Diversity |

There are a plethora of reasons to completely adore and cherish Disney movies -they are the classics that most of us grew up on -we learned about family and lions through Lion King, we encountered a genie and magic carpet with Aladdin, and we even dipped our toes in Voodoo magic with Tiana in The Princess and the Frog.

Disney is making waves again amongst the animation world, not only for great story lines and memorable animation, but for progressive characters. A much need revitalization and change to the Mickey Mouse Club movie list. This is huge considering the wide scope of an audience Disney movies can reach (as a 21 year old college student, I will proudly admit to still getting super excited over new Disney releases…) The intended target audience is family usually including younger children -a time before the media can grab hold and crowd the young mind.

The latest Disney movies have been breaking down the all too common stereotypes with a much needed breath of diversity, gender defying roles and important life lessons for all to learn -no matter the age.

Frozen (2013)

Perhaps one of the most beloved Disney movies of this decade, Frozen has been adapted into an ice show, numerous YouTube reenactments of the catchy song “Let It Go.” The inspiring lead roles are Elsa and her sister Anna -the two heroines of the film and one of the only “princess” films that did not rely on a prince to save the day. This rare heroine combo taught us about family, bravery as well as love.

Elsa and Anna redefine what it means to be a princess by playing one of the most relatable female duos in Disney history -they love to play in the snow and do not belabor the fact that they are considered royalty. Anna, the female protagonist, is both a princess and tomboy who teaches us it is okay to not be pristine perfect all of the time.

Elsa is having her progressive big sister moment by explaining to Anna she cannot marry a prince that she literally just met (and for good reason too.)

This short snippet from Frozen completely goes against every other princess Disney movie in existence -finally a young woman with some logic other than running away and crying about not being with her “true love” a.k.a. a man she just met a day earlier (in movie time). These sisters do not need princes to save them, they depend on each other with the help from some friends. Frozen opts to not focus on love between prince and princess as a main theme rather the love between two sisters.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Not quite a princess movie but still al lovable tale about a hero who breaks down the walls built by stereotypes. The main protagonist is Hiro Hamada, a bi-racial (White and Japanese) student who has a love for robots and a diverse crew of friends. The story is a set in a hybrid town somewhere between San Francisco and Tokoyo also known as San Fransokyo. Big Hero 6 combines creativity and a mixture of cultures and races.

Big Hero 6 has been hailed as “Disney’s most diverse movie yet” and for good reasons too: Hiro is a rare character portrayed in animated movies -combining two cultures and two races. Bi-racial characters are underrepresented in a forms of media, everyone is eager to place a person in one cultural category, not multiple. Hiro’s crew also brings diversity to the big screen, but does not belabor the fact that these kids are a mismatch crew of friends.

(Image courtesy of http://www.wattpad.com)

Big Hero 6 includes the signature Disney-lesson-of-the-day but has also made strides to promote just one over-arching lesson but a lesson of acceptance, diversity, and the diminish of stereotypes.

Moana (2016)

A look towards the (progressive) future with this one -another heroine for us all to adore. Little about this future has been officially released other than the fact that Moana will be the newest princess to add to the crew. Moana will be Polynesian and she will provide a dose of much needed dose of diversity to the list of already existing princesses. Moana’s adventure is set to take sail in late 2016.

(An early depiction of the future Moana movie poster -courtesy of Tumblr.com)

I am throughly looking forward to watching these new additions to the House of Mouse classics. It is refreshing to see a media mogul such as Disney making strides towards widening the scope of race and gender with these progressive movies.

Kudos, Disney.