Disney princess edition!
Merida (Good Idea) – by Kimberly Keller
Merida, from Pixar’s Brave, is a spirited Disney princess who is one of the best archers in her country. She constantly looks for adventure in the beginning of the film, racing through the woods on Angus, and climbing Crone’s Tooth, a sheer vertical outcropping of a mountain. To be fair, Brave has seen a fair amount of Disney Infinity action. Merida’s beloved horse, Angus, is a Power Disc and the Scottish Stone Circle is featured in the Toy Box as an unlockable toy, but where is Merida?
Maybe the Disney Princess franchise redesign fiasco has caused Disney designers to be a little wary of changing the princess again. After making her thinner, rounding her eyes, taming her hair, and putting her in the dress she hated from the movie for the Princess brand’s website, fans, and even the story’s creator/director Brenda Chapman, petitioned the decision. Disney eventually removed the redesign from their site, opting to show the Pixar CGI version of Merida instead of trying for a second redesign. It’s a little odd to see, since all the princesses (including another CGI princess, Rapunzel), follow a distinct art style. Instead, Disney should have designed her again, keeping in the elements that make Merida unique, while creating an image that fits with the aesthetic of the website instead of passive aggressively labeling her the odd duck of the franchise.
Sexy...? From quirky and adorable?
Disney Infinity is another franchise with a very specific aesthetic for its characters, which could make Disney nervous when it comes to Merida. When you think about it, it’s absolutely amazing Merida hasn’t been created for the game yet since she would fit in so well. The only reason I can think of for her current exclusion would be the redesign issue. Rapunzel is arriving in stores this week, with Frozen’s Elsa and Anna following early next week. These spirited princesses all would play strongly in the game, so why not Merida?
Merida’s Play Set would be awesome to explore. One of the strongest points of the Pixar film was its rich environment, causing Pixar to rewrite its animation system for the first time in over two decades. I would personally love to explore the possibilities and magic of the Scottish highlands as Merida in Disney Infinity. True, Brave did have a dedicated video game already, as most films do in some form, but the graphics were flat and rough with a lot of missed opportunities. Merida’s Play Set could be an incredibly fun second chance opportunity for the film’s gaming potential.
As far as Merida’s place in the Toy Box, does this even need explaining? She climbs rock cliffs, shoots arrows with the precision of a machine, and fights a demonic bear. Needless to say, I think she can handle Wall-E's Fire Extinguisher or Carl Fredricksen's Cane.
The Little Mermaid (Bad Idea) – By Becky Hollada
Not one of Disney’s biggest cash cows! Afraid so. The Little Mermaid has been making Disney millions since its release in 1989. Between the movie itself and the mountains of merchandise related to one of Disney’s biggest, most favored, princesses. Although having Ariel and a few of her friends join the Disney Infinity cast would definitely reel in a larger female demographic, there are much better choices.
The biggest problem for a Little Mermaid themed Play Set revolves around the characters. In an action/adventure game, Ariel at least has this adventure part down. She is a rebellious teenager and obviously has no problem leaving home to explore whatever is out there, but she has a serious lack of fighting spirit. In the movie, Ariel only fights when her loved ones are in immediate danger, specifically Triton and Eric, and she’s not even good at it. Kingdom Hearts managed to pull off a battling Ariel, but it relied heavily on the presence of magic and a select few physical skills. Ariel doesn’t use weapons and that takes a lot away from her character in the Toy Box.
Kill them with song and sparkles.
Ariel’s friends in the movie also run into much the same problem we ran into with Finding Nemo. They’re all fish, with the exception of one bird. They’re tiny and, by themselves, unable to do much at all except sing. There are only two main human good guys and one human bad guy (counting human Ursula) making for a scant character roster.
These problems are actually shared across the early Disney Princess films, i.e. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and even to some extent Beauty and the Beast. Most of these princesses have the same core as Ariel: they are dreamers, not fighters or adventurers, and suffer from having horribly inept companions. Their princes are the only characters that might be suited to destroying monsters in the Toy Box, and even that is questionable. Only Phillip and the Beast actually fight for their princesses. Eric does eventually come through in the end, but needs a giant, beat up ship to do so, something not readily available in Disney Infinity.
Disney will likely seek to capitalize on the popularity of the Disney Princesses name. While The Little Mermaid is probably one of the world directions to go, the Play Set would be stunted not only by the princess, but by the water-bound cast. Disney will probably have to turn away from most of the early Disney Princess films altogether. With any luck, Merida or even Mulan will make Disney Infinity appearances before Ariel.
