[dropcap2 variation=”teal”]W[/dropcap2]hen Pixar announced that its next movie would have a female protagonist, I was thrilled. After all, this is the brilliant group that brought us Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Cars and Finding Nemo. Their track record for amazing, caring, wonderfully told stories was as close to pristine (give or take A Bug’s Life) as one could get in Hollywood. Their main characters have soul and verve; they made me — a bona fide adult — cry and laugh every time.
Then I saw the first trailer for Brave and my heart sank like a stone in a deep, deep Scottish river. There, on the screen, was a red-haired girl rebelling against her mother’s notions of decorum in order to do what she wants to do, which seems to be act like her father. Among the main plot points is the thought that she doesn’t want to get married, which is what her family expects of her as a young lady.
What’s wrong with this, you ask…. How is this different than any other Disney Princess story? Disney is the parent company of Pixar. What’s so wrong with this picture?
Okay (deep breath), here it is. Why is it that every story Pixar has done with a male protagonist has been about friendship (Toy Story), learning to let go as a parent (Finding Nemo), discovering that there is more to life than the road you’re on (Cars), or discovering that your prejudices might be keeping you from something wonderful (Monsters Inc.), but Brave seems to be (surface-wise) about how hard it is to be a woman in a man’s world?
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Really!? Freaking really!? Where’s the Pixar film where the sensitive young boy loves daisies and baking? Okay, there’s Ratatouille, but that wasn’t the company’s first foray into a male protagonist. And it’s not really about how hard it is to be a man who cooks — the world of chefs is male dominated — it’s about how hard it is to follow your dreams.
Point is Pixar makes a film with a female protagonist and instead of giving us an adventure, pure and simple (say a female cat whose big ambition is to sing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival or a female inventor who’s trying to make an invention that truly works, while the other inventions come to life), they give us a film about a girl who wants to rebel against the strictures of being a girl in her time. While there’s nothing wrong with that story, what does it say about our society that THAT’s the story that has to be told for the first feminine Pixar film? Not a story about a character who also is a woman/girl, but a story that is because the character is a girl.
Oh, Pixar. Why couldn’t you have been truly brave and done something in which the protagonist being female was less the story than just a fact of life? I’m so disappointed in you.
I like Disney and Pixar to an extent but when it comes to gender issues, I’m always disappointed. How many times do they have a male protagonist who has done bad things in his past, ie thievery, and all is fogriven by the end of the film. He is rarely held accountable or experiencing consequences. I doubt seriously they would make a movie where girls did this and were treated the same. In fact, the girls are usually goody two-shoes.
I’ve found this to be more true of Disney than Pixar. I think that’s part of why I’m so disappointed. This is the company that brought us Sully, Woody, Lightning McQueen and Marlin — all upstanding in their own way (even McQueen, who’s young and arrogant, but not a cheat). These are films that show men in a good light, not liars or cheats, but as characters struggling. And they even have romance, of sorts that’s mostly between equals: McQueen and Sally, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, Sully and Mike 🙂
Excellent! As a feminist who always cares how young women are protrayed in media, I totally agree with you. Once again, Disney has missed their moment to shine with this one, it seems. One of these days they may get a woman in a position of power enough to make a call and make a difference. You’ve inspired me to write something on it for my own blog. Thanks for bringing this movie to our attention!
Deborah/TheBookishDame
Okay – sad to admit, but I’ve never analyzed a Disney film. Perhaps it is because when the kids were little, 100 years ago, I wasn’t writing as much as I do now. Perhaps it is because I was basking in the quiet that a Disney video would bring to the house and my brain just went to a happy place. Not sure really, but reading your blog I’m thinking holy hanna banana you’re on to something there.
Great blog.