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?

I love Tinkerbell she rocks much better than simpering wendy

ahhhh someone said Rainbow Brite and the star stealer!!!!

I LOVED that film!!!!!!!

I am a huge Ghibli fan too

Howl's Moving Castle aside, I actually find the Studio Ghibli films a bit ambiguous. It is true that the main protaganists tend to be female, and also tend to do a lot more than just simper winningly like just about all Disney characters.

Most of the female characters in Studio Ghibli films don't make things happen - stuff happens to them, and the reason why they win through is because of their submissive characters. Also, some of the films tend to relish the prepubescent a bit too much for my liking. In Valley of the Wind the (young) princess seems to be wearing a sort of G-string, if indeed anything is under there at all.

However, I say this as someone who has just bought Laputa.

Tinker bell is an idiot. She got insanely jealous of another woman and because of this she acted like a spoilt brat, tried to kill Wendy and betrayed her friends. Hardly a good role model.

I admit I haven't seen every Studio Ghibli out there but I would take issue with the statement that the heroines are passive and submissive. In Totoro it was Mai who set off with her corn to try and make their mother better and it was her sister who went after and found her, then helped her go and visit their mother.

In Spirited Away the female protagonist goes against the bathhouse owner several times and not only sorts out their problems but saves her parents. She's also the one sensible enough not to eat the food at the beginning andso avoids being turned into a pig.

Ponyo doesn't obey her magician father (whole point of the film!) and I'm fairly sure that Kiki saves her friend rather than sitting passively by.

Stardust is probably too adult for 2-3 yr olds but it has a brilliant snarky female lead in Yvaine the fallen star (who saves the hero at the final showdown) and although they're evil and vain the witches are powerful and pretty naturalistic in their reactions and conversations. DD loves it.

Hijacking to save invaluable information.
Thank.you.

Apologies for sounding pedantic.
But you're not going to have a 2 and 3 yo watch a pg movie are you?

Studio Ghibli films are good for a wide range of characters. In Totoro the mother is in hospital so the girls are being looked after by their father, and he isn't useless. In Kiki, she makes friends with a pregnant woman who runs her own business (how many pregnant women do you see in kids films?) and also a couple of old ladies.
The girls in both films pull their weight with chores and are helpful and hardworking.

Not bad role-models at all.

I agree that some Ghibli films might be a bit much for a 2-3 yr old. DD is almost 4 and loves Totoro and Kiki. She's watched Howl's Moving Castle, and Spirited Away but they didn't hold her attention, and The Cat Returns frightened her a bit in places.

She's currently really into the CBeebies Peter Rabbit - the character of Lily is bright, brave and easily the equal of Peter - DD thinks she's great. There's a good week's worth on iPlayer at any one time.

Strumpetron, that was how she was portrayed in Peter Pan. Her own films are really quite good.

As an aside - we went to see 'Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 2' yesterday. I didn't think much of it (didn't see 1) but I am going to see FROZEN the day it comes out, the trailer is brilliant and really had me laughing - can't wait!

I meant U, sorry.

We've been watching stuff like Mulan, Epic, Tangled etc etc.

I'm very fond of Lilo and Stitch. Lilo is wonderful!

The Powerpuff Girls - cartoon about 3 little girls who are superheroes and save Townsville from a number of villians (from the 90s but you can still buy DVDs).

Up has a great female main character but she passes away 15 minutes in or so.

What about Flushed Away? Ruby's really quite feisty.

Spirited Away
Brave
Mulan
Lilo and Stitch
Coraline ( not for little'uns )
Flushed Away
Chicken Run
All the Harry Potters
Matilda
Ponyo

The Incredibles. Elastigirl And Violet are forces to be reckoned with, and we get to watch Violet realize her own strength of character.

Are you barmy???

Fire the big guns:

Mary Poppins:
In which a uniquely fabulous and amazing woman teaches everyone around her to behave well, have fun and be excellent.

Wizard of Oz.
Where Dorothy challenges the accepted order, does away with the bad guy and brings the whole crew happily home.

Bedknobs and broomsticks.
Where she's just in charge of more or less everything through the whole looney adventure.

The Railway children.
Where the girls take complete charge of a disaster and do extremely well in the face of adversity (and a slightly useless Mother).

Nanny McFee.
All of the above (stolen) then remade recently and rolled into one.

Plus all the more modern advice from previous posts.

But NEVER disregard a classic.
I challenge anyone not to love Mary Poppins on first viewing.
The kids rule the story and she rules the kids.

PS - lets go fly a kite... (It's October after all).

PPS - the Mother in Mary Poppins is a suffragette.
You want role models ???

Nim's Island is great.

Lovecat

On reflection I am tempted to agree with you. Also I do love Studio Ghibli films and own quite a few of them. I am always pleased when the children choose to watch one because I know I'll have the option of watching it with them and enjoying myself. I also find they aren't as formulaic as other children's films. I doubt there are many Disney films featuring waves made of fish, cat-buses with furry interiors, or river spirits bloated with pollution.

Right now the children are watching Laputa, which features a formidable female pirate with a heart of gold. However, the main character (Sheeta) wins through not so much through her own initiative but by her character - she always does the Right Thing, and for that reason fate works in her favour. I actually think the same of Chihiro in Spirited Away - it is not resourcefulness and forcefulness that enables her to win through, but because (unlike the other characters in the film) she is not greedy.

Perhaps it is just that a lot of Studio Ghibli characters are a bit giggly and I'm overthinking things a bit.

Fantastic discussion, thank you all.

I'm sure you would do this anyway, but be sure to watch any you haven't seen before yourself first. Somebody put the Princess and the Frog on for 2.5yrs DD on while we were away on holiday this summer, and she was terrified of the 'shadow man' for days...

On re-reading my post, I realise I've made no point at all. I should add that Chihiro's character (and that of the Sheeta in Laputa) is that they are submissive and self-effacing. They do not make stuff happen, but by fulfilling the role assigned to them, they allow nature to take its course. This strikes me as very different from the traditional hero role that people perhaps want more female characters to be cast in.

I agree that Kiki's Delivery Service is different though.