Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 615

Proceedings of the 2021 4th International Conference on Humanities Education and

Social Sciences (ICHESS 2021)

The Transformation of Female Images in Disney

Animated Films from the 20th to the 21st Century in
the Context of the American Feminist Movement
Yuze Liu1,† Mo Yang2,*,†
1
School of Continuing and Professional Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
2
Faculty of Media &Communication, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, 430000, China
*Corresponding author Email: [email protected]
†
Those authors contributed equally.

ABSTRACT
The American feminist movement has experienced three waves of movement since its outbreak in the mid-19th century.
Its influence has continued to impact the norms of patriarchal society and has had a huge impact on the development of
the film industry. Disney, one of the giants of the animation world, produced a series of films portraying princesses. As
a mirror of the social and contemporary context, Disney reflected the image of women in different periods of the feminist
movement through its animated films. This paper will analyse the representative Disney princess animations during the
three waves through an observational method in the context of the feminist movement in the United States, in an attempt
to construct the changes in the image of Disney princesses from the 20th to the 21st century, and thus explore the
awakening and development of women’s consciousness.

Keywords: Disney Films, American Feminist Movement, Female Image

access to cinema and television have watched Disney

1. INTRODUCTION
movies, past, present, and future. With such a large
In the 1920s, Walter Disney founded The Walt audience base, gender portrayal in Disney cartoons will
Disney Company and started making the first silent inevitably shape how people perceive women in society.
movies, then black and white, till colored movies became
The unprecedented popularity of Snow White has
a reality since the 1980s. Starting with “Snow White and
made the “princess movie” an integral part of Disney
the Seven Dwarfs” made in 1937, Disney has produced
films ever since. The traditional image of a princess is
over 120 featured films with another dozen in production
that of a princess from an illustrious family, elegant and
[1]. During its development, Disney Films successively
dignified. At the same time, this is not the case with the
acquired independent film giant Miramax, 3D animation
female characters in Disney’s animated series. The
leader Pixar, other animation giants such as Marvel and
female characters in the films are officially given the
Lucasfilm. They consolidated its position as a top film
status of “princesses” by Disney. But some of them are
company [2].
princesses through marriage to princes, such as Belle
The film is a mirror of the concurrent social culture (Beauty and the Beast, 1991) and some are girls of tribal
and fashion [3]. Although fairy tales are almost always origin, such as Moana (Moana, 2016).
written by adults, reflecting the psychological needs and
In addition to this, the portrayal of the different
thinking patterns that come out are actually the thinking
princesses varies considerably. Most of the females in
and value judgments of adults. However, Disney’s
early Disney animation were portrayed as falling in love
animations have always been characterized by the pursuit
with a prince or being inseparable from their family
of audiences of all ages and have been avoiding the
bonds. Such as Snow White and Cinderella (Cinderella,
“juvenile” label. Their animation works strive to show
1950). Later on, female figures emerged who began to
rich connotations and can adapt to people’s common
take the initiative. By now, females in Disney films show
social concepts [2]. It is fair to say most people who have

Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

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a more independent and courageous side, such as Merida important than men, with the male gaze gradually being
(Brave, 2012), who fights against tradition, and Raya replaced by the female narrative perspective [9].
(Raya and The Last Dragon, 2021), who saves the whole
In addition to the analysis regarding the portrayal of
world.
the characters in the film, another closely related
There is no denying that cinema is a projection of influence is the social and cultural context of the United
society. Therefore, another notable factor in exploring the States, namely the USA feminist movement. The
transformation of women in Disney animation is the American feminist movement was all about completing
feminist movement in the United States. The feminist the image of “womanhood”. It can be divided into three
movement, also known as the women’s liberation phases in terms of time. The first was between 1840 and
movement or the women’s movement, is a social goal or 1925, a period in which much opposition emerged. The
a social movement that opposes discrimination against traditional gender role norms for women were not
women, gives women their rightful place in society, and fundamentally changed. The second. From 1963 to the
changes the traditional prejudices and habits of end of the 1980s, the second was more targeted and
patriarchal thinking, discrimination, and exploitation of broader in scope than the first movement. It led to an
women that are prevalent in society, and gradually improvement in the status of women in many ways, but
achieves full equality of rights between the sexes. The still without breaking through the framework of
phased process of this movement has, to some extent, heterosexual patriarchy. The third movement erupted at
influenced the presentation of women in the American the end of the 1990s and continues to nowadays [10].
film industry. It has certainly influenced the portrayal of This time the movement has become more focused on
women in animated films. individuality and diversity. With the development of the
feminist movement and the emancipation of women’s
2. LITERATURE REVIEW consciousness, people’s values have changed. Audiences
are no longer attracted to the image of tender princesses
One of the world’s leading animated film companies, and their love stories with princes. Still, they are more
Disney Animation has produced numerous animations interested in seeing films in which females are free from
that reflect gender issues since its inception. Many the constraints of masculinity and sexism and are can
scholars have analysed and researched the female transcend themselves and become brave and independent
characters in Disney animation. Disney animated films [11].
have been branded with the ideology of different
generations. They reflect social changes as a barometer These studies help us to understand some of the film’s
of social development and represent the American content and background information. However, there still
cultural imagination [2]. From the very early times of the exist some research gaps. We found that all these studies
Disney animations, we can see that representation of are still in the past years. Whereas Disney has released
women was always within the frame of gender bias [4]. many more animated films in recent years that reflect the
The focus at that time was on the portrayal of a kind and image of women, there is no doubt that the latest Disney
innocent females, such as the most iconic Snow White. animations have not been included in previous studies.
The female characters come from different backgrounds Meanwhile, the study of the image of women, both at
and families, but what they all have in common are their home and abroad, is mostly related to politics, sociology,
innocence and good looks. And it is these characteristics psychology, literature, etc. Occasionally, the
that help them to overcome difficulties and achieve their characteristics of female characters have been analysed
own happiness [5]. Meanwhile, the male gaze is also from the perspective of film and television, but mostly as
manifested in those earlier Disney films in the 20th a case study, focusing on a particular film at a particular
century by portraying men as strong and capable heroes. point in time, and most of the films analysed are live-
Out of their strong ability to rescue and transform action films. There are few macroscopic considerations
women, they obtain their romantic partner at the movie’s of the changing problems of female characters in
end [4,7]. That is to say, females in early Disney animated films over a complete time period. This paper
animation have been portrayed as helpless people in a will use the Disney animated film series and
position of absolute vulnerability, whose only chance of contextualize the USA feminist movement. Showing the
being rescued is to be helped by a prince [6]. However, transformation of women in Disney animation from the
since the new century, Disney has changed its approach 20th century to the 21st century helps individuals to see
to storytelling and given the film a deeper meaning by how the image of females has shifted over time in the
keeping up with the times [8]. The portrayal of women in context of gender issues, and the before and after
Disney animation has changed significantly compared to comparisons lead to a more intuitive understanding. In
the previous century. In the new century of Disney order to achieve the expected purposes. This research will
animation, female characters are more gender-aware and analyse the image and causes of iconic Disney female
show independence and individuality. In recent years, characters from the 20th to the 21st century through a
female characters have been shown to be almost more qualitative method to achieve the expected purposes.

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3. DISCUSSION be saved by men. These observations also affirm how

women and men were valued by the societal expectations
3.1. Female attached to male of that time, and the constraints and requirements
prevalent for presenting female characters [13].
The first wave of feminism marked its ending in 1920
Overall, during this period between the first and
as women were granted the right to vote after years of
second waves of feminism, those princess movies
feminist struggle. When Disney adopted the 1912
discussed still reflect the traditional standard and
Germanic fairytale from the Grim brother into the 1937
stereotype for what is to be a “good woman” in the eyes
“The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, America was
of society.
experiencing one of the greatest depressions in history.
The financial crisis in American families forced women
to find jobs. It started to take on more non-domestic 3.2. Self-awareness awakening
responsibilities [12]. Before this period, women in The second wave of the feminist movement in
society were regarded as the “glue” of the family and American History broke out in the late 1960s. The
were not concerned too much about financial feminists of the second-wave movement called for equal
responsibility. rights for women, including equality in education and
In the period between the end of the first movement equality in work. The ultimate goal was to gain equal
wave and the start of the second wave, Disney released status with men and economical as well as sexual
three animated princess films, namely Snow White and independence. The creation of female protagonists in
Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. While Disney animation changed significantly as a result.
these movies remain significant as it shows societal Rather than passively accepting fate and waiting for help,
acceptance towards women had grown following the first female characters who began to rebel emerged during this
feminist movement. However, the presentation of the period.
female image in these films was subjected to public In 1989, Disney launched the “Little Mermaid”
opinion as to the major female characters in these films adapted from Andersen’s fairy tale “Daughter of the
kept within the “womens realm,” suggesting the feminine Sea”. This is the first princess to have her own dream in
standards generally accepted by society [13]. In this a Disney animation. Princess Ariel’s dream is to go to the
regard, these female characters were presented as pious, land where humans live. This dream is unrealistic for the
pure, and not resistive towards difficulties. It can be many sea creatures that depend on water to live, and no
noticed that these films rather followed how female doubt Ariel is strongly opposed and obstructed by her
characters were conventionally portrayed as princess father. But unlike the three previous princesses who were
stereotypes in fairy tales with qualities like “fortune, always forced to accept and submit, Ariel relies on her
beauty, prince salvation,” etc., suggesting the best own efforts to achieve her dream. Ariel is shown as a new
personality for a female representation, to the audience feminist spirit, never presented by a female character
[13,14]. Moreover, the portrayal of this perfect female before in any Disney animations, as a rebellious, ordinary
image however indicates the influence of patriarchal adolescent girl who ends up exchanging her beautiful
imaginations on the cultural mechanism, which considers voice with the human form to pursue her love of life.
the female image with traits such as “beautiful but weak
personality” [14]. Besides that, Ariel’s father is completely against her
dreams and the love she wants to pursue, using magic to
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, even though we destroy the human objects and statues of princes that
see a nurturing and leadership image of the beautiful Ariel has collected. Indeed, it symbolises the continued
Snow White, it was within the “strong men and weak suppression of women’s attempts to take control of their
women” framework [13]. It can be noticed that Snow own destiny and break away from the traditional
White is resurrected through the kiss of love by the “feminine sphere” of patriarchal society in society at the
Prince. Similarly, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty is awakened time. But Ariel’s act against her father’s wishes was a
by the love kiss of the prince. In the other movie, manifestation of feminist opposition to male authority in
Cinderella marrying the prince is the final solution for the social milieu of the time. In addition to the awakening
Cinderella to get rid of the tragic situation she is in. All of female consciousness, it is also symbolic of women’s
these three animation films present the men as heroes that desire to be free from the confines of the family.
save the female princess, while the resistance and
independent spirits of the princesses were weak. The In short, the Little Mermaid by Disney reveals the
trace resistance seen in Cinderella is completely stifled courage, independence, strength, and justice of women
in Sleeping Beauty. This presentation of the weak women by creating the image of a woman who is loyal to her
image rather indicates how these movies engage in the heart, self, ideals as someone brave enough to express
unconscious representations of the patriarchy that herself. With the representation of the strong character of
prevailed during that time, wherein the image of men was Ariel in Little Mermaid, Disney was trying to get rid of
always conceived as the savior and the women as need to the early depictions of women characters in their

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animations as passive, weak, and dependent [14]. also rejects the marriage arranged by her father and the
Moreover, Disney was able to present the new princess fact that love is no longer the focus of her life is a
model suitable to the changes in time, influenced by the complete departure from the Disney tradition of “living
second wave of feminism, as a character breaking away happily ever after”, signifying that she has all the power
from female convention images as someone independent, to control her own behaviour, and illustrating the impact
yearning for a free life with a rebellious nature and most of social movements on women’s values at the time,
importantly, a feminine spirit suggests the awakening of namely that love was no longer the only pursuit for
a strong female consciousness. Moreover, the character women, which was “a bold attempt by Disney’s heroine
of Ariel can also be seen as an attribute to the efforts of [18].”
feminists of that time. In this regard, Ariel represents the
In 1998, Disney featured the first-ever Chinese
women who strive against oppression into coming out of
princess, Hua Mulan. A complete “tomboy”, Hua Mulan
the “female status” as free and independent women who
resisted ancient China’s traditional norms and
stand for themselves [12, 15].
constraints, where women were strictly required to be
Unfortunately, the ending of Little Beauty does not demure and were resistant to the marriage. She rejected
escape the happy ending of “the prince and the princess the notion that women had to marry well and stay at home
live happily ever after”. To some extent, this reflects the to run the household and chose to join the army in her
social situation of the time, when the meaning of the father’s stead. By constantly training in the military camp
feminist movement was still being questioned and and fighting the enemy on the battlefield, she proved that
opposed, and feminists were at a loss. But there is no even what society generally believed only men could
denying that the second wave of the feminist movement accomplish could be done by women, and even better,
still had a huge impact on changing the status and and was eventually recognised by the emperor [19]. Hua
consciousness of women. Since then, the females in Mulan shows the unprecedented strength of women,
Disney animation have all shown their different energies realising the epoch-making significance that women can
and characteristics, and are no longer completely passive also build a career and glorify their ancestors,
and perfect like the three princesses during the first wave demonstrating women’s self-creation and value, and
of the feminist movement. showing that in the course of the feminist movement,
women finally broke through the gender discrimination
3.3. Determined in the pursuit of self-worth of being banished from the mainstream culture and began
to be put on the social stage on an equal footing with men.
After the 1980s, “feminism” and “postcolonialism”,
two discourses that had received little attention in From the Indian girl Pocahontas to the Chinese girl
academic circles, were discussed together, resulting in an Hua Mulan, Disney presents girls of different races,
unprecedented “postcolonial feminism” [16]. In the colours and classes on the cinema screen, all of whom are
1990s the American feminist movement entered its third no longer beautiful and passive princesses but have their
wave of development. During this third wave, the term own distinctive personal characteristics, thus showing
“feminist” became more inclusive, focusing on the that the image of the princess becomes individual and
diversity and individuality of women, believing that diverse. This is inextricably linked to the aforementioned
women were different in many ways, including race, feminist movement of this period, which took greater
class, sexual orientation, body image, etc. [17]. They account of the differences and individuality of women.
focused on how to speak out for women as a whole while At the same time, they all showed a stronger sense of self,
acknowledging so many differences. According to Amy trying to break away from the traditional rules and take
Schriefer (n.d.), the third wave tended to emphasise the control of their lives. This was a refinement of the
differences between individuals and centred the activism of the second wave of the movement, just as the
movement on this. In addition to this, they reassessed the women activists of the same period were brave enough to
activism of the second wave and shifted the focus to break away from the historical legacy of the male
embrace all people in all situations. The third wave discourse in society and its demands on women.
sought all voices, especially those that had been silenced In the 21st century, women have largely enjoyed
in the past [18]. equal rights with men [19]. This was the beginning of a
In 1995, Disney released the film Pocahontas. Instead new feminist era. The rise of feminism in Disney’s films
of the lean and delicate figure of the previous princesses, is closely related to the feminist movement of this period.
Pocahontas was portrayed as a stout and athletic figure. Women in this period pursued the realisation of their self-
As well as being very different in appearance from worth, no longer valued gaining male approval, and their
previous princesses, Pocahontas is also the first princess sense of independence became firm and clear. Everything
to give up love for her ideals. At the end of the film, they did and thought was about being themselves. At the
Pocahontas’ lover is injured and needs to travels to same time, the princesses of 21st century Disney
London for treatment. When her lover asks her to come animation have shown themselves to be more capable of
along, Pocahontas refuses and stays with her tribe. She being on their own, not only moving away from the fairy

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tale of the princess and the prince finally having a perfect patriarchal society. However, things don’t get any better,
love, and they have even gradually abandoned the subject as the deliberate hiding of her energy doesn’t really
of love. The princesses are symbols of the capability in conceal it. Elsa eventually chooses to leave the castle and
the film, the examination and exploration of self-growth unleash herself in the uninhabited mountains, breaking
became the theme of the Disney Princess animated series the authority of male discourse. Elsa finds her true self in
during this period. the mountains, free from fear of her energy and the
judgement of others, and creates a beautiful ice kingdom.
In 2010, Disney released two animated princesses:
This shows that the oppression of feminists by men
The Princess and The Frog and Tangled. The Princess
actually has obvious drawbacks and sometimes even
and The Frog’s Princess Tiana is a breakthrough from
undesirable consequences. In addition to this, the film
the previous characteristics and is more in tune with the
continues the Brave move away from the topic of love. It
realities of life, as she is an ordinary waitress who has to
revolves around the sisterhood of Elsa and her sister, with
work hard every day to earn a living. Repunzel, the
men playing a secondary role in the film.
princess in Tangled, wants to escape the confines of the
tower and yearns for the outside world, so she continues In addition to seeking diversity and difference,
to learn various skills and even practices martial arts in feminists of this period were also more concerned with
the tower, eventually achieving her ambition through constructing the self and women’s interaction with
adventure. society and others. The depth and permanence of these
influences are even more evident in Disney’s latest
Both Tiana and Repunzel grow up with a clear goal
animated princess series, the 2021 film Raya and The
that they strive for. Love is only a chance event for them,
Last Dragon.
and the appearance of a male protagonist is only an
accident. Marriage and family are no longer the only Raya and The Last Dragon portrays two
things for them. This is a natural consequence of social unconventional princesses, Raya and Namaari. Raya,
progress and the feminist movement [20]. By the end of clad in a cloak and hat, is a powerful and decisive martial
the story, the heroines have achieved what they have long artist whose dark brown skin shows the full wildness of a
dreamed of. Tiana earns enough money to buy the tribal girl. Namaari has a handsome yin and yang haircut
restaurant she loves and start the business she loves; and possesses tight muscles. The portrayal of the two
Repunzel sees the landscape she has been waiting for princesses once again confirms the core of the third wave
through her adventures. This shows that women have of the feminist movement, which focuses on the power of
been able to achieve real independence from men in differentiated and diverse women. The absence of Raya’s
many ways. After centuries of social development and father, who is petrified by the forces of evil, actually
the efforts of feminists, women are finally free from their implies a weakening of male influence on the fate of
dependence on men and the need to be saved by them. women. Although Raya is initially a devoted follower of
her father, it is later on, in her quest for the dragon, that
By 2012, the princess in Brave was completely free
the female sense of self is reinforced and grows.
of love as a plot point. Merida is firmly opposed to her
parents’ arrangement of tribal marriage and pursues At the same time, the film gives women a richer
celibacy. Her only claim is to enjoy her own life, shouting character and a more complex mode of dealing with each
at her interfering mother that she wants to be free [21]. It other. Namaari is suspicious, and her mother’s strength
is easy to see that the film reflects a new high point in the replaces the male authority prevalent in previous anime.
development of female independence and that the focus Raya grows through trust and betrayal, and after her first
of Disney’s film has long since shifted from the unconditional trust in Namalee is hurt, she shuts herself
relationship between men and women to the relationship away and sets out on a journey of redemption alone.
between women, with men being excluded from the Through her experiences on the road, Raya slowly
framework of the film and the main conflict in the recovers the trust between people, and it is through trust
development of the story is set within the female that she can save her tribe. The relationship between the
community. two princesses goes through a complex and tortuous
process, from trust to betrayal and finally to trust, re-
Frozen, released in 2013, is by far the highest-
framing the active involvement of self-consciousness in
grossing animated film of all time [21]. The film had two
the process of dealing with female subjects, showing a
major breakthroughs. The first was the appearance of a
deeper concern for women, and the wisdom and bravery
double female protagonist for the first time, and the
of Raya, the heroine, reflecting the powerful charm of
second was the creation of the first Disney animated
women.
queen, Elsa, who was at the same time a very conflicted
character. Elsa’s energy is so powerful that her father
asks her to hide it because she has hurt her sister by 4. CONCLUSION
mistake and is afraid that she will hurt others too. Elsa The development of Disney’s animated films from
initially complies, which demonstrates the power of the the 20th century to the present reflects the changes in
father’s voice, the most representative of traditional society and the times and the rise of women’s status and

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