From Cinderella to Frozen: from 'damsel in distress' to active heroines with agency, changes in the depiction of female heroines in Disney movies from 1950 to 2013.

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2015-06-15
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en
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This thesis attempts to trace the evolution of Disney heroines by navigating through discourses in movies, texts, and popular mass media. Much research has been concerned with the depiction of the female heroines in Disney movies and the change in the depiction from the first Disney movie up to the present. Frozen (2013) has been a topic of much recent debate because it is the first Disney movie in which sister love is more important than heterosexual love. However, since it is a very recent movie not much academic research has been published on this movie yet. This thesis will build on the existing discussion on the progressiveness of Disney movies and include the movie Frozen. Other movies that will be included in this discussion are Cinderella (1950), The Little Mermaid (1989), and Mulan (1998). These movies will be analyzed to find out whether or not Disney portrays stereotypes of femininity and sexuality. Moreover, Disney movies will be compared with other popular mass media of the time of the movies' release and the status of women in society at that time to see whether or not Disney movies correspond with either or with none.
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