Disney Keeps 2D Alive

I have been looking forward to The Princess and the Frog for months, but not for any real expectation of cinematic greatness. Instead I wanted Disney to prove that 2D animation is still viable in the world of 3D animation. And prove it they did. However, only in 2004 it looked like Disney had given up on 2D animation altogether when it shut down their 2D studios in favor of 3D. Following the acquisition of Pixar, they reopened the studios to make The Princess and the Frog. Instead of pandering to what they believe modern audiences want (as they have been with film after film about cute lost dogs) they returned to what they do best—retelling fairytales.

This is not to say that they didn’t have an eye on modern sensibilities. This was not the traditional Frog Prince. It was the princess and the frog where the “Princess,” Tiana, kisses a frog, Prince Naveen, and instead of the frog prince turning into a human, she turns into a frog. It is clever and in keeping with modern sensibilities influenced by the success of Shrek where fairy tale stereotypes are turned on their head.

But the film, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker of Aladdin and Little Mermaid fame, does retain much that Disney is loved for—a magic-filled world, catchy musical numbers, love triumphing evil, and a nasty villain who will stop at nothing to separate the protagonists. Although it includes all of these things, the strength of this film relies on its lush visuals of jazz-filled New Orleans and ...Read More 

Omar

Like most US-born Indians of his generation, Omar was not cool in high school.  But at the age of 13, when he was playing Dungeons & Dragons with dudes who looked like Oscar Wao, his aunt tried to console him by telling him that all the cool guys at school would be the ones pumping his gas and driving him around 20 years from now, like in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. Two of those cool, future-gas-pumping guys from Omar’s school are now state senators.

Despite his parents’ dreams of their only son becoming a doctor, Omar ended up designing his own major in college.   I can’t remember exactly what it was called, but I think it was something that sounds synonymous to “undeclared stoner”.  Luckily, this total lack of direction in college proved to be the perfect experience for bullshitting his way through a series of marketing positions at Internet startups after he graduated.

Currently, Omar works from home as a “web entrepreneur“, so if you have “funding opportunities”, please do “circle back” with him soon.  Oh yeah, and Omar loves the shit out of his wife.  He just doesn’t understand her (or most things) most of the time.

Gaby

Gaby used to be that girl you hated in high school. She seemed to have everything: looks, popularity, grades, money, handsome boyfriend, cute VW Bug with a flower holder, etc.   But like a poor country with a large oil supply, she never really seemed to enjoy any of her natural resources.  In fact, she was kind of a bitch.  And whether you’re Gaby or you’re Yemen, that’s a fucking tragedy.

After an uneventful four years at Princeton, Gaby chose to attend law school at Berkeley.  Why?  Because she’s Jewish. And when you’re Jewish, you stay East, or you go West.  The whole middle part is never really an option.

Gaby met and fell in love with Omar almost immediately after moving to the Bay Area. She was bowled over by his positivity, boyish looks, excellent height, the Jewish-Muslim storyline, and how cute they would look when they appeared in the NY Times Marriage section.

Too bad Omar forgot to email the NY Times before the deadline. It’s stuff like that. Stuff like that which brings out the bitchy high school girl in Gaby.  She loves him, but the dude can be irritating as hell.