One big issue that Ryan Scott from MovieWeb highlights when it comes to Jojo Rabbit is what’s staring us all in the face, the fact that Hitler is seen to be an imaginary friend of a child in the movie. This seems a bit too edgy for a lot of people since painting Hitler as anything but a monster seems like it might offend a great number of viewers and alienate a lot of Disney fans that might not remember that Disney has gone edgy in the past and they didn’t seem to blink. Pocahontas, anyone? Too many people don’t seem to realize that Disney has gone edgy in the past and don’t seem to want to own up to it, but Hitler in a movie that’s owned by Disney does seem to draw the line with some people. The movie comes out this October however so unless Disney is really willing to upset one of their best assets in Taika Waititi then it might be time to start talking about a compromise. Even as an anti-hate satire it would seem that a lot of people simply don’t care for the imagery that is going into this movie.
What’s funny about this is that Disney, who everyone thinks is wholesome and pure, has launched a few movies that could easily be seen as controversial and in some cases even more problematic than a movie that is actually making fun of hate. Jonathan Figueroa from ScreenRant has plenty of points to make on this subject including everything from racial stereotyping to subliminal messages in Disney movies that are anything but family-friendly. So think that Jojo Rabbit’s content is a bit too dark and edgy for Disney is a bit hypocritical really since the House of Mouse has done plenty of things down through the years that has been seen as less than adequate when it comes to what’s acceptable and what’s not. So why bother with this movie?
Well, to be honest, with the political landscape the way it is and the connections that so many people draw between politics, society, and entertainment it’s hard not to see how so many people are going to be willing to criticize just about anything they can get their hands on. A movie featuring someone dressed up as Hitler is bound to be a target since not only was he considered to be one of the most evil men in history, but his name has been tossed about like a party favor in society as of late and giving those same people that would liken anyone that doesn’t think like them this kind of ammunition is like trying to put a fire out with a can of gasoline. Putting the satirical nature of the movie aside for the time being it’s enough to state that Taika did in fact have a vision that he wanted to see realized, but one thing that anyone should be able to understand at this point is that when it comes to Disney a vision isn’t always bound to be respected as much as people would like. Just ask Star Wars fans and those that love the MCU how much Disney really pays attention to what people envision for their favorite characters and you might get an idea of where the House of Mouse is going with their current thought process on this movie.
If it can’t be marketed for kids then it would seem that Disney is bound to get a little nervous about a project. But that’s kind of funny to say really since having taken over Fox it would seem that Disney might need to reshape their thinking in a big way. Now that it’s obvious that they don’t really want to see a movie with a person dressed like Hitler to represent them, what happens when they try to take on Alien, or add in the next wave of superheroes to the mix? The easy answer is that they’re going to find a way to make them more marketable by dulling down the edges and making each character conform to what they want to see. The trouble there is the same problem that seems to be happening here, such ideas end up killing movies and ruining franchises for those that were around long before Disney got a hold of these properties. Imagine an Alien movie with no blood, no acid, and the only way the death scenes could take place is off screen. Imagine the MCU getting even more pacified as the bloodshed is lessened and even negated in favor of keeping everything as PC as it can be. Yeah, it sounds like a kid-friendly monopoly that is slowly but surely taking over the entertainment business. If there’s any problem with Jojo Rabbit it’s that it didn’t get released before the merger.
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