Crass commericalism in Disney films is tiresome

Originally published Dec. 16, 2016, in the Times Herald-Record of Middletown, N.Y.

Fair warning: I’m about to get really grinchy in here.

On a visit to my brother’s house nearly two years ago, I was happy to see that my 1-year-old nephew was speaking. He knew the basic words, plus names like mine, a couple other family members … and then someone completely outside of our family. He’d say his name like a stadium chant.

“Olaf! Olaf! Olaf!”

Yes, Olaf, the snowman of “Frozen.”

And that was the cue. Whenever he’d chant “Olaf! Olaf! Olaf!” with his arms raised in the air like he’d just won the World Series, my brother would switch to “Frozen,” already queued up on the television, accessible as a pacifier.

So we watched “Frozen.”

I’m not against animated films targeted to children. I’m a child of the Disney Renaissance, when “Beauty and the Beast” sparked a new era of classic film. I loved “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.” When our family visited Walt Disney World in 1992 — and each of us children vomited in the back of our minivan on the way there — my brothers and I were fixated on the process of animation, taking tours and buying souvenir cels. I rapturously played “The Lion King” video game as a preteen. I just couldn’t wait to be king.

I visited Disney World again at age 21 and saw the venue in an entirely different light. “The Happiest Place on Earth” actually felt cold and distant. Everything was too expensive. And Disney was in the “experience” market, selling Park Hopper passes and rolling out every animated character under the sun for your child’s enjoyment. Have you heard of “Atlantis: Milo’s Return”? There were characters from that film sauntering around the park.

Sure I was 21, so the charm of Disney World wasn’t targeted to me, but this phenomenon of selling “experience,” coupled with the maximum synergy of rides, toys, short movies, television shows and songs attached to even the least popular Disney flicks, felt out of control by the mid-2000s.

Then came “Frozen.”

For children of a certain age, “Frozen” has been a way of life. My nephew — not even 2 at the time — was testament to this, owning “Frozen” stuffed animals, toys and other merchandise. Did my nephew understand the themes of personal ownership and strong womanhood in the face of a sometimes cruel and torturous society? Did he even understand half the words to “Let it Go”? No, but he had things to remind him of the movie’s existence.

I’m not even against “Frozen.” It’s good! It has a great message! At one point the song was catchy and not annoying! But I’m grinchy because of crass commercialism. I’m watching what’s being shoved in our face by the major studios.

There’s “Moana,” which is being praised for its strong empowerment themes (but is also being criticized for some one-dimensional characters, which, yeah, it’s Disney). There’s “Sing,” which is basically a singing competition with animals. I can’t imagine my 6-week-old, Genevieve, getting attached to those movies.

But next year brings “The Boss Baby,” which looks terrible. Then there’s “Monster Trucks,” and … well, please no. “Cars 3” is out there, too. And another “Despicable Me” movie.

I’m watching. I hope Genevieve doesn’t fall for the crass commercialism of Big Animation.

Maybe I’ll just fire up “Aladdin.” Where’s my VHS?