TLDR;
This video explores how Disney uses music to represent different cultures in its films, focusing on the challenges and solutions involved in incorporating culturally significant music. It examines examples from "Brother Bear," "The Lion King," "Frozen," "Pocahontas," "Brave," "Lilo & Stitch," and "Moana" to illustrate the evolution of Disney's approach. The video highlights the importance of using native languages and musical styles to create authentic cultural representations and bridge the gap between the audience and the characters' world.
- Disney faces challenges in musically representing diverse cultures in its films.
- Using native languages in songs can create a more authentic cultural representation.
- "Moana" effectively bridges the cultural gap through its use of language and music.
Intro [0:05]
The video starts with a humorous introduction, framing the content as a "conspiracy theory" about Disney's use of musicals to find musicians for animated films. It points out similarities between "Frozen" and "Moana," such as strong female leads, opening numbers explaining the local economy, comedic sidekick tunes, and showstopping songs designed to sell albums. The focus shifts to a specific musical moment in "Moana" and its cultural significance.
The Challenge of Representing Culture Through Music [1:38]
Disney often sets its films in various countries and cultures, which presents a challenge for the music department: how to musically communicate the setting of the film. One approach is to ignore the setting and use a generic musical style, as seen in "Aladdin" and "The Jungle Book," where the music doesn't strongly reflect the Middle Eastern or Indian settings. Alternatively, one can include music culturally significant to the area, but this can be complicated due to the complexities of ethnomusicology.
Ethnomusicology and Cultural Sensitivity [2:30]
Ethnomusicology, the study of music in relation to culture, is complex because cultures place different values on music, and experts disagree on definitions. Simply copying music thought to represent a culture can lead to misrepresentation. Examples like "Pocahontas" and "Brother Bear" are often cited for cultural insensitivity. In "Brother Bear," a piece using Bulgarian choir music aims to create an ethnic tone but sounds similar to the opening of "Ghost in the Shell," which also uses Bulgarian choir.
The Importance of Text Setting [4:29]
One positive aspect of "Brother Bear" is the use of Inupiat lyrics, the language of Alaskan natives, which is crucial. Text setting, the art of fitting music to lyrics, involves emphasizing syllables musically. Syllabic text setting gives each syllable a note, while melismatic text setting gives syllables multiple notes. Mixing these is called pneumatic. Different languages have varying syllable counts and stresses, making direct translations awkward. This is why operas and high art songs are rarely translated.
Using Native Languages [7:18]
"Brother Bear" used Bulgarian music to convey an Alaskan sound, but using a song set in a native language creates a new piece of music that wouldn't exist otherwise. "The Lion King" uses Zulu, and the Zulu speech patterns and syllable count influenced the music. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" uses Latin, lending an old Catholic sound. "Frozen" is inspired by Sami yoiking and a Danish hymn, avoiding explicit language with direct translation.
Vocables and Cultural Representation [8:37]
In "Pocahontas," singing in Powhatan would have been problematic because Native American music often uses vocables, syllables without linguistic meaning but significant as lyrics. The opening to "Steady as the Beating Drum" remains true to indigenous language treatment. However, using these lyrics doesn't necessarily convey the story's location. Unless the audience knows the language or musical style, the cultural context can be lost.
Diagenic Music and Cultural Anchoring [10:03]
The best way to address this is to have characters sing in other languages, anchoring the cultural expression in the characters rather than just the setting. In "Brave," Merida's mother sings a Gaelic lullaby, creating a personal connection. The switch between English and Gaelic emphasizes the queen's Scottish identity. Similarly, in "Lilo & Stitch," the music is more diagetic, with characters playing instruments. Nani singing "Aloha Oe" to Lilo demonstrates the efficacy of using a native language.
Authenticity and Cultural Significance [11:58]
"Aloha Oe," written by Queen Liliuokalani, symbolizes the loss of Hawaii and anchors the listener in an authentic Hawaiian sonic landscape. Using real music with cultural significance raises questions of cultural appropriation. The video traces the evolution from using Bulgarian choir music to create a magical sound to having characters sing in native languages to implicate them in the cultural context.
Bridging the Cultural Divide with "Moana" [13:22]
"Moana" uses music to facilitate communication between the represented culture and the audience. "We Know the Way" translates to "Tulia Tagaloa" while maintaining a consistent musical structure. Unlike "The Circle of Life," where the melody changes when translated to English, "Moana" keeps the music consistent. The video includes a "Magic Eye" experiment comparing the Tokelauan and English sections of the song.
Musical Experiment: Tokelauan vs. English [13:56]
The experiment demonstrates how the music changes to accommodate the English language. The transition bridges the cultural gap, and the subtle shift where the cast stops singing in English implies their detachment from the audience's culture. "Moana" uses music as a common language to celebrate the cultural divide, welcoming the audience to explore the world of Moana.
Outro [15:22]
The video concludes with a thank you to the audience and a call for support through Patreon. The creator also invites viewers to ask music questions on Twitter and Twitch. A final note to Disney suggests creating a South Korean Disney princess to generate significant revenue.