Real history and culture in Disney princess stories

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Over the past decades, the Disney company has turned less and less often to film adaptations of European folk and author's tales and relies on each part of the world to get its own princess. This means that cartoons use real folklore or ethnographic material that refers us to the culture and history of different peoples. Animation studios were constantly doing something similar in the USSR, but, you see, the scope of the Disney studio will be bigger. Much in articles about history and culture will seem familiar to children who grew up on these cartoons.

Mulan

Many people know that the cartoon is based on an old Chinese legend, but from Chinese history not only dragons and worship of the emperor were depicted wherever possible. If in childhood the viewer believes that "Shan-yu" is the name of the main villain, then, as an adult, he will discover that this was the supreme title of the Xiongnu tribes, who constantly annoyed China with cruel raids.

A young man named Li Shang, who trained recruits, is the son of General Li, and such a general was indeed a participant in the endless wars between the Chinese and the Xiongnu. However, he did not die on the battlefield - he was executed as a result of intrigue. On the other hand, General Li, on the other hand, successfully defeated the Hunnu thanks to his cunning.

In addition, many agree that Mulan is originally a Chineseized Mongolian. Mongolian girls, long after their people joined the family of the Chinese peoples, lived freer than Chinese girls and knew how to ride a horse - for which they were considered inelegant. True, in this case, the cartoon is an anachronism, because the Xiongnu are one of the ancestors of the Mongols, these two peoples could not intersect. The real Mulan (more precisely, Hua Mulan) lived in the sixth century, during the imperial Sui dynasty, which came from the Sinic Mongols, and therefore she had to fight against the Turkic Kaganate - there were no other opponents in the north of China. True, the ruling clan of the Kaganate, Ashina, according to legend, descended from the Xiongnu prince (and his wolf-wife).

Brave

According to the plot of the cartoon, Merida, the daughter of the Scottish king Fergus and Queen Elinor, loves to climb rocks and shoot arrows, but her mother would like Merida to be a beautiful lady. In addition, Merida will have to marry one of the noble youths who will fight for her hand in the tournament, regardless of whether she likes the winner - as this will strengthen the ties of the royal dynasty with one of the allied families. Everything, of course, ends well for Merida, but a small viewer may wonder if all these characters existed in life.

There are not many written sources about early Scottish history. Modern Scots consider their land a descendant of the semi-legendary kingdom of Dal Riada, founded by the Irish who arrived in the Scottish lands. The first king of Dal Riada was Fergus the Great, and the name of Merida's father is probably a tribute to this ruler, especially since, according to the official version of Disney, Fergus became the first king in his family. But Fergus's wife was hardly called Elinor (Eleanor), and even in the time of Fergus (the end of the fifth century) this name was not popular.

Most likely, the image of a lover of courtly culture Elinor refers to one of the most famous queens of the Middle Ages, Alienore of Aquitaine - who has become firmly established in British folklore. Alienora was a native of the land from which the courtly culture generally came, and brought it with her to England when she became the English queen. Thus, the name of Queen Elinor should evoke an association with one of the most refined queens of the Middle Ages - and she constantly tries to bring Merida to the image that noble virgins in courtly culture should have corresponded to.

The women of Scotland have traditionally been distinguished by their belligerence, so that Merida embodies one of the national images. Her or a name similar to her does not occur, however, in Scottish history. Perhaps this is how the Celtic name Meredith was romanticized, which, however, is considered Welsh, not Scottish. Also, the name of the bear-prince Mordu may come from the name of Mordred, one of the negative characters in the legends about King Arthur - this name is also Welsh.

Moana

According to some indications, the image of the main character, saving her people from hunger and extinction, refers to a noble Maori woman named Te Puea Herangi (who, among other things, is famous for claiming that she is not a princess, protesting against the way she presents her press of Europeans). Te Puea was born at a difficult time for her native tribe and, as an adult, made many efforts to ensure that the tribe returned part of the land on which they could work and grow their food. She also behaved very unusual for a noble Maori girl, distinguished by courage, which many preferred to consider arrogance and aggressiveness, and a certain freedom of judgment. True, Te Puea was not a daughter, but a granddaughter of the Maori king - Tafiao.

Te Puea also collected and preserved the traditions of the native tribe so that the memory of the people would not disappear under the onslaught of a new culture.

The name of the main character has no historical references, it is just a popular Polynesian female name, it means "Ocean" - it emphasizes that the girl is chosen by the ocean itself and, thus, is a female version of the young King Arthur, another Disney character-chosen one.

There is a version that the cartoon contains references to the film of the twenties "Moana of the South Seas", about a girl who lives an ordinary life in Samoa. In this film, there is a scene of painful tattooing of a young guy (as in the cartoon), and the life of the Samoans is shown as carefree and well-organized (which was generally true). In 2014, the re-release of this film with a restored picture and overlay sound was triumphant in the United States, probably its success could have influenced the creators of the cartoon Moana.

The legends that the Polynesians conquered the ocean waves and distant lands on their very small ships are true.

Maui is a real character of Polynesian legends, he is a big joker and not all his jokes are pleasant (they found a way to convey this in the cartoon), but he helped humanity more than once. Before the battle with Te Ka, Maui dances - this is a reference to the ritual battle dance of the Haka Maori. This is a very tense moment, since according to some legends, Maui was killed by an old goddess. But this time, he escapes his fate thanks to Moana's resourcefulness. Also, according to legends, Maui was very ugly. Disney has tried to convey this by making Maui's facial features wrong.

The giant crab that Moana and Maui grapple with is named after the royal dynasty of Tamatoa, which underscores its place at the bottom of the ocean. The prototype of Moana's grandmother is called Queen Salote Tupou, who ruled the state of Tonga and participated in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Salote was distinguished by gentleness and wisdom, in any circumstances she knew how to maintain her dignity and did a lot for her people.

Cold heart

The country in which Anna and Elsa live is not named directly, but many signs speak for the fact that we are talking about Norway and the Northuldra people from the second part are the Sami. Everything speaks for this version - and the appearance of the Northuldr, and their yurts, and herds of deer. In addition, the Scandinavians traditionally attributed the Sami possession of magic. Thus, the second part retells the story of the colonization of the Sami and their lands by the Norwegians. The issue of colonization is being raised by Disney for the first time in cartoons.

Although Queen Elsa does not have a real prototype, Norway was once really ruled by a queen - her name was Margarita. Officially, she was considered the regent of her son, but in fact she did not lose power from her hands until her death. She is considered by many to be one of the best Scandinavian rulers.

The story of Elsa herself refers to the tale of the Danish storyteller Andersen "The Snow Queen". Most likely, Denmark is hidden behind the South Islands. Iceland, the "land of ice", became the prototype for the magical island where the Ahtohallan River flows.

Traditional Scandinavian mythology is actively used in cartoons. Trolls, stone giants, a water horse act in them. Anna and Elsa's mother's name is Iduna, and this is possibly a reference to Idunn, one of the most beautiful Scandinavian goddesses.

Another Disney story has a real historical basis. The real story of Pocahontas: why an Indian princess converted to Christianity and left for England.