Disney's "Progession" Problem

Once upon a time, movies were praised for their storytelling, artistic innovation, and touching characters. Almost one hundred years later, though, everything changed.

Movies are now primarily praised for female representation and/or racial diversity. This is especially the case with Disney, whose princesses were once criticized for romantic orientations and lacking diversity. Hence, since Tiana in 2009's The Princess and the Frog, Disney has continued to update their princess formula. 

Tiana was Disney's first black princess who opened her own restaurant. Rapunzel had several hobbies and wound up in a realistic romance with Flynn Rider (for this reason, many would consider them to be Disney's best couple). Merida had no love interest, neither did Elsa. Instead, she learned to control her ice powers through sisterly love from Anna, who herself learned not to marry a man she just met. Moana had a realistic body type and saved her people. Warrior Raya was Disney's first East Asian princess. Mirabel was Disney's first female protagonist with glasses. Asha is Disney's first princess with black braids. 

Thanks to all the Disney women mentioned above, their princess lineup has gotten a much better reputation. More people, especially little girls, can see themselves represented in the media and have positive role models to look up to. However, this progression has also created some problems.

For a long time, as previously mentioned, Disney princesses received criticism for giving girls poor role models; they have once presented marriage as a girl's only option. Today, Disney no longer gives their women love interests; the last princess to have one was Anna. Because their princess representation has improved over the past decade, Disney seems afraid to take even the tiniest step back; there are several YouTubers who claim Wish would've been better if Star was Asha's love interest, not just a cute sidekick.

As Disney improved female representation in their animated films, they did the same to a greater level in their live-action remakes. Since Emma Watson made Belle more feminist for 2017's Beauty and the Beast, which also made LeFou gay, Disney remakes inserted politically correct agendas into their once classic stories. Jasmine and Ariel have also become more feminist and Mulan became a perfect "Mary Sue."

For the live-action version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Rachel Zegler made claims about the titular character not being saved by a prince and wanting to become a leader. Not surprisingly, her claims received a lot of backlash from fans. 

That's Disney's "progression problem"; the company now seems to prioritize modeling behavior over high-quality storytelling. I understand why they would: Disney Princess products seem aimed at young girls ages two to six, an age when they cannot separate fantasy from reality. Because a lot of Disney fans are under six, the company seems overly concerned with modeling unacceptable behavior and/or sending unrealistic messages through otherwise high-quality storytelling. 

Here's the thing: while Disney has to market merchandise to make money, do they really need to heavily market to the early childhood set? I think the company would be fine just selling looks of notebooks, clothing, etc. for older kids and up. Plus, children under six should have no more than an hour of screen time, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is best for them not to watch full-length movies so early (at least not often), but the practice is so common I cannot call parents out on it. 

Another problem is that Disney has been praised more for its progressive representation than their innovative storytelling over the past decade; not a single Walt Disney Animation Studios film from the Revival era appears in a general book or list featuring "must-watch" movies. This lack of recognition from the arts department beyond animation and Disney calls for a change.

We live in a fallen world, so it is no surprise innovation has fallen. Many have complained about 3D Disney movies looking "the same" and/or characters having "same-face syndrome" with large eyes. Besides, the reason Wish received mixed reviews is its generic nature (a musical, a sidekick, etc).

Disney has innovated and improved their storytelling throughout its history, from making Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as the first animated film to the Broadway-inspired formula with complex characters that began in The Little Mermaid. The company should definitely continue to improve diversity and female representations, but if Disney makes storytelling innovation their primary priority once again, they can hopefully regain recognition beyond their own company. 

Now I'm handing it over to you: what do you think about Disney's focus on "progression?"