(All photos and use of Disney properties belong to Disney)
It would be safe to assume that most movie fans have watched or are at least vaguely aware of Walt Disney’s princess movies. Starting from 1937 with the launch of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the entertainment company hooked the interest of many young audience members with their catchy tunes and “happily-ever-after” stories. But as children, many of us don’t realize the stereotypes and patterns that are portrayed in dozens of Disney princess movies; we only see the beautiful princess and don’t suspect a thing even when the stories have pretty much a similar storyline to follow every time.
The collection of Disney princesses without Moana
We’ve all seen it: a young, fair princess whose parent (or parents) faced a terrible tragedy that resulted in their death. They’ve got gorgeous hair and ridiculously slim bodies, animal friends, the sudden inspirational song in the middle of nowhere that convinces them to “find their purpose”, love at first sight…the list could go on and on. But there’s one thing we can’t forget: the dashing prince that rescues the princess and saves the day.
It’s reasonable that a storyline would have an antagonist (typically a villain in these movies) that tries to take something away from the princess. Of course, we can’t forget some important morals to be learned from Disney movies (old and new), but there’s no doubt that people have caught on with the whole “damsel in distress” idea when princesses meet the villain, fall in danger, and literally just wait there to be rescued by a handsome man or prince. Let’s be real; what are the chances of him being there at the perfect timing?
One of the first modern Disney Princess movies that helped to break these clichés would be Moana. Not that there is anything wrong with the previous movies, but for the first time, princesses were seen in a new light. To start off, her parents don’t suffer a terrible death; they’re by her side. Even before Moana goes on her journey, the movie shows her tribe working together on the island and demonstrates the value of a family that is there for one each other. Another part that differed from other movies was that Moana looked pretty in a new way different from the stereotypical image of petite princesses from older movies. We all know about the societal pressure that being pretty meant being slim. But this time, the characters actually appeared to have normal proportions instead of impossibly slim bodies.
The biggest barrier that Moana broke was that she was able to solve the problem in the story with help, yes, but without completely relying on a man and without falling in love and getting married. It’s happened so many times in other Disney princess movies: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, etc. But that doesn’t mean that all of the characters from these movies were completely defenseless or weak, and it’s important to remember there were still other movies that gradually led to this breakthrough. However, as kids, a lot of us assumed that a happy ending meant getting rescued by Prince Charming and getting married. That’s what “happily ever after” used to mean. From this 2016 film, Moana, we see that women aren’t only for cooking and cleaning; women are perfectly capable of being brave, strong, and leading their own adventures.
So yes, some people might bring up the fact that Moana still did get a song, but what we should learn from Moana is that being different isn’t something to be ashamed of. Throughout the movie and seen with the broken Disney movie clichés, a message we can take from Moana is that we should embrace our differences with pride and accept who we are instead of hiding our true selves. It’s actually a theme that’s brought up in other Disney princess movies as well; the antagonists in Aladdin, Frozen, and Mulan all realize they should be their true selves instead of trying to be someone that isn’t their true selves.
While it’s true that some Disney movie clichés can make some people think they’ve had enough, there’s still much to learn from films to come.
Discussion Questions:
- How have Disney movies shaped the way society perceives women?
- What changes did the movie Moana bring to societal stereotypes?
