I was thinking today how "hyped up" Tangled was a couple years ago, and how Frozen seems to be following suit.
It made me think, "But what about all the Disney 'classics'... Lion King, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast??? Did they get this kind of a reception back in the day?"
Then I realized something. Social media wasn't even invented yet when those movies were released, so when they first came out it was probably more like, "Hey did you see that great new Disney movie?" or "Only 12 more months till it comes out on VHS!!"
I don't think our culture is getting more appreciative, or less discerning when it comes to these movies... just more VOCAL about it. It used to be the kids in your class or your buddies in the dorm who shared your movie enthusiasm; now it is 500 of your closest FB friends who get to hear your opinion.
Which, in some ways, I think can actually HURT the movie. I know some people who wanted Frozen to be bad just because they thought it was so over-hyped. Or at least they were already bored with it before they even watched it... all because of social media. I don't want to be that way. I want to believe that Disney can still make great movies, so I fully expect to enjoy Frozen... whenever I get around to watching it.
And despite what I just said about how "over-sharing" may sometimes hurt our opinion of movies, I don't really think it's bad when people share on Facebook (or whatever media you use). Even if 100 other people have said the same thing, sometimes YOU just want to say it. I hate watching movies alone-- very rarely do it-- and even when I do, I end up talking with my husband all about it later or putting something up on FB about it. Movies are made to be shared experiences.
So, if you want to post "Let It Go" on your newsfeed one more time, go for it.
One more thing about movies and social media-- I know a lot of people say it is "uncool" to post critical moments about a movie on the internet... at least without shouting SPOILER ALERT first. As much as I hate it when I accidentally run across a spoiler for a movie (or TV episode) I haven't seen yet, I still realize that is my fault for being slow in getting around to watching it. I mean, it is a little distasteful to blast crucial plot elements on the internet within a few days or weeks after a show has aired or movie has been released, but I still think it should be expected, and people who are going to get bent out of shape about it should stay off their social media platforms until they are caught up on their other forms of entertainment. Don't hang out at the virtual water cooler until you are ready to engage in the conversation.
I don't think any of this is really ground-breaking or thought-provoking. It probably has all been said before, but it was just some things I thought of tonight. And I hadn't posted on here in a month or so, so I figured I'd just put my thoughts down before bed.
Thanks for reading!
