Our Fate Lies Within Us

Brave was released by the Walt Disney Company in 2012 (IMBD).  In Scotland, a young princess of the clan DunBorch, was determined to change her fate.  She has come of age to marry and her mother is forcing her into marriage and teaching her to act like a lady, but Merida is more of a bow and arrow, fighting girl.  When Merida's suitors arrive, they are to fight for her hand with archery.  Merida decides she will shoot for her own hand, being the oldest in her family, and wins, but her mother was furious.  Merida runs away and follows the "whisps" and they bring her to a small cottage where an old witch lives.  She gives her a pastry that will change her fate.  She feeds it to her mother, and instead of her mother changing her mind, she turns into a bear!  King Fergus, Merida's father, is known for fighting a ferocious bear who torments the kingdom so she rushes her and her mother out of the house.  They head to the old witches cottage, but she is gone.  With a clue from the witches cottage, she must fix the bond to turn her mother back to a human before she turns into a bear forever.  She must mend the tapestry she had cut earlier back at the castle.  They make their way back to the castle and become closer with each other.  They maneuver their way throughout the castle and find the tapestry, sew it up, and rush to where they must go to fix it.  While they are there, Mor'du, the evil bear, shows up and Queen Elinor must fight him off and save her daughter.  She does and their bond, daughter and mother, is mended and the spell is broken.  Queen Elinor let's her daughter choose to not marry until she wants to.

The featured Princess this week is Merida!

Pros:
- Brave:  Just as the movie title suggests, Merida is brave.  She stands up for herself and her kingdom and not to mention a raging ferocious bear.
- Fights for herself: She doesn't subdue to the standards her mother gives her, breaks the rules and fights for her own hand.
- Skilled/Resourceful:  This girl can kill it with a bow and arrow.  She is also very resourceful while taking care of her and her mother in the woods.  She can survive in the wild and that's more than I can say for most other Disney Princesses besides Pocahontas.

Cons:
- Disobedient: Although I don't believe you should be required to marry to rule a kingdom and if you're not in love, she still disobeyed her mother.
- Magic fixes problems: This whole situation might have been avoided if she had talked to her mother about her thoughts and fears about marriage.  She instead, went and expected magic to fix her problems and it bit her in the butt.  Communication is key!
- Selfish: She doesn't think about her family and or kingdoms needs and thoughts about her marriage.  If marriage is something she needs to do for her kingdom than she could consider it for the sake of her people.  Her mother wanted her taken care of and she can only think about herself and her wants.

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A Girl with Golden Hair

Tangled was released by the Walt Disney Company in 2012 (IMBD).  In the kingdom of Corona. there was a king and queen who ruled over the land with great kindness and trust.  They were about to have a baby, but the queen became very sick.  They needed a special magic flower to cure the queen.  An old woman in the forest coveted the flower for herself in order to keep herself young forever.  The palace guards found the flower and cured the queen with it.  The old woman, Gothel, was outraged so she stole their daughter once she was born because the flowers magic manifested in the child's hair.  The kingdom was devastated and the King and Queen released lanterns every year on her birthday in hopes she would someday return.  Mother Gothel raised Rapunzel and never letting Rapunzel leave the tower where they live.  On her eighteenth birthday, Rapunzel's wish was to leave the tower and see the "floating lights."  Mother Gothel did not let her so she took initiative herself.  Flynn Rider, a young thief found Rapunzel's tower and Rapunzel blackmailed him to take to see the lights and bring her back safely.  On there journey, Rapunzel touches many and makes many new friends.  Her and Flynn Rider also fall in love.  When Mother Gothel finds out Rapunzel has left the tower, she goes after her, finds her and breaks Rapunzel's heart by tricking Flynn Rider into abandoning Rapunzel.  He is sent to jail and is to be hanged for his crimes to Corona.  Rapunzel then realizes she is the lost princess and tries to escape, but Mother Gothel will not let her.  Flynn Rider escapes from jail with the help of some friends they made along the way and rushes to save Rapunzel from Gothel.  He climbs the tower and is stabbed by Gothel at the top.  Rapunzel makes a deal with Gothel, that if she can heal him with her hair, she will go with her forever.  When she begins to heal him, he takes a piece of glass and cuts her hair and it looses all it's magic.  Gothel then becomes old and falls from the tower turning to dust and Flynn dies.  Rapunzel weeps over Flynn and a tear falls from her face and heals Flynn Rider.  Rapunzel finds her parents and they all live Happily Ever After.    

The featured Princess this week is Rapunzel!  My second favorite Disney Princess!!

Pros:
- Selfless:  She is willing to spend the rest of her life with Mother Gothel, the woman who kidnapped her and isolated her to save the man she loved.
- Brave: She goes on a quest and experiences the outside with exuberance and confidence without fear.
- Kind: She is kind and brings out the kindness in everyone she meets on her journey.
- Adventurous:  She is a dreamer and isn't going to let anybody get in the way of her and her dream.  Even if that means breaking a few rules.

Cons:
- Disobedient: Though I believe that her disobedience was perfectly acceptable, she did still break the rules.
- Too optimistic: She was extremely optimistic about the real world, which is good, but she was not prepared to see the bad in people.
- Naïve: She fell for Flynn Rider pretty early on, causing her heartache in the middle of the movie, luckily that turned out good in the end.

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Dig a Little Deeper

The Princess and the Frog was released by the Walt Disney Company in 2009 (IMBD).  A young girl Tiana and her father of some day opening their own restaurant, but unfortunately her father died before he could make that dream happen.  Throughout her adult life, Tiana worked constantly to save up enough money for her restaurant on her own, for her father's sake.  Her childhood friend, Charlotte, was hosting a ball for it was Mardi Gras and her father was the Mardi Gras king and she asked Tiana to cater her event.  A young prince, Naveen, was coming to visit and Charlotte wanted to make a good impression.  Tiana agreed and was given the rest of the money she needed to open her restaurant.  Unfortunately, another offer was bid on the place she wanted and she didn't have enough to out bid them.  At the party, Tiana bumps into the table of food and falls straight into it so Charlotte brings her upstairs and gives her a different costume to put on.  Charlotte heads back downstairs to dance with Prince Naveen.  Tiana is saddened by the loss of her restaurant and tries wishing on a star for it to come back, a lesson she had learned to do in childhood. Out of the blue, a frog appears on the ledge of the balcony.  As a child, her mother had read her story of "The Frog Prince," and she vowed to never kiss a frog.  "Very funny" Tiana proclaimed.  "I suppose you want a kiss?" The frog responded and Tiana screamed.  She finds out it is Prince Naveen!  He was messing with the Shadow man, a man who does voodoo magic, and was turned into a frog and his confidant was disguised as him.  Seeing "The Frog Prince" on Charlotte's dresser, he gets an idea.  Tiana, wearing a princess costume, should kiss him and make him a human again.  Tiana refuses, but when the prince offers her anything she wants she thinks of her restaurant and accepts.  However, when she kisses Naveen, she turns into a frog as well because she was only dressed as a princess. They go off to the bayou to try and find Mama Odie, another voodoo magic woman who might be able to change them back.  Along the way, they fall love.  Mama Odie helps Naveen realize what he needs, but Tiana doesn't quite get it yet.  They both remain frogs and they need to find Charlotte so she can kiss Naveen and turn them both human again, but she is only a princess until Midnight. On their way home, Prince Naveen tries to propose to Tiana, but he fails miserably.  She wants her restaurant and he will do anything to get it for her; even marry Charlotte, for he is broke. Meanwhile, Charlotte and Lawrence, disguised as Prince Naveen, are to be married.  Dr. Facilier will do anything to make sure it stays that way.  He kidnaps Naveen, the frog, and locks him up.  Eventually Tiana realizes what she truly needs, true love with Prince Naveen!  She foils Dr. Facilier's plan and saves the day.  The real Naveen finds Charlotte and asks her to kiss him in exchange of marriage and she has to give Tiana the rest of her money for her restaurant. Tiana overhears and runs to tell him she loves him.  Charlotte refuses to marry him, but will kiss him so they can be human again.  However, time has run out.  They must stay frogs.  They run off together in the Bayou and get married and when they share a kiss, they become human again.  Once Tiana became his wife, she became a princess and broke the spell.  Tiana got her restaurant, and Naveen helped her remodel and they all lived happily ever after.         

The featured Princess this week is Tiana!

Pros:
- Hardworking:  She works two to three jobs to make her dream happen and she knows that it takes her efforts and hard work to accomplish a goal.
- Has a Plan: She knows what she wants in life and has a plan on how to get there.
- She can cook: Good food is always a bonus in my book!

Cons:
- Workaholic: She never leaves time for her to enjoy herself, have fun or even sleep.
- Judgmental: She judged Prince Naveen from the first time she met him and was stubborn at first to realize his good qualities.
- "Blind to what she needs": She didn't notice that what she truly needed was love and happiness and once she found that her life would fall into place.  Luckily for her, she eventually realized that.

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The Flower that Blooms in Adversity

Mulan was released by the Walt Disney Company in 1998 (IMBD).  The movie begins with a young girl named Mulan who is getting ready to meet the matchmaker.  She is quite clumsy and a bit different then the others and she end up setting the matchmaker on fire.  Feeling useless and a disgrace to her family, she battles with her self expression and where she belongs.  Meanwhile, her limp father is called to war and Mulan refuses to let him go.  During the night, she disguises herself as a man and takes her fathers place in the army.  Mulan does well disguising herself as a man with her trusty sidekick Mushu.  She learns how to be a good warrior and is a noble member admired by many in her war mates.  She is discovered as a woman and is set to be punished by death, but her General Shang spares her life in return for her saving his.  They all return home for they believe the Huns have been defeated and leaving Mulan alone.  They return home and a party is held in their honor for defeating the huns, but Mulan spots Shan Yu popping out of the snow and over hears him planning to storm the palace and rushes to warn the others.  When she finds them, they refuse to believe her and no longer trust her so she sets off on her own to defeat Shan Yu.  Eventually, her friends come around and help her with her plan and Shan Yu is defeated.  The emperor of China is proud of Mulan and gives her Shan Yu's sword and a crest to show her family in honor of saving China.  She returns home and her father greets her with open arms and is glad that she is home and safe.  General Shang shows up at Mulan's house and apologizes to Mulan and asks to stay for dinner.  It would seem that he grew a bit of a crush on Mulan.  The story continues into the next movie; Mulan II.

The featured Princess this week is Mulan!  Although, she is not a princess or even an official Disney princess in Disney's eyes, she is a heroic character and is looked up to by many.

Pros:
- Strong/Determined:  It takes a strong woman to disguise as a man and head off to war on a whim.  It also takes strength to keep up with this disguise.  She is also very determined to help her father and her country and be a good warrior.
- Confident: She takes risk and is confident in her battle skills even though she is a girl.
- Loyal: She is loyal to her family, especially her father, and her squad of warriors. #squadgoals
- Defies Boundaries:  When she doesn't fit the mold that society has placed on her as a woman she focuses on her own strengths and takes charge of her life no matter what society thinks.

Cons:
- Pushy: She doesn't just let a topic go, she wants her way and will have her voice heard whether it is wanted or not.
- Irresponsible/Disobedient: She does disobey her father and her country's wishes, even if it was for good reason.
- Selfish: She put a lot of determination into being a warrior.  If she had put that same determination into meeting the matchmaker she may have done better at it.  She is determined, but for the things she wants to do, not necessarily what she is expected to do.

Let me know what you think!  Comment Below!