Becoming a face character

With the Disney theme parks being a major part of their income, Disney need to keep the magic up through use of the characters from their films. They have many different types of characters - fur characters or 'fuzzies' (masked characters such as Minnie Mouse and Chip & Dale), dancers and face character (who play people such as Cinderella or Peter Pan).

Auditions include (from my research) the auditionees being assessed on their looks and figures. To be a Disney princess you have to be a certain height (5'5") otherwise you are not considered. I read somewhere that fairies such as Tinkerbell could be 5'1" but then when I looked into this further and read peoples own accounts, most people seemed to be rejected unless they were 5'5" and above. I've seen that most girls who are chosen as princesses have to have an 'average' face due to the fact that lots of girls will play this role over the years, however beauty is still needed. 

"So how do you become a face character? Well, let’s start with the audition. Hundreds of girls, hoping to move out of fur character “hell” or just hoping to play more face characters, show up. This audition is based purely on looks. The judges/managers look at your height (villains are 5’7’’ to 5’10’’, princesses are 5’5’’ to 5’7’’, and little girls are 5’0’’ to 5’4’’), your body type (no heavy girls), ethnicity, face structure (a good shape with no acne), and how much you look like one of the animated characters. You’re pulled into a room and have to stand in a straight line with about ten other girls. The judges look at you one by one and ask you to show your left and right profiles followed by a head-on smile. They point and talk about you, trying to compare you to pictures of animated characters that they have on a desk in front of them. Finally they tell you which characters, if any, they want you to come back and audition for." Andrea Schwartz (source)

This shows how not only do Disney present a certain message to girls through films, but also through visits to the park. A young girl who meets Cinderell - a beautiful, slim blonde haired princess - is naturally going to aspire to be her even more as seems real and possible. 

Products for a little princess

Cast:
Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Tiana, Rapunzel. (For some reason, however, I hardly ever see Mulan and Pocahontas on the cover of products).

Reach:

• Among the fastest growing brands with more than $4 billion in worldwide retail sales
• $2.6 billion in box office revenue worldwide for Disney Princess animated films
• The No. 1 girls license toy brand in the United States among all girls and the No. 1 toy brand for dolls and role play among girls ages 2-5
• The National Retail Federation ranks Disney Princess among the Top 10 most popular holiday gifts for five years running
• More than 142 million books, 81 million sticker packs and 16 million Disney Princess magazines sold
• Top-ten in books category for The Princess and the Frog Read-Along app and top-five paid book app for Princess Dress-Up: My Sticker Book app

Strategy:
The Walt Disney Company supports the Disney Princess brand year-round through consumer products, merchandise, theatrical releases, home videos, television, theme parks, a website, radio air play and live entertainment.

Merchandise:
The Disney Princess product offering extends across all lines of business in multiple categories.

• Home — Bedding, room décor, furniture, fine art, collectibles
• Stationery — Back-to-school supplies, party goods, seasonal
• Food, Health & Beauty — personal care, vitamins, beauty, meals and snacks
• Publishing — Activity, coloring, craft and novelty books, storybooks, magazines
• Softlines — Apparel, footwear, sleepwear and accessories
• Toys — Arts and crafts, dolls and doll accessories, dress-up and role-play, games and puzzles, novelty, playsets, ride-ons and sporting goods
• Consumer Electronics — MP3 players, digital cameras and personal DVD players

Even the products themselves condition girls on how to behave when they grow up. The focus on perfumes, hair care and body lotion encourages the idea of looking after yourself to make yourself attractive to boys. There's a lot of dolls and clothing in this line and, if a young girl wanted it, a product for everything in your room so that it would be entirely Disney Princess. 

After marriage

(source)

Are disney princesses as simple as they seem?

While some Disney princesses are portrayed in what would seem a completely sexist way, others do have glimmers of independence. Belle, despite her beauty being the reason The Beast does not kill her, is an avid reader and is quite intelligent. In her first meeting with the beast in which he invites her for dinner she stands her ground and refuses to go (though some people may say this is typical of a woman to sulk when she doesn't get her way, however she could be standing her ground.) Jasmine also fights back against her fathers wishes for her to have an arranged marriage. 

Aside from these two, the other Princesses are still very trivial and one dimensional, relying on their beauty and maternal instincts in order to save themselves and their lovers. 

An interesting point is always raised about the whereabouts of each of the princesses mothers. Why do they all come from broken families? Is the mother always vacant to highlight how a loss of motherly love affects the family? Or is it that mothers do not play an important role in a girls life and that daughters are more likely to rebel against fathers? 

Disney Princess magazine

Most of this issue contains a comic featuring Belle, some quizzes, games and pictures/posters of one of the Disney princesses. However a section that stands out to me is a diary section in which each princess talks about their day:

• Cinderella is only concerned about shoe shopping
• Aurora goes to a magic well and makes a wish
• Ariel loses her favourite comb but then finds it resulting in her spending the rest of the day brushing her hair
• Snow White feeds some animals out in the cold
• Belle reads all day
• Jasmine throws a party for Aladdin 
• Tiana bakes pancakes with her friend

All these things are either materialistic or maternal. From a young age the girls who read this magazine are being conditioned to believe that all that matters in life is buying nice clothes, brushing your hair (looking after your appearance), partying and cooking for others.

In the story about Belle featuring from page two to page five she sits in her library with her feet propped up on a cushion and reads - imaging going to all these wonderful places despite never leaving the castle. This idea could highlight how girls don't need to go out, they can just read and imagine themselves there. Even though this could possibly be a positive thing (encouraging young girls to read) it still shows Belle never having to leave the comfort of the castle. In the page after the comic it shows Belle reading to the Beast. In a circle on the page it says 'Yum! Belle made cookies for the beast.' again highlighting the maternal instinct all girls should have. 

In Aurora's story later on in the magazine she is throwing a party for her husband's father. The fairies argue and almost ruin it, but Aurora saves the day by saying 'We don't need magic to get our party ready on time. Just the magic of teamwork!' Organising a party is then describe as 'lots of fun!' This only reinforces the idea that girls should organise, clean and find doing it fun too. 

For whatever reason new Disney Princess Merida from Brave is not in the Disney Princess Magazine. This may be because her story is not the same as the other princesses and therefore she is not considered as highly of a princess than the others (despite her story being about her development and independence - not waiting for a prince to come marry her).

The magazine also comes with a 'Going Out Set':

I'm not sure how many girls take a note pad and pen out with them but obviously this must be to make lists or write down what groceries one may need. Mobile phones are needed obviously to talk to friends and what is more vital than a bag to put it all in? 

New Disney Characters

Disney have recently released new designs of what classic Disney characters would look like to appeal to a younger audience. Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck have been slimmed down dramatically and are no longer dressed in their signature clothing but something much more fitted and fashionable. They are actually wearing designer labels such as Lanvin, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga and Rik Owens. (Source)

You can find an article online looking at both sides of the arguments HERE.

Barney's creative director said, “When we got to the moment when all Disney characters walk on the runway, there was a discussion. The standard Minnie Mouse will not look so good in a Lanvin dress. There was a real moment of silence, because these characters don’t change. I said, ‘If we’re going to make this work, we have to have a 5-foot-11 Minnie,’ and they agreed. When you see Goofy, Minnie and Mickey, they are runway models.” (Source)

A campaign against this change can be seen HERE. It lists the issues that many young girls are dealing with due to the pressures of being surrounded by slim role models. Many plus size models and more have signed up to this campaign in order to stop the altering of these iconic characters. 

However, Harrod's also redesigned the Disney Princesses, much like Barney's redesigned Minnie, Goofy and Daisy. This hasn't received as much attention as the Barney campaign maybe because the Disney princesses are already slim, so making them even slimmer and taller isn't as noticeable. (Source)

Theories to use

Todorov's Narrative Stages:
Equilibrium - the setting is established, key character(s) are introduced and the story line is set up
Disruption - opposition character(s) appear and the story takes a particular direction
Recognition of disruption - the lives of characters and events are interwoven. Tension builds throughout this section, which is often the longest
Attempt to repair disruption - the highest point of tension after which there is a change in dynamic
Reinstatement of equilibrium - matters are sorted out, problems are solved and questions answered

Propp's Narrative Stages:
Preparation - a community or family is in an ordered state of living
Complication - the villain harms a member of the hero's family. The hero plans action against the villain
Transference - the hero is given a magical gift. The hero arrives at the place he can fulfil his quest
Struggle - there is a struggle between the hero and villain
Return - the hero escapes, the hero is given a task, the hero completes the task
Recognition - the hero is rewarded

(Propp’s theory of narrative seems to be based in a male orientated environment critics often dismiss the theory with regard to film. However, it may still be applied because the function (rather than the gender) of characters is the basis of the theory. E.g. the hero could be a woman; the reward could be a man.

Critics argue that Propp’s strict order of characters and events is restrictive. We should rather apply the functions and events randomly as we meet new narratives. E.g. the hero may kill the villain earlier than Propp expects. Changing the traditional format will change the whole way the text is received.

Some critics claim there are many more character types than Propp suggests and we should feel free to identify them.)

Propp's Character Types:

The villain - struggles against the hero

The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object

The (magical) helper - helps the hero in the quest

The princess and her father - gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. (Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.)

The dispatcher - character who sends the hero on their quest via message

The hero - reacts to the donor, weds the princess

False hero - takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess

Cultivation theory:
Suggests that television is responsible for shaping, or ‘cultivating’ viewers’ conceptions of social reality. 
The combined effect of massive television exposure by viewers over time subtly shapes the perception of social reality for individuals and, ultimately, for our culture as a whole 
Cultivation theorists argue that television has long-term effects which are small, gradual, indirect but cumulative and significant.

Hypodermic Needle Theory:

This theory suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by ‘shooting’ or ‘injecting’ them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response.

Both images used to express this theory (a bullet and a needle) suggest a powerful and direct flow of information from the sender to the receiver. The bullet theory graphically suggests that the message is a bullet, fired from the "media gun" into the viewer's "head".

Uses and Gratifications Model:

1. Information -

finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world

seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices

satisfying curiosity and general interest

learning; self-education

2. Personal Identity -

gaining a sense of security through knowledge

finding reinforcement for personal values

finding models of behaviour

identifying with valued other (in the media) 

3. Integration and Social Interaction -

gaining insight into one's self

gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy

identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging

finding a basis for conversation and social interaction

having a substitute for real-life companionship

helping to carry out social roles

enabling one to connect with family, friends and society

4. Entertainment -

escaping, or being diverted, from problems

relaxing

getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment

filling time

emotional release

sexual arousal

Halls Theory:
Dominant - see's the texts preferred reading and agrees with it
Oppositional - the dominant idea is seen but rejected
Negotiated - the dominant idea is seen and the viewer agrees with both the opposition and dominant ideas

Plan to use when assessing each character

"The Disney ideal is a childish fairytale and has no relevance to the real world."

Things to think of when analysing characters in Disney films:

• Name of character (e.g Prince Charming)
• Voice/music (tone, volume, and emphasis within key speeches)
• Movement and gesture (how the character looks around and what gestures he makes. How does the way they move show their status?)
• Dress/costume (what does the colour and style suggest)
• Relationship to other characters (how does the character fit the narrative? Does he/she have relatives? Is he\she a stranger at first? Does he\she have a powerful position/is promoted to one? What do the other characters feel for him\her?)
• Actions at key moments in the narrative (do they react positively or negatively)
• Facial/body characteristics

Documents on sexism in Disney films

Becoming a Princess: The Transition From Individual to Sex Object

Feminist Outlook at Disney's Princesses

Real Housewives of Disney

I like this idea of taking the way the princesses are seen in Disney films and exaggerating them in a similar style to what we would see on programmes such as TOWIE or Made In Chelsea. However, the Disney princesses in these are portrayed as unhappy with the suitors they have married, possibly highlighting a streak of independence not seen in Disney films (in which a princesses life goal is to fall in love with and marry a prince). 

Another version of this was seen on SNL hosted by Lindsey Lohan in which the princesses are seen as materialistic, one dimensional characters. This supports the ideas that if the Disney princesses were real people they would be very one dimensional and interested in meaningless things, instead of being strong characters like Merida from Brave. (source containing video)

Brave

Despite the film conveying a strong message of empowered females director Brenda Chapman was not invited to attend the Golden Globes in which Brave won an award. “I would have loved to have been allowed to attend,” Chapman Tweeted, “But the Golden Globe win was lovely in spite of that.” The filmmaker later clarified that she "was invited to attend" by Disney, but was "not invited to the stage in the event of a win." Therefor, she must have decided not to go. (Source)