‘A princess strives for perfection’. Modelization of women in Disney movies from The Little Mermaid to Brave

摘要

The modelization of women in what is known as Disney “Princesses” movies has changed notably since the creation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 until nowadays. While at the beginning the role of female characters was linked to housework and marriage, this stereotype changed gradually ending up with the production of Disney “Princesses” movies in which the heroines are depicted as active women who take control of their lives without the need of a man for a happy ending. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the changes in the modelization of women in Disney “Princess” movies through the analysis of gender archetypes and, specifically, through the analysis of the The Little Mermaid (1989) and Brave (2012). These two movies represent a change in the portrayal of women since they break with the tradition depicted in previous movies and introduce a renewed image far from the typical “Princess” gender archetypes.