History BrokenAesop / TheEmojiMovie

* WebVideo/WisecrackEdition [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpIqNpWtKEU made the case that]] the lesson of [[BeYourself "you should reject societal expectations and express who you truly wish to be"]] couldn't escape unbroken. Sure, Smiler was defeated and the Emojis learn that it's perfectly fine to express more than one emotion. However, there is still the fact [[FullCircleRevolution that they are stuck with one ''function'',]] [[AppeaseTheVolcanoGod to serve Alex.]] [[SarcasmMode What a brilliant life.]] [[CluelessAesop Emojis were invented for this very specific purpose,]] so Textopolis is a [[{{Metaphorgotten}} terrible metaphor.]] The movie constantly validates the idea that they should only peruse society's intended purpose for them. In RealLife, the pressure to conform can easily prevent people from [[BeYourself being themselves.]]

* WebVideo/WisecrackEdition [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpIqNpWtKEU made the case that]] the lesson of [[BeYourself "you should reject societal expectations and express who you truly wish to be"]] couldn't escape unbroken. Sure, Smiler was defeated and the Emojis learn that it's perfectly fine to express more than one emotion. However, there is still the fact [[FullCircleRevolution that they are stuck with one ''function'',]] to serve Alex. [[SarcasmMode What a brilliant life.]] [[CluelessAesop Emojis were invented for this very specific purpose,]] so Textopolis is a [[{{Metaphorgotten}} terrible metaphor.]] The movie constantly validates the idea that they should only peruse society's intended purpose for them. In RealLife, the pressure to conform can easily prevent people from [[BeYourself being themselves.]]

* The theme of Emoji prejudice against Gene is pushed hard to [[GayAesop represent the struggles of the LGBT community,]] according to WordOfGod[[invoked]]... but Gene actually experiences very little FantasticRacism when he's just walking through the streets of Textopolis making various faces - the other emojis on the street seem to either like him or not care about his transgressions. The emojis Gene encounters who actually ''do'' talk down to him can be counted on one hand. Society actually allowed him to have a chance to use his talents, and he failed miserably. The only time he does get treated with major hostility is when he screws up majorly on the job in a way that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero puts the entire phone in danger]] which, honestly, [[StrawmanHasAPoint is fair]].

* The theme of Emoji prejudice against Gene is pushed hard to [[GayAesop represent the struggles of the LGBT community,]] according to WordOfGod[[invoked]]... but Gene actually experiences very little FantasticRacism when he's just walking through the streets of Textopolis making various faces - the other emojis on the street seem to either like him or not care about his transgressions. Society actually allowed him to have a chance to use his talents, and he failed miserably. The only time he does get treated with major hostility is when he screws up majorly on the job in a way that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero puts the entire phone in danger]] which, honestly, [[StrawmanHasAPoint is fair]].

* WebVideo/WisecrackEdition [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpIqNpWtKEU made the case that]] the lesson of [[BeYourself "you should reject societal expectations and express who you truly wish to be"]] couldn't escape unbroken. Sure, Smiler was defeated and the Emojis learn that it's perfectly fine to express more than one emotion. However, there is still the fact [[FullCircleRevolution that they are stuck with one ''function'',]] to serve Alex. [[CluelessAesop Emojis were invented for this very specific purpose,]] so Textopolis is a [[{{Metaphorgotten}} terrible metaphor.]] The movie constantly validates the idea that they should only peruse society's intended purpose for them. In RealLife, the pressure to conform can easily prevent people from [[BeYourself being themselves.]]

* For a movie where [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/tj-miller-slams-silicon-valley-cast-for-not-doing-enough-to-stop-trump_us_59701345e4b062ea5f8f1e26 women have "limitless potential"]] there don't seem to be any interestingly written female characters. The only female emojis we see with major speaking roles are [[ControlFreak Smiler, a generic order obsessed villain who runs society like a dictator,]] [[PrincessClassic a generic princess,]] [[RealWomenDontWearDresses Jailbreak, a]] {{Jerkass}} who accomplishes nothing except [[HeroicBSOD breaking Gene's heart,]] [[LoveInterests and the generic love interest.]] There is also [[DullSurprise Gene's mother Mary, who's little more than a particularly emotionless]] ExtremeDoormat and Akiko Glitter, who's a genuine NiceGirl [[spoiler: but who is so expendable that [[DesignatedHero our hero Gene]] leaves her to die in the trash can.]] Note that the most significant female character other than the villain, Jailbreak [[spoiler: fits ''[[UpToEleven three]]'' out of those six characteristics.]] And it gets even worse outside of the phone, where Addie is merely a SatelliteLoveInterest with less character than the ''emojis''.

* WebVideo/WisecrackEdition [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpIqNpWtKEU made the case that]] the lesson of [[BeYourself "you should reject societal expectations and express who you truly wish to be"]] couldn't escape unbroken. Sure, Smiler was defeated and the Emojis learn that it's perfectly fine to express more than one emotion. However, there is still the fact [[FullCircleRevolution that they are stuck with one ''function'',]] to serve Alex. [[SarcasmMode What a brilliant life.]] [[CluelessAesop Emojis were invented for this very specific purpose,]] so Textopolis is a [[{{Metaphorgotten}} terrible metaphor.]] The movie constantly validates the idea that they should only peruse society's intended purpose for them. In RealLife, the pressure to conform can easily prevent people from [[BeYourself being themselves.]]

** Also, Jailbreak's heavy-handed rants about women being denied positions of power and the ability to voice their own ideas seems at least a little misplaced when you realize that Smiler, ''the leader of the Emojis'', is female!

* The theme of Emoji prejudice against Gene is pushed hard to [[GayAesop represent the struggles of the LGBT community,]] according to WordOfGod[[invoked]]... but Gene actually experiences very little FantasticRacism when he's just walking through the streets of Textopolis making various faces - the other emojis on the street seem to either like him or not care about his transgressions. Society actually allowed him to have a chance to use his talents, and he failed miserably. The only time he does get treated with major hostility is when he screws up majorly on the job in a way that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero puts the entire phone in danger.]]

The movie doesn't do a very good job at [[{{Anvilicious}} conveying its heavy handed morals.]] They get [[BrokenAesop broken]] and [[LostAesop lost]] while the main lesson [[CluelessAesop is handled cluelessly.]] In fact, it does such a bad job with its {{Aesop}}s that it's the first piece of media ever to have a BrokenAesop subpage ''[[EpicFail all to itself]]''.

The movie doesn't do a very good job at [[{{Anvilicious}} conveying its heavy handed morals.]] They get [[BrokenAesop broken]] and [[LostAesop lost]] while the main lesson [[CluelessAesop is handled cluelessly.]]

* For a movie where [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/tj-miller-slams-silicon-valley-cast-for-not-doing-enough-to-stop-trump_us_59701345e4b062ea5f8f1e26 women have "limitless potential"]] there don't seem to be any interestingly written female characters. The only female emojis we see with major speaking roles are [[ControlFreak Smiler, a generic order obsessed villain who runs society like a dictator,]] [[PrincessClassic a generic princess,]] [[RealWomenDontWearDresses Jailbreak, a]] {{Jerkass}} who accomplishes nothing except [[HeroicBSOD breaking Gene's heart,]] [[LoveInterests and the generic love interest.]] There is also [[DullSurprise Gene's mother Mary, who's little more than a particularly emotionless]] ExtremeDoormat and Akiko Glitter, who's a genuine NiceGirl [[spoiler: but who is so expendable that [[DesignatedHero our hero Gene]] leaves her to die in the trash can.]] Note that the most significant female character other than the villain, Jailbreak [[spoiler: fits ''[[UpToEleven three]]'' out of those six characteristics.]]

* The biggest irony is that despite [[{{Anvilicious}} continuously preaching]] to BeYourself, the movie has [[ClicheStorm no identity of its own]] and blatantly rips off [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie much]] [[Disney/WreckItRalph better]] [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut films]]. This doesn't break the lesson per se, but it is definitely a case of UnderminedByReality, which makes the lesson [[Narm/TheEmojiMovie much harder to take seriously]]. Not helping is the fact that it includes ''massive'' amounts of blatant ProductPlacement, making the message come off as insincere.

* Hi-5 has to learn to stop being a [[ItsAllAboutMe narcissistic jerk]] and learn the value of having true friends. [[FlatCharacter Yet he still yearns for popularity through the entire movie.]] Shortly after [[ShowDontTell he comes back and says he learned his lesson,]] he shouts about how "they love us" without any humility whatsoever. To make matter worse, he got along with Gene just fine and they were able to work together to accomplish their own goals, suggesting that narcissism doesn't really harm your relationships and life goals.

** [[FullCircleRevolution Aspects of the caste system still remain intact]] as the unpopular Emojis remain in the Loser Lounge.

** Hi-5 [[FlatCharacter never dumps his narcissistic ways]] to become a more well rounded Emoji.

* The theme of Emoji prejudice against Gene is pushed hard to [[GayAesop represent the struggles of the LGBT community,]] according to WordOfGod[[invoked]]... but Gene actually experiences very little FantasticRacism when he's just walking through the streets of Textopolis making various faces - the other Emojis on the street seem to either like him or not care about his transgressions. Society actually allowed him to have a chance to use his talents, and he failed miserably. The only time he does get treated with major hostility is when he screws up majorly on the job in a way that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero puts the entire phone in danger.]]
* ''WebVideo/TheMysteriousMrEnter'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVWym7KejfA made the case that]] even the ProductPlacement falls flat. Emojis are so great at communicating ideas that a normal Emoji would be insufficient to communicate the basic idea of love. The main message of BeYourself [[CluelessAesop makes little sense when it comes to technology,]] because customers want smartphones that follow their commands, not for the apps to [[BeYourself be whatever they want to be.]] The only reason that Textopolis was spared from destruction was because Gene ''glitched out'' when he was placed on the pedestal at the end, something that the creators of these apps want to avoid at all costs.

** If Emojis wanted to become more than merely vessels of conveying ideas or express whatever they feel, then Alex could simply delete them as they would [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness have outlived their usefulness.]] After all, Gene didn't stop the phone from being erased. It was Alex who stopped it because his crush was so EasilyImpressed, and the movie fails to call him out for attempting to delete the phone data.

* The biggest irony is that despite preaching to BeYourself, the movie has [[ClicheStorm no identity of its own]] and blatantly rips off [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie much]] [[Disney/WreckItRalph better]] [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut films]]. This doesn't break the lesson per se, but it is definitely a case of UnderminedByReality, which makes the lesson much harder to take seriously. Not helping is the fact that it includes ''massive'' amounts of blatant ProductPlacement, making the message come off as insincere.

->''"It's like slipping in "fascism is bad" in Film/TriumphOfTheWill."''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''' saying that the title alone ensures that the social commentary will be glossed over.

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'''

->'''TheNostalgiaCritic:''' It's like slipping in "fascism is bad" in ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill.''

* If the movie was supposed to mock the excessive use of technology, then this was sure as hell broken when the simple act of sending a text ultimately saves the day. Also, because we don't get to see the real problems that it causes, none of the human characters learn the drawbacks of their [[PhoneaholicTeenager obsession with smartphones.]] For their lack of trying, the movie just makes this behaviour seem normal.

* The biggest irony is that despite preaching to BeYourself, the movie has [[ClicheStorm no identity of its own]]. This doesn't break the lesson per se, but it is definitely a case of UnderminedByReality, which makes the lesson much harder to take seriously. Not helping is the fact that it includes ''massive'' amounts of blatant ProductPlacement, making the message come off as insincere.

** Jailbreak's cred as a sophisticated hacker falls ''[[InformedAbility significantly]]'' short of what the movie [[FauxActionGirl wants us to believe what she can do.]] Despite her claims to be strong and independent, she almost falls to her death (in ''VideoGame/JustDance'', of all places) and her two displays of "hacking" in the movie (guessing the password to a firewall and deprogramming the bot that's trying to kill Gene) are both upstaged by ''[[TheLoad Hi-5]]'', of all people. Conversely, her only noteworthy accomplishment happens when she embraces her princess side and whistles for the Website/{{Twitter}} logo, accidentally suggesting she was better off that way.

** Jailbreak's cred as a sophisticated hacker falls ''[[InformedAbility significantly]]'' short of what the movie [[FauxActionGirl wants us to believe what she can do.]] Despite her claims to be strong and independent, she almost falls to her death (in ''VideoGame/JustDance'', of all places) and her two displays of "hacking" in the movie (guessing the password to a firewall and deprogramming the bot that's trying to kill Gene) are both upstaged by ''[[TheLoad Hi-5]]'', of all people.

* WebVideo/WisecrackEdition [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpIqNpWtKEU made the case that]] the lesson of [[BeYourself "you should reject societal expectations and express who you truly wish to be"]] couldn't escape unbroken. Sure, Smiler was defeated and the Emojis learn that it's perfectly fine to express more than one emotion. However, there is still the fact that they are stuck with one ''function'', to serve Alex. [[SarcasmMode What a brilliant life.]] [[CluelessAesop Emojis were invented for this very specific purpose,]] so Textopolis is a [[{{Metaphorgotten}} terrible metaphor.]] The movie constantly validates the idea that they should only peruse society's intended purpose for them. In RealLife, the pressure to conform can easily prevent people from [[BeYourself being themselves.]]

** Aspects of the caste system still remain intact as the unpopular Emojis remain in the Loser Lounge.
** Jailbreak learns to stop valuing freedom and reverts back to being a Princess.

* If the movie was supposed to mock the excessive use of technology, then this was sure as hell broken when sending a text ultimately saves the day. Also, because we don't get to see the real problems that it causes, none of the human characters learn the drawbacks of their [[PhoneaholicTeenager obsession with smartphones.]] For their lack of trying, the movie just makes this behaviour seem normal.
* Hi-5 has to learn to stop being a [[ItsAllAboutMe narcissistic jerk]] and learn the value of true friends. Yet he still yearns for popularity through the entire movie. Shortly after [[ShowDontTell he comes back and says he learned his lesson,]] he shouts about how "they love us" without any humility whatsoever. To make matter worse, he got along with Gene just fine and they were able to work together to accomplish their own goals, suggesting that narcissism doesn't really harm your relationships.
* The message [[GoodParents about being a supportive father]] is undermined since Mel changed his mind and believed that his son was ready for the prime time, yet his doubts were correct since Gene got StageFright on his first day. The movie calls him out for not being supportive, yet a good parent would understand their child's strengths and weaknesses so that they can help them succeed.
* The theme of Emoji prejudice against Gene is pushed hard to represent the struggles of the LGBT community, according to WordOfGod[[invoked]]... but Gene actually experiences very little FantasticRacism when he's just walking through the streets of Textopolis making various faces - the other Emojis on the street seem to either like him or not care about his presence. Society actually gave him a chance to use his talents, and he failed miserably. The only time he does get treated with major hostility is when he screws up majorly on the job in a way that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero puts the entire city in danger.]]

* Gene and Jailbreak's stories essentially cancel each other out, message-wise. One wants to conform and learns to value freedom, while another wants freedom and ends up conforming. This is especially {{iron|y}}ic considering that the main focus was about Gene learning to reject the oppressive caste system and express himself, instead of just performing his one function.

* ''WebVideo/TheMysteriousMrEnter'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVWym7KejfA made the case that]] even the ProductPlacement falls flat. Emojis are so great at communicating ideas that a normal Emoji would be insufficient to communicate the basic idea of love. The main message of BeYourself makes little sense when it comes to technology, because customers want smartphones that follow their commands, not for the apps to [[BeYourself be whatever they want to be.]] The only reason that Textopolis was spared from destruction was because Gene ''glitched out'' when he was placed on the pedestal at the end, something that the creators of these apps want to avoid at all costs.

* For a movie where [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/tj-miller-slams-silicon-valley-cast-for-not-doing-enough-to-stop-trump_us_59701345e4b062ea5f8f1e26 women have "limitless potential"]] there don't seem to be any interestingly written female characters. The only female emojis we see with major speaking roles are [[ControlFreak Smiler, a generic order obsessed villain who runs society like a dictator,]] [[PrincessClassic a generic princess,]] [[RealWomenDontWearDresses Jailbreak, a]] {{Jerkass}} who accomplishes nothing except breaking Gene's heart, [[LoveInterests and the generic love interest.]] There is also Gene's mother Mary, who's little more than a particularly emotionless ExtremeDoormat and Akiko Glitter, who's a genuine NiceGirl [[spoiler: but who is so expendable that [[DesignatedHero our hero Gene]] leaves her to die in the trash can.]] Note that the most significant female character other than the villain, Jailbreak [[spoiler: fits ''[[UpToEleven three]]'' out of those six characteristics.]]
* If Jailbreak is meant to be a strong independent-minded female role model, then why does she learn to fit in with the same societal expectations that she found sexist? It seems to suggest that you can only save the day by following tradition, since revealing herself as a princess is treated as an empowering moment. And why does the movie treat her as being incredibly selfish for rejecting Gene's fairy-tale views of romance?

** Jailbreak's cred as a sophisticated hacker falls ''[[InformedAbility significantly]]'' short of what the movie [[FauxActionGirl wants us to believe what she can do.]] Despite her claims to be strong and independent, she almost falls to her death (in ''Just Dance'', of all places) and her two displays of "hacking" in the movie (guessing the password to a firewall and deprogramming the bot that's trying to kill Gene) are both upstaged by ''[[TheLoad Hi-5]]'', of all people.

* For a movie where [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/tj-miller-slams-silicon-valley-cast-for-not-doing-enough-to-stop-trump_us_59701345e4b062ea5f8f1e26 women have "limitless potential"]] there don't seem to be any interestingly written female characters. The only female emojis we see with major speaking roles are the [[ControlFreak Smiler, a generic order obsessed villain who runs society like a dictator,]] [[PrincessClassic the generic princess,]] [[RealWomenDontWearDresses Jailbreak, a]] {{Jerkass}} who accomplishes nothing except breaking Gene's heart, [[LoveInterests and the generic love interest.]] There is also Gene's mother Mary, who's little more than a particularly emotionless ExtremeDoormat and Akiko Glitter who's a genuine NiceGirl [[spoiler: but who is so expendable that [[DesignatedHero our hero Gene]] leaves her to die in the trash can.]] Note that the most significant female character other than the villain, Jailbreak [[spoiler: fits ''[[UpToEleven three]]'' out of those six characteristics.]]

* For a movie where [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/tj-miller-slams-silicon-valley-cast-for-not-doing-enough-to-stop-trump_us_59701345e4b062ea5f8f1e26 women have "limitless potential"]] there don't seem to be any interestingly written female characters. The only female emojis we see with major speaking roles are the [[ControlFreak generic order obsessed villain,]] [[PrincessClassic the generic princess,]] [[RealWomenDontWearDresses the generic tough girl,]] [[LoveInterests and the generic love interest.]] Note that the only female character of significance other than the villain [[spoiler: fits ''[[UpToEleven three]]'' out of those four charactistics.]]

** Not to mention that the claims that "women have limitless potential" dry up when the film's only female characters of prominence are 1) Jailbreak, a {{Jerkass}} who accomplishes nothing except breaking Gene's heart, 2) Smiler, a ControlFreak who runs society like a dictator, 3) his mother, who's little more than a particularly emotionless ExtremeDoormat, and 4) Akiko Glitter who's a genuine NiceGirl [[spoiler: but who is so expendable that [[DesignatedHero our hero Gene]] leaves her to die in the trash can.]]