In this special podcast, Dr. Reid talked about Disney’s gender construction through an analysis of their movies.
In their animated films, the Walt Disney Corporation is appropriately selected as a means to question its portrayals of gender and women. The point, which is very well known and in many cases clear, is that Disney has clung on to seriously out of date sex roles with just a few exceptions, mostly fundamental to its animated production. "This assumptions, and I'm speaking of the quite well founded Disney Princess here, are generating specific ideas of even negative gender roles; how women and men can look, dress and behave are covered very simply in the influential animated pantheon of Disney," says Dr. Reid. Disney princesses appear to be determined to find an individual; they are active in themselves, yes, but their vision of the universe is totally rooted in seeking a person.
In that sense, Frozen appears to be a breath of fresh air – the latest smash hit of the company is still troublesome, obviously, but its twist of the conventional Disney love past makes the company far more fascinating than its animated fare. Yet Frozen is Disney's only new move ahead. For some time now, rather than is always the case, the company tries to tailor its films to its female characters and, apart from Frozen, some truly fascinating examples indicate that the House of Mouse was much more mindful of its issues with gender than it is perhaps capable of.
Overall, this podcast is incredibly professional by critically and deeply analyzing the problems within Disney movies that created a toxic and unhealthy gender perception to the public. Dr. Reid and the host were interacting in a very friendly and energetic way.
Podcast link: http://www.darrenreidhistory.co.uk/unfrozen-the-evolution-of-walt-disneys-princesses/
Hi Haoran! According to your podcast that you mentioned, I haven't thought that "Disney princesses appear to be determined to find an individual."