Modern day references in Disney features

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Sometimes a movie that takes place hundreds of years ago contains elements from present day. For instance when Merlin returns from vacation The Sword in the Stone, when the Genie in Aladdin is seen with a Goofy cap or transform into a modern news reporter with microphone and everything, and in Hercules when he holds up an action figure of himself.

And don't know about others, but personally I feel like they take you out of the movie. Walt Disney talked about the plausible impossible, or suspension of disbelief, but that requires that the illusion is not broken.

[D82]

I don't mind them when they're justified, like in the cases of the Genie and Merlin, given that they're magical characters that supposedly can travel through time. Also if the tone of the whole movie allows for these kind of jokes to happen, like in Hercules. However, I didn't like the Twitter reference in Moana, for example. It didn't make sense in my opinion. Also, one downside of them is that some of the jokes can become outdated over time.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I actually don' t remember any twitter reference in Moana. Brad Bird complained that the disco scene in Aristocats and the use of the word "groovy" felt out of place, but I saw that movie first as a small kid and never questioned it.

[Farerb]

I don't like when characters act in the 21st century mentality when they are not supposed to. For instance Elsa saying "you can't marry a guy you just met". It feels very anachronistic.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Modern day talking and thinking could have that effect too. (And the movie also makes me remember the musical number with Olaf, where he is surrounded by modern objects like sunglasses and pool toys.)

[DisneyJedi]

I actually don' t remember any twitter reference in Moana. Brad Bird complained that the disco scene in Aristocats and the use of the word "groovy" felt out of place, but I saw that movie first as a small kid and never questioned it.

Oh. It’s when Maui writes his autograph on Moana’s oar using Hei-Hei. He says, “When you use a bird to write, it’s called tweeting.”

[D82]

^Yes, that's the joke I was referring to.

I don't like when characters act in the 21st century mentality when they are not supposed to. For instance Elsa saying "you can't marry a guy you just met". It feels very anachronistic.

I don't like that either. I appreciate they want to give good messages for today's audiences and I know it's an imaginary kingdom, so they can take some liberties. But I agree that things like that just feel too anachronistic. In my opinion, they should respect the time period a bit more and find other ways of conveying the same message.

[twihard]

I actually don' t remember any twitter reference in Moana. Brad Bird complained that the disco scene in Aristocats and the use of the word "groovy" felt out of place, but I saw that movie first as a small kid and never questioned it.

he has taste

[The Disneynerd]

Sometimes i have a feeling it can work to show how the main characters are so "beyond their time" or something, in terms of personality at least, with a modern mindset or morality, but not as a whole with modern "slang" or something. Its something Shrek (the character) delivers quite well, with his modern mindset and outcall of outdated fairytale tropes. The Renaissance movies captured that really well too with Belle or Mulan, they didnt need to reference Pop culture or needed to call out how outdated their circumstances are, but their morals were quite modern for their times, which basically made the storyline possible in the first place.

So things like memes or App references like Moanas tweeding reference or Ralph Breaks the Internet as a whole are already outdated.

With magical characters, Pop culture references are kinda acceptable for me with their excuses that they live for a long time or that they can time travel or something, like Genie or Merlin. Also Genie made the movie way funnier that way (although i didnt get every person he imitated)

[PatchofBlue]

I wonder also if movies are more likely to feel dated if you live through the period yourself and then look back on it years later. Like, watching "Princess & the Frog," I'm taken out of the movie for just a moment every time I get to the part where Facilier tells Lawrence, "Fun fact about voodoo." The phrase "Fun fact" will just forever be one that throws me back to my middle-school/high school years. I'm thrown for a loop every time in a way I'm not for something like Ariel saying, "Oh my G O S H!" in a very 1980s way.