Disney's 'Moana' wins at box office with feminist narrative
Disney鈥檚 latest princess is on a mission 鈥� but that doesn鈥檛 mean she鈥檚 looking for a man.
Hitting theaters on Nov. 23, 鈥淢oana鈥� raked in $81.1 million at theaters over the holiday weekend, making it the second highest grossing Thanksgiving release to date after 鈥淔rozen.鈥� While notable for its initial financial success and stunning animation, critics have hailed the film as a positive departure from the classic damsel in distress narrative that has guided much of Disney鈥檚 storytelling over the past century. The company made smaller strides in films such as 鈥淢ulan鈥� or 鈥淧ocahontas鈥� and larger leaps in the more recent 鈥淏rave鈥� from Disney-owned Pixar or 鈥淔rozen鈥� to embrace more empowering female personalities. But many observers say 鈥淢oana鈥� has traversed into new territory by ridding its main female character's story of any love interest.
By adopting that change after decades of pushing glittery gowns, towers, and handsome princes, Disney might be closer to playing catch-up with society than paving the way, some experts say.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 put a lot of radical ideas and images in films that are going to have a large child audience,鈥� Amy Davis, who teaches film and television studies courses at Britain's聽University of Hull, tells 海角大神. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 do that because when you do try to push the barrier too much, you offend part of that audience. You push away part of your audience who are used to seeing safe, family-friendly entertainment.鈥�
In that regard, Disney鈥檚 newer characters aren鈥檛 necessarily radical feminist projects, but reflections of what consumers have pushed them to include.
鈥淭hat is because society has already led in that respect,鈥� she adds. 鈥淲e want female characters to have a goal.鈥�
The story of 鈥淢oana鈥� certainly adheres to that ideal. The plot follows a 16-year-old girl from a Polynesian island who seeks to become a master way-finder and save her people. Along with Maui, a once-mighty demigod 鈥� voiced by Dwayne Johnson 鈥� whom she meets along the way, Moana sails across the open ocean, taking on monsters and finding her own identity as she seeks to save the declining island where her people live.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a doing amazing things,鈥� Dave Hollis, Disney鈥檚 distribution chief, told Variety. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something in that that鈥檚 sticky and resonates with a broader audience. It鈥檚 fresh and different, but there鈥檚 still something familiar and relatable to the movies we鈥檙e making.鈥�
While the absence of any love interest may be the most striking piece of the narrative, other, more nuanced aspects of the film also spoke to its feminist merit and message. Toward the end of the film, Moana nearly rejects her mission by tossing a stone 鈥� the heart of an island goddess 鈥� into the sea. But she then makes the active choice dive into the ocean to retrieve it, choosing her own fate.
Some female-centric narratives have thrust the characters on a mission, but the creators of Moana crafted the narrative to allow her to make her own choice 鈥� something that could show young girls that they don鈥檛 have to wait for a calling or permission to take on an adventure, Rebecca Hains, a professor at Salem State University in Massachusetts, tells the Monitor.
鈥淭o me, this was a really nice return to those stories that were meant to be more empowering by showing girls that they can choose their destiny,鈥� she says.
That change is one that many will likely welcome.
Princess culture has become a growing concern for some parents, who worry that traditional narratives with limited scope could curtail girls鈥� imaginations and ambitions and may later lead them to become obsessed with weight and looks in a way that threatens their health and self-esteem. Some wonder how to fight the obsession with crowns and pink tutus, and others have criticized Disney for crafting the stereotypes into palatable films and marketing desirable merchandise that fits that narrative to girls.
That effort took off during the past two decades after Disney sought for a new way to market its various princess characters, Dr. Hains, who wrote the 2014 book, 鈥淭he Princess Problem,鈥� says.
鈥淲hen you think about princesses from a branding perspective鈥� the princesses all had to have a sort of cohesive feel,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey sort of regressed to the mean.鈥�
That meant outfitting even some of the less traditionally feminine princesses, such as Mulan, in fancy dresses seen once or twice in the film rather than the outfits they donned for the majority of their storyline. For Moana, there is no frilly garb to choose from, and if Disney wants to incorporate her into their line of princess merchandise 鈥� a process that usually occurs about a year after the film鈥檚 release 鈥� they鈥檒l have to stray from the norm.
Many have applauded Disney鈥檚 recent efforts to create more inclusive female characters, but it might be parents and children who are leading the bulk of the movement away from traditional characters, rather than Disney blazing a trail. After spending 11 years as the best-selling costume for girls, in Halloween sales, another indication that young girls have become taken with the idea of empowered women on a mission.
But expanding the depictions of female characters isn鈥檛 just important for young girls; it can also provide diverse views of gender roles for boys, says Kara Hyvarinen, a mother of two boys who runs a site called in Arizona. Ms. Hyvarinen says she tries to act as a positive female role model for her sons, showing them that women are just as capable as men. 鈥淢oana,鈥� she says, reasserted that message in a new light.
鈥淔or some reason, Moana really stood out,鈥� even when compared with films like 鈥淏rave,鈥� she tells the Monitor. 鈥淚 think because there was a male demigod who was along with her, and he kind of gave up and she had to step in and be a hero. The guy couldn鈥檛 handle it, but the girl could.鈥�
Her sons, who are 9 and 12, typically prefer superhero movies to princess narratives. But with a less feminine and romantic plot, they found a way to identify with the film鈥檚 message.
鈥淭hey were excited because they wanted to see [Mr. Johnson鈥檚] character, but when we left, they kept talking about Moana,鈥� Hyvarinen says. 聽聽
The skyrocketing success of the film likely means Disney is onto something with its new mission, and there鈥檚 potential for similar films to follow 鈥淢oana鈥檚鈥� path in the future in order to succeed among a younger, more progressive group of parents and their children.
鈥淚 hope that they continue telling diverse, interesting stories about girls,鈥� Hains says. 鈥淭here are so many stories that we鈥檝e yet to see about different types of girls, about different walks of life.鈥�
