Monday, 18 May 2015

A Whole New World?: Disney, Pixar and Diversity


According to Variety, Disney executive producer and Pixar frontman John Lasseter has recently emphasised the importance of conveying diversity in animated film, particularly ethnic diversity and gender. This statement comes as a result of having been asked whether Pixar will utilise a black protagonist in the near future, to which he responded that a more intense and informed focus on ethnic groups and women represents a sure-fire step in the right direction. However, one cannot help but wonder whether Disney and Pixar’s focus on emanating ethnic and gender diversity is somewhat laboured, and detracts from the far more important objective of delivering a compelling narrative.

Moreover, it could be argued that this statement serves as little besides a mere sound bite for the purposes of quelling the onslaughts of aggressive reporters in light of the fact that only one of Pixar’s features released so far (as of May 2015) contains a female protagonist. Sure, I’m willing to accept that this is likely subject to change, but to argue the case for complete diversity in the animated genre, you have to admit, is somewhat idealistic. The film in question, Brave (2012), in fact, conveys very little in terms of female empowerment. Its protagonist is one of the least interesting characters in the film, mostly due to the fact that the narrative itself proves problematic, leaving her character learning nothing by the film’s conclusion, and having overcome no obstacles by dint of an epiphanic anagnorisis, typical of your average main character. Instead, this burden is instead attributed to her mother, Queen Elinor, whose role in the film is surprisingly underplayed considering the substantiality of her physical and emotional changes as the narrative progresses.

It must be acknowledged, however, that under Lasseter’s tenure as executive producer, Disney have at least attempted to be more diverse in their racial and cultural onscreen depictions, The Princess and the Frog (2009) perhaps representing the most obvious candidate for the most notable of these attempts. That said, despite its predominantly black (animated) cast, African Americans are nonetheless presented to a mainstream audience through the use of culinary signifiers; of particular note is the use of gumbo, which is utilised to convey something mildly exotic but simultaneously non-threatening and familiar to a mainstream audience, generally unacquainted with and presumably ignorant of black culture. In addition, whether it’s intended or not, it aligns the African American woman with food and cooking – a signifier present in film and animation since the ‘Mammy’, as identified in MGM Tom and Jerry cartoons of the 1940s and early 1950s. Parasecoli provides an in-depth analysis of food as a signifier in the aforementioned feature (Parasecoli, 2010), while other critics have also argued that the conveyance of African Americans in this feature reinforces a racist discourse. While this is a rather extreme view in my opinion, this perception can nonetheless be supported by the easily identifiable lack of contextual references. The oppressive, subservient realities of African Americans in 1920s New Orleans are present, but vastly underplayed, to the extent at which protagonist Tiana appears content with her and her family’s subjugation – hardly unlike the depiction of the complacent plantation worker in Song of the South (1946), though admittedly less severe. But therein lies the issue: historical context is avoided rather than addressed. Evidently, this is intentional in order to obviate the conveyance of a potentially racist discourse, or at least a dark, bitter historical reality, in a family animation. Yet this simultaneously proves problematic in that it circumvents and, in a sense, rewrites historical fact.

While Pixar, for the time being, are yet to encroach upon the threshold of ethnic diversity to any notable extent, their inclusion of female protagonists seems to be increasing, or at least that’s what Inside Out (2015) would indicate. Disney, meanwhile, have already begun to publicise their 2016 release Moana, which is being heavily promoted as their first feature to contain a Polynesian princess. Indeed, as Lasseter indicates, it does seem as though the animated genre is entering a new era in terms of ethnic and gender diversity. However, there seems to be a far greater focus on encouraging (or forcing) this diversity than on delivering impactful and engrossing plots. I’m in support of diversity in animation, but only as long as it doesn’t detract from the quality of the narrative. Moana gets no bonus points for its emphasis on cultural diversity ahead of its release, at least not in my book. It’s arguably an achievement in a sense, yes, but it’s a minor detail, tangential to the far more significant components that comprise a good film (such as narrative structure, compelling characters and their development).

Furthermore, the fact that we do, contemporarily, consider such developments to be worthy of a great deal of media attention is quite frankly pathetic and upsetting. Of course, the encouragement of diversity in any form of media is undoubtedly a positive thing, but for something as minor as Disney’s ‘first Polynesian princess’ to hit the headlines in the 21st Century is somewhat unsettling, in that it absolutely emphasises the tragic nature of the lack of cultural diversity in film generally. Personally, I’m of the opinion that we are behind the times, at least where animated films are concerned. Bafflingly, if anything, a predominant focus on race and culture surely represents a retrograde step, for there was no such emphasis on the nationality of Princess Jasmine, the Arabian princess, in Aladdin (1992), although this was likely since it was integral to the plot. Such a heavy emphasis on diversity is unnecessary, and today’s films should already be representative of a society so complex and ordinary that it doesn’t warrant media attention. Race and gender’s continual utilisation as a means of promotion punctuates the sensationalism of the cartoon at its absolute nadir. Taking all this into account, Lasseter’s words seem almost meaningless. We might be edging closer gradually, but complete, equal representation in animation currently remains little more than a far-off delusion.

Sources:

Variety: ‘John Lasseter Says Disney/Pixar Wants More Diverse Characters’: http://variety.com/2015/film/markets-festivals/john-lasseter-disney-pixar-more-diverse-characters-1201499414/

Parasecoli, F. (2010) ‘A Taste of Louisiana: Mainstreaming Blackness through Food in The Princess and the Frog’ in Journal of African American Studies. 14 (4), pp. 450-468.

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