Disney has all the time been accused, by many scholars, because of holding colonialist and conservative ideals. It has also been criticised due to the static patriarchal stereotypes it supported through the different eras during which the fairy tales’ animated movies have been produced.
Gender roles in Disney animated movies were claimed to be accurate reflections of the Victorian norms which drew a widely long line between the typical maleness and the exemplary femininity. In other words, men and women’s roles have been stereotypically classified into domestic females who must stay at home, and individualistic men whose task is to lead and control passive females in the out of home world (Stephanie Coontz 1992 p.144).
Victorian notions are based on the idea that “maleness represents a world of achievement, autonomy, and effectiveness” while femaleness is equal to deficiency, dependence, subordination and passivity (Stephanie Coontz 1992 p. 62). Nevertheless, Stephanie Coontz, an American historian and author, argued that the Victorian ideals, which are coined to the stereotypical representations in Disney, are not truly accurate conventions of the era. In fact, Coontz believe that these gender roles are not real, instead they are mythical (1992 p.23).
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Disney was mainly criticised because of the gender portrayals it exhibits on one hand, and the way the original plots are modified to reinforce streotypes, giving more autonomy to men, on the other hand.
The original sources Disney tales pick are Germanic (Cinderella), French (Beauty and the Beast), Danish (The Little Mermaid) or Middle Eastern (Aladdin).
Disney versions reinforce gender stereotypes. Males are given more importance than that which they had in the source versions. They also identify the framing lines of the story, as it usually ends up with a happy ending after that a prince solves the story’s problem (saving the princess mostly). This way the tail would be centred on the male instead of the female (Zipes 1995 Breaking the Disney Spell‖ p. 36-39; Enchanted Screen 2001 p.24).
Women are numerous in comparison to their male counterparts, the thing that did not witness any progress throughout the successive generations. In terms of roles, the princesses play major roles, as Disney movies are often centred on female heroines (Zipes 2011). In addition to this, the amount of time occupied by the female characters in the events of the story (be it written or animated) is highly far cry from the period of time spent by the princes (DuGar 2013). As a matter of fact, it is not really accurate to say that Disney favoured males over females. Rather, maleness is paradoxically debatable since men play minor roles to perform central scenes (Zipes 2001 p. 124, 122).
It is only starting from the middle era that male roles were emphasized. Yet, princes did not perform focal roles, the thing that made him a shallow persona again, in the story (Zipes).
Beauty and the Beast is the first movie to include more males than females.
Whether Disney favour women over men, or vice versa, is still debatable. Many scholars stand with the view that says women are being domesticated in the middle of an endocentric setting, and violence against them is given romanticized portrayals. Nevertheless, others claim that it is the man who is being neglected, dehumanized and subordinated in these animated movies.
The stereotyped portrayals that Disney characters display are prejudicial for both sexes.
While women’s position is in progress towards moving out of traditional roles to reach egalitarian positions, which make the female as equal as a male character, males’ situation witnessed no evolution towards the performance of central roles. Over and above, the only thing facing a change in the characterization of men is the creation of more male villains.
Recently released movies (The Princess and the Frog, Tangled and Brave) were not extracted from literary fairy tales.
Works released during the period between 1937 and 1992 were picked up from classical fairy tales.
