Redefining Modern Disney Heroines: The Feminist Influence
By: Alex Andy Phuong
Tags: Disney, Me Too Movement, Cinematic Heroines, Strong Heroines, Female Empowerment

Panoramic Disney Princesses

Practically every woman wants to be a princess ever since she was a little girl. Because of the popularity of Disney, many girls (and sometimes boys) have their favorite Disney princesses. Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Princess Jasmine (among other heroines) inspire audiences regardless of gender.

People need to give credit to Walt Disney for producing what is perhaps “the fairest in the land”-the legendary Snow White, to pave the way for the Disney princess brand. Walt Disney established himself as a filmmaker with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937.

In spite of the chaos and confusion of World War II, Disney returned to his roots with the release of Cinderella in 1950, which many film historians believe to have saved the studio from bankruptcy.

Before his passing in 1966, Disney once again returned to the fairy tale with his lavish and expensive production of Sleeping Beauty in 1959.

Even though the Disney legacy has endured for almost a century (as of 2019), many moviegoers have criticized Disney heroines for being too docile and passive. Such criticism has prompted executives at Disney to change the nature of Disney heroines in order to have them appeal to modern audiences. It appears as if that goal has been made thanks to the success of more feminist Disney heroines that suggest that these characters are beautiful internally, and not just externally.

Live-Action Belle vs. Animated Belle

With the release of Beauty and the Beast in 1991, audiences began to see a shift as to what the Disney heroine could be. In the first three Disney fairy tale films, many people argued that Snow White, Cinderella, and Princess Aurora are helpless damsels in distress that need a handsome prince to rescue them from turmoil.

With the creation of “Belle” in the animated classic Beauty and the Beast, audiences admired this character as a bookworm as well as a smart and independent woman who is not afraid to reject the handsomely brutish Gaston.

Because of the popularity of Belle, Disney began to create more feminist Disney heroines that are much more active than the Disney heroines that Walt Disney personally produced during his lifetime. And of course, the 2017 remake was one of the most successful films of all time thanks to Emma Watson’s intelligence and proud feminism while inspiring audiences everywhere, including her Harry Potter fans.

Between 1991 and 2019, Disney began to redefine the Disney heroine with much more independent and strong female protagonists. Interestingly, filmmakers originally wrote Jasmine from the animated classic Aladdin (1992) as a spoiled princess, but they (thankfully) changed her into a princess determined to be herself while not needing a husband to bind her through marriage.

Besides Jasmine, the titular Mulan (1998) is also a popular Disney heroine because of her internal strength as well as being one of the first heroines of Asian descent within contemporary American animated cinema. It is possible to say that change was definitely evident between the 1990s, which closed the twentieth century, in order to pave the way for modern Disney heroines in the twenty-first century.

Mia Wasikowska as Alice

The Disney studio has been enjoying critical and commercial success with lucrative live-action remakes that feature strong heroines. The first major success was Alice in Wonderland (2010), which grossed more than one billion dollars at the box-office. Part of the appeal of this film is Mia Wasikowska’s portrayal of the beloved titular heroine who has to go against the Red Queen. Furthermore, this depiction of Alice reveals her as a mature woman capable of defeating evil without the need of men to assist her.

Such a depiction of this beloved character is much different than the 1951 animated version because the original Alice was much more passive as she encountered one character after another while meandering throughout Wonderland. The live-action remake essentially started a new era for the Disney studio as it attempts to redefine itself after the legacy that Walt Disney created.

Naomi Scott and Princess Jasmine

As of 2019, Aladdin is currently a recent and noteworthy modernization of a Disney classic. Naomi Scott has received both acclaim and criticism for portraying Princess Jasmine as a strong and independent woman. Contrary to her animated counterpart, this reiteration of a Disney princess now has a solo song. “Speechless” is a powerful tribute to self-empowerment. The song itself has gained popularity because of the #MeToo movement that took social media by storm starting when Alyssa Milano began using that hashtag on Twitter in 2017.

Naomi Scott was very fortunate to play this role because she was able to play an iconic Disney princess while making that portrayal modern and bolder in contrast to the animated character from the 1992 classic.

A Wide Variety of Diverse Disney Heroines

As of 2019, the Disney legacy has endured for nearly a century. Walt Disney might be dearly departed, but his vision and determination to succeed has left an indelible mark upon the world. Snow White might have been the fairest Disney princess of all, but times have changed since the 1930s. The evolution of culture, along with the passage of time, have resulted in modern Disney heroines that are more audacious and independent compared to the tame Snow White.

Change might be the only constant, but change can provide positive outcomes as evidenced by more independent heroines within the Disney canon.