romance in disney animated movies

Everyone growing up watched Disney movies. They’re all classics. My family especially all loved anything Disney. I loved the princesses and princes and the love stories. Everything I wanted out of a movie was found in all these Disney classics as a child.

With everything going out in Hollywood today about females in the media and how they are represented, it has made me reflect on every film and television show I have watched and has made me think back to how these females were represented.

We got into an interesting conversation in our Animated Perspectives class the other day about females especially in animated Disney movies. There were points brought up about why does the princess always have to end up with a prince? Why is the female always just looking for romance and not something more out of life? I felt as if my favorite childhood movies were being criticized for misrepresenting females. This conversation stayed with me for a while. I am all for women being empowered, strong, and not just being looked at for their appearance and body. I also believe on the other hand, that everyone wants romance. Why can’t we have both?

Disney movies to me aren’t just about the girl getting the guy and they lived happily ever after. I feel like that ending is important though because it made me dream of finding a real love and that does exist in the world. Maybe it is because I am a hopeless romantic, but I always loved the happy ending and romance in Disney movies. I feel like every person looks to find that special someone and I don’t think having this idea in Disney movies is a negative at all or an attack on female empowerment.

I feel like the romance in Disney movies doesn’t take away from the main character’s objective. I feel as though yes, there is romance, but there is also a different goal. I have thought a lot since this conversation in class about how females are represented in Disney movies. Disney puts out films that appeal to all audiences. They would never make a movie that made females seem weak. I think having a strong and independent princess as the main character is actually a great thing. It inspired me not to just aspire to be a princess and get married, but I see all these Disney princesses also going out seeking other things in life.

Princess Jasmine didn’t even want to get married. The entire movie she relentlessly tells her father how she doesn’t want to be traditional and find a husband. Ariel just wants to be on her own and not be under her father’s watch all the time. She just wants to explore being on land. Does any of this directly correlate to romance and finding a man? I don’t think so.

Some could argue this young love in these movies also sends the wrong message to little girls but I disagree. I think if anything, it shows you to want to create your own path and journey, as all these Disney princesses do. If you meet the love of you life along the way great, but it’s not a requirement to being happy, it’s a bonus.

I think Disney movies are actually positively influential on young girls and aren’t sending the wrong message. I think these movies can be inspiring for girls to be strong and that you don’t need a guy to be happy, but also if you find a true love, it can be truly magical.

 

8 Replies to “romance in disney animated movies”

  1. I think that part of my having a strong opinion on this particular subject is that I got a lesson that didn’t work for me. Disney having romance as a major subplot is fine, but when there is a large percentage of LGBT kids watching and the studio isn’t teaching them that they are normal, it can be detrimental to how they internalize their feelings and whether or not they see a place in happily ever after for them.

  2. I think that the movies with the romance won’t really have it’s full-on magic if the romance was not included in the films. I freak out every time I go to Disneyland to see Tarzan and Janes figure things stare at each other. I have to say though, it has been refreshing to see a new type of story-telling about self-discovery and understanding one’s root etc.

  3. I’m probably a sucker for romance so I definitely agree that Disney romances are not harmful to young girls. Especially with the emergence of new movies. Most of them show the importance of a girl’s personal strength rather than the dependence on a male.

  4. I certainly don’t think romance is detrimental to female characters in Disney films. That said, I do think romance is more central in Disney movies with female leads and it would be nice to see a different approach every once in a while.

  5. I definitely agree that there isn’t a problem having romantic relationships in kid’s movies. However, I think that Disney puts a little too much weight on the relationships to the point of them defining many of their films’ characters.

  6. I don’t mind romance in Disney movies, and I don’t think that including takes away from the movies as a whole. They are still really good stories. The only issue I have with it is that most Disney movies (not all, but most) have very similar romantic plots. Even if the main princess isn’t interested in a romantic relationship, she still ends up in a relationship anyway.

    I’d like to see the idea of love being explored in different ways, not just between a man and a woman. Love comes in many forms, like familial love, platonic love, same sex love, ect., and I certainly don’t object to seeing that in future movies.

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