Blog Post #2

My first idea for the genealogy project is centered around the Disney cartoon “The Little Mermaid”. People and myths created prior to the famous cartoon served as inspirations for characters featured in the movie. For example, King Triton, Ariel’s father, was influenced by the mythological Greek God Triton. Similar to Greek mythology, King Triton is ruler of the sea and all that inhabits it. The antagonist of the story, Ursula, was inspired by the drag queen Divine. Her appearance and speech from her performances were used to create the character of the evil sea witch.

To continue my Disney theme, I am considering doing my genealogy project on the cartoon “Peter Pan” and inspecting how modern movies have put a twist on the tale. In 1991 the movie “Hook” was released and tells the story of Peter Pan as an adult living in reality who must return to the fantastical world of Neverland. The tale of Peter Pan was again recreated in 2004 in the semi-biographical movie “Finding Neverland”. In this movie, the playwright J.M. Barrie is inspired by a local family to create the concept of Peter Pan.

Another possibility I am considering is the tale of Frankenstein. I would begin with the original novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. Following the creation of this novel in 1818, the tale was carried into the world of cinema. The horror story was recreated into a movie in 1910 and since then has continued to be recreated into movies. The 1974 movie “Young Frankenstein” takes a different approach on the original tale, transforming the horror story into a comedic and satirical piece.