Disney has taken to remaking all its classic animated Princess movies, which sometimes makes it seem as if these heroines need “fixing.” This idea has been furthered by comments from figures within the studio, noting that characters like Snow White or Aurora don’t align with feminist concepts. In truth, these Disney princesses have always been excellent characters, with morals and goals that align with those of countless women worldwide. Still, Disney continues to put out movies that feature female characters that are drastically different than the ones that put the studio on the map to begin with.
The House of Mouse is at it again with another Disney Princess remake, this time tackling the studio’s first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Ultimately, there’s a lot to look forward to in a live-action Snow White since bringing this classic story to life means a whole new generation of young audiences will get to experience the magic. It’s true that there is a lot about the original animated film that kids are unlikely to appreciate today. However, the buzz from Disney is that Snow White will no longer be a damsel in distress story, and this indicates that the studio still thinks their old projects need fixing.
Traditional Disney Princesses Were Never Just Waiting For A Savior
It’s become a common belief that some of the older Disney Princesses are problematic because they weren’t profoundly ambitious or independent. This has been repeated so many times that it’s easy to forget that it really isn’t true. Many of Disney’s most memorable heroines went through significant trauma at some point in their stories. They were forced to do things they didn’t want to do, kidnapped, abused, exploited, and, in some cases, even murdered. However, a massive feature of these films is that this didn’t stop them from finding happiness, and while that typically involved romance, that isn’t an inherently bad thing.
Snow White, a child princess, was so despised by her stepmother that she found herself in a situation where she was begging a man to spare her life. Then, when he took pity on her, she ran away from everything she knew and started a new life. Aurora from Sleeping Beauty was isolated from the world and wound up placed under a curse by a witch who hated her only because of her parents’ decisions. Cinderella was orphaned and enslaved, but she still had enough hope to dream of someday finding more. In all, these are far from broken stories.
Disney’s Remakes Aim To “Fix” Past Princess Movies
When it comes to Disney’s live-action remakes, there’s nothing wrong with making a few changes. These movies are being adapted to fit modern audiences better, which means some of the overdone storylines need a refresher. For this reason, it’s great that Jasime wanted to be sultan herself in the Aladdin remake or that Ariel dreamed more of living on land than finding a prince to love her. However, as remake after remake applies nearly the exact same changes to the Disney heroines, it begins to feel that the studio is trying to avoid backlash from being “unfeminist,” when in reality, it is implying that all women need to have logically justifiable ambitions.
This is why Snow White became controversial even before its release. In an interview, star Rachel Zegler commented that Snow White’s character would be a leader who would not be rescued by a prince (via NBC). She also indicated that the prince’s behavior in the original animated movie was inappropriate and that the film as a whole was outdated. This resulted in some viral backlash, with many feeling that Disney had grown to hate its own classic creation. It’s likely that Zegler was doing precisely as she was told, emphasizing that the Snow White remake would “fix” the original. What the studio fails to realize is that this isn’t the approach many are looking for.
Modern Disney Heroines May Be An Overcompensation
Disney’s live-action remakes aren’t the only films heading aggressively in the opposite direction from the classics. Ever since Tangled hit the scene in 2010, many of the studio’s heroines have been given the same personality. They are quirky, socially awkward, and far from graceful, and though, again, this isn’t an inherently bad thing, the fact that this is being repeated again and again seems to indicate that these characters are compensating for something. This quirky heroine archetype has come to be called the “adorakable” princess trope, and Disney’s Wish seems to have solidified the idea that it’s not going anywhere.
Characters like Princess Anna, Rapunzel, Moana, and Mirabel are adorable, fun, and highly relatable. They are also clearly very successful with young audiences since the films that feature the adorkable-type heroine have fairly consistently performed well critically, financially, or both. However, when Wish‘s trailer made it clear that Asha was going to be another character with a similar personality as other recent lead characters, Disney began facing some backlash—which is ironic since it appears as if this is what the studio is trying to avoid by steering away from traditional heroines.
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Disney Needs To Embrace All Its Princess Types
In the end, there is nothing wrong with the personalities written for any of Disney’s princesses. There are girls and women everywhere who can relate to traditional characters like Snow White, as well as those who see themselves in Rapunzel and Princess Anna. It’s the House of Mouse’s determination to put only one type of character in its movies at a time that has become frustrating. Since the performance of Disney’s movies has been hit or miss, and criticism is growing ever higher with each live-action remake, it may be time for the studio to embrace all its Princess types.
It would be great to see some new animated princesses with personalities more like those in the old classics or a live-action remake that maintains its romantic-focused heroine. Then, it would be even better to see a new animated Disney Princess film that features a brand-new type of character. This would demonstrate that there is no right or wrong way to be and that whether serious, quirky, romantic, funny, sarcastic, or full of dreams, Disney‘s young (and old) audiences can find a fellow friend in the heroes on their screens.
