In 1989, John Alvin created a stunning movie poster for the soon-to-be iconic movie, The Little Mermaid. His visual contains movement and depth that creates a sense of wonder when the viewer looks at the poster. At first the viewer might look at John Alvin’s The Little Mermaid and see a story about a forbidden romance between the two main characters that are artfully rendered in the middle of the poster. However, when looking closer at the visual, the viewer can begin to gather all sorts of messages from John Alvin’s use of symbolic colors to project certain meanings and his placement of specific images to portray sexual attraction. Even Alvin’s careful positioning of the characters on the poster helps the viewer to further understand the …show more content…
The villain character, Ursula, located in the top right corner of the visual, is colored purple. Artists usually associate the color purple with royalty. However, it is ironic that Alvin made the villain purple because she is in fact not royalty, but is striving to become royalty instead. Another important color that Alvin places in his visual is the color of Ariel’s tail, which is green. Jealously and envy are usually the character traits that are associated with the color green. The meaning behind Ariel’s tail being green is that she is envious of humans with legs while she is stuck under water with a tail, and also, Ursula is jealous of Ariel and Ariel’s luxurious lifestyle and power. Another prominent color is the bright red of Ariel’s hair. Alvin uses the color red as a warning sign because the color red grabs the viewer’s eye immediately. Alvin centers Ariel’s hair in the middle of the image; thus making Ariel’s flowing red hair the most prominent and eye-grasping part of the image, drawing the viewer’s eye directly to the middle. John Alvin uses her hair color to symbolize passion. Ariel is passionate throughout the whole movie towards Eric. She also is passionate about curing her curiosity through exploring life on land. John Alvin skillfully uses these symbolic colors to provide clues about the primary themes found in the …show more content…
The young couple sitting on the rock in the center immediately draws the viewer’s attention. The viewer can tell that the male (Eric) has sexual attraction towards Ariel through his eye contact and body language; thus eliciting a response from the viewer that to fall in love one must look like and dress like Ariel. In addition to Ariel’s clothing, Eric’s low cut shirt is an image of sexual attraction. These images of sexual attraction persuade the viewer to relate to the characters and desire to be like them based on what material (WC) they are projecting. Images of luxury also appear in this visual creating another type of desire in the viewer’s mind. From the gold castle in the background to the golden jewelry worn by Triton, images of luxury appeal to the viewer’s lust for wealth (elaborated). John Alvin chooses these images to convey a regal or fancy effect. The luxurious feel continues with the theme of hierarchy. King Triton has power over the whole kingdom, most harshly on his daughter. Ursula too has power over Ariel because they made an awful (WC) deal in spite of Ariel’s
Tragedy acts as an antidote to human fallibility; it also warns individuals of the dire consequences of follies in a way that comedy cannot. It accentuates how a character of high rank falls from grace due to his or her character flaw. More importantly, the downfall evokes pathos, which results in the viewers’ emotional cleansing and purging. In Richard Van Camp’s short story, “Mermaids”, the main character “Torchy” is a native Indian who struggle to find a goal in life. To cope with the loss of his brother and his traumatic life, he abuses alcohol and drugs.“Mermaids” is not considered as a tragedy since the main character does not fulfill a noble tragic hero, he does not go through peripeteia, and the ending of the story does not let the
He uses 2 symbolic elements constantly during the film. One of them is the use of colors especially yellow, which interpreted as a warning of danger. Examples of this are Chrissie being a girl with blonde hair, the childing having a yellow raft and the man in the boat with a yellow cord, and it is not by coincidence that shark attacks happened during these scene, Spielberg was trying to let the view know that a shark attack was underway. More use symbolism is the film is the shark itself, the shark brought 3 men together as friends and allies. When they first are together they were constantly arguing about the shark and how to kill it, but as time goes on they find themselves spending more time out at sea with the shark as a danger they develop a sort of bond. The shark is meant to bring Quint, Hooper and Brody together, and more to prove this is the meaning of Amity which means
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
Other aspects strengthen the advertisement design's sexual appeal. The foreground woman's strapless swimming suit, highlighted in red, is the most notable example. Her chest prominently resides above horizontal boxes in both th...
In America, many have come to recognize Iran as a terrorist nation, but in reality, many Americans stereotype Iranians because they misunderstand the country and how it got to that point. In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, she gives her readers an inside look of Iran by writing about her childhood during the Iranian Revolution and the changes in her life during that time. The frames in Satrapi’s graphic novel draw similarities and differences between advertisements and the Iranian culture. After analyzing the Satrapi’s graphic novel to advertisements we will look at the similarities and differences of how graphic novels and advertisements use words and images to establish the visual rhetoric.
Years ago, Sister Mary Corita Kent, a celebrated artist and educator of the 1960’s and 1970’s stated, “A painting is a symbol for the universe. Inside it, each piece relates to the other. Each piece is only answerable to the rest of that little world. So, probably in the total universe, there is that kind of total harmony, but we get only little tastes of it” (Lewis "Quotes from Women Artists"). Nowadays, a painting is not the main form of art humans appreciate. In fact, literature of all sorts can be considered a different form of art and often found in literature are symbols. A "symbol" is an object, person or action which represents an abstract idea (Warren “English 102”). In literature, a symbol or set of symbols can have a wide range of meanings. For example, color is a universal symbol; some may say it is a general symbol for life. However, each color separately can symbolize something different depending on the context. Analyzing five piece of literature for symbolism, one will be able to gain a deeper understating of symbols.
The Little Mermaid is well known to everyone, but which version is known best? Hans Christian Andersen or Walt Disney, both are very similar mostly because Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid was the most popular version of the story before Walt Disney.
On August 25, 1958, Timothy Walter Burton was born (“Biography”). Burton had a painful childhood in which the relationship with his parents and brother was nonexistent (Morgenstern). Through his intense feeling of isolation, his visual talent began to develop. The comfort found in hobbies such as writing and drawing led him to attend the California Institute of the Arts which led him to his first job in any artistic field at the Disney Animation Studios (“Biography”). Burton has since been referred to as one of the most visually gifted writers, artists, and filmmakers that America has seen (Hanke). His short stories, poems, and film scripts are centered on an inner darkness which he has been slowly acquiring since his childhood. He throws himself into everything he writes and makes even the simplest characters have a deep, complex meaning. His famous darkness and symbolism is shown in his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. The book contains a collection of his short stories, poems, and illustrations about a variety of fictional characters that can be compared to Burton and his life. Tim Burton’s home life and previous hardships have made a significant impact on his work. In my paper, I will draw parallels to his life and work as well as prove that there is reasoning and beauty in the way he is.
Alice in wonderland has compelled many artists and writings to adapt, Lewis Carroll 's book into movies. The original animated movie of Alice in Wonderland came out in 1951; which was produced by Disney. There have been many remakes, but for the purpose of this essay the 2010, live action remake by Tim Burton can reveal the most change. Keeping these two versions in mind, it is possible to get a snapshot of some ways American culture has shifted over the 59 year period. There are five main changes of importance from the original and the remake of Alice in Wonderland. Those changes are: the age of Alice, the dynamic of characters in Wonderland, the Gender roles, the violence, and the agency of Alice throughout the movie. These key changes can be linked to many subliminal messages being conveyed about American
The first thing to pop into one’s mind when they hear The Little Mermaid is most likely the Disney animated movie starring the beautiful red haired mermaid, Ariel. However, as with most Disney films, The Little Mermaid is an adaption of an original story written by Hans Christian Andersen in the 1830s. The creation of this classic fairytale into an animated feature required alterations from the Disney corporation, leading to a final product that is reminiscent of Andersen’s original story with added layers of American culture, sexism, and musical numbers. The initial release of Disney’s The Little Mermaid was highly successful both domestically and overseas, resulting in a total box office revenue of about 180 million. Although the film received rave reviews and substantial profit, I argue that the Disney adaption loses the fundamental elements of Andersen’s original story and presents a new narrative laced with negative values and inferior moral lessons. The changes in the Disney remake are closely connected to cultural and social aspects of America in the late 1980’s, making it arguably more relatable and successful for current audiences of the time. However, Disney’s adaption of The Little Mermaid perpetuates negative American ideals and incorporates classic Disney fairytale elements, ultimately erasing the positive moral overarching theme of Hans Christian Andersen’s original story.
Margret Rey and husband H.A. Rey are well known for their writing and illustrating the Curious George books. This paper is going to look at the way H. A. and Margret Rey and Beatrix Potter as authors and illustrators use images to express their feelings through these characters. H. A. and Margret Rey's Opposites, and Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit will be compared and contrasted.
In both Hans Christian Andersons “The Little Mermaid,” and Disney’s version of the story, the main character— a young and beautiful mermaid— waits anxiously for her fifteenth birthday to venture from her father’s underwater castle to the world above the water. As the story carries on the mermaids priorities change; her modest and selfless nature is revealed towards the end in Andersen’s version. However, Disney’s version encompasses a rather shallow ending and plot throughout. The theme found in comparing the two versions reveal that Andersen’s substance trumps Disney’s entertainment factor in fairy tales.
Love can make people go crazy and they will do anything to receive that same love and passion back from them (Cravens). In this story the little mermaid is madly in love with the prince and she does everything and anything to gain love back from him.
The colors in the hat are extremely significant. Its purple velvet flap creates the image of royalty, and the rest of it, green, represents money. This is the only time that green is mentioned in the story, for money is not something that they have, which even the mother cannot dispute. In addition to the hat, the sky of their once “fashionable” neighborhood is the color of “a dying violet,” and the house...
In today’s modern age, young children are being raised by their TV screen. Reining from the original tales of Perrault and the Grim Brothers, the Disney princess line has been a staple on the screens since the 1930s (Do Rozario 1). However, these princesses have gone through dramatic changes to remain relevant to todays youth. The effects that can be influenced by the roles expressed in these types of films send mixed messages to the audience, causing them to ask themselves whether or not they should believe what the princess is expressing on the screen.