From damsel to warrior: Disney’s quest for diversity

From Aladdin to Pocahontas and Raya and the Last Dragon, Mikala Rickers traces Disney’s relationship with diversity

Everyone loves Disney. You’re probably recollecting your favourite Disney film as you read this, wistfully thinking back to a time of unabashed youthfulness. Yet Disney has a deep history rooted in racial inequality. You only have to look at the Disney Princess line up to see the lack of diversity which imbued the studio for the first 50 years of its establishment. So is the studio truly changing? Are its works of representation genuinely diverse, or are they more harmful than good?

The recent release of Raya and the Last Dragon suggests that Disney’s values and attitudes towards equality are shifting. Raya is special because she is the first Southeast Asian princess, her movie is devoid of any potential love interest, and her actions throughout the movie are not necessarily governed by ‘the greater good’ or a sense of duty to her people. This creates an interesting debate about the nature of Disney princesses; their almost reliable optimism and sense of duty which exists at the heart of Disney is now being challenged. 

The Disney Company’s progress on the road to inclusivity and diversity within its Princess line-up began in 1992, with the release of Aladdin. Though this was the first movie featuring non-white protagonists, it was also the first Disney animated princess film in which the princess was not the titular character. I have doubts about the malice of Disney with such a coincidence, however, it is hard to ignore that the first Disney princess of colour is not made the protagonist of her film, and is instead relegated to second place. This lack of progress is also furthered by the central plot in which Jasmine is essentially on a quest to find a suitable husband; a plot device which has been abandoned in many recent Disney princess films - I believe for the greater good.

Pocahontas is probably the most controversial of Disney’s princess movies, as even though she represents Native American culture, she takes the name of a real-life person, whose story is wildly different from that which is presented in the film. The Disney version of her story creates the image of an independent young girl who has the opportunity to follow her own heart and mind. As stated by Aidman in a 1999 study though, whilst this might be appealing, such a representation is  seen by many Native American people as damaging - it narrows the true story of Pocahontas and misrepresents history. Disney also romanticises the colonisation and displacement of Native American communities through the intimate fabrication of Pocahontas’ relationship with John Smith, as well as diminishing her own independence. No brownie points for you, Disney.

The release of Mulan in 1998 and Princess and the Frog in 2010, however, demonstrated Disney’s decision to continue portraying women of colour. Whilst, like with Pocahontas, there are some problematic elements to their portrayal, unlike the original Golden and Silver Age princesses, these women of colour are the heroines of their own story, saving themselves, and even their country from peril. 

Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon also demonstrate the important inclusion of civilisations which are not commonly explored within mainstream Western media, such as Polynesia and East and Southeast Asia. These intellectually and even physically strong women are demonstrated with less delicate and soft qualities, such as those valued in Snow White or Cinderella. Whilst this acts to challenge the notion that women are feeble and weak it also means that women of colour have arguably not yet been portrayed with the nuance of simultaneous strength and femininity. 

Disney’s heroines of colour are intelligent, brave, hopeful, strong-willed and courageous in following their dreams and aspirations. They each represent important cultures and people, and they have inspired children across generations. However, there are many underlying issues in their movies which will always cause disappointment, whether it’s the alteration of the true history of Pocahontas, the fact that Tiana spends most of her movie as a frog rather than a human, or the enormity of responsibility placed upon the shoulders of Moana and Raya to save their worlds. 

Disney’s continuation of diversity and inclusivity in their stories is absolutely a step in the right direction for the company. I just hope that Disney embraces the complexity of lived experience for women of colour and that they don’t fall back onto narrow or limiting stereotypes.