Princesses in Perspective: The Conclusion

 ((Image Courtesy http://wondersofdisney.yolasite.com ))

            And here we are at the end, all of the official Disney Princesses to date examined by yours truly. Snow White has a questionable romance, but she’s got some intelligence and spunk to her. Cinderella is pragmatic, understanding that to have dreams is one thing, but you have to deal with reality. Aurora is set up for failure and naïve. Ariel is curious but takes a huge gamble. Belle is an intelligent young woman who gets the adventure and romance she’s always hoped for in an unexpected fashion. Jasmine is a girl who refuses to be objectified or treated like a fool. Pocahontas has some historic concerns but as a stand-alone character, and while in her own tale she’s a decent role model, most of her actions are enabled by magical circumstances where other princesses just deal with magic. Mulan proves you can be loyal to your family without doing what they say, and you must be true to yourself. Tiana proves you don’t have to give up on a career or love, getting the man she loves and the business she dreamed of. Rapunzel demonstrates that someday you need to take charge of your life. Merida’s story cites the importance of family, communication, and thinking outside oneself.

            Admittedly it’s a bit irksome that until Brave, Disney couldn’t seem to give any of their Princesses a chance to be ‘victorious’ without tossing a man at them. And even the best of the stories should be taken with a grain of salt, their lessons situational. I know a young woman who refuses to break away from a relationship that’s toxic for her. She’s only 20, and she’s devoted to trying to make it work with a guy who won’t change for her. Instead of even futilely trying to change him, she’s resolved to change herself to make it work despite friends discouraging her. When asked she answers something among the lines of “love is hard work”.

A particular problem I have with the princesses who paired off is that it seems like every one of them married their first love. Many of these women are of the ages where they’re still finding themselves, and yet they settle in. True, their cases are extreme, but have we set up a mentality with Disney Princesses that girls must find love young and marry the first man they fall for? Why must my friend claim that she will try to make it work with a boy because they’ve been together for a year, and can give no other reason?

Not to mention, some of these situations if applied to life could end rather badly. Snow White convinces seven men to let her live in their home. Aurora tells a stranger where she lives. Ariel makes a deal with a rather nasty person rather then try to find her own solution. Pocahontas rather then grabbing her father’s arm to stop the execution of John smith, tosses her head over his. Mulan runs off and joins the army in a time of war-the least she should have been worried about was getting killed. Instead it’s displayed with several animated musical numbers, and portrayed as fun and games. Rapunzel walks into a bar of ruffians and thugs and manages to make them be good. Can you imagine if an eighteen-year-old girl with nothing more then a frying pan walked into a biker bar?

In conclusion, the Disney Princess movies are like video games or old cartoons. They alone do not cause problems in people or children. If they are used as babysitters, yes, children will believe that music and magic will save the day, like we seem to think children believe their friends will respawn if shot or people will survive strapping themselves to an acme rocket. However if the child has someone to clarify and explain things, and they aren’t constantly in front of a TV screen, they might just pick up some valuable lessons.

Merida: The Maiden Who Didn't Need a Man

(Image via Wikipedia)

            The most recent Disney Princess to appear in Theaters, Merida starred in Brave last summer. Her movie’s most clear distinction from her predecessors was simple: she did not have a romance. Instead her story was focused on her character development, familial relations, and of course, an adventure. Yes, courtship was a key topic, but nothing actually came of it besides a few conflicts. It was also the first story not to be loosely based on a fairy tale or badly adapted from history.

            In a land I think we can take to be a fictional Scotland (given the kilts), Merida is the first-born child of her father, the king. She has a loving family, both parents, and three little brothers. She and her father are close, sharing inside jokes, while Merida and her mother don’t see eye to eye. This is actually the closest thing to an antagonist the movie has: the tension between Queen Elinor and her daughter, Princess Merida. It is the catalyst to the events that follow, and as the witch honestly wanted no part, the fact that she casts the spell does not make her the antagonist. In fact she warns Merida that it may not go well and despite vanishing, leaves a note of sorts so she knows what has to be done. As for the cursed bear Merida must later battle, he’s a victim of circumstances, unfortunate word choice, and not honestly that big a factor in the scheme of things.

            Except that as a small child Merida might have watched him rip off her father’s leg. Now, while you can’t tell this for sure, her mother rides off with Merida over her shoulder, able to observe events until they were too far away. This would explain why Merida wants to be strong and able to fight however, if she’d seen such a thing occur. Definitely a contrast to earlier princesses, Merida is not suited for the traditional concept of a noble lady. She is athletic, stubborn, out spoken, and a terrific archer. She is clever, and able to notice things in ways others seem to miss. When she realizes the spell on her mother has occurred before, she’s able to apply her knowledge to find the solution. She defies traditions and desires freedom to make her own choices, but also longs or the acceptance of her mother.

            Merida’s story is a coming of age tale. She must learn to think beyond herself in order to avoid war and mend broken bonds. She must learn to help others, and not just think of herself when she’s fighting. It is a tale that ends with her being more mature then she began, and it does not end with her being paired off-nor the implication that she will be paired off, as in Mulan. The argument could be made she is young-but then, so is Snow White, and she was riding off into the sunset with her prince charming.

            As a role model, Merida is okay. She doesn’t need a man to complete her, and she is sure of herself. However she can also be stubborn, and one could argue begging a witch to make a spell to change her mother (rather then talk to her) was a bit rash. However, Merida learns from her mistakes through the course movie, and learns that charging in headfirst is not the best solution. Her biggest obstacle is her relationship with a parent; and most young women her age have to deal with something like that. As a role model, Merida is okay, but her story is full of lessons to be learned.

Rapunzel: The Romantic

(Image via Wikipedia)

            Released by Disney in 2010, Tangled went back to completely fantasy roots for it’s next Disney Princess: Rapunzel. Loosely based on the fairy tale, it takes place in a fantasy setting. The Princess Rapunzel is kidnapped as a baby for her magical hair, and Mother Gothel is able to convince her that the world outside her tower is far too dangerous to go out into. She is isolated from life experience and other people, similar to how Aurora was hidden from evil. What skills she can gain in the tower she does, but she longs to go outside. This is the setting her adventure starts in, and her decision to start taking control of her life.

(Image via Disney Wikia)

            Her enemy? The wicked Mother Gothel, who’s a real piece of work. Centuries year old, Gothel has retained her youth with a magic flower. That flower was given to Rapunzel’s mother while she was pregnant to save her and her child’s life. As a result, the magic went into Rapunzel’s hair-and so Gothel, rather then face old age and death, instead opted to kidnap the infant princess and brain wash her for the next 18 years. Unlike the fairies in Sleeping Beauty, she had no noble reason: she wanted to stay young forever. An entire kingdom mourned for the lost princess, and Gothel had no problem with that what so ever. She was willing to undermine Rapunzel’s confidence at every turn in order to ensure she stay in the tower, and was willing to work with some rather unsavory thugs to try to wind in the end. While this woman has no powers of her own, she causes an amazing amount of distress and despair.

            Fortunately, opportunity knocked when a stranger tried to hide in the tower. Rapunzel learned she wasn’t so weak as her mother thought, and when she still wouldn’t listen, Rapunzel decided to take charge. She dealt with some interesting obstacles, brave enough to face ruffians and thugs at the Ugly Duckling, and clever enough to figure out how to escape from several difficult situations; such as being trapped in a flooding cave or being chased by city guards. She also puts pieces together, because once she sees the royal crest she realizes she’s been subconsciously adding it to the murals she’s been forever painting on her walls. It doesn’t take her long after that to realize what Gothel’s done. While she grew up isolated, Rapunzel has amazing deductive ability.

            From what I could tell, Flynn Ryder and Rapunzel got the most on screen time to connect without breaking into song. They spent several days together, and the audience can track their progress. He seeks out her tower to hide, she hits him with a pan. Rapunzel displays bargaining ability and strikes a deal with him to be her guide. She saves his life at a tavern, and again in the flooding cave. By the end of the day they’ve both shared significant secrets and trust has begun to form. When Gothel appears and disheartens Rapunzel, Flynn notices she’s upset and asks why. She shows interest in his life story and he in hers. The next day they reach the city, and Flynn makes sure to give her the full experience of a birthday and celebration. They sneak away from guards, he gets her souvenirs, they read, dance, and spend time together. In the end he no longer sees it as just a deal-he wants her to get her dream, and he wants it to be as good or better then she imagined, going above and beyond the call to surprise her. When Gothel attempts to make it look like he’s abandoned Rapunzel, he comes to and is arrested-but his thoughts are on fear that Rapunzel’s in danger. It’s not even about him living or dying, it’s that he’s the only one who knows what sort of trouble she’s in. When Rapunzel realizes Gothel has been lying all along, she immediately questions what situation Flynn is in. But most important is that she was willing to give up her freedom to save his life, and he was willing to give up his life to save her freedom. Both parties were equally committed and devoted to the relationship.

            I believe Rapunzel is an excellent role model because her character evolves. She starts out isolated and a little naïve, but she becomes aware that something is wrong with her situation and takes charge. She’s clever and notices things other people might overlook, and surprisingly brave. In terms of expectations for romance, she had Flynn have a wonderful relationship that develops from different stages. There’s no abrupt “and then they were in love” like in Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Pocahontas. In fact, it points out a topic many earlier movies tried to avoid: Family vs. Independence. While The Litle Mermaid touched in on the topic, choosing her own way did not benefit Ariel in the end and in fact caused more damage. Rapunzel finally decided to defy the only parent she’d ever known, and in the end it helped her grow as a person and gain her freedom. Tangled is definitely safe for a little girl to watch, and I’d encourage the viewing of it for parents and babysitters.

Tiana: The Tactful One

(Image via Wikpedia)

            Tiana was the ninth Disney Princess to appear, in the 2009 Princess and the Frog. She caused quite the splash, as she was the first black princess. It annoys me that she was also the second American born princess and no one talks about that, or the fact that there are a few other non-Caucasian Princesses: Jasmine, Pocahontas, and technically Mulan. Tiana was born to a lower class but loving family in a close-knit community in New Orleans. She was hard working, with big dreams, and romance wasn’t part of them.

            Her foundation was simple enough. Tiana’s father had a dream to own a restaurant, but he died before he could complete it. Tiana was very close to her father, so she took on the cause, and works at least two jobs trying to save to do so. She is best friends with a young woman whose family is significantly better off financially, but never asks for help or a hand out. She doesn’t get out much, wanting to work hard and accomplish her dream as fast as she can.
            Tiana’s an all business kind of girl, with a no nonsense point of view. She regards wishing on a start as childish and silly, believing the only way to get anywhere is through hard work. She supports her friend’s dream and is happy when it seems to come true, even though her own is on the brink of being crushed. She can be dense when it comes to her dream though; throughout the movie her mother, some friends, and a good magic user try to explain there’s more to love. She’s also merely human and lashes out at her friends. However it’s also having friends in the right places (namely an alligator) that helps her buy her restaurant.

(Image via Disney Wikia)

            The villain of this piece is the Witch Doctor Facilier, also referred to as the Shadow Man. He is a nasty piece of work with intent to take over all of New Orleans and offer the denizens’ souls to his “friends on the other side”. These are dark entities that give him his powers, which range drastically. He can read tarot cards, curse people, transform others, and summon evil shadows to do his bidding. This is not a bad guy you want gunning for you in any which way, as Prince Naveen (Tiana’s love interest) discovers. He also has a way of words and is rather charismatic, able trick the Prince with very little difficulty.

            The meeting of Prince Naveen and Tiana is drastically different from past movies. Where a brief meeting between Philip and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty gave him the ability to kiss her ad break a curse, the opposite here happens. Tiana reluctantly strikes a deal with the then amphibious Naveen: if she kisses him and breaks his curse, he’ll give her the money to buy her resteraunt. Neither is actually capable of their end: she’s not a princess, and he’s been cut off. When they kiss, the spell does not break, and instead catches her. So the two do not set off on the right webbed foot.

            Watchers can also observe character development and their bond solidifying. When it begins, Naveen is lazy and arrogant, and Tiana would have no problem letting him get eaten by alligators. But when he falls in peril later they’re able to work as a team to overcome and outwit enemies, and the second time she rushes off to save him, leading the charge of their friends. They learn to work together, and they begin to understand why each acts the way they do, and rather gradually fell in love. In the end Naveen is ready to give up his happiness, and his love for her, to ensure Tiana’s dream. And when the Shadow Man gives Tiana a short cut to her dream, she chooses to do what’s right and her love rather then go against all she knows. He learns to be responsible, and she learns that there’s a difference between what you want and need; her father never got his restaurant, but he was a happy man.

            Overall Tianna’s a pretty good role model. She has a firm sense of responsibility, and though she can be dense about other things, she does catch on. She doesn’t take the easy way out when it’s offered, instead opting to do the right thing. When things look bad in the end, like predecessors, she made the best of it and takes what she has-someone she loves and good friends. Her happy ending isn’t really and ending; it’s the beginning of her dream, and it will be a busy life. But she’s learned to balance responsibility with the other things in life, and she can now be functional. Her romance is a bit unusual in the way that she and Naveen were both of another species during their courtship, but otherwise it wasn’t too objectionable-except it might encourage young girls to thing if they have a difficult boy, they can change him. Circumstances changed Naveen-not Tiana, and that is a blurred line. Otherwise though, Tiana sets a fine example for young girls who might find themselves watching her movie.

Mulan: The One Who Saved China

(Image via Disney Wikia)

            Released in 1998, Disney’s Mulan was an unexpected and dynamic treat. The main character, Mulan, is considered a “Disney Princess” even though she isn’t actually one. She starts out living with both parents, who are still alive, and her grandmother. At the end of the movie she’s become the hero of all China, having defeated a rather intimidating conqueror named Shan Yu. She was favored by the Emperor, had gained honor for her family, made friends, and her movie did not in anyway rely on a romance.

            The early setting is simple. Mulan has a solid relationship with her father, who understands her better then she does herself. Her mother and grandmother attempt to help her win the matchmaker’s favor, and Mulan fails at his horribly. In her society marriage was traditionally the only way a woman could bring her family honor, and she was an only child. Her father was a veteran of a war, but he was injured in battle, and this allows for what follows.

(Shan Yu,
the leader of the
enemy army.
Image via Disney Wikia)

            China is at war, and the Emperor has decreed that each family must send one man to fight. It is not long after Mulan’s fiasco at the matchmaker, and her father was the only one able to comfort her. He is also the only male in their family, and so he’d be the one forced to fight, or would be. Rather, it is fear of losing him that drives Mulan to her choice. She runs off in the night, disguises herself as a boy, and joins the army.

            While previous Princesses have been the heroines of their features (Belle and Pocahontas), they didn’t go to war. Mulan trained to become a warrior, and while she was not the physically strongest, she proves herself by being clever and thinking outside the box. She earns the admiration of the other men in her camp, and is able to use previous knowledge (how she climbed a pole to get to the top) to save the Emperor (used the same method to climb the colums of the palace).

            Even at her lowest, when Mulan realizes there is a need to rise up and push past it, she does. To me this is key in the evolution of a Disney Princess. When Cinderella’s spirit was crushed, it took a fairy godmother and a magical solution to fix her up. When Mulan’s secret has been revealed, and she’s been abandoned in the mountains, she is at her lowest. But there is no fairy godmother for her; she sees that a dangerous enemy is on his way to slay the emperor and conquer China. So Mulan gets up, dusts herself off, and pushes past her despair in order to save the land.

            As for the topic of romance, Mulan’s is not direct. In the original movie, there’s no exchange of affections on screen. She and Shang connect as comrades in arms, and gain a mutual respect for each other. Of course, there is very strong suggestion that they will pair off at a later date, but it’s saved for the audience to decide, or for the direct to video sequel. She is supportive of him when he loses his father, and also when he doubts himself. They may not have sparked a romance yet, but their connection is already an incredibly strong bond.

            Brave, independent, clever, and able to move forward through her worst moments, Mulan is an ideal role model. She accomplishes her goal of saving her father (and winds up saving the country) without fixating on romance or a happy ending. She is noble and adaptable, and proves herself more then capable to deal with life’s obstacles. While she may find love, she does not need a man to complete her. While I’m willing to listen to all argument, I find it difficult to find flaw in her choices.

Pocahontas: The Controversial Princess

(Image from Wikipedia)

            Of all of the Disney Princess Features, Disney drew the most ire in 1995, when they released Pocahontas. The tale of a young Native American princess (technically, her father was chief) trying to prevent a war and deal with the realization that there’s another people in the world has one rather huge difference to previous features: the heroine was loosely based on a historical figure. As such it’s fallen under attack for being historically inaccurate, and sexualizing the real relationship of John Smith and Pocahontas, who would have been a preteen when they met. While this is not the purpose of my blog, to those critics I will say one thing: talking trees. One of the main characters is Grandmother Willow-a magical talking tree. Why does anyone expect an animated Disney feature to be historically accurate? True, they shouldn’t have used a historical name as they did. It would have been better portrayed as an original story, which it was. That said, that’s how it should be treated: as an original story, not a slap in the fact of history.

            Pocahontas is a free spirit who lives in a village where everyone plays their part. Her father, the chief, is widowed, but they believe the spirit of her mother lingers around them. She is the first of the Disney Princesses to have a gal pal, that is to say, her best friend is another human. Well, perhaps not her best friend, but she has a human friend as well as two animal companions. She, like predecessor Ariel, is curious of what else is in the world. While her father strongly encourages her in certain directions, she feels like it would be settling, and she’s not sure that it is her fate to do so. She is more aware then some of her peers, and proves she can be quite stealthy-a seasoned explorer completely passes her without notice.

(Via Disney Wiki)

            The course of her story is mostly admirable: she encounters one of the pale-faced new comers, and the two try to prevent war between their peoples. She risks her life to do this in the end, so her father does not execute him and cause a war. There is a corrupt politician, the Governor Ratcliffe, trying to find gold and disregarding the fact that the Native Americans had none. He tore apart the land ruthlessly and encouraged his men to kill the Native Americans, which he encouraged his men to call “Savages” and to shoot them on sight. In general people are scared of new things, so she had quite a bit to deal with; and on top of that her father wanted her to marry the best warrior in the tribe and settle down.

            The romance Disney thrust upon Pocahontas was not only the cause of historians screaming, but the most forced romance they’ve ever done. Even in early movies while the princes and their ladies didn’t get much bonding, there were never any particular reason they wouldn’t work out. While Pocahontas was curious about the new comer and observed him, when he turned a gun on her she was able to sense the danger and run. While they got over her he also accused her of being a few rather horrible things. He commented absent mindedly, without realizing why she might be offended, that her people didn’t know better, were uncivilized, and savages. She was quite rightly offended and attempted to take off. When he followed her, she lectured him. From that point on, their entire romance seemed rather forced. When he initially tries to kiss her, she scurries off and says they can’t meet again. When he appears in the cornfield, she appears to be irritated. And yet later Pocahontas can’t get him off her mind? I could accept them maybe becoming friends eventually; but I can’t buy the romance the audience is supposed to see.

            However her ‘romance’ did have one important difference to previous Disney Princesses: she did not follow love in the end. She chose her family and people rather then to go to the other land with the man who’d been wounded saving her father, and it’s suggested he might not even make it back to England for proper medical attention. Unexpectedly, Disney did not give this princess a fairy tale ending; instead there was the question of lost love. Now, it could be because they felt they’d already trespassed on history as it was, but let’s pretend it’s an original story. As an original story this presents and important lesson previous Disney Princesses continued to miss: you don’t need to wind up with a man. Pocahontas did have love, but she did not marry him. Circumstances did not allow, and that is key.

            Now that I’ve spoken to death about the pros and cons about the romance presented in Pocahontas, let’s review her as a character. She is brave, intelligent, curious, and loyal but not to the point in any which way that she can’t make her own decisions. She is capable of being offended, and does not simply shrug off insult. For heaven’s sake, she prevented a war at risk to herself. While I’m not encouraging little girls to risk their necks for men they’ve only known a few days, they should want to avoid violence. Even if she does get a lot of flack for not being “historically accurate”, as Disney Princesses’s go, Pocahontas is a pretty cool role model.

Jasmine, Gem of the Palace

(Image via Wikipeda.org)

            In 1992, Disney Produced Aladdin, and audiences fell in love with a cast of new memorable characters. Among their ranks were of course Aladdin, and his love interest, the Princess Jasmine. She was the sixth Disney Princess to appear, even though the movie did not focus on her as the lead protagonist. Nonetheless, she was a breakthrough as a female character: to begin with, she was of Middle Eastern descent, the first non-white princess.

            Like Belle and Ariel, Jasmine’s mother is not in the picture. More like Belle and less like Ariel, she gets along with her father: to an extent. They have very different perspectives on the world; but Jasmine also isn’t afraid to speak to her father about what bothers her in life. She has an interesting affinity with animals, her best friend a tiger and releasing her pet birds to fly away when her own freedom is question. She has grown up in the palace as a princess, has never done anything for herself, and she resents that fact. She lives in a society that doesn’t give women much power, and what she wants more then anything is the freedom to make her own choices.

(Image from disney.wikia.com)

            Her enemy is Jafar, and he’s a dangerous figure. He is her father’s advisor, but he is corrupt, and has the power to hypnotize the sultan. His fatal flaws are that he underestimates people and desires even more power. Unfortunately, he’s also rather good at talking people until doing his bidding, and appears to be a master of disguise. Through the course of the movie he proves to be deceptive, cruel, a bit sadistic, and simply doesn’t care what happens to other people as long as he gets what he wants. That is the opponent Jasmine must help defeat.

            As mentioned, the focus of Aladdin is not Jasmine herself but, well, Aladdin. However, she does act as the catalyst of what occurs. Seeking freedom, she risks everything and runs away from home for a chance of freedom. Unfortunately, as she fears, her lack of knowledge of the world combined with a kind heart gets her in trouble. This is how she meets Aladdin-he saves her from losing her hand in the market, and leads her to a safe place. There they spent time bonding, connecting, and learning they were really kindred spirits, trapped by circumstances. It’s a memorable experience for both of them, and it was that encounter that Jafar would use to persuade Aladdin to go to the cave of Wonders; thus, if Aladdin and Jasmine had never met, the rest of the movie would not have played out as it did.

            Jasmine proves herself to be clever and able to think on her feet. When Aladdin returns in disguise as “Prince Ali” she notices his mannerisms, and gives him several chances to come clean. When he continues to avoid doing so, she brings up something Aladdin would know about, but Ali would not-and so proves to herself they are the same person. Naturally she reacts angrily when she finds out he’s been trying to deceive her, but the fact is they are kindred and understand each other well. Later when Aladdin is attempting to stop Jafar once and for all, she is quick to improvise in order to help him. She also does not appear to be afraid of Jafar, confronting him early in the movie, and daring to cross him at the end.

            The main flaw is that Jasmine’s story is not her own; she is the second fiddle to Aladdin in the course of the movie. This however, is no fault of her own. She is also, unfortunately, a little ignorant of how things work, having no sense of the economy or trading money for goods. Yet she is a quick learner and this helps her survive. She longs for the freedom to make her own choices and find her own loves, and she resents when she is objectified. When danger comes to her land and loves ones, she shows bravery. I’d say she’s a pretty good role model to expose little girls to, even if she has some flaws.