Please, Pixar, No Princesses

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Cindy — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 11:28:30 GMT

I'm going to second the recommendation of a previous poster for the Miyazaki movies:

My Neighbor Totoro

Spirited Away

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Princess Mononoke

Kiki's Delivery Service

All of these feature strong, beautiful, female protagonists, and the stories are fanciful but also moral about being loyal to friends, protecting the environment, loving family, etc. The animation is lovely, and the movies do not come across (like Disney's often do) as long commercials for toys and lunchboxes and stuff.

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Dad — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:03:28 GMT

Keep in mind, Pixar movies are in the pipeline for 4 years, so if there isn't already a movie like this in progress, you'll be waiting...

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Mary — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:35:37 GMT

I actually wrote a letter to Pete Docter about this very topic after Wall-E. He responded personally (!) and told me that they're working on a film called "The Bear and the Bow," directed by Brenda Chapman. This is their first female protagonist and their first female director. I'm looking forward to it.

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Em — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:58:37 GMT

I've heard rumors that Pixar is making a movie called "The Bear and the Bow" features a female main character. I think she might be a princess, but she also looks like she gets to kick her fair share of butt in the movie.

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Twintown — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:01:09 GMT

@MomofBeans, I'm right there with you! I actually cried at Neel's post. What a tribute:)

And I love "dirt in their skirts". That's my new way to describe my dd who is six, fearless, funny and fabulous. She's at an age now where girls really start to break off into their groups and I see her vacillate between sparkly stuff and mud on a daily basis. We need to do everything we can to make that not such a hard, cut-and-dried decision for them. Sniffle, sniffle...oh crap, am I pregnant???

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

MomofBeans — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:28:56 GMT

This post and Neel's comment brought tears to my eyes. My daughter is only (almost) two, but she is fearless, funny, and fabulous. I would love to see a movie about those little girls who get "dirt in their skirts," as my grandpa used to put it. Now that I think about it, I'm usually not this weepy...oh crap, am I pregnant?? LOL!

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Amy Kuras — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:12:02 GMT

Hee hee, ashersmom, done! I have to say I did a double take when I saw your comment, since it's about 100 times creepier than we'd expect from you! Glad to know it's just a typo.

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Dana — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:46:50 GMT

I agree about the need for a greater range of female role models. A small step in the right direction is Darby of the Disney Channel's My Friends Tigger and Pooh, about which more here:

www.mombian.com/.../the-tomboyest-character-on-childrens-television

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

ashersmom — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:17:31 GMT

Wow! I'm away all day and came back to see what had been written. Dirty, dirty me!

What I meant to write was I want my son to watch movies with girls with bandaids on their knees...could the moderator please remove my typo?

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

YES — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:00:50 GMT

Yes, please!!! GREAT point! It'd be cool to see little boys become fans of such a heroine like my daughter idolizes Lightning McQueen, too!

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Treespeed — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:46:21 GMT

Also, was Eve not kick butt enough for everyone in Wall E?

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Treespeed — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:45:38 GMT

What about Boo from Monsters Inc?

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Amy PT — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:07:58 GMT

Yes, please.

For my three year old daughter and 7 month old son. But also for me: the 8 year old Amy who is still catching grasshoppers, the 14 year old who is just discovering "girl power", the 21 year old doing academic study of gender representation inequality, and the 34 year old mom who watches these movies with her darlin's.

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

BlackOrchid — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:59:32 GMT

Coraline was pretty spunky! A little dark but my 5 year old loved it.

She also LOVES Jessie from Toy Story 2 - hope she gets a nice big role in TS3!

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Alice — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:45:17 GMT

That is why we love the Miyazaki movies. Everyone has a girl as the hero. A tough girl who is resrouceful. "Spritited Away", "My Neighborn Totoro" and "KiKi's Delivery Service" are three of my daughters' favorites.

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

elohveeee12 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:08:48 GMT

that would be great. My daughter is not yet two, but she is also not very girly, she can be into princess things at times, and she doesnt mind dressing up (i dont think she knows the difference though). But her absolute favorite show is Handy Manny. Which I also happen to love (at least more than most little kid shows), so its a win win. but at the same time Handy Manny is very boy oriented. the show is great, they dont imply that only boys can use tools. but the merchandise is all boy. And that upsets me. what is wrong with a girl wanting to use tools? she has quite a few of the toys, because at this point she can play with those and its ok. I just worry about when she gets older and all the other girls are playing with fairy princess things, and she is wearing Manny's tool belt (which she has).

I also hope they take her letter to heart and make a movie that my daughter will be able to love... otherwise she we will have alot of correcting to do when she dresses up as Manny for halloween.

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Manjari — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:56:17 GMT

Neel, that's such a nice way to remember and describe your sister!

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Shelley — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:44:06 GMT

Hee hee, ashersmom. Maybe you wanna try that one again?

re: Please, Pixar, No Princesses

Neel — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:43:42 GMT

I had a sister who died half a decade ago. She raised three sons who seemed to think she was a princess. But I remember her as a fearless young girl who could whip the town bully, or me if she felt inclined, or she might have saved the world if the world had asked for her help.

In those days such girls were known as Tomboys, but I only think of her as someone who should have raised a daughter. She would have been a true protaganist in your writer's real world.