to be saddened by the lack of children's films that promote female independence?

[Objection]

Trying to find movies for the kids I occasionally look after.
I'm really struggling to find PG movies that don't feature a female being stereotyped as either weak, overtly girly (not that there is anything wrong with girlyness) or highly dependent on men (being rescued etc).

In fact, I basically have Mulan and possibly Tangled as an option.

AIBU? Or are there a whole slew of children's films with strong female protaganists that I don't know about?

her name is peaches lebear

you have brave shrek I wouldnt mess with princess fiona

there is also princess and the frog

I dont think them watching princessy films does them any harm my dd thinks unicorns shit glitter but she is an independant young woman who doesn't fit into any female sterotype ,

Even BArbie in toy story 3 doesn't take any of kens rubbish

Anne of Green Gables is spirited, bright and ambitious.

I also came on to recommend Studio Ghibli - DD (6) loves Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbour Tortoro, and Panda Go Panda (which has a little girl living completely independently, albeit with two pandas )

Great films.

Madeline
Spirited Away, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, my friend Totoro, Kiki's delivery service

Pocahontas is fantastic - she saves the guy and choose to stay with her people rather than go for love

Jessie from Toy Story and Fiona from Shrek are pretty good kick-ass female characters despite them both being rescued.

If you look up the Bechdel test then you might find what you're looking for but be warned, you could get pretty angry looking at the stats at female representation in females full stop, never mind in children's films

Pippi Longstocking.

We used to watch these when I was little and Pippi is great: the daughter of a pirate who lives on her own in a huge rambling house with a horse and a pet monkey, who is immensely strong (she can lift up her horse) and always gets the better of the adults.

Another vote for Studio Ghibli. Howl's Moving Castle is amazing.

Labyrinth is a brilliant film with a strong female character trying to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King (David Bowie in a terrible wig).

Has Brave been mentioned?

Astrid in How to train your dragon is pretty kickass, but the film is mainly centred around Hiccup and Toothless.

Even some of the Barbie films are okay, if you can get over the appallingly bad animation. Princess Charm School is all about friendship, finding your true self and being confident and brave. Although it is very, very glittery...

Tangled is kind of OK - She is pretty kick arse and he is an idiot - and perfect age. I Think Shrek has a few merits too. Is fairy-tale-esque but Princess Fiona is not a shrinking violet.

Otherone to think about - Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Bednobs and Broomsticks all have some strong female characters - as does Nanny McPhee. Yes there are some patriarchal themes but I find them manageable (though mine are a bit older) as we discuss around some of the stereotypes. Hotel Transalvanya (sp?) is also pretty good. I think if you steer clear of the older films (Snow White, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) you may actually find there is more "available" than you thought. We have avoided the pink fluff and tinkerbell/Barbie stuff like the plague - but a lot of the newer commercial stuff is more aware.

Oh and another one - Bolt. Male dog - (who is a bit deluded) really strong female cat and strong/determined/loyal girl owner. Really recommend. And a got explanation for the "guff" around film making to discuss too.

I totally agree with whoever recommended Matilda - lots of great messages in that. Same with Pocahontas, although I remember finding the songs and colours a bit bland.

What about Beauty and the Beast? It's been a few years since I last watched it, but I remember Belle being pretty strong, deep, and independent - she was intelligent, brave, took care of her father, rejected the advances of that thuggish "laddish" Gaston, and was able to see past the physical repulsiveness of "the beast" in order to fall in love with the decent human being underneath.

I haven't watched it in a long time, but Mary Poppins probably counts - she's a self-employed, highly mobile worker with no family ties, and she insists that both children participate equally in domestic tasks.

I think there are more positive role models of both sexes in films for slightly older children, and I can think of a few which promote female independence as part of a wider storyline:

• Mrs Doubtfire (which has many feminist messages - the father has to learn to take on a feminine, nurturing role in order to connect in a meaningful way with his DC; the mother is prepared to take on the challenge of being high-flying career woman as well as a single parent, rather than submit to her husband's irresponsible behaviour; the mother's initially unpopular resistance to the father's irresponsible behaviour forces him to transform into a much better parent, at which point she invites him to share in day-to-day family life in her new home);

• Ella Enchanted (unquestioning obedience is a curse, and she must venture out alone on a quest to gain her autonomy);

• Harry Potter, as others have said (although Hermione never really gets the credit she deserves).

I can't think of other films at the moment, although I'm sure there are plenty. There's certainly a lot of children's TV which celebrates female independence: The Worst Witch; Sister Sister; Sabrina the Teenage Witch (from what I can remember, anyway)... Then, when they get a bit older, there's: Malcolm in the Middle (Cynthia was AWESOME); Futurama (Leila is cool, and Amy is not); The Simpsons (in which Lisa is the only character whose judgment can generally be trusted); Daria (a role model who I never really grew out of); The Big Bang Theory (Bernadette is awesome, Amy is wasted on Sheldon, and pretty Penny just can't really hold a candle to the others).

You also need to work out what exactly you want...

Do you want it to pass the Bechdel Test?

Do you want the main character to be female? Shek won't do then, neither will Toy Story.

Do you want to male or female characters to embody certain traits? Or , do you want them to 'be active' or 'save the day'?

DD who is almost three, watches Shrek, Brave, Studio Ghibli, Despicable Me, Toy Story and How to Train Your Dragon. I don't know if Shrek and Toy Story pass the Bechdel Test.

Madagascar?

Is Coraline too creepy? I thought it had strong messages about lerning from your mistakes and putting them right. And YY to Monsters vs Aliens.

Oooh yes Studio Ghibli!

Alice in Wonderland (the Tim Burton version).

oh god coraline creeped me out

Mary Poppins - Mary is an independent woman who comes to the rescue of a troubled family. The little girl is forthright and determined. The Father comes to realise the errors of his ways.

Superheroes are difficult

Big vote for Mary Poppins.

Although whether I should get a cute at all is debatable. Two year old DD's fave now is Mama Mia!

Matilda or the BFG - both ROald Dahl books turned to movies DD 3 loves them both

Ahem. Let me show you my master list (I take this vvvvvvvvv seriously)

• Another upvote for the Ghibli films, Kiki's Delivery Service has been a big hit with every child I've showed it to.

*The Last Unicorn: Female protagonist, action-packed, beautifully animated. I was obsessed with that film when I was five, still am to a degree.

*Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer: Rainbow is proactive, snarky and holds her own against a selfish princess and a grumpy male sidekick

*Enchanted: Debunks the princess mythos and does it hilariously. Giselle is adorable without being too saccharine.

Sailor Moon: Anime, but don't let that put you off. It's one of the most well known outside of Japan, is easy to find the dub, main female character is flawed but strong, backed up by four equally strong female sidekicks and a dude who throws roses at people, beautifully animated, is silly for the first two seasons then s*t gets real.

*Princess Tutu: Anime again, but so awesome. The main female character saves the prince through the power of DANCE! And it's again beautifully animated.

*The Cat Returns: A Ghibli film but not a Miyazaki, girl gets turned into a cat, hijinks ensue. My four-year-old mindee loves it to pieces.

*My Little Pony/ Friendship is Magic: The girl's show that was so awesome that men could watch and enjoy it. It's really good, there's a pony for everyone to like whether your alignment is girly girl, tomboy or goofy nuetral. Plus the film Equestria Girls is coming to the cinema soon.

*Cinderella 3/A Twist in Time: I know, I know, but Cinders was always my favourite princess and in this film she gets to do more than just go to the ball. An ugly stepsister gets redeemed, the prince gets more lines, and Cinderella nearly goes over a cliff in a ruined wedding dress. What's not to like?

*Ever After: A retelling of Cinderella with Drew Barrymore, it's just delightful. Cinders is proactive, fiesty and takes no crap from the prince, who is kind of a dbag but gets better. Anjelica Huston is the stepmother, and she is glorious.

*Avatar/The Last Airbender: Has a great plot, excellent world-building and fantastic characters. Bonus points for Toph Bei-Fong, a blind ten-year-old martial arts master who never wears shoes and is delighted when she finds out her character in a play is being played by a burly man. The sequel Korra has even more to recommend it.

I have more, and I will be back.

Annie

That must pass the test