Deconstructing Disney

So we all know Disney owns the world. (In case you didn't know Disney owns ABC, ESPN, Buena Vista Records, Miramax Films, Pixar, History Channel, Lifetime, Marvel Comics, just to name a few.) Seeing as Disney is so far-reaching it's a bit alarming to look at how human fear of the un-categorized influences their films.

As TayBay and I were cruisin' down the road on the way to his sacrifice, upon the altar of freedom, (he went to see Lincoln yesterday) he brought up something that I have been aware of but never realized the enormity of: many of Disney's villains do not fit into a stereotypical gender. There is gender-ambiguity among the ranks of the characters that children, and adults for that matter, love to hate. I'm sure that case study after case study has been written on this but I just discovered this conundrum... What are the implications?

Doctor Facilier from The Princess and the Frog. This guy... is wearing a belly shirt. He is thin, curvy, wearing jewelry. Need I say more?

Jafar's affected speech pattern and flamboyant appearance suggests something other than heroic masculinity.

Other than those phallic tentacles... Ursula is rocking a short haircut, raspy voice, and is definitely not anywhere near the shape of the "ideal" woman... as a matter of fact, she's more of a blob with a voice if you compare her to the shape of Ariel.

And it just keeps going.... I don't think the creators of these movies were specifically thinking "We shall make the villains more androgynous than the heroes" but I think this is evidence of a subconscious fear of the unknown. Things that can't fit into categories freak humans out. So villains often cross the borders of gender and don't necessarily fit into "norms." 

So really, I just want someone to write a case study on Deconstructing Disney: The Implications of Gender in Popular Media. GO.

In other news, it's been a crazy weekend in which I met people whose names are all over my house and all over UE Theatre lore. Hoorah alumni coming into town for weddings.

Until later,

SC