The Responsibility of Storytelling: How Disney Dropped the Ball with Queen of Katwe

"When there are stories that are important... there's a responsibility to that story and to that lesson, especially when it's based on a real person."

This week on Married to the Media, Robin and Cass reflect on their very different experiences with watching the movie Queen of Katwe. A powerful story about a young girl in Uganda who learns to play chess and break her family out of extreme poverty, Queen of Katwe is the type of biography filmmakers strive to turn into cinematic art- a true story that can inspire the masses. Think of Seabiscuit, Memoirs of a Geisha, Slumdog Millionaire: award-winning accounts and films that stick with us because of their poignant lessons and beautiful storytelling. 

The film follows Phiona Mutesi, 3-time Ugandan Women's Junior Champion in Chess, and her journey from the back streets of Katwe, Kampala's largest slum, to international grandmaster. But where raw material is present in spades, the refining of this gem of a tale is butchered by Disney. Poor dialogue editing and recording, choppy film editing, and a poor blend of cinematic genre throw the story under the rug for the first half of the film, only to barely recover in time for the powerful ending. 

While Robin recommends this film to teach important character values and lessons, Cass thinks this isn't the best biopic to show in class. Hear their reasons and their criticisms for the studio in this week's episode of Married to the Media!