Studio Ghibli Is A Universe Apart

From Disney’s feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, through to many of its princess movies, the female protagonist is reliant on a male counterpart as either their goal or last hope. For example, Ariel in The Little Mermaid sacrifices her voice for a far off prince and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty can only be awoken by a kiss from one. However, as public opinions in society changed, Disney also shifted it focus when it came to dealing with female leads. To do this, they scripted strong and independent women, who could rely on themselves, rather than on some glorified man. Although transcendentalism does not solely focus on females when it comes to its ideals, the practice of self-reliance by these modern Disney princesses is in direct

Animated films are one of the most entertaining forms of media out there. When it comes to animated films, two major film companies may come to mind: DreamWorks and Disney. For the past couple of years, people have been asking which company is better, and the answer is quite simply Disney. They have better stories, they maintain a certain theme, they are consistent, and extremely successful which is what makes them stand out from other studios and film companies. Of course, DreamWorks has some of these qualities as well, but they are far and few in between.

In addition, the first idea to remember is that in classic Disney films, princesses often appear as the damsel in distress. Their submissive obedience leads to them being victimized, leading to the heroic appearance of their true love. This is seen in the classic Disney movie, Cinderella, her ultimate obedience to her stepmother transforms her into the victim or a damsel in distress in the movie. When the prince is introduced, he acts as the hero when he

Apart from the stereotypes, recent Disney princesses have been counteracting the stereotypical images of a Disney princess. They are no longer waiting around for their prince to come and be with them. Instead, they are using their intelligence to achieve their dreams and aspirations. Also, they can be independent and that they don’t always need a man (Bowser n.p.). The portrayal of love in these films are different from the others. The characters are not focused in waiting for their prince. Rather, they were trying to achieve their dreams. In "The Princess and the Frog", Tiana pursues her dream in becoming a restaurant owner. She didn't need a male counterpart to be able to feel happy but only wanted to fulfill her dream to feel happiness.

This is certainly true—isolated, there is nothing wrong with these things. When these things embody femininity and become the expectations of all women, then they are problematic. Liechty also says that characters such as Snow White and Cinderella are admirable for remaining nice, despite bad people trying to hurt them. Again, she has a point: princesses do teach girls to treat others with respect, but their respect would take them further if it was reciprocated. Liechty’s final arguments involve men: what is wrong with not being happy without a man, and why is it bad that boys are taught to be gallant and courteous? The answers to both are simple. Firstly, there is a difference between loving a person enough that their loss would ruin one’s life, and losing one’s value because there is no longer male attention to validate it. Secondly, the example princes set for boys are good ones, but with gender roles declaring princess movies to be a “girly” thing, most boys may not be exposed to these positive role

The portrayal of Feminine aspects within Disney movies has been widely criticized, however the way masculinity is portrayed in films is also very controversial but infrequently discussed. My goal for this research paper is to look at two Disney films through a feminist lens and queer lens to decipher any stereotypical aspects of masculinity that are shown within the main characters. I am hopeful to find a film that breaks the norm of having a masculine main character that is hyper masculine like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast or Jaffar from Aladdin. I would also like to analyze the damsel in distress situations in films where the male role seems to always be the heroic figure even when they aren’t the main character in the story. Even though

Created by the Toei Doga Company, this film showed that full-length animated feature films were a viable commercial product in the Japanese market (MacWilliams 50). Previously only animated films from foreign nations reached Japanese theatres, mostly coming from the United States.

I previously referenced my relationship to the mythical character Rapunzel as I believe she is a prime example of The Damsel archetype. The most popular adaptation of Rapunzel was by the Brothers Grimm in their Children’s and Household Tales folklore book. The story of Rapunzel begins with her father who steals a rampion from the garden of an enchantress. To atone for his sin, the enchantress seizes infant Rapunzel from her parents. She raises the child as her own in a secluded tower without stairs or doors leading to the outside world. As prince is leisurely exploring the forest, he overhears the enchanting singing voice of a young women. He follows the resonance of her melodies and comes across the tower. The voice belongs to Rapunzel, who is now in her early teenage years. The prince was completely captivated by her voice and desired to release her from her brick cage and marry her. Having found out his plan, the enchantress casts an evil spell on the prince leaving him blind. By fate, Rapunzel then escapes the tower and is reunited with the prince. Out of grief, she holds his face and weeps over his body. Unknown to Rapunzel, her innocent tears have a unique healing quality that lifts the curse off the Prince’s eyes.

In recent years, animated programs have dominated the world of film and TV in both America and Japan. These programs, known as cartoons and anime, are some of the most popular forms of entertainment today. Anime and cartoon shows, such as One Piece and Family Guy, have been running for decades and are very well known among society. Animated films such as Disney’s The Lion King and Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away have also thrived and even surpassed animated television shows in some instances. Both American and Japanese animation industries have flourished, and their cartoons and animes continue to grow in popularity. However, similarities and differences between the two soon arise when compared closely; these observations are often what lead fans to prefer one style over the other as well as shape pop culture.

Cassandra Stover explains in her Journal Damsels and Heroines: The Conundrum of the Post-Feminist Disney Princess, the dramatic shift with Disney princess at the peak of the late 1980s and early 1990s. She explains that the shift can derive from feminist movements and how the change can be directed to the third wave of feminism. She examines the original Disney princesses and decribes them to be more passively aggresive and unindependent, while the new princesses are more independent and brave. The author then explains if the shift from the old to new princesses are actually better, and not just different. Stover analysizes that Disney princesses evolve and are a part of the worlds change on feminism.

but as I got further into the game I realized that my gender had no effect on the physical labor and fighting I would be expected to do. In the beginning of the game, I felt like I was being pushed towards being in a relationship and being romantic with my partner. Since I played as a princess the game gave me no choice in romantic partner other than a man - which perpetuates heteronormative ideologies. I made the decision that I wasn't going to be so lovey-dovey, I didn't feel the need to kiss my love interest while playing. The first few choices that the player is able to make without a doubt perpetuate the heteronormative and hegemonic structures placed within

In Sleeping Beauty, the Prince is portrayed a strong and courageous person, he can be seen as a great character because he overcomes many obstacles to be able to help the Princess survive. Although Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale and is stereotypically more admired by girls, the masculine tale might be liked by the male population because they aspire to be the male hero. Maleficent shows the feminine tale and warns the girls that not men cannot be trusted in some cases, and that there is no need to have a man by your side. A woman can survive on their own using her own intelligence and courage to overcome any obstacle that she might face. For the female population, this change is very important because this “hero” story helps us relate to the character and our desire to do great and special acts (Seger 387). This film proved that a woman is capable of defeating evil, and brings a new perspective into Disney

Growing up, all I ever did was watch Disney movies and the Disney channel. Now as I’m older, I can’t help but realize that all the movies are exactly the same. The princess is stuck in a dilemma and then a perfect prince comes along and saves her and then they marry in the end. Other than a similar plot, all the movies have very similar character traits. England, Descartes, and Collier-Meek in Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses explain the characters, “traditionally masculine (e.g., athletic, brave) and traditionally feminine (e.g., helpful, nurturing) characteristics exhibited by the prince and princess characters through

First and foremost is the big amount of time and effort Miyazaki spend on a project. One of the most surprising thing is that he creates his own storyboards without any intervention from external parties. That means he can unleash 100% of his creativity to his works. Second, in addition to creating his own storyboard, he will then review every single animation cell that come out from the storyboard. It’s not a rare occurrence that he will re-do the animation cells if he deems that the artist’s work is not up to his standard and the animation cell cannot properly depict his vision4. This way, Miyazaki has total control of all story and visual that appear in the final cut of the

Little girls everywhere spend their childhoods watching the princesses portrayed in Disney movies, dreaming about the day they too will meet their prince charming. They see how Sleeping Beauty is woken up by a prince, Cinderella marries a prince, Sleeping Beauty turns a beast into a prince, and countless other instances of a girl just like them meeting their perfect man. Disney is infamous for their outdated illustration of gender roles. Mulan is one of the first Disney princess movies in which, instead of waiting for her prince, the heroine actually saves the day, or in this case, China. Mulan makes a variety of statements about gender roles that can be examined through many