I recently came across a letter online titled "Dear Pixar, From All The Girls With Band-Aids On Their Knees" that inspired me to write today's blog post. You can read the full letter here.
The author writes that although there have been several strong female characters depicted in Pixar films lately, we still have yet to see a film that revolves around a female as the main character. In particular, she says that we have enough princesses already and we need more tough girls who aren't afraid to scrape their knees and perform "Death Defying Stunts."
Of course, it's important to recognize that Pixar has been doing its job as far as creating awesome female characters who play vital roles. As the author mentions, the adventurous Ellie from UP is an exceptionally brave and lovable character who provides the driving force for the story. Also, the The Incredibles wouldn't be the same without the spunky Elastigirl/Mrs. Parr who keeps the family superhero team in harmony (while fighting the bad guys, of course) and her daughter Violet who is able to overcome her lack of confidence in order to come to her family's aid. In Wall-e, the female robot named Eve plays a role almost as big Walle-'s. She helps him save the day and their romance adds to the film’s charm. I've got to agree with the author though - we've seen that Pixar can create interesting female characters and I'd like to see one cast into the leading role.
Fortunately, we don't have to wait too long because Pixar is coming out with a new film in 2011 titled the Bear and the Bow that will feature their first ever female lead, a princess named Miranda. Although I'm not opposed to the main character being a princess, I understand the author's complaints. There is already a plethora of Disney princess movies, including their newest film, the Princess and the Frog. Pixar is known for creating unique characters and it's almost dissapointing to hear that they've chosen the well used role for their first leading lady. The film's synopsis does, however, describe Miranda as a royal who would rather practice archery than do her royal duties, she might turn out to be a unique character after all and be precisely the "tough girl" the author is looking for.
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It would be fun to see a Pixar film that had a female lead. I love watching Pixar films because they bring so much animation to life in a second's worth of film.
ReplyDeleteOne scary side note, from what I've seen ... the more popular games that are virtual seem to be ones with half dressed women or super beautiful ones. Would having a lead virtual character be female attract more male audiences?
I'm a huge Pixar fan, and I really enjoyed your post. I also agree that it is important that Pixar's development team look outside the standard princess box, and look to a more adventurous female character. The films that Pixar release are for the most part incredible hits, but if they utilize some of the information you stated as far as female characters, it will open the creative eyes of young female viewers. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteI think you got it exactly right! Pixar is known for innovative animation. Is a princess as innovative as they could get?
ReplyDeleteIn all fairness to Pixar though I think change can be a slow process. Female animated characters have come a long way already (think of the female characters in cartoons such as Flintstones and the Jetsons)
Additionally, when Disney started, he didnt have any female animators. As more young, independent and strong female animators and writers start coming into the field, their work will start reflecting their generation more and more =)