‘How does animated film demonstrate the evolution of the societal perception of women?’ is a question I’m almost certain you’ve never asked before. But the answer is actually rather interesting. No, really. Some observations alluded to in this article may surprise you, but what may surprise you most is the fact that you have probably never noticed them. Oh, they’re subtle, but all movies contain messages, underlying ideologies reflecting attitudes of society, plenty of which censorship has attempted to erase from history, and pretend they never happened. Take, for example, the crude representations of African Americans in cartoons from the mid-20th century (covered in a previous post). Warner Bros’ infamous and much sought-after ‘Censored Eleven’, a collection of banned cartoons that would now be considered racist and offensive, is one such example of this censorship, and how society’s attitudes have evolved over time. Yet, while race is a significant issue that accompanies modern-day releases of cartoons/animated films of this time, other prejudices are overlooked, mostly because they are not as substantial or offensive. Rather, the representation of gender is far more subtle, since the stereotypes they convey are far less conspicuous, but they still indisputably exist. In fact, it may surprise you just how recently people’s opinions of women and their roles have altered (that is, if they have changed significantly at all…).
Now, I’m no prude, nor does this subject even bother me much. I merely find it quite interesting. And no, I haven’t scoured every last animated movie to derive some meaningful thesis on the presentation of women; this merely serves as an acknowledgment, if you like, of this presentation (or misrepresentation). First, let’s look at Disney. I’ll begin with this shock revelation (hold onto your hats!): There are only three animated features in the Disney canon that feature a female protagonist pitted directly against a male antagonist, and succeeding. Wow. Isn’t that just… wow. Okay, so it might not sound that horrifying, but out of a total of more than fifty animated features, this surely delineates some kind of message about society, doesn’t it? The three movies in question happen to be Mulan (1998), Home on the Range (2004) and The Princess and the Frog (2009). I should point out that I refuse to include Pocahontas (1995) since the eponymous character never physically comes into contact with villain Ratcliffe, not to mention the fact that the climax is pretty abysmal anyway. That means that the first time a female character was depicted directly opposing a male character was as late as 1998! And the villain, Shan Yu, was also particularly formidable. So, yes, Mulan, it appears, was not just a hero of China, but a hero of female empowerment. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but you’ve got to admit it sounds awesome.
Still not impressed? Well, let me tell you (brace yourself, are you ready for this?): Whenever a female protagonist is pitted against a female antagonist, it is often the case that a male lesser character or deuteragonist will step forward and vanquish the foe for them. I know. You’re not convinced. You need examples. Well, it just so happens I have some on me: Lady and the Tramp (1955) sees Lady unable to tackle the vicious rat (whose gender is unknown) intent on harming the baby, being as she happens to be tied up, and who steps in to save the day? The Tramp! Yes, the eponymous male triumphs. Still unconvinced? What about Sleeping Beauty (1959)? Princess Aurora can’t defeat Maleficent (obviously, because she’s sleeping for one thing), so the handsome prince steps in, and becomes the hero of the picture in accordance with the traditional fairy-tale. Okay, so this was unavoidable but my point remains valid. The prince, a male lesser character, is the hero (despite inexplicably becoming completely mute for the last half an hour of the feature). And what about The Little Mermaid (1989)? During Ursula’s (extremely brief) reign of terror, it is Prince Eric who takes the helm, quite literally, and drives the wrecked ship into the powerful villainess, thus defeating her, while Ariel, our heroine, struggles helplessly while being taunted by the sea witch. And despite an apparent subversion of these roles in the likes of Mulan, we still see women in a less-than-heroic stance in subsequent features. Even in Tangled (2010), a film praised for its surprisingly strong female protagonist, it is the male love interest, Flynn Rider (or Eugene Fitzherbert), who cuts Rapunzel’s hair, eliminating the malicious Mother Gothel.
There are rare occasions when female characters are depicted as strong and not presented as mere objects of affection, however. Treasure Planet (2002) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012), for example, contain some pretty strong female characters: most notably Captain Amelia and Calhoun, respectively. However, both these characters unfortunately later succumb to the same fate as your typical female; yes, that’s right – they find love! Aww. How demeaning. One of the most notable examples of more positive portrayals of women is Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), which contains a surprisingly substantial collection of feisty females, who appear as tough as the male characters, and sometimes tougher. Princess Kida, for example, is evidently stronger and more athletic than protagonist Milo Thatch. The film also features a fairly formidable (and memorable) female villain in Helga Sinclair. However, it must be noted that although these characters are undeniably fierce, they are nonetheless overshadowed by a mostly male cast. Sure, Helga is powerful, but Commander Rourke is more so, so much so in fact that he winds up responsible for her demise, which is unusual to an extent since it depicts one villain defeating another. Furthermore, regardless of her strength, Kida is captured and remains inactive for the duration of the climax, much like Princess Aurora. What’s more is that, despite (as Kida puts it) Milo’s ‘diminished physique and large forehead’, the weedy protagonist later becomes the saviour of Atlantis. How about that? Power to the geeks!
Even Pixar’s females suffer the same fate (think A Bug’s Life and The Incredibles in particular). The majority of their characters are also male, and it was not until their thirteenth feature Brave (2012) that they finally had a female protagonist, Princess Merida. And it must also be noted that this feature devolved into something of a weak and feeble effort. No strong, empowered women are to be found here, contrary to what the film’s title and initial premise suggest; just a spoilt Scottish brat whose tantrums wind up working in her favour. Encouraging, isn’t it? No film company is to blame, though some may argue that the media in its entirety contributes to this predominantly negative ideology. Disney/Pixar aren’t alone. Dreamworks Animation also consists of predominantly male characters. Even Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), a film which contains numerous promising strong female characters, including love interest Marina and the goddess of chaos Eris, boils down to a less-than-gripping climax as the conflict between male hero and female villainess dissolves into a weak and frankly forgettable finale. The truth is that the majority of films, and not just animated ones, abide by a specific ideology, and follow a certain gender-governed regulation implemented by society’s collective mind. This rule stipulates that women are to remain the fairer sex, ever helpless, bound by the shackles of an ignorant patriarchal society, essentially rendering them forever dependent on men to raise them from impoverishment and rescue them from peril, or at least this is what these animated films would imply. But we know for a fact that this is not at all the case… right? Where this rule came from is inconsequential with regards to this small collection of observations, but regardless of where it came from, it exists, and sadly still prevails, albeit, some might say, to a lesser extent. I, personally, am sceptical of whether the utilisation of this rule has in fact been diminished any. If it has, however, we have films like Mulan to thank for its rare positive portrayal of a more ‘authentic’ and independent woman.
… And, in order to support this sentiment, shall we just overlook that it was in fact Mushu, Mulan’s male dragon sidekick, who officially defeated Shan Yu? Yeah, I think that would be best.
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