of her father and runs into the temple where she lights the match and beseeches protection for her family. The stone she bows to and that we see lit up by lightening strike is that of the dragon, whose eyes are looking out after her, lit from underneath by the candles. The scene transitions to the divider in the house that also has an icon of the dragon. where she replaces her hair comb with the summons. Then we see the sword hilt, also the dragon, and as she draws the blade we see her face replace it. She ties up her hair, then as she opens the wardrobe, the handles are also the dragon. After donning the armor, the view shows her facing us, with the hilt of the sword (the face of the dragon) in front of her face, where she then turns the sword to reveal her face, and sheaths it. As she leaves, we flash back to the temple, and the eyes of the dragon flash as her grandmother wakes up.
The Great Stone Dragon resides within her. She is the protector of the family.
After this explanation, the scene where Mushu cannot wake up the stone dragon makes so much more sense. I appreciate the symbolism so much more. I noticed the dragon but didn’t notice she was constantly juxtaposed with the dragon!
What she means: The Princess and The Frog is one of Disney’s best Films. It certainly has to the best songs. There are so many characters, and they’re all diverse and drawn differently and have significant personalitys. The character design as well as concept art in general is amazing. It’s HAND DRAWN, which is gorgeous but still maintains a Modern look. I’m so tired of reading posts about how great Tangled is, when really we should be focusing The Princess and the Frog. If that movie was more successful Disneys animation style would have probably evolved differently! But have fun with your characters, that look like they apply lipgloss onto there giant anime eyes! I guess!
I still think Moana deserved an Oscar for this part
To me, the moral of Moana is that only women can help other women heal from male violence.
The movie starts with the idea that the male god who wronged Te Fiti must be the one to heal her. This seems to make a certain sort of intuitive sense in that I think we all believe that if you do something wrong you should try to make it right. But how does he try to right it? Through more violence. Of course that failed.
It was only when another woman, Moana, saw past the “demon of earth and fire” that the traumatized Te Fiti had become (what a good metaphor for trauma, right?) and met her with love instead of violence that she was able to heal. Note that they do the forehead press before Moana restores the heart, while Te Fiti is still Te Kā. Moana doesn’t wait for her beautiful island goddess to appear in all her green splendor before greeting and treating her as someone deserving of love.
Moana is only able to restore the heart because Te Kā reveals her vulnerability and allows Moana to touch her there. Maui and his male violence could only ever have resulted in more ruin.
Also important that it was the GIRL who returned the heart to Te Fiti. She wasn’t a woman. She was a GIRL. The innocence and strength of GIRLS before the world turns them hard and steals their hearts is a power in its own right.
If this is a metaphor for abuse and healing, it’s the woman who gets back in touch with her own youthful power, her potential, her hope, who finds peace and recovery. If we imagine this as Te Ka’s story, it is remembering her youthful strength that returns her heart and lets her become herself again.
I have cried every time I see this scene of the movie (I have a 5 year old sister, I’ve seen Moana dozens of times lol) and I was never really able to articulate why it just gets to me so much and this is exactly why.
another scene that I find super powerful is moanas dad being very against her going to the ocean and really aggressive and authoritive but when her mom catches her leaving she stops dead in her tracks…..then her mom helps her pack her stuff and hugs her goodbye. that scene fucked me up.
reckless & terribly gay 