Have the Disney Princesses kept up with the times? An analysis of ethnic and female gender role diversity in Disney films over the past century

Phoebe Drummond Gallagher

Abstract

This essay discusses ethnic diversity and female gender roles in the Disney Princess films. These topics are explored further in a case study comparing online reactions to Disney’s live-action film remakes of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. Analysis suggests that Disney recognises the need for greater diversity and has made some efforts to incorporate this into the Princess characters. However, there are challenges associated with doing so when personal childhood memories of the Princess characters are valued by the public; the demand for Disney princesses to remain all that they ever were, despite originating in a different era, whilst also embracing the values of the current time is a difficult path to navigate, both for Disney and the public.

Introduction

The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest conglomerates in the world with a net worth of $170.93 billion, as of 13th March 2023 (“Disney Net Worth 2010-2022 | DIS”). The company was founded a century ago by Walter E. Disney, better known as Walt Disney, and brother Roy O. Disney in October 1923 (“Walt Disney Company is founded”). Walt Disney, a talented artist, alongside Roy, launched the company in their Uncle Robert’s garage at Kingswell Street, Los Angeles, California (fig.1). The garage is now located in the Stanley Ranch Museum, a short distance from Disney World, (“Stanley Ranch Museum (Walt Disney’s Garage)”). From humble beginnings the Walt Disney Companies first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938), was produced and the film quickly grossed an unheard-of $8 million worldwide becoming the highest-grossing film ever by 1939 (Hamilton). Now, 100 years on, there are 13 official Disney Princesses. What began as a handful of animators producing short children’s cartoons has grown into one of the most iconic and successful conglomerates in the world; with around 200,000 employees, 36 Disney theme/amusement parks around the globe, the Disney Cruise Line, Disney on Ice, the Disney Store chain, and Disney Theatrical Productions to name a few subsidiaries.

Due to the centenary anniversary of the start of Disney, it feels timely to ask, 100 years on, have the Disney Princesses kept up with the times? With over 800 animated characters, including the 13 official Disney Princesses, who are loved and cherished by millions around the world, it is important how Disney choose to represent their characters and their female leads. Disney’s decisions have the power to influence the way in which people see themselves, or don’t see themselves, in their films. In this essay I will explore diversity in Disney, both generally and historically in relation to the storylines and characters in the animated films as well as the presentation of the Disney Parks and more specifically in relation to ethnicity and female gender representation in the Disney Princess films. To examine the issues of ethnicity and female gender role representation in the wider social context I will analyse the portrayal of Cinderella and Ariel, in the live-action remakes of Cinderella (2015) and the soon to be released The Little Mermaid (May 2023). For both films, the actors playing the princess roles have been subject to media and public scrutiny in terms of their physical appearance. Although these films only appear eight years apart, during the intervening years between 2015 and 2023 there have been significant shifts in society’s attitudes towards the need for diversity and inclusivity to be prioritized.

These shifts arose due, at least in part, to significant social change movements which have led to global changes: The #metoo movement aims to expose and change sexual violence and harassment experienced by women. It was founded in 2006 but became prominent in 2017 when several high-profile actresses revealed their experiences with sexual harassment in the film industry; The Black Lives Matter movement is dedicated to fighting racism and anti-Black violence. It was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of the murderer of an innocent black man, Trayvon Martin, but again, gained more widespread acknowledgement in 2020, with the release of a bystander video showing an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, being killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Social media has played a significant part in developing the prominence of these movements and consequently there have been radical changes in the way we view, talk about, and tolerate certain matters, including sexism, misogyny, assault and racism. Diversity and inclusion (i.e., respect for, and acceptance of, our differences) have become important global values, with wide application (e.g., in educational and workplace settings, as a consumer, in personal relationships and daily life).

I will question how these societal changes are addressed and represented by Disney in these films and captured by public reaction to Disney’s decisions, by examining both the presentation of the characters and public opinion about these films and the Princesses more generally. I will suggest that there are tensions between some of the fundamental characteristics of Disney Princess films and society’s attitudes towards diversity and inclusion which raises challenges for Disney. At the same time, for the public, there can be difficulties associated with accepting this shift in attitudes when put into practice in the context of the Disney Princess films.

I chose this topic as in my own work I often find myself drawn to the portrayal of women, both real and fictional, throughout history. As someone who loves film, especially old Hollywood black-and-white films, and the Disney classics, I have been aware of the need for change in the representation of the Princesses. It’s a reoccurring theme that women tend to be judged and criticised more harshly than men for their actions and appearance, and often by other women. As Naomi Wolf states in Beauty Myths “If a woman loves her own body, she doesn't grudge what other women do with theirs” (25), but with the unrealistic and sometimes unattainable bodies shown to us by Disney, whether a cartoon or human, it is hard to ensure that the young girls watching the films will love their own un-corseted and un-edited bodies happily thereafter.