Comparing Stereotypes In Brave And Disney Movies

Disney movies have been the leading outlets for child education and social learning. Due to such power of influence controversies have been raised which include the following, but not limited to, gender roles and stereotypes, issues of independence, and misrepresentation. Many people argue that despite the morals and messages that occur within such films there are still underlying messages that deal with beauty standards and norms. However, others may argue that Disney is evolutionary and evolved the imagery of male/female standards. The controversy then becomes: are Disney films doing more harm than they are good? Due to certain themes brought on by such movies, it has left younger audiences with both positive and

Not only do Disney princesses result in bad self esteem, they also encourage passiveness and reliance on others. The feminine and vulnerable side of these princesses, reflect the reliance on their hero and true love. The Disney princess stereotype insinuates that girls should be sweet and submissive, and should fully rely on a male-counterpart. Conversely, new characters, such as Elsa (Frozen), Rapunzel (Tangled), and Merida (Brave), do not express this passive characteristic. At the same time, these princesses continue to need assistance to reach the desired solution. For instance, Princess Rapunzel still needed hero Flynn Rider, in order to navigate her to her parents throughout the movie. None of these princesses independently found a solution to the main conflict in any of these Disney films.

The effects of the portrayal of the princesses can be positive or negative. Young girls have become more imaginative by watching Disney films. According to Stephanie Hanes (n.p.), “’For 75 years, millions of little girls and their parents around the world have adored and embraced the diverse characters and rich stories featuring our Disney princesses.... [L]ittle girls experience the fantasy and imagination provided by these stories as a normal part of their childhood development’.” Also, children are encouraged to believe and hope. In most Disney movies, the characters convey the message that we can believe in true love (10 DISNEY MOMENTS THAT PROVE LOVE IS ALIVE AND WELL

Disney princesses are fun for all ages, but their target audience is young children and “as children grow and develop, they can be easily influenced by what they see and hear”. Therefore, what they see and hear in Disney movies leaves an impression on them. The first princess, Snow White, was created in a time where each gender and race had a specific role in society. Recently, many believe that Disney has come a long way in regards to gender and race since Snow White, as several multi-cultural protagonists have been introduced subsequently, and gender roles do not appear to be as stereotypical as they once were. However, many of the apparent innocent messages about race and gender in these movies, can be exposed as otherwise. Despite

Walt Disney over the years has impacted the lives of millions of children with his animated films. His Disney movies have evolved in the last years and have moved from the traditional damsel in distress theme. Specifically, the classic movie Cinderella gives the wrong idea about what it is to be a woman for young girls. The movie portrays a young woman facing emotional, mental, and physical abuse by her evil stepmother and later falls in love with a charming prince. However, if viewers take a closer look, Disney’s anti feminist message is firmly emphasized. The story of Cinderella is sexist due to it’s lesson to girls that beauty and submission will award them a rich bachelor. This is seen through Cinderella’s submissive behavior, Prince

Certainty, assertiveness, and affectionate behavior were the most commonly portrayed character traits in the princess movies. In real life, women are usually doing more housework than the men. In the princess movies this is seen as well. For example, Snow White and Cinderella, the princesses are singing and expressing happiness while doing chores (England 1). The princesses were not portrayed as physically strong, unemotional, or inspiring fear, however, these characteristics were more common among the princes (England 1).

When the word princess is said I think everyone can come up with the same image in their head. A crown, beautiful gown and beautiful smile. In Rebecca Hain’s article “Brave Princess breaks Disney stereotypes. Or does she?” Hain’s addresses 2 critics of the movie Brave a new Disney princess film. First the unoriginality of the film and then the depiction of the main character Merida being a brat.

If you did not grow up watching Disney fairytale movies, what did you watch for the first decade of your life? Movies like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid have captured the attention of young children since the mid-twentieth century. A child’s opinion on gender roles and behaviors has been strengthened by Disney movies. Most young girls believe their lives will be incomplete without a man to protect them from all evils. Women have always felt inferior to men due to society’s interpretation of them in major motion pictures and advertisements. Society has started to realize its mistake on judging women and their ability to be independent by giving women more inspiring and uplifting roles in movies. A movie which does not focus as much on the typical stereotype of women would be the 1991 Disney fairytale classic known as Beauty and the Beast. This romantic fairytale does not identify women as powerless, but instead starts a positive trend of independence and intelligence. Beauty and the Beast wants viewers to realize the importance of inner beauty rather than external beauty, but still emphasizes gender inequality through the script and various songs.

Since 1937, Disney has been creating several animation movies for children, as well as adults, to enjoy. From Snow White to Cinderella to Tangled, Disney has produced household names and characters for children to look up to. Without disregarding the happiness Disney has brought to billions of children, it has also enforced multiple societal norms that are otherwise alarming. At first glance the typical Disney fairytale seems entertaining, but when examining closer they have portrayed patriarchy, unrealistic body images and racial stereotypes. For years Disney has portrayed woman as tall, beautiful and thin.

In Brave, the daughter Merida is a strong-willed young girl, determined to make it on her own. Running wild in the forest surround her castle with her bow and arrow, Merida does not want to grow up and receive responsibility, but she just happens to be a princess. The Queen, Elinor, is caring, loving, and only wants what is best for her family. She is

As previously mentioned, Merida does not have an animal ‘sidekick’ like the other princesses do. The animal partners are classic Disney material. Interestingly, every single animal sidekick in the Disney princess movies is male. These animals tend to be there to offer the princesses advice and to bolster their confidence. This is another example of the dependency the princesses have on the male figures, often, without help from these animals the princesses would either not be sure what to do, or not have the confidence to do what was right.

We all think that Disney princess movies are happy and positive, but there are some downsides in their movies that are affecting some people in the public. How are Disney princess movies affecting people on how they think or feel about themselves today? According to research done, especially young and developing women, have been affected by Disney princess movies because they have made negative impacts on their future. They were taught wrong lessons about marriage and what they’re worth, and overall messing with people’s minds. But first, one needs to know a little bit about the one and only, Walt Disney.

Merida is faced with her mother's constant pressuring of having to find herself a prince, a tradition Merida has never believed in. In attempt to persuade her mother's way of thinking, Merida almost gets her mother permanently changed into a bear with the use of witchcraft. By the end of the movie, Merida is able to fix things by fighting a monstrous bear on her own and learning to deal with her flaws. This movie does not revolve around the belief that a princess has to find true love in order to accomplish her goals. Merida overcomes her goals through her own actions, without the help of a knight in shining armor.

Cramped in a small Los Angeles office, Walt Disney drew a few larger than life cartoons. After Disney’s big hit Alice Comedies and cartoons of Mickey and the gang, he moved his office to Burbank, California. There, Walt and his brother, Roy, came up with their most famous movies such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Alice in Wonderland. Now with two American amusement parks, three international parks, multiple cruise lines, multiple resorts, over five hundred films, and over thirty academy award, it’s hard to not heard of Disney. Every boy or girl has at least seen or heard of Disney movies. It’s such a big part of society today that it becomes influential in a kid’s childhood. This project will look at the underlying effect of the Disney princess phenomenon and how it shapes a young girls’ perspective of herself and how she’s “supposed” to be.

A young girl with black hair and brown eyes sees a beautiful princess named Cinderella who has blond hair, blue eyes, and flawless skin. She believes she will never be as radiant and beautiful as the princess because they don’t look alike. Like this girl, there are many cases of Disney films having lasting negative effects on children. Disney influences children more than any other age group since most merchandise and movies are geared toward younger audiences around thirteen or younger. Walt Disney Productions have a negative effect on children through stereotypes, violent actions, and sexism presented through its characters’ physical characteristics and actions. Disney has been