Found via The Disney Blog, here is a video essay on YouTube™ entitled Sexism, Strength and Dominance: Masculinity in Disney Films. Some brief comments afterward.
I found the essay to be short-sighted and reductionist. He seemed to cherry-pick the characters which fit his thesis (mostly from Beauty and the Beast, which is often used as a dead horse for essays of this nature). For every shallow example he brings up, a counterexample could surely be found. Off the top of my head: characters in Tarzan, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound. The topic of the representations of masculinity and femininity in Disney movies is worthy and interesting, and deserves better. For a much more thoughtful and insightful discussion (without the crutch of video clips or lame This American Life-esque background music), see the very excellent over-analyzation Mulan: A Modern Rescripting of the Classic Romance.
This submission is an old one, but was never added to the site.
Contributed by Miguel L.
As recently as Tarzan we see Disney’s new target of ridicule. The baboon tribe was seen instantly as vicious, heartless monsters who attack the helpless in overwhelming swarms. Strangely enough the baboons weren’t even the villains of the movie and showed a steep contrast to the anthropomorphic peace-loving gorillas (which was the founding reason for this whole movie- gotta have some animal, vegtable, or mineral that talks). One would suggest they represent the individuals who’ve left society and banded together to punish those that are civilized. In the end they help the good guys because that’s often the cause for the intellectual- to rile the ignorant masses to do their job- it sums up quite a bit of human history.
This is one of the finest (and longest) submissions from the old archives. And we are not just saying that because it was written by the Editor’s wife way back when they were still dating.
Contributed by Rachel M.
Mulan may at first glance appear to be quite revolutionary in comparison to the traditional formula for romantic tales which Disney has been known to employ. After all, it is the heroine of this film who ends up saving the lives of all the major male characters, including not only her love interest but also her father and the emperor, not to mention the whole of China. Mulan is not one to pass out from a prick of a spinning wheel spindle or a bite of a poison apple, into a sleep from which only a kiss from a handsome prince can wake her; she grabs a sword and joins the army. Clearly, this is far from just another Cinderella story. (more…)
