It has taken twenty-one years for me to realise that life is nothing like the world of film, and in particular, the world of Disney. Singing out of a window will not attract the local wildlife, clams do not make for good bras, and kissing unconscious strangers will not result in marriage. In fact, they’re more likely to get you sectioned.
Even the dolls that are fashioned on Disney Princesses carry more than a trace of a lie concerning teenhood: a perfectly proportioned body with glistening locks and a designer bag (don’t forget the bastard boyfriend in aisle two). I hadn’t the heart to tell the young girl in the shop that the doll in her hand was nothing close to the reality that faced her. Mind you, I can’t see my line of dolls taking off: an amalgamation of regretful hair styles, ill-fitting clothes complete with a tub of Clearasil and a Bic razor – Merry Christmas!
However, I found something that bore a passing resemblance to my brand of dolls located a few rows down. But of course these grossly proportioned, and older looking, figurines were the ‘villains’ of the franchise and were the polar opposites of their hero counterparts. They embodied all that we associate with evil with their short, dumpy statures and grotesque features of warts and missing teeth.
This symbolism even trickles into the animal characters such as the lions in 'The Lion King.' Whereas the main protagonists are full-bodied with light coloured fur, the villain of the film, Scar, who attempts to overthrow the pride with his own group of hyenas (Al-Prida if you will), has green eyes, a dark mane and wispy appearance to act as a visual cue to his devious nature.
If we disregard appearance (Disney will be spinning in his refrigerator) and focus on the plotlines of the films, they still leave a lot to be desired. I should probably point out that I am referencing the films before 2005 as I’ve had little involvement with them after this point.
Most of the Disney classics follow the same mould: a young attractive woman is somehow wronged by an uglier character but nevertheless she battles through this adversity by dutifully, and uncomplainingly, washing dishes and hauling the Dyson up the stairs. She is then rewarded for this servitude through her marriage to a handsome prince/male character and they live happily ever after.
A classic example of this would be Snow White who, in my opinion, must have been sniffing the Pledge because she thought it appropriate to enter a stranger’s house and cook and clean for a group of men she has yet to meet. Did I mention a travelling zoo helped? But of course Snow White’s nature won her favour with the group of male dwarves who owned the property, and who became her guardians until she could be handed into another male’s care.
One of the more amusing Disney plotlines was that of 'The Little Mermaid' where Ariel, a young mermaid who is prone to stealing, spots a handsome Prince, and after five minutes of voyeurism, decides she is in love. She then decides to risk everything she has in order to be with him but her golden opportunity involves a few catches: Ariel has to get the Prince to kiss her within three days and she must manage to do this whilst mute. Therefore, without the ability to talk, the Prince can only focus on her two clam-covered assets because god forbid they actually have a conversation before the wedding bells toll.
Turning our attention to the music of the films, the songs of Disney are emblematic of the franchise and are a nice piece of fluff to nudge the story along and display a character’s vocal range. But perhaps they should think of adding ‘Blurred Lines’ to the Disney song album as on more than one occasion a female character has been drugged into a state of unconsciousness only to be mounted by a complete stranger and instead of immediately calling the police, they get hitched.
Although I accept that I am drawing on examples from what can be termed the ‘classic’, and thus older, Disney films, they are films that are still watched today and therefore still relevant. And unfortunately the message that threads through a lot of the films is: appearance is paramount and a girl’s life can be deemed a success when she gets a man (after all this is where the films usually end). Is this not setting up a lot of young girls with a warped understanding of a person’s outward appearance and inward intentions, as well as defining male affection as the height of ambition?
In my view the Disney villains are a much more interesting group of characters who are more realistic as people and, ironically, more tolerable. Thinking over some of the more notable characters: Ursula, Scar, Jafar, all have a brilliant sense of humour and a relatable position as the underdog. Disregarding the inbuilt ‘evil’ aspect of their plans they demonstrate problem solving skills, charisma, and ambition, which are traits very much valued by society. Cinderella went to a party in glass slippers…
In fact, many of the heroines give the impression that they have yet to darken the door of a UCAS form because they show a distinct lack of ambition. All of their aspirations are tied up with finding a partner, and this is portrayed as the shining victory over their (predominantly single) foes. A female character who is decisive, ambitious and cunning, is usually the villain and therefore inherently ugly, and will never find love. But she may find her untimely end for her troubles. Hardly inspirational.
Life is definitely nothing like a Disney film, and I defy anyone to jump off a balcony on a rug singing ‘A Whole New World’ and have that action come off well. But perhaps we can work on making more realistic heroes for these films that play a large part in shaping children’s’ perceptions of the world and of themselves. In order to do that, maybe we need to look to the villains.
Lucy Holligan you can follow Lucy on Twitter @lucyholligan
