Case for The Disney Princess (light hearted)

[ImNotAnsweringIt]

4 yr old ds is a big fan.

Me: But they don't do anything

Ds: They can do magic. They can make rainbows appear.

Me: Don't you think they want to run around though? And climb? And jump? And swim and have fun?

Ds: They can fight

Me: oh yes?

Ds: They could throw their dress at someone.

Me: Ah.

Tiana kicks voodoo ass! And starts her own business.

Rapunzel kicks hooligan ass.

The others have some redeeming features but are generally wet IMO.

If you buy the Disney princess castle they're all meant to live in it, so clearly they've left their boring husbands and set up a lesbian separatist commune. (And there won't even be rows about housework because it'll all be done by woodland creatures and animated kitchen implements!)

I actually bought aladin the other day thinking jasmine was a great female role model for my girls (I haven't watched it since I was a child) I. was so shocked i almost started a thread on it. I went and bought princess frog, beauty and the beast (she answers back and says no!) and tangled and was much happier!

Mulan is good; a princess who kicks ass.

Tiana is strong too and independent.

Ah, we've not seen any of the films, just trailers, adverts, children at pre-school dressing up, and the hideous Barbie animation (which he classes as Princess. Yes, I know not Disney).

I love the commune idea. They'll be in practical jeans and jumpers before we know it.

Mulan is the best.

This one could be a contender for a decent 'princess' role model.

Mind you, I strongly doubt the influence of Disney on a little girl whose parents encourage her to think about and question the world.

The new Pixar film Brave sounds like it will be good on this score. Female protagonist.

I like the fact that it's your DS who is into them, OP. Encouraging him to see women as good and interesting (rather than 'Yuk, gurls!!') is positive, surely.

Agree Mulan is good. Not seen Tiana as kids a bit past that stage now. I quite like Belle actually, reads books & isn't brow-beaten by Gaston.

But... Tiana could only start her own business after getting her Prince, so was still financially dependent on a man.

And Belle ended up with an abusive type (full marks on "Would Pat Craven call him a Dominator" test...)

And as great as Rapunzel is, she still relied on Flynn to give her the push from the tower. And her weapon was a frying pan ffs...

Do I get my medal for overthinking this, now?

I thought Tiana's prince was broke? She worked 2 jobs to save the money to buy the restaurant?

Rapunzel did bloody well considering the toxic (fake) mother whose chief weapons were emotional blackmail and manipulation. She also found non-violent solutions to volatile situations (as well as kicking ass with the frying pan).

I know he was broke at the time, but reconciled with his parents after marrying Tiana. But either way, Tiana was unable to get the business as a single woman. Once married, with a man by her side (and crocodile behind the estate agents...) the business became achievable.

Rapunzel is great. Love that film. Much more than DD (4.5) does.

As for what they do:

Snow White - housework.
Cinderella - housework.
Aurora - unsure. Bit of housework and prancing about in forest with a basket?
Jasmine - tends to a tiger?
Pocahontas - bends history to the point it screams in pain.
Mulan - kicks arse.
Ariel - my least favourite because I loathe the original story. She sings.
Belle - bit selfless for my liking but hey...
Tiana - works her backside off to achieve her goal with/without Prince. I think she'd have got it without him.
Rapunzel - brave and resourceful.

Is that all of them? My mother calls them "those silly women" and I vowed they would have no place in DD's life. We have all the videos and more merchandise than you would think possible.

Re tiana... She would have, but not the restaurant she wanted... The estate agents had already signed up the deeds to someone else, because they believed a "young lady" wasn't financially viable to run a business...

LOVE your description of Pocahontas, btw...

Megara (Hercules)... My favourite female from Disney... Walks around, acting as a femme fatale, in search of her midriff which she lost when she sold her soul to Hades... Oh, nd gets herself into trouble, and needs saving by a big, strong man... I still love that film, though...

Although, I loved Giselle from Enchanted

Megara - how could I have forgotten her? My best friend's DD says that she reminds her of me. I wish.

I quite like Giselle too... The shame.

Has anyone seen Portrait of a Princess? It is so funny (but not in a Disney way!)

Hint - don't let the kids watch

www.portraitofaprincess.com/

TBF, Enchanted is such a self parody, that it's a forgivable favourite in my books...

Oh my god... Portrait of a Princess is brilliant...

I've just come back from Orlando where we queued for over an hour to see Rapunzel. She does stuff, not just looks pretty like paint, sing, hit people with frying pans ie not total wimp who brushes up after dwarves. Yay! And Tiana - girl with A Plan who saved pocket money to buy a business -fantastic!

Re princess and the frog... You're remembering it wrong, the crocodile intimidated the land agents (?) into selling the lease to tiana

Matilda. All those hours spent in the library. And the Musical is fab. Those girls deserved every accolade accorded to them.

Loved Mulan, though prince involved.

That's the thing with Disney. Always with the Prince, who rescues.

I love Enchanted. The bit about the animals cleaning up the place was priceless.

And if you think about it, rapunzel repeatedly saves flynn... In the flooded cave. Then healing his hand, then again when he is dying, and generally speaking saves him from a life of crime!

Japanese kids films such as those by studio ghibli are heaving with strong interesting female lead characters, cf spirited away, my neighbour totoro etc etc

Well, Studio Ghibli, derail much, but now we're talking! My Neighbour Tutoro is is very best, and Spirited Away was so good too. Ach, they are all good and some are very sad and poignant but I wouldn't stop my children from watching them (though the youngest is 10).

But but but... It's still played as Tiana needs Naveen to actually stand a chance of getting that place... And a male crocodile makes it possible...

As for Rapunzel... If it hadn't been for Flynn, she'd never have left the tower. Ever...

This is our favourite version of Rapunzel.