It’s no secret that Disney movies have historically portrayed stereotypical characters. Check out the short film Mickey Mouse Monopoly if you don’t agree.
Although this has improved over the last few decades, Disney is still falling very short.
The only time female characters play a significant role in most Disney movie are as the princesses, who are often portrayed as weak, passive and two dimensional.
Even modern princesses like Mulan, who are shown to be more independent and strong, still have a significant amount of the story plot focused on their romantic relationship with a male.
The new Disney movie Brave might be breaking the mould by having a female protagonist whose story does not revolve around her chasing a guy, yet the catalyst for the film is still based on the female protagonist’s future of marriage.
Furthermore, at the expense of creating a strong female character, the male characters of the film have been reduced to simplified, dumb-witted goofs.
Why isn’t it possible for Disney to portray a complex female character alongside a similarly complex male character?
In some ways, the power of the female character in Brave is trivialized by the simplified portrayals of the male characters. This makes it seem like the only way to have a strong female character is to have dumb, thoughtless men around.
Can a woman only be powerful if there are no powerful men around?
It’s an insult to audiences that Disney can’t manage to make a movie where male and female characters can both be well-developed, thoughtful, and powerful.
