I found your comment interesting. I agree Frozen was very well done and IMO on a par with Little Mermaid. It was refreshing that sisterly love was so important and while Hans is the closest thing to a villain there really is no villain here.
In thinking about the Disney movies of the last 25 years I do not see a strong theme of damsel in distress saved by a guy.
So just for grins let's talk about some of them...
Little Mermaid
Was saved by her father - yes a guy, but not a romantic figure. And it was clear that the father contributed to her distressed situation. He was more in a role of redeeming himself than saving a hapless female.
But she also gives up everything - her country, home, her family, her tail - for a guy she doesn't even know. In fact, for a guy she's barely even glimpsed more than twice. She's even willing to die for the dude!
I'm with Ariel's dad... she needs a kick in the rear.
("But daddy! It's trooo wuv!")
Beauty and the Beast
She was saved by a beast who turned out to be a guy at the very end - and the beast/guy was also saved by Belle in a more important way than he saved her. The beast/guy was the one who imprisoned Belle.
Beast repeatedly yells at her and frightens her, but she quickly forgives him every time. And then decides she loves him... because he's willing to let her teach him to read.
She sings about wanting more than this provincial life, and about far off places, but ultimately settles for life in an isolated castle in the middle of the woods.
Aladdin
Villain Jafar has hero Aladdin in a prison, the father under his control and Jasmine in his sights. Yes she was distressed but so was everyone.
Biggest hero to save everyone here was the genie. Jasmine and Aladdin also acted heroically.
I do like Jasmine, but what I *really* liked was how Frozen made fun of the whole "falling in love at first meeting sequence". They were definitely poking fun at Aladdin there!
Lion King
Simba is the one in distress and needs saving. Partly by his father and partly by his friends.
And then Simba grows up to save his mum and all the other lionesses by defeating Scar. The lionesses did nothing to save themselves.
Of course, if you know anything about real lions, the story gets even more disturbing from there...
Pocahontas
LOL, I did not see it. You tell me!
It's honestly not one of my favourites. The natives are noble and live in mystical harmony with the land. The Englishmen are buffoons who live in a industrial nightmare, polluting everything (except for John Smith - he's hot).
And the real 12 year old Pocahontas is transformed into a sexpot of a Disney princess. Catchy music, though!
Hunchback
Saw it once a long time ago. Seem to remember the hero was the hunchback. Yes a guy but more of perpetual juvenile and not a romantic savior.
The lesson: Crippled guys can pine after the hot chick, but they'll never get her. Because they're ugly and crippled and that's just not how Disney rolls.
Mulan
Did not see that one either! What I have heard is that Mulan is the hero who saves others.
Yes! Mulan pretends to be a guy in order to save China and kicks butt while busting gender stereotypes.
She doesn't even fall for the hero at first sight. They both have to earn each other's respect.
I love everything about Mulan!
Although, ultimately she can't stay in the army and her "happy ending" is just getting married and presumably popping out cute babies for the next several years.
Tarzan
Tarzan is saved by his gorilla friends. With their help he does away with the villain and does save Jane. And her father. So here the guy saves the girl and himself from distress. I guess this one fits the model pretty well of damsel being saved.
Pretty much, but I do enjoy the fact that Jane can draw.
Princess and the Frog
Did not see this one!
I did - it's part of the new series of Disney movies, and I think they've been knocking them out of the park lately. Tiana is a very strong role model for girls, and there's a nice lesson in there about not letting your ambitions get in the way of your relationships with the people you care about.
The male lead is as irresponsible as Tiana is overly responsible, and they both have to grow. Plus, great music!
Tangled
This works more of Rapunzel saving Flynn than vice versa.
True! The newest movies have been turning all the old Disney tropes on their heads. This one was almost more about the relationship between Rapunzel and her "mother", than about Rapunzel and Flynn.
Plus, she beans him with a frying pan on first meeting him, which is awesome.
My quick tour through recent history Disney animated heroines does not line up very well with a repeating theme of "damsel in distress being saved by a guy".
Debate, agreements and disagreements are all welcome!
I think the earliest Disney movies - Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella (though she did have some backbone, at least!), set the tone for what a "Disney Movie" is supposed to be. And the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast (can anyone say "Stockholm Syndrome"?) didn't really improve matters.
On the other hand, Tangled, Brave, Princess and the Frog and Frozen, have all taken the "Princess Movie" genre to an entirely new level.
I think Disney has a lot to be proud of!
. The only thing I "learned" from Disney movies was that I loved singing and wanted to sound as beautiful as the characters I loved. I went on to become a voice major in college and got a music education degree. Other than that, the movies were just fun entertainment.
