Annoying Cliches in movies, tv shows, in books.

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:11 am

Senshi_of_Vision wrote:It took a baby blues comic strip to remind me of this particular beef I have with Disney.

What the heck is with them always killing off mothers? Every good character is basically motherless in alot of their animated movies or they are evil step mothers. And heck the Lion king just reverses it and kills off the father. What a nice thing for my kid to watch a cub fawn or young character, losing its mommy or daddy. Needless to say disney movies are gonna be out for him till hes a wee bit older and I can explain stuff like that. Cause I really dont want my toddler worried that mommy is going to get shot walking threw the forests outside our home (Bambi) or that i'll pass away and he ends up with wicked step parents.

Ehh, while I agree it's cliched, it's more liekly to help teach your child rather than traumatize. Death is a natural part of life, and seeing it happen in movies/cartoons in a non-violent (aka blood and gore) way helps a child better understand that hey, it happens. I highly doubt it's going to make him worry that you're going to be offed =P

Jusenkyo no Pikachu · Post by **Jusenkyo no Pikachu** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 6:50 am

Tiff wrote:"I'M SIXTEEN, I CAN GO TO THE SURFACE!"

That one came from the book, where the Little Mermaid couldn't go to the surface until she was fifteen.

Oh, and every annoying cliché you'll ever find is listed here.

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:38 am

Jusenkyo no Pikachu wrote:
Tiff wrote:"I'M SIXTEEN, I CAN GO TO THE SURFACE!"
That one came from the book, where the Little Mermaid couldn't go to the surface until she was fifteen.

Oh, and every annoying cliché you'll ever find is listed here.

Yes, I know, I have a book of Hans Christian Anderson's stories. However, in the MOVIE, she's sixteen, so it really doesn't coincide with the book now, does it?

Iced_Cappucino · Post by **Iced_Cappucino** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:42 pm

What the heck is with them always killing off mothers? Every good character is basically motherless in alot of their animated movies or they are evil step mothers.

I understand exactly what you mean. What's wrong with having a character with two happily married loving paretns who are both alive and well.

In Cinderella there's the evil step mother.
In Finding Nemo, Nemo's mother died protecting her children.
In The Fox and the Hound (although I haven't seen all of the film) Tod's mother must have died which is why he was adopted.

But Disney has also experimented with fathers too.
Take the Lion King for instance, Mufassa is murdered leaving Simba fatherless.

Either this or the charatcer has no parents to start with as in Oliver or the Rescuers. The whole "having no parents or losing a parent" is a cliche itself, and an annoying one at that.

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Another cliche which is increasingly annoying is in the bond films. Why does Bond have to sleep with the bond girl. Everytime. I know that's one of his trademarks and the audience expects it, but I don't see how every bond girl is entranced by his "charm"

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:13 pm

Iced_Cappucino wrote:
In Cinderella there's the evil step mother.
In Finding Nemo, Nemo's mother died protecting her children.
In The Fox and the Hound (although I haven't seen all of the film) Tod's mother must have died which is why he was adopted.

At least Mulan has both parents ^^;; And so does Aurora.

Iced_Cappucino · Post by **Iced_Cappucino** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:14 pm

Good point

laffinizluv · Post by **laffinizluv** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:29 pm

I don't think the dead parents thing is neccesarily a cloche more as it is trying to reach different audiences and hit different soft spots. As there are characters that have MIA parents there's also everal that have both. I just feel more like they're trying to balance out the mix.

I do feel however that if Disney has cliche's they deal with identity crisis'. I swear, in almost every movie I've seen there is some conflict with a character wanting to be something other than what they already are. I guess it's to make for a good story but... why can't they just like, I dunno, write a story without the main character running away from home and realizing something about something.

I've confused myself...

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 3:54 pm

laffinizluv wrote: I do feel however that if Disney has cliche's they deal with identity crisis'. I swear, in almost every movie I've seen there is some conflict with a character wanting to be something other than what they already are. I guess it's to make for a good story but... why can't they just like, I dunno, write a story without the main character running away from home and realizing something about something.

Yeah, that seems to happen in a lot of movies of theirs. Oh noez, I don't like who I am *emo*

Banana · Post by **Banana** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:28 pm

-___- Sorry but what's really annoying me is how everyone is so annoyed with Disney's one-parent storyline. Every time I go to imdb someone always points it out and makes a big deal out of it. I just don't really see how it matters so much. Just try picturing one of those one-parent movies with a second parent and that parent probably wouldn't do much to move the plot along. Their entitled to their opinion but i don't see why most fuss about it.

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:00 pm

Banana wrote:-___- Sorry but what's really annoying me is how everyone is so annoyed with Disney's one-parent storyline. Every time I go to imdb someone always points it out and makes a big deal out of it. I just don't really see how it matters so much. Just try picturing one of those one-parent movies with a second parent and that parent probably wouldn't do much to move the plot along. Their entitled to their opinion but i don't see why most fuss about it.

The topic is cliches in movies. So people are pointing out a common trend in Disney films. Nobody's rioting about it here. *shrugs* Some people feel it'd just be nice if more Disney movies focused on a more traditional household than the constantly one-parent-raising-a-child or evil steparent type plot.

Senshi_of_Vision · Post by **Senshi_of_Vision** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:13 pm

Yep Yep Tiff nailed it, I just think it would be nice to see all aspects of parenthood. Trust me im not knocking single parenthood cause heck im a single mom right now. I just get tired of seeing alot of movies where the parents are offed or one isnt around and where are the wicked step fathers? lol omg we women are so ebil sigh

I know the Bros Grimm have alot to blame for that to I read their bios on Wiki and they seemed to base alot of their stories on resentment of their mother so alot of the females in their stories are protrayed as cruel. And many of their stories have been used by Disney as well.

Rin · Post by **Rin** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 1:20 am

Well in Lion King it was necessarry to kill the father to follow along with the Hamlet plot.

A lot of times parents or both parents just aren't necessary. In Cinderella, well they had to stick to the fairy tale, even though Disney does take liberties...

A lot of the stories do take place in the past during times where children were more likely to lose a parent.

Though there are some stories where a parent in unnecessarily missing: Little Mermaid being one of them where the mother could have easily been included, but then I guess that would make the overprotective father aspect a bit weird.

Hmm... evil step father plot... lol that could actually be quite scary.

Iced_Cappucino · Post by **Iced_Cappucino** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 6:24 am

Hmm... evil step father plot... lol that could actually be quite scary.

lol, that would be a twist in the tale.

Cardcaptor Takato · Post by **Cardcaptor Takato** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 4:49 pm

Senshi_of_Vision wrote:I just get tired of seeing alot of movies where the parents are offed or one isnt around and where are the wicked step fathers? lol omg we women are so ebil sigh

Would Frollo in Disney's Hunchback Of Notre Dame count as an evil step father?

Post by **Tiff** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 6:44 pm

Cardcaptor Takato wrote: Would Frollo in Disney's Hunchback Of Notre Dame count as an evil step father?

As horrendously cruel and awesome Frollo is, he didn't marry Quasimodo's mother (hell, he pretty much caused her death), so no. XD He's quite the evil guardian, though.

I love him. He was the only good thing to come out of that movie.

NameGoesHere · Post by **NameGoesHere** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:39 pm

Tiff wrote:I love him. He was the only good thing to come out of that movie.

Whaaat? Frollo was the only good thing to come out of a movie that played Dies Irae in the first few minutes?

Okay, so they could've done without the gargoyles... but LATIN. XD;;

Post by **Tiff** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:30 am

NameGoesHere wrote: Whaaat? Frollo was the only good thing to come out of a movie that played Dies Irae in the first few minutes?

Okay, so they could've done without the gargoyles... but LATIN. XD;;

All right, all right most of the music was okay. XD

But Esmerelda, Hunky blonde guy, the gargoyles, and even Quasimodo grated on my nerves. DEFINITELY on the lower end of my Disney movie list.

Frollo was just so deliciously perverse and evil. XD

Cardcaptor Takato · Post by **Cardcaptor Takato** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:01 am

Tiff wrote:

All right, all right most of the music was okay. XD

But Esmerelda, Hunky blonde guy, the gargoyles, and even Quasimodo grated on my nerves. DEFINITELY on the lower end of my Disney movie list.

Frollo was just so deliciously perverse and evil. XD

Aww, I thought Esmerelda was kickass and I love Quasimodo. Remember when you're teaching kids the alphabet, d is for damnation! Hellfire = greatest Disney song everz.

Post by **Tiff** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 5:58 pm

Cardcaptor Takato wrote:Aww, I thought Esmerelda was kickass and I love Quasimodo. Remember when you're teaching kids the alphabet, d is for damnation! Hellfire = greatest Disney song everz.

Esmerelda got on my damn nerves, and the fact that she ended up with hunky soldier guy at the end pissed me off. ^^;

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:32 pm

Tiff

Esmerelda got on my damn nerves, and the fact that she ended up with hunky soldier guy at the end pissed me off. ^^;

By any chance have you read the book? I have and it made me go WTF? None of the characters are even similar to how they are in the movie, and Esmerelda's an absolute idotic bitch in the book.