Hey guys. Normally, I do not really care about Disney eras; I just look at each Disney film as it is on its own. The Disney Revival era begs to differ this time. If I had to pick a favorite era, it would be this one. The Post Renaissance Disney films from last decade were too, er....weird for my tastes. They seemed more like Warner Bros films than Disney and it seemed like Disney was just making them up as they went; The Emperor's New Groove, Home on the Range, and especially Lilo and Stitch to name a few. None of them were balanced or charming like the Walt Disney, Bronze Age, or Renaissance films. If you like those Post-Renaissance film, great. They just do anything for me. The Disney Revival on the other hand feels compromising to Disney fans of any kind; there are fairy tale musical films that are equal to the classics like Frozen and Moana and some non-fairy tale musicals like Wreck-It-Ralph and Big Hero 6 for modern moviegoers. But this blog is about the duos. A lot of these films deal with the top two main characters playing off one another and the emotional struggles in their relationships that bring them together. So today, I am going to rank them in this blog's countdown.
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I confess, I haven't been into this movie as much as I used to (probably because I feel like the story is trying WAY too hard), but there are plenty of things I look pleasantly back on within. One of which is Tiana and Naveen and Tiana's relationship. It is the kind of relationship in which the duo dislikes each other, but then the events of their adventure changes their lives forever. In this case, one is too workaholic and the other is too playful. But in time they teach each other (and subtly viewers) that both are important like a healthy diet. You need to work to get important tasks in life done and you need time to play to make your moods happy. It works because Naveen tells us he doesn't know how to do anything, which obviously means that he feels worthless. But his love for Tiana proves that he IS useful, as he wants to make her restaurant dream come true even if he's unhappy without the marriage of his true love. I guess the only other reason I put it on the bottom was because I didn't find their dance scene greatly interesting; or at least not the song that goes with it. But truthfully, I don't have a bottom favorite Disney Revival duo, I just don't feel the spark the wa I used to.
#6: Rapunzel and Flynn Rider (or Eugene)[]
Ok, truthfully I prefer The Princess and the Frog more than Tangled, but the only real reason I put them(slightly) above in the countdown is because I found their "Disney Romance" scene (I'm talking of course about I've Seen The Light). Ok done. Now let's talk about their chemistry in the movie. Rapunzel has been confined in a tower for 18 years due to her so-called mother lying to her about the outside world and her lust for the magic hair. And Flynn-or Eugene-or whatever I should call him is a smug thief who looks out for himself only-not even donating to charity like a Robin Hood sort of thief. But everything changes when they come across each other. Rapunzel doesn't know it-but she needs someone to teach her that the outside world isn't as bad as Gothel says. Sorta like Tiana and Naveen they of course disagree with each other, but once Flynn learns the truth about Rapunzel's hair, everything changes. They start falling in love with each other during the Corona festival and like I said, reach high chemistry during the "I See The Light" sequence which reminds me very much of the enchanting "Tale As Old As Time" and "A Whole New World" scenes. And then there's the climax-it's not full of action like most that I know, but these two pass the ultimate test of their relationship. Gothel fatally stabs Eugene and Rapunzel wants to heal him. She was willing to give up her freedom to save the man she loved from dying. But Eugene won't have it! The magic hair was his only hope of living, but he cut it so that Rapunzel wouldn't have to be confined by Gothel anymore. Deadly, but a heroic sacrifice. And of course you know how Rapunzel's tears magically healed him and they take her back to her royal parents, and happily ever after. Ok next!
#5: Moana and Maui[]
Moana and Maui's relationship is very different than most Disney Princesses' (or daughter of a chief in Moana's case). Moana does not find her "prince charming" and get married, shown in a much more interesting way than Brave. And besides, Maui has an adult form, and he's too old to be in love with Moana. Otherwise it would be too creepy. Anyway, the best thing about their relationship is how they constantly argue and play off each other. They get plenty of laughs and just the expressions they show when disagreeing with each other is priceless-like the "uh-uh" look Moana gives when she tells Maui that he's no one's hero, Maui when he loses an argument with Moana, or when she glares at Maui for the "kissing babies" comment. Now let's talk about their relationship development. Maui reveals that he was unwanted as a baby, and how the glory of being a demi-god was supposed to make up for it. Moana teaches Maui that he's the one who makes himself a hero and no one else. It takes a battle to defeat Te Ka and the loss of his fish hook to realize it, but Maui eventually realizes that he's still a hero without it. And he's also taught Moana how to wayfind so that she can have the dreams and talents she wishes for. By working together and learning about one's self-worth, these 2 save the worlds from the darkness and revive the tradition of wayfinding to Moana's people. That's how farthese two would go...and we say "You’re re welcome" to them for watching them on the screen.
#4: Hiro and Baymax[]
Hiro and Baymax's relationship is more what I think Carl and Russell's relationship should have been a little more like. Hiro has lost his big brother in a fire, and he's fallen into a big depression. Baymax is the best one capable of getting Hiro out of the ditch. He assists Hiro avenge Tadashi's death everyway possible, using the microbot to track Yokai, giving health advice, learning to fight, flying, you name it. What makes their relationship so good was the fact that Baymax helped Hiro eventually move on by becoming his new best friend. The best example is when Hiro breaks down crying over the fact that Tadashi had died for nothing. The outtake videos Baymax indirectly show Hiro that the best way to get through his loss is to honor his loved one's wishes, much like The Lion King. And that's what Hiro did after defeating the villain by going to the Institute to provide himself a productive future. And of course there's the tearjerking scene where Baymax is forced to sacrifice himself to save Hiro and Abigail, despite Hiro heartbroken at the fact that he's losing Baymax too. But Baymax knows that his program is to make sure everone's health is well, and he reminds Hiro that he would always be with him in his heart since he learned about human emotions to heal Hiro's emotions. And thankfully, you know that Hiro managed to rebuild Baymax, so they are together again. I say the relationship between these two characters is one of Disney's best ways of teaching people to move forward.
#3: Ralph and Vanellope[]
Like I've often said before, Ralph and Vanellope are one of my personal favorite friendships ever (at least in the first film). These two were characters who truly needed each other because of their miserable outcasted lives. Ralph is constantly rejected by the Nicelanders because of his role as a bad guy and Vanellope is bullied because she is a glitch and considered a danger to her game. But once Ralph crashes into Sugar Rush, they start realizing that friendship with each other is what they needed all along. Ralph realizes that Vanellope's problems are even worse than his own so he does everything to teach her to race sho she can get the better life she deserves. That is where he starts focusing more on Vanellope than the medal. But speaking of medal, Vanellope gives Ralph a cookie-made medal so that he can go home to Niceland with a medal and get the better life he deserves. Of course, there's the falling out where Ralph is forced to betray Vanellope to protect her, but then he redeems himself by having Vanellope's kart fixed and making the most deadly sacrifice anyone in Litwak's arcade could make to save her from the Cybugs. Once the worst is over, they start making things for the better in their own lives by developing good relationships with others, making them realize that every arcade character deserves friends. I just love the friendship of Ralph and Vanellope in the first film. The sequel on the other hand...eh, I don't feel like talking about it in this blog.
#2: Judy and Nick[]
Similar to Ralph and Vanellope, these two characters help make their world a better place after the endearing events of the film. But's what's the issue these two resolve in Zootopia? Stereotyping. We all know that rabbits and foxes are enemies in real life as foxes eat rabbits. Not to mention how rabbits are thought of as cute and cuddly, and foxes are considered sneaky and untrustworthy. But thanks to Judy's determination to become a cop, she perseveres and later has to partner with Nick to find Otterton and save Zootopia from a horrible hate crime. They at first don't like each other because of how Nick's sterotype and Nick's view on prey animals after his childhood tragedy. But eventually, Nick soften up to tell Judy about being bullied as a child, and Judy understands why Nick behaves like this. A couple of the other Disney Revival relationships have been a little like this too, but Nick's backstory was just so detailed and sympathetic to watch. It shows us that stereotyping can hurt others and we need to look past them. And speaking of which, they get helped me get past some of my animal stereotyping. I haven't been into rabbits or foxes lately before this movie, because I was bored of average forest animals as opposed to the extraordinary jungle animals. But just the way Judy rebelled against the cute cowardly bunny stereotype showed how brave one should be to have a dream come true is just what you wnat to see from a Disney film. And Nick's charming nature and sympathetic backstory managed to revive my interest in foxes as well. Also, fans of these characters might disagree with me on this, but I'm really glad Disney made Judy and Nick regular friends and cop partners instead of a romantic couple. I know it's very tempting, but not every male and female pairing has to be a couple like most people stereotype. After all, the point of the film was to get people not to stereotype so much. That's all I have to say about one of the best cop duos of all time.
And the number one Disney Revival duo is....
#1: Anna and Elsa[]
Yeah, I'm pretty sure you saw this coming. I suppose a tiny bit of it is because I er,..kinda have a bit of a thing for these gals..ok never mind! The more important reason is because much like Beauty and the Beast, these two teach us a broad lesson about love in a way we didn't expect. What do I mean by that? Well let's start with this: Anna and Elsa once had a loving sibling relationship that I don't greatly see often, movie form or real life. As much as I don't want to admit it, there are siblings who don't get along like Arthur and DW who always argue or the darker kind like Mufasa and Scar where the younger kills his brother to become king. In Frozen, we see neither of those kind. All these two want is to have fun together. And these two sisters are close, I think it's very sweet. Unfortunately, Elsa's fear of hurting Anna again with her ice powers gets in the way. Poor Elsa gets too much stress built up throughout the entire film. And Anna? She doesn't care that Elsa has snowy powers, she just wants to be close with Elsa again like the old days. Despite the fact that Elsa has sort of neglected her throughout most of their life, Anna is still willing to go far to rekindle their relationship, help Elsa feel more assured, and save her beloved kingdom. That's juggling a lot of selfless wishes if you ask me. And then there's the climax. Anna gives up her one chance of surviving her icy death by interfering with the evil Prince Hans' attempt to strike Elsa with a sword. This reminds me very much of Pinocchio's sacrifice for Geppetto, another Disney character I find sweet and lovable. And like Pinocchio's Anna's death does not last long and she comes back to life. It shows that true love does not necessarily mean a male and female couple-it's how far you are willing to go for the one you love. And Anna's love is what technically inspires Elsa to have confidence in getting rid of Arendelle's eternal winter. And of course, Anna and Elsa get their loving relationship back again. Loving relationships are very important to have, no matter how many bugs you have to work through. That's why these characters made it on number one.
And that's the countdown of duos on one of Disney's best eras ever. I hope you liked reading it. See you next time.