After reading so many informative articles about social issues, it’s time for something a little bit more lighthearted! In other words, yes, it is the perfect time to over-analyze children’s movies! In this article, we’ll be looking at 6 female characters in the Disney canon, and we’ll be evaluating how feminist their characters are. We’ll also be looking at the evolution of these female protagonists. These characters are all from movies that came out during or after the 1990s, and there are 3 characters for each ‘era’ of Disney movies.
Why the 1990s, you might ask? Well, I think we all know how Disney’s female protagonists were like before then. From the audience’s perspective, characters like Snow White and Aurora don’t have much agency in the story – most of the plot events are instigated by other people, and things just happen to them, as opposed to them actively making things happen. (Eg. Aurora is cursed by Maleficent, then woken by the prince… neither of these were due to her own actions). Even within the story, the characters have more passive personalities (“Someday my prince will come”... Snow White, bestie, he’s right outside, go find him yourself), and most of the time, do not actively try to change their circumstances. Combining their slightly lower importance on the plot (despite being protagonists!), as well as their passive personalities, it’s evident that female characters in Disney’s earlier movies weren’t exactly the most empowering for girls.
But what about more recent ones? There’s certainly more to discuss there, and things aren’t that simple anymore.
The criteria for judging each character is as follows:
From an external (the audience’s) perspective: Plot importance
How important is this character to the plot? Do her own actions change the plot, or are most plot events related to her instigated by other people?
Within the story: Self-image
Does this character believe that she can change her circumstances? Does she take an active effort to do so?
Of course, that’s not to say that female characters can’t have a passive personality — in fact, that could be an interesting character flaw to explore! The point here is — is being passive the only aspect there is to this character? Does this flaw help develop the story? Do they overcome this flaw? Is it even written as a flaw in the first place, or is it treated as a given, since this character is female?
**Note: Most other articles on here are objective, but since this is about movies… it’s hard not to have some subjective opinions here. Please take note of that!
**WARNING: This article contains spoilers for 5 Disney movies. You have been warned!
Now without further ado, let’s get started!
The Disney Renaissance Era (1990s)
Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
Plot: Belle chooses to take her father’s place in the Beast’s castle after he is held captive, which is essentially what kickstarts the main plot of the movie — the romance between her and the Beast. This main plot is also driven by her attempts to warm up to him (and him reciprocating). She is also the key to freeing the Beast from his curse, so it’s safe to say that Belle is a key player in the plot.
But it’s also interesting to note that one of the major conflicts in the final act of the story… isn’t strictly related to her? Gaston’s violent raid on the Beast’s castle is driven by his jealousy over Belle’s affection toward the Beast, as well as disgust towards the Beast’s appearance. Sure, Belle’s preferences play a part in that, but it’s mostly about Gaston’s personality and misguided motivation. In that sense, in this part of the plot, (which takes up quite a bit of screen time), Belle isn’t as important.
Self-image: Belle is confident in her own choices and believes that she knows what’s best for herself, like when she rejects Gaston’s proposal to marry her (“Madame Gaston, his little wife/No sir, not me, I guarantee it/I want much more than this provincial life”). She also has her own feelings and motivations throughout the movie — she tries to escape from the Beast’s castle of her own accord, and also leaves the castle to help her father towards the end of the movie.
Jasmine (Aladdin)
Plot: Although most of the plot revolves around Aladdin and his journey to be true to himself, Jasmine also plays a key role in his character development – her status as the princess is what causes Aladdin to initially hide his true identity, and her respect for him despite his identity is what motivates Aladdin to be true to himself by the end. The process of finding Jasmine a suitor is also part of Jafar’s plan to become the sultan at one point in the story.
However, similar to Belle’s case, the climax of the movie also involves the two male characters fighting each other, while Jasmine is trapped for most of the fight. However, the difference is that Belle is the protagonist of her movie, while Jasmine is the deuteragonist. In a way, it makes sense that the climax would be a fight that’s only between the main antagonist and protagonist… but hey, we gotta be fair. Technically, this still counts as a lowered impact on the plot.
Self-image: Jasmine is self-assured, and does not want other people to control her words and actions. Although she is forced to choose a suitor to marry, she is not willing to marry anybody she dislikes, even if the law requires her to (“If I marry, I want it to be for love.”). She only wishes to marry someone that likes her for who she is, and not only to further their social status (“I am not a prize to be won”). This strong conviction in her ability to change her circumstances culminates in an… interesting(?) scene towards the end of the movie. In order to buy time for Aladdin to obtain the genie’s lamp from Jafar, Jasmine has to seduce (and forcibly kiss!) Jafar, who wishes to marry her… despite their large age difference. Within the story, you can argue that Jasmine is confident and fast on her feet, thus she manages to successfully manipulate Jafar, but from a real-world perspective… It's quite a disturbing scene. It’s hard to deny the fact that the scene is sexual in nature, and that female characters were being sexualised in media at the time, even in a children’s movie.
Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Plot: Despite being the deuteragonist of the film, Esmeralda is the catalyst of the film’s main conflict — but this is mostly shaped by Frollo’s actions and is, to a certain extent, out of her control.* However, her defiant actions throughout the movie impact Quasimodo, the protagonist, motivating him to fight against Frollo in the story’s climax (“SANCTUARY!!”). Without her, Quasimodo may never have left his tower more than once! She also saves Quasimodo and Phoebus’ lives at different points in the story, so it’s safe to say that the plot would be very different without her.
But similar to Belle and Jasmine’s cases (seeing a pattern here?), the climax of the movie involves the two male characters fighting each other — in fact, Esmeralda is unconscious for most of the fight, and most of the third act involves her being captured and nearly burned for being a ‘witch’ (more on that later), leaving her with less ability to act. But like Jasmine, Esmeralda is also the deuteragonist, so that gives her a little leeway in this situation.
Self-image: Esmeralda is confident, and actively tries to change her circumstances — especially because she is discriminated against due to her race. She goes against the status quo and speaks out against discrimination for both herself and Quasimodo (“Justice!”). Although Quasi develops romantic feelings for her because of this, she ultimately becomes romantically involved with Phoebus. Both parties respect her decision, and this relationship forms due to her own deliberation and choice — which is a far cry from earlier Disney female characters who barely had any time to consider things before being married off to a prince.
In contrast to previous female characters who’d wish for things like “adventure” (Belle) or wanting to be “where the people are” (Ariel), Esmeralda wishes, “God help the outcasts/hungry from birth/show them the mercy/they don’t find on Earth” (from her musical number, ‘God Help the Outcasts’). She demonstrates a stronger sense of agency than her predecessors – she wishes not only to change her circumstances, but others’ as well.
Elaboration on Esmeralda’s section:
*This movie is actually an interesting case study regarding feminism — this part isn’t really related to either of the criteria in the analysis above… read on if you’re interested! The film’s main conflict stems from Frollo’s lust towards, and objectification of Esmeralda. He wishes to capture her, as he believes that she is a ‘witch’, and the source of his ‘sin’. (Sure, blame the victim, Frollo. Definitely not your fault.) To enhance this image, Esmeralda is portrayed as seductive in the movie (in the casting call, she’s described by the directors as “oozing with sexuality”...), so some have argued that this aids the sexualisation of women in the media.
But unlike in Jasmine’s case, there isn't a clear, stand-out scene that shows her going out of her way to seduce Frollo (there’s one where she pole-dances in front of an audience… but it’s not as sexual as Jasmine’s scene, go watch it). And unlike with Jafar, where Jasmine’s actions are used as a ploy to distract him, and could be argued that it’s seen to be for the benefit of the protagonists, the movie clearly states that Frollo’s views and actions are wrong, and there’s also a lot more depth to Esmeralda’s character than just her appearance, so you could also argue that this sends a positive message — although you can’t deny that there’s a sexual undertone to Esmeralda’s portrayal, women have unique personalities, and shouldn’t only be seen as objects. Either argument is valid — what might your stance be?
Conclusion
Disney’s female protagonists in the Renaissance era have much more agency in the story than their predecessors, both because they play a large role in the plot, and also because they have much more confident and active personalities, making them willing to stand their ground and fight for what they believe in. Although the romantic main/sub plots still progress fairly quickly (how many days have Aladdin and Jasmine known each other again…?), these Renaissance era characters at least have a choice in who to marry.
However, these characters become slightly less important in the climax of their movies (exceptions from this era would be Mulan and Pocahontas), and have less agency during these tense moments.
The Modern Era (2000s-present)
Anna (Frozen)
Plot: Anna is the one who pursues Elsa after she freezes Arendelle. She also saves Elsa from Hans, which allows Elsa to stop fearing her powers and reverse the eternal winter in Arendelle. Speaking of Hans, it’s Anna’s choice to marry him within 12 hours of their meeting that allows him to take advantage of her and threaten Elsa, so she’s definitely crucial to both the positive and the negative sides of the plot.
Self-image: Anna immediately sets out to find Elsa after Arendelle freezes, and also insists on helping Elsa in order to patch their distant relationship. (“We can head down this mountain together, you don’t have to live in fear!”) Even when she is nearly frozen and trapped in a room, she still believes in her ability to escape, and later on sacrifices herself to save Elsa’s life. Even her decision to marry Hans, though misguided, is her own choice, and one that she is confident in (“Look, it doesn’t matter, it’s true love!”). She has a strong conviction in her abilities, and thus very actively tries to change her circumstances.
Elsa (Frozen)
Plot: Elsa’s fear of her powers causes the main conflict of the movie — when she loses control of her powers, she runs away, causing Arendelle to be cast into eternal winter. The fate of Arandelle is decided by Elsa’s attitude towards her powers — when she finally learns to accept her powers, Arendelle thaws. Her fear and desire for isolation also create other conflicts like Hans’ pursuit of her, as well as Anna’s frozen heart.
Self-image: Initially, Elsa does not have much control over her actions — she was forced to hide her powers, and was taught to be afraid of them. However, she soon yearns for greater control and freedom (I don’t think I even need to quote this, but… “Let it go/let it go/that perfect girl is gone”). On her own, outside of Arendelle, she can do anything she wants — build an ice castle, create a large snowman… she has full agency over her actions! …Or does she? Elsa is still running away from the consequences of her actions (ie. Frozen Arendelle). Ultimately, though, under Anna’s influence, she does save her kingdom.
This is a good example of a character having a personality trait that may make them passive (only in regards to unfreezing Arendelle, in Elsa’s case), but is also not an indication of stereotypical writing that makes them seem incapable — Elsa is driven by her fear, but at the end of the movie, she begins to let go of this fear, which allows her to repair the ramifications of her actions.
Mirabel (Encanto)
Plot: The plot of Encanto quite heavily depends on Mirabel’s actions. Her actions are what help repair the previously broken family — she helps her sisters be true to themselves instead of compromising their wishes or personalities for the sake of the family all the time. (Isabela and Luisa deserve an article of their own… but maybe another day.) She also empathizes with Abuela (her grandmother), and helps her come to terms with Abuelo Pedro’s death, which allows the family to begin healing from the intergenerational trauma that has negatively affected them for 50 years. It’s safe to say that without Mirabel’s determination to save her family, this movie wouldn’t have a plot at all!
Self-image: Because she’s the only one in her family who doesn’t have a gift, Mirabel feels as if she can’t compare to the rest of the family (“I will stand on the side as you shine.”), so in that sense, she doesn’t believe that she has much of a voice. However, she still tries to change her circumstances. Throughout the movie, she tries to save her family’s miracle (she doesn’t give up, even when their house is collapsing!), and make them accept her for who she is. (“I need to do this. For you, for abuela… maybe a little for me.”) By the end of the movie, she succeeds.
So, while she isn’t as confident in her ability as some other characters on this list, she still succeeds in changing her circumstances, and her actions are important to the plot, so this can be considered a character weakness that gives more depth to the story, rather than writing that makes her seem passive.
Conclusion
Modern Disney female characters do everything that the Renaissance era characters did, but with a cherry on top! Or multiple cherries, maybe? They are self-assured, and are always part of the action. They also have more depth than their Renaissance counterparts – many of their actions are driven by a fear (Elsa’s fear of her powers) or an insecurity (Mirabel’s belief that she cannot compare to her family), but that doesn’t make them weak and passive characters! Quite the contrary, actually – these flaws aren’t all there is to these characters, plus, they manage to overcome their weaknesses and insecurities by the end of their movies, so this makes their characters more multifaceted and realistic.
Feminism is about equal rights for women, after all. Women should be seen for what they are – capable individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses, and not, to quote Princess Jasmine, “a prize to be won”.
Hope you enjoyed this comparatively lighthearted article! Hopefully it made you laugh, or made you want to do a Disney marathon!
Very subjective P.S.: If you’re doing that, I’d recommend starting with the underrated ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’... ;)
Writer: Haruna Kajimoto
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