and while we're on the subject ...

[chimerically]

stellae pointed out a blog with two posts relevant to my Tuesday post on Pixar, the Smurfette Principle, and the Bechdel test. First, a script writer explains how she and others in her profession are specifically told not to pass the Bechdel test. Second, there's a critical analysis of female characters in Disney movies, particularly Tangled and Beauty

Comments

[leora]

Good links, although I think there is more to Beauty and the Beast. The Beast had to do three things in order to be redeemed, and it really only mentions one of them (win Beauty's love). He also had to learn to truly love her (this is made more explicit in the Broadway musical, but I think it's also reasonably clear in the movie, and he he had to let her go. The Beast releases her, and allows her to be free, giving up his own chance for her benefit. She chooses to come back, and he isn't freed until she comes back purely of her own free will. I think that's important

[chimerically]

Great points. I was trying to think of stories with good stepparents (or foster parents), and there are *sort of* some -- Lilo's sister (as corpsefairy mentioned in the last thread) is one, and one could argue that Pinocchio, The Jungle Book, Wendy in Peter Pan (sort of ...), Sleeping Beauty, and at least the story of Tarzan (never saw the Disney version) at least include benevolent parentlike-figures who aren't actual parents to the main character, though most of them aren't that central to the story. :~) But yeah.

[corpsefairy]

Sleeping Beauty is a great example, because the fairies are definitely her foster parents.

Tarzan's ape parents (especially his mom) are definitely benevolent.

The only evil stepfather I can think of is Frollo. Are there any others?