Yuku free message boards

Top 6!!! (Wow, that was fast!)

Ariel
Belle
Hercules
Mowgli
Mulan
Simba

6. Mowgli (The Jungle Book)
I noticed that Mowgli hasn't been mentioned a lot in this thread and that he doesn't seem to be any one's favorite so this may come as kind of a WTF placing and if it is, oh well - I am an unabashed Mowgli supporter. It makes me sad that no one was rooting for him because he is such a cool and underrated character. Sure, he can be a bit of a stubborn and pouty little brat at times, but to me that's what makes him fun. Since he has been living in the jungle for his whole life, he has no censors, no social graces and no sense of danger - he just says and does what ever he pleases and relies simply on emotions, which is very refershing if you think about it. For the entire movie, Mowgli is an outspoken, outgoing and fearless young boy who matches strength with Baloo (spelling?), Kaa, Colonal Hathi, King Louie and eventually, using the power of "Man's Red Flower," Shere Khan. Hell, the only time he shows the slightest bit of fear is at the very end when he first encounters the girl from the village (in the sequel - which is actually pretty decent, her name is Shanti, btw). I think, with Mowgli, we have everything Disney's Tarzan probably should have been: a rough and tumble wild boy who will do anything to stay in the jungle because he really thinks he belongs there - and hell, why not? He was literally raised by wolves after all. Unlike Tarzan, he doesn't worry about being and outcast (until the sequel, but that mostly involves him not fitting in in the human world - not the jungle).




5. Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
Just an interesting little factoid: The Little Mermaid was the very first movie I saw in theaters. I was two years old and I loved the movie (except for the freaky chef who tried to kill Sabastian. That scared the shit out of me - actually, it still does.) Anyway, Ariel is awesome because she is so passionate and curious about the human world. I love her collection of human items and the names she comes up with for them ("snarkblat" - Lol.) When I was a kid, I couldn't understand why she wanted to live onshore instead of under the sea, because I thought that being a mermaid looked like so much fun! Now that I think about it, though, I could see how it would get old. Ariel has a good personality as a happy-go-lucky, headstrong and romantic young mermaid. Yeah, she's a little irresponsible and disobidient, but she usually means well. My Women's Studies professor (and other feminist critics) have a big problem with Ariel giving her voice up in order to win Erik's affection. I can see where they are coming from. I always found Ursula's lines about: "on land it's much preferred for lady's not to say a word" and "It's she who holds her tongue who gets her man" kind of disturbing and offensive since I'm kind of a loud mouth myself. But despite this somewhat controversial plot point, I can appreciate that Ariel is willing to follow her dreams and I do love the fact that despite not being able to speak, she keeps her same quirky personality. In fact, Mute Ariel is even funnier than Talking Ariel (loved when she used the fork for a hair brush.) So all in all, a good character and a sentimental favorite. I have always wondered why she is so damn skinny, though - but it occurs to me that merpeople, being such good friends to fish and crabs and such, probably don't eat seafood.





4. Simba (The Lion King)
This was another difficult ranking...I have much love for Simba because in many ways, he is the most complex and tragic Disney hero of all time and his relationship with Mufasa is one of my favorite father-son bonds in anything. Simba starts out as a loud-mouthed and headstrong young prince (who is a bit bratty at times, but in a funny way), and he is absolutely thrilled at the prospect of one day becoming King of Pride Rock. He greatly admires his father and hangs on to Mufasa's every word as he tells him the importance of the Circle of Life. Even at a young age, he wants to be involved in the events of his kingdom and pouts when he isn't allowed to help Mufasa fight the hyenas. Young Simba is naive and idealistic which leads him to trust Uncle Scar on several occassions. I'd say his biggest flaw however, is his strong desire to please his father and show him how brave he can be. But, as Mufasa wisely says: "being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble." Simba's world is shattered when Mufasa is killed and Scar convinces the young cub it was his fault. He escapes into the jungle where he comes up with a strange mechinism for coping with his father's death. With his new friends Timon and Pumbaa, Simba grows into a lazy, irresponsible adult who's motto is "Hakuna Mattata" (No worries and no responsibilities!) He forgets that he ever wanted to be King and that his former home is now in serious trouble. But Simba must soon come to terms with his past, what he did, and who he is as he returns to Pride Rock to take on Scar, finally taking some responsibility for his actions. I don't think any other character is as psychologically complex as Simba. That said, he kind of turned wussy in the sequel and was no where near as awesome of a king as Mufasa was.