Mulan

Disney's Mulan (1998) is a tale based on Chinese legends, depicting a brave woman who takes her injured father's place to serve in the army. Posing as a man, Ping, she uses her intelligence and determination to save all of China and bring honor to her family.

In contrast to Disney's other heroines, Mulan is active from the start, even from the opening scenes as she rides into town on her horse, bareback, and jumps off. It shown by her experience at the Matchmakers that she never fit societal expectations for an ideal woman from the start.
Mulan is too adventurous, too active and brave to be a passive wife - her role better fits being a warrior and saving China.

Mulan has a loving mother and grandmother, motherly figures the first wave Princesses never had, and a good home life. She is treated well, and only suffers oppression all woman at that time experienced, such as role in bringing honor to the family measured only through her abilities as a wife.

Through this film, young girls can see a true heroine to look up to. Mulan shows improvement in her fighting skills and good characteristics such as perseverance, endurance and strength through her intensive training.


"Trust my recipe for instant Bride, you'll bring honor to us all" - she is too look a certain way to get a husband and the only way it was expected for a woman to bring pride to a household was with a good match....that is until Mulan saves all of China...that brings Pride too.

Mulan shows her intelligence from the start, not only from her sly ingenuity to get out of household chores by attaching a bag of feed and a bone on a string to her dog, but also in town when she moves the checker piece to help a man beat his opponent in the game, just as she's being hurried from having her hair done to putting on make-up and clothes.

"men want girls with good taste,
calm, obedient, who work fast paced,
with good breeding and a tiny waist,
you'll bring honor to us all"

"scarier than the undertaker, we are meeting our match-maker"

With the match-maker Mulan is immeditaely in trouble for "speaking without permission" when she proudly announces that she is present after her name is called.

All of this shows that the expectations for women at the time were simply to be good daughters and wives. With Mulan's couragous adventure, this entire notion is  undermined. Mulan shows she is just as capable as the men in the army, and if fact even more so, as it is her bravery and ingenuity that saves China twice, first at the mountains, and finally at the Emperor's palace.

Mulan doubts herself as she sings "Reflection" and questions "when will my reflection show, who I really am". She is upset that she has brought shame to her family by not impressing the match-maker and doesn't feel she can be her true self, though her father is supportive, explaining that "the late-blooming blossom is the most beautiful of all".

This moment is interrupted by the arrival of the conscription army, at which point Mulan is told to stay inside, but the encouragement of her grandmother, Mulan climbs the roof to see what's going on, again displaying her curiosity and athleticism. Mulan is strong willed and free speaking, she is brave to stand up against the officials to try to save her injured and elderly father from battle, but this is not received well:  "you will do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue in a man's presence"
Despite Mulan's continually repression, she is ever brave and strong-willed, showing girls do have power.

There are many gender stereotypes in this film, that I believe are intentionally included for humor and played on to highlight the insignificant differences between men and woman, as Mulan successfully integrates herself into the male society, posing as a man. So while the differences are highlighted, it is shown that the gender difference does not prevent Mulan from achieving success when she is given the same chances as males.

Such stereotypes include:
Mulan: "they're disgusting"
Mushu: "no, they're men"

Mushu: "punch him, that's how men say hello"

Mulan: "those manly urges when you just gotta kill something, fix something, cook outdoors"


Just as Mulan is being kicked out of the training camp for failing all the tasks, she uses her intelligence and perseverance to climb the pole, using the weights to aid her, and retrieve the arrow. Through this task, she earns the respect of the other men and now excels in all the training tasks. She has proven that a woman is just as capable (though of course her identity remains secret).

In "A Girl Worth Fighting For" Mulan puts forward the qualities she would like in a woman, "how bout a girl who's got a brain who always speaks her mind", to which the males simply replied, "Nah" and day dreamed of pretty girls, or good cooks. Again, showing that the males are seen to value only domestic qualities in women and that nothing more is expected from them.  This is a recurrent theme throughout the movie, but Mulan breaks down these views and by the end a change in attitude is certainly shown...it only took a woman to save all of China to get there!

Mulan used her intelligence to defeat the army by blasting the last rocket into the mountains to cause an avalanche, and she goes after Shang to save him, all while suffering from a wound.
The men cheer "let's hear it for Ping, the bravest of them all", but this tone quickly changes when, after receiving medical attention, it is discovered she is a woman. While usually posing as a man in the army would be punishable by death, Shang spares Mulan, "a life for a life".

Though disheartened, Mulan is too brave to return home when she knows China still needs saving. But now, as a woman, "no one will listen" to Mulan and Mushu puts it to her best, "Hey, you're a girl again remember?".

The men don't listen to Mulan, even though she's right about the Huns.
When the Emperor is snatched, the men try to ram the door, which she knows won't be quick enough, so she comes up with an idea to get them in. Now the men follow her, showing their respect for her and trust in her judgement.

Once the emperor was saved, Mulan could have fled to safety, but she bravely stayed to save Shang and defeat Shan Yu, leader of the Huns.

Mulan fights Shan Yu herself, showing skill, agility, strength and intelligence. She executes her plan perfectly and saves all of China.

Shang recognizes Mulan's great success, acknowledging "She's a hero", but still there are opponents to a woman with such power. Chi-Fu, who is not well-liked throughout the film, argues "She's a woman, she'll never be worth anything". Mulan's army comrades come to her defense and Shang is angered by how Chi-Fu speaks about Mulan. These reactions are Disney's way of showing that powerful women are accepted and esteemed, no longer repressed and punished. This is further emphasized as 'All of China, bow down to her, following the Emperor's lead. The Emperor sought to make her a member of his council, showing he respects and trusts the views of a woman and believes she is capable of fulfilling such an important position. Mulan, however, respectfully declines as she's ready to go home, so the Emperor gives her his Crest and the sword of Shan Yu, so her family will know what honor she brings and so all of China will know she has saved them.

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all" - Emperor

This is not your typical Disney love story, but I find it empowering that Mulan can be a real heroine, saving all of China, and still have a man respect and love her, coming to her home shyly and awkwardly to show his affection. There is no magic true love's kiss, no palace she's whisked away to, far better, Mulan has earned the respect of everyone, has proven her worth, become her country's hero, returned safely home to her family, and gets the man she wants. Now that's a happy ending.

It is interesting that Disney include Mulan in their Princess line, when she is neither royalty nor does she marry into it, but hey, I'm glad there's an action-intensive, amazing woman who's being portrayed as a role model to children.

Unlike the Disney movie, the origins of Mulan's story explain that she was already proficient with weapons and trained in martial arts when she took her father's place in the army at the age of 18. She fought for 12 years, but turned down rewards and high ranking positions in favor of returning to a quiet life at home.
The legend of Mulan was first documented in The Ballad of Mulan, and then given more details in Xu Wei's play, The Heroine Mulan Joins the Army in Place of her Father (1368-1644). Interesting comparisons between Disney's version and this play as well as some great GIFs can be found here.

The Ballad of Mulan:

Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,
Mu-lan weaves, facing the door.
You don't hear the shuttle's sound,
You only hear Daughter's sighs.
They ask Daughter who's in her heart,
They ask Daughter who's on her mind.
"No one is on Daughter's heart,
No one is on Daughter's mind.
Last night I saw the draft posters,
The Khan is calling many troops,
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there's Father's name.
Father has no grown-up son,
Mu-lan has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and horse,
And serve in the army in Father's place."

In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,
In the West Market she buys a saddle,
In the South Market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip.
At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening camps on the Yellow River's bank.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien.

At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River,
In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears Mount Yen's nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu.
She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,
She crosses passes and mountains like flying.
Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,
Chilly light shines on iron armor.
Generals die in a hundred battles,
Stout soldiers return after ten years.

On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall.
He gives out promotions in twelve ranks
And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
"Mu-lan has no use for a minister's post.
I wish to ride a swift mount
To take me back to my home."

When Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming
They go outside the wall to meet her, leaning on each other.
When Elder Sister hears Younger Sister is coming
She fixes her rouge, facing the door.
When Little Brother hears Elder Sister is coming
He whets the knife, quick quick, for pig and sheep.
"I open the door to my east chamber,
I sit on my couch in the west room,
I take off my wartime gown
And put on my old-time clothes."
Facing the window she fixes her cloudlike hair,
Hanging up a mirror she dabs on yellow flower powder
She goes out the door and sees her comrades.
Her comrades are all amazed and perplexed.
Traveling together for twelve years
They didn't know Mu-lan was a girl.
"The he-hare's feet go hop and skip,
The she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?"

http://www.chinapage.com/mulan-e.html

Further Readings on the Legend of Mulan:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan
http://ancientstandard.com/2011/06/17/the-real-story-of-mulan/ 

The Princess and the Magic Kingdom

The Princess and the Magic Kingdom: Beyond Nostalgia, the Function of the Disney Princess is an article by Rebecca-Anne C. Do Rozario. It discusses the Princesses' roles in their Kingdom's, exploring interesting relationships between women within the Disney films and how female authority effects this.

The Disney Princesses don't experience your typical motherly relationship. Quite to the contrary, the role of mother and grandmother is replaced by step-mother and fairy godmother to erase familial bonds and, instead, represent socially constructed relationships.

Additionally, there is a wicked maternal substitute, such as The Evil Queen, Cinderella's Step-Mother, and Maleficent. This relationship plays on the power and authority between the wicked figure and the Princess. It can be argued that the wickedness of these figures is caused by a power dynamic. The evil older women seek to maintain power by oppressing the Princess from childhood, keeping her obedient and passive.

I find particularly interesting the work of Vladimir Propp (1968) that is brought to attention in this article. He put forward that there are seven key roles, around which the action centers, in fairy/folk tales: villain, donor, helper, princess and her father, dispatcher, hero, and false hero. Notable, the mother-figure is missing. And it is true, that in Disney's films there is no mother-figure. Even if the Princess actually still has a loving mother, like in Sleeping Beauty, she plays no role in the film, aside from being a stage-prop; without her, the film plot would remain just the same. Other female characters simply fit better into one of the 7 defined roles anyway. The Evil Queen (name kind of gives it away there), Cinderella's Step Mother, and Maleficent, fit best as villains. Cinderella's fairy-godmother and the Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty are helpers, or arguably hero's. There is no role for a mother. Even more so, the father figure is combined with the Princess in 1 category, suggesting that you cannot have one without the other. So, while the mother's role is non-existent, the father is key.

"We have false memories of the Disney films of our childhoods, I think. In retrospect, they seem sugar-pie sweet and neatly detached from the problems of the culture in which they were conceived, made, and marketed" 

- Karal Anne Marling, 1999

Disney's new releases

You may or may not have have seen the latest Disney film trailers, but there are some big releases many people have been eagerly anticipating.
Namely, Finding Dory which is to be released this June. I have friends who have been waiting years for this movie and certainly feel they have more right to the premier theater seats than any 6-year-old.
And with an all-star cast, with Dory being voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, this is already basically a guaranteed hit!

Cast  

	Idris Elba	...	(voice)
	Michael Sheen	...	(voice)
	Dominic West	...	(voice)
	Diane Keaton	...	Jenny (voice)
	Kaitlin Olson	...	Destiny (voice)
	Ellen DeGeneres	...	Dory (voice)
	Ed O'Neill	...	Hank (voice)
	Ty Burrell	...	Bailey (voice)
	Albert Brooks	...	Marlin (voice)
	Eugene Levy	...	Charlie (voice)
	Hayden Rolence	...	Nemo (voice)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860/fullcredits/

Check out the official trailer here and this additional promo.



Another new release for 2016 is Pete's Dragon (Disney 1977).

Now, I remember watching the original at my grandma's house with my cousins when I was little.



But with the advancements in CGI since the 1966 fantasy/adventure classic, this new version shows a far more realistic dragon, Elliott. Check out the official trailer here. This film is due to be released this August, and also boasts a starred cast, including Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard.

 You can see just from the poster, that this film is going to look very different almost 40 years on.

Sarah Rothschild Chapter Review

These are my impressions of Chapter 2 from Sarah Rothschild's book, 'The Princess Story'. Overall, I found this text very informative and interesting to read, and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.

Romance, the Role of Men, and Disney
Here, Rothschild brings forward an important point, that I had personally never considered, that Disney dramatises romance that was of little importance in the source material he drew from. He invented the notion of 'true love's first kiss'. This is, perhaps, most evident in Snow White, where the original 7-year old character is transformed to a more appropriate age, who's character is fixated with true love throughout the film. She begins wishing for the one she loves at the well, sings about him to the Dwarves and ultimately bites the poisoned 'wishing' apple in the hope of having her true love. Throughout all of this, she wishes for the one she loves to find her, which makes her entirely passive in the process. She can do nothing except wish and wait for her Prince.

This text primarily outlines that in Disney's versions the story centers around males, where as in the 'original' texts, such as Grimm's or Perrault's, the storyline centers around the female characters. It is the male characters' desires and actions that progress Disney's story, from the Prince falling in love with dear Snow and provoking the Queen's rage, to the King in Cinderella desiring grand-children so deeply that he organises a ball, to Sleeping Beauty where the King throws an elaborate Christening, enraging Maleficent by not inviting her, and betrothing his daughter from birth to form his own alliance. Rothschild provides many more examples of how men are central to the action in the films, and the titular Princesses remain passive. Their own stories are being taken from them, and without the men, they would never find their 'happily ever after'. Snow White would remain asleep in her coffin, Cinderella forever a slave in her own home and Aurora never awoken from her sleep. In Rothschilds words, "The prince is both [the princess's] savior and her reward".
Though after reading Grimm's version of Snow White, it could also be argued that Snow White never was the main character of her story, rather the Evil Queen and her envious hatred was the centrality, for most of the story revolves around her desires and feelings and even ends with her punishment.

While, Rothschild brings forward many intriguing points such as this, there are also many places in her writing where I simply disagree with the conclusions she draws about Disney. While I admire her creativity in her thoughts, I often feel they lack any substantial evidence, and so can be considered barely more than her personal opinions. The first example of this is when Rothschild asserts that Walt Disney "inserted himself into Snow White" through Grumpy and Dopey. Disney's rendition gives the Dwarves a role that never existed in Grimm's version, using them for comedic effect and to progress and fill out the story. I agree that this could have been done for two main reasons. Firstly, to pad out a short story to make it into a feature length film. Secondly, as animating comedic Dwarves, which are less realistic than Snow White, the Prince or the Queen, was easier at a time when animation was at it's beginnings. After all, Snow White was Disney's first film. However, I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that these two Dwarves are Walt Disney's way of putting himself into his film. And the assumption that the misogynistic personality of Grumpy is a direct reflection of Walt himself is a little simplistic. As Amy M Davis discussed in her article 'The Dark Prince and Dream Women', there is little evidence to prove that Walt Disney was sexist and this topic is far more complex than at fist glance. From other executives to the general attitudes at the time, there is more to consider. Though the basis Rothschild draws on for Walt's transformation from Dopey to Grumpy is true to an extent. It is believed Walt associated women with warmth and security in his younger years, and became fearful of women after learning about venereal disease in France and having his heart broken by his child-hood sweet-heart while away. But is it fair to say that Grumpy represents Walt's "personal antipathy toward women"? Walt worked with women in his studio and was prepared to listen to their advice, he cared about skill, not gender, and valued his employees on what they could contribute to his company (Amy M. Davis, The Dark Prince and Dream Women).  Rothschild states that women at Disney's studio were "accorded neither creative credit nor power", and while I fully believe that women would have been treated unequally in the workplace at this time, this directly conflicts Davis' writing, where Disney is attributed with saying "girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men". So again, I feel it is unfair to judge Walt so harshly, especially when you take into context the lack of opportunity for women in 1937, which was not Walt's doing, but the general attitude in society at that time.

Defining the Disney Princess
What I find to be the most interesting point in this section, is the paradox between the first-wave princesses being modeled from Ballerinas, and the fact that such passive princesses could never attain such a disciplined physique. And more shockingly so, that had the real-life Ballerinas actually had figures like the animators adjusted the princesses to, they would not have the muscle strength or balance to dance. With this in mind, I respect the disciplined grace and poise the princesses were modeled on, but simply wish they had kept the more muscular, yet still very feminine, undoubtedly thin, and attractive physique of the dancers.

Guns and (Briar) Roses

Chapter 6 of Peggy Orenstein's 'Cinderella Ate my Daughter'

Orenstein begins the chapter by discussing the effect of violent play on girls and the lack of research into this. It is seen that females just aren't as violent as males - which I believe to be true - but Orenstein also gives notion to the idea that we merely see what we want to see. That we would dismiss girls violence because it doesn't fit with out idea of what a girl should be. But if we truly looked, it's still there. I also found particularly interesting the concept that violent play is only beneficial to a child's development if it really is play, where they control the narratives. However, many modern violent games do not involve the child's imagination, rather simply the children copy the violent tv shows or video games and lack their own dramatic license.

Grimm's Fairytales vs. Gentler Alternatives
Now, many parents may be horrified to read the gruesome Grimm originals to their children, complete with dancing 'til death (Snow White), dismembered feet and pecked out eyes (Cinderella) or suicide (The Little Mermaid). But that may be just what children need. A platform to learn about and cope with their emotions. To recognise the evils in the world, but that those who stand fast will survive. These are, according to 'experts' such as Bettelheim, far more useful than modern stories, such as 'The Paper Bag Princess', which in Oreinstein's words "equate 'pro-girl' with 'anti-boy'". Not to mention that Grimm's version of Cinderella (Aschenputtel) is a story about the woman's strength, about her transition from girl to womanhood and that she  evades both her father and the Prince each night, until she reveals herself in rags to her Prince, as he must accept her past before he may have a future with her. Orenstein read these Grimm versions to her daughter, and found that they did not make Daisy flinch. Daisy accepted the gore, and often paused her mother to ask questions about meanings of words from this tale - e.g. 'asunder'.

Finally, Orenstein explores Twilight, Stephanie Meyer's hit sensation Vampire trilogy. While Orenstein despises the heroin, Bella, who she sees as bland, talentless, uninteresting and as a terrible role model who lives only for her man and constantly reminds him how much better he is than her. She does admit that Bella could also be exactly what girls need. An example that you don't have to be gorgeous, sexual, talented to 'get the man'. You can simply be you. If plan old Bella can do it, so can any girl. There is no pressure to sexualise yourself - Bella simply dresses in jeans and a sweatshirt, so why can't we?



Note: I often refer to the Grimm Fairytales as the originals, though I know these stories did not start here. The Grimm brothers were librarians who were able to write down old tales that had been passed on by mouth for a long time. The Grimm brothers did censor these inappropriate tales so they could be told to children, however they did not remove the violence.....merely things like incest and other sexual content.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (1989) was a big success, but it's also viewed very controversially. Some see it as a real forward, feminist film, while others think it is just the opposite.

The first song Ariel sings, "Part of Your World" is about women being tired of swimming and ready to walk free, which immediately ties in with promoting women's rights and follows the second-wave pseudo-feminist genre of this film.
"I bet on land, they understand,
you don't reprimand your daughters,
bright young women,
sick of swimming,
ready to stand,
and ready to know what the people know,
ask 'em my questions and get some answers"
This is a song about an inquisitive and intelligent woman wanting more in life. She seeks greater opportunities, and adventure, to learn more and to have her curiosities answered. This a positive aspiration and message for girls and big shift in comparison to previous Disney films, where Princesses merely wish for a Prince, not education.

Many critics of this film argue that it gives a terrible message for young girls as Ariel literally gives up her voice for a man. While this is, in part, true, we can't forget that Ariel always had a fascination with the surface world, before she even fell for Eric. The above lyrics from "Part of Your World" show that.

Further to this, Ariel is far more active than previous Princesses and very central to her own story. She saves Eric, when his boat is destroyed in the storm and he is flung into the water. Without Ariel, he would have drowned. So she is a strong and active heroine from the beginning. I also love how her curiosity and adventurous spirit cannot be curbed. Despite her father's many warnings, she often goes to the surface to observe the world above and collect trinkets from her Seagull friend.

Ariel is also playful and deceptive as she keeps escaping Sebastian's watchful eye. For instance as swims away during the "Under the Sea"medley.

Not to mention she is fearless and brave as she ventures into the unknown human world and takes it all in her stride. In the horse and cart, Ariel takes the reins, jumping the gorge, which terrifies Prince Eric. She thoroughly enjoys learning new things as she explores the town, again showing her inquisitive and curious nature.

As Ursula, the sea witch, tricks Ariel into signing her contract, she sings, "yes on land it's much preferred for ladies not to say a word" hinting at the oppression and inequality woman suffered. However, the story shows that this is, in fact, no longer the case, promising more equality for the young viewers and helping them to believe their voices do matter. This is shown in Eric's frustration that he cannot converse with Ariel, and the bewitching spell Ursula puts on him with Ariel's voice to have him fall in love with her.

So, while many may criticize this film, I believe it does present positive messages, encouraging women to be curious and seek better things in life, as well as showing how important it is not to give up our voices.

Maleficent

I loved this film!

It makes you look at Maleficent in a whole new light. As a strong woman (fairy), who was victimised and doesn't let an evil man walk all over her. Who fiercely protects those she loves and who has a good nature at heart. Who is more than a heroin or a villain.

The 'Dark Prince' and Dream Women: Walt Disney and Mid-Twentieth Century American Feminism

The 'Dark Prince' and Dream Women: Walt Disney and Mid-Twentieth Century American Feminism, Amy M. Davis

In this balanced and well-written scholarly article, Davis seeks to weigh in a considered argument on Walt Disney's view on women, to provide well-reasoned arguments and even out the wild, unproven accusations for Walt's dark side or good-nature. Davis examines Walt's life and work in terms of his relationship with and attitudes towards women to determine how Walt's personal views may differ from that of his studio as a whole and from the films it produces, while also putting into context the views of American society as a whole during this time period. All of this is done with the hope of finding a clearer understanding of the sexism found in Disney's films. In my personal opinion, this article achieves it's goal in clarifying that Walt Disney was neither the innocent 'Uncle Walt' nor the notorious 'Hollywood Dark Prince' he had been labelled as, yet he was a complex and intelligent man, who's greatest care was for his work. 

Dick Huemer, a long-time Disney studio employee, claimed that Walt's "first consideration was what a person could contribute to the studio or the product...I think he would have used the Devil himself if he was a great animator". Walt had to defend his advanced employment of women to the other workers, explaining that "girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men, and I honestly believe that they may eventually contribute something to this business that men never would or could." Walt wanted what was best for Disney, and recognised that women played an important role in this. Many people attest that it was simply "talent that was important" to Walt, not gender, race or religion.  

The big question is, where do Walt's personal views differ from the views presented in the Disney films produced? Walt is often personally accused of sexist views, but there is little evidence against him as a person. While employees have nothing to say against Walt, they claim many of his executives held sexist views, and we can't ignore the more sexist views held generally acceptable at the time. So this is easily where the views in the films can come from. Walt acknowledged the differences in men and women, but did not use these to argue women were inferior. Quite the contrary, he believed that women were needed to balance out men. That their greater imaginations could do things for animation no male work force could. That their deep-emotional maturity allowed women to connect with their inner-child without acting child-like and therefore made them the target audience of Disney in Walt's eyes. Walt worked with women as artistic and intellectual equals, valuing only what they could contribute to his company and therefore being more than prepared to listen to women as he believed they had something worthwhile to contribute to a discussion. 

Despite Walt's progressive views of women in the work-force, he was guilty of generalising and stereotyping women in conjunction with gender norms of the time. For instance, that women were emotional, domestic, maternal, beauty and romance oriented, softer, quieter and more delicate. All of which was evident in his films. Take dear Snow White, for instance, is the perfect model of a domestic goddess. She ticks every one of these stereotypes. She is emotional, crying in the forest and immediately apologising to the animals for being so emotional. She cooks and cleans the cottage, mothering the Dwarves. She is beautiful and romantic, pining for her Prince. She is soft, quiet and delicate, with a sweet voice and gentle nature. Disney's first Princess is the epitome of the female gender. 

Davis puts forward the interesting view that by the time Cinderella was released, really only the second female protagonist Disney film, the 'typical' Disney heroin had already been branded. This shows the early judgement of the Disney franchise and perhaps only shows that these characters did quite accurately reflect the 'typical American girl' at the time, contextualising these old films. 

In this article, Davis is mainly conversing with Disney's critics, such as Marc Eliot and Lynda Haas, (though occasionally his fanatics too). She seeks to provide evidential proof that their claims against him are unjustified and false, based on little or no evidence that lacks scholarly credibility. Some claims that Disney was sexist may simply come from his awkwardness around women. Though, in truth, Disney had little experience with women, other than family members, and that which he did have left him fearful and broken hearted. From the terrors of venereal disease in France, to his high-school sweetheart marrying another man while he was away with the Red Cross. This lead to the generalisation of his attitude towards women as respectful, "but mixed with a touch of suspicion". Yet Walt also associated his female family members with security. Walt's contradictory views of women as love and goodness as well as danger and duplicity can be seen in Disney's films, but does also reflect the wider views of women at the time. 

Davis is far more supporting of Walt than the other voices in this conversation, and I view this piece as a defense of his character, seeking to out the truths and dispel the rumours. There is no doubt that Davis regards Walt highly as at the end of her introduction she describes him as not only as "intelligent, talented, complex" but also as the founder of "one of the most important studios in the history of the Hollywood film industry". 

Cinderella: Live Action Movie

This live action version of Cinderella remains truer to Grimm's version than the previous Disney animation, yet still keeps the same Disney sparkle and child-friendly appeal. Overall, I really enjoyed this film.

The all star cast only goes to show that everyone's ready to jump in when Disney's involved!

Like Grimm's story, the first branch to brush against her father's shoulder is brought to Cinderella as a present. Though in this version, her father dies, and never treats her cruelly. Truer to the old tales, she also now sleeps by the hearth for warmth at night, which is how she is given her name, 'Cinderella'. Though, keeping Disney's innocent magic alive, there are no dismembered feet or pecked out eyes in this rendition.... though surely this doesn't look comfortable! 

Ella: Us girls must look out for one another 

kindness is free, love is free

have courage and be kind

These quotes from (Cinder)Ella in the movie promote kindness and a collaborative nature, particularly between women. And when she says "the greatest risk we can take, to be seen as we truly are" this shows that, though it can be difficult to truly expose ourselves for who we are, it pays off in the end, as the Prince loves who she truly is. 

While some may argue that Ella's response to abuse - 'have courage and be kind' - is not a good lesson to teach, I, personally, like to view this phrase with a lighter outlook. Simply that it is good to be kind and that we should be courageous in our lives. 

Disney is starting to be kinder to older people too. At first, the Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) is a weary, old woman who seeks Cinderella's help. The kind-hearted Cinderella, of course, helps this poor woman, who then, granted, does transform into a far more beautiful, younger Fairy Godmother, complete with her own ballgown. But still, a Disney movie containing a non-evil old woman is surely a step in the right direction! 

This live action version also portrays males in a whole new light. The Prince, Kit, is able to show emotion and vulnerability, breaking normative male gender stereotypes. This is particularly shown as Kit cries at his dying father's bedside and curls up in the fetal position beside him after saying 'I love you father'.  A perfectly normal reaction to your father's death, though hardly the sort of move Disney's older Prince's would have made. Yet no one can say that Kit (Richard Madden) is not a 'man'. This modern Prince is portrayed with strength, humility, kindness and vulnerability. Who doesn't want to be swept off their feet by that...or quite frankly just Richard Madden!?

In this film, Cinderella and the Prince converse more - yes, they still fall in love and marry pretty quickly, but there's only so much you can change about the story and still keep it as Cinderella. Besides, this story is from a time when people didn't know each other very well before marrying. In the olden days it was common for a man to court a woman before marrying, but they still spent hardly any time together, and most of this precious time was most likely spent with a chaperone. Cinderella is, quite frankly, a time old tale, and if we want more progressive Princesses, we simply have to make new ones. Like Pixar did with Brave. 

And of course, we all love a good happy ending. Cinderella marries er Prince, and they are the fairest and kindest rulers of the Kingdom that ever there were. And the Duke, the step-mother and step-sisters were banished from the Kingdom (with all their eyes in tact!).

Disney Versions Vs The Originals

Here's an interesting YouTube Video comparing Disney's films to the original tales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLCLNgg7Mig

Cinderella

Cinderella. A Disney classic. A well-known and adored Princess. Most commonly attributed with THE Prince Charming.

I just re-watched this film, and still LOVE it at my age (24 hours off turning 19!). But I don't believe there's such a thing as 'too old for Disney'. And I do think there are good moral teachings for us all to learn from this Disney classic. Foremost, that it is important to stay sweet, kind and humble despite the awful people you may be around - whether this be in the work-place, friendship circles, in passing in your to day-to-day lives. You shouldn't stoop to their level, but rise above it. Don't let them crush your dreams. If I could sing like 'Cinderella' I'd keep on singing, but in stead I link this to Vivian Green's saying, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain". So I strongly believe it is a good message to encourage people to make the best of their situation, and in Cinderella's case, it all works out in the end.

However, contrary to this, we don't all have Fairy Godmothers or singing animals to save us from wicked people. So to another extent, people still need to learn to stick up for themselves and not get walked all over....otherwise they could end up locked in the attic in rags forever!

Disney does send a contradictory message when at first Cinderella prides herself in the fact that they can never take her dreams away, then moments later she tries to change Bruno's (the dog's) dreams! So while the original premise is, in my opinion, a beautiful and poignant point, Disney immediately undermine and discard this point. You could argue that Bruno is a dog and Cinderella a person, but when the animals are treated so human-like and are, in truth, Cinderella's only friends, I hardly see it as fair to disregard Bruno's dreams.

Cinderella fell in love without realising it was the Prince. This shows she's not after a title, just someone to love and to love her back, which is only natural when considering she's in such an unloving environment at home, and contextually, at this time, the way for a woman to leave her family was to marry a man. Yes, in a modern day story she could get a job and move out to her own apartment, but Cinderella was released on 15th February 1950, a time with different expectations for women.

Here you can find a version of the Grimm Brother's original story.
This is a more gruesome tale, involving bleeding feet and pecked out eyes. The sorts of things you won't find in any of Disney's films. But another notable difference is that in the Grimm version, a hazel tree and a white bird play the role Disney allocates to a Fairy Godmother. This tree grows from a twig Cinderella's father gave her, is nourished with her tears and located above her mother's grave. From here, her wishes are granted. This tree is a connection between Cinderella and her mother. A connection that Disney never acknowledges. In the original, the father also still lives, and he too treats Cinderella badly. While in the original tale, the step-sisters were beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside, Disney are know for making the 'evil' characters ugly. This gives child viewers the simplistic and false sense that pretty people are good, and ugly people are bad, which may not be the best message!

An interesting point about this film, in relation to an article I recently read, is that 60% of the dialogue is from women, beaten only by Sleeping Beauty and Brave, compared to more modern films, such as The Princess and the Frog with less than 25% or Frozen with only 41%.  My dad actually sent me this article, shortly before a similar one was assigned for my class. Researchers feel that this occurs because male is considered the norm. So , considered generally, if Disney seeks a shopkeeper or village people, it will be men who play these roles and hold the speaking roles. So while you may see female characters on screen in the background, it could be the case of 'seen but not heard'. Researchers are still looking into the effects this may have on young children and speech development. So, while modern era Disney portrays women in more empowered roles, they're not quite giving them enough to say, and the gender equality divide still needs some more work.

There are many more modern Cinderella spin offs. My personal favourite of which is the 1998 Ever After: A Cinderella Story, which if you have not yet seen, I highly and wholly biasedly recommend. I have not yet re-watched these, though I have already seen all but the latest live action version with Lily Collins, and I do intend to view these again shortly.