Race and Gender in 90’s Disney Animated Films

This BA Thesis discusses how the Disney Corporation changed the way of representing the characters in their animated movies from the 1990s on, in the case of race and gender, especially focusing on the woman heroines, through the analysis of movies like Aladdin (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Hunchback of the Notre Dame (1996) and Mulan (1998). I considered these four films important for my BA Thesis because I would like to give a wider picture about how Disney Corporation changed the concept of how they depict their heroines. In the above-mentioned films, Disney focused on creating more independent and stronger women, like Mulan from Mulan or Esmeralda from The Hunchback of the Notre Dame. By introducing Belle from the Beauty and the Beast, I will show the Disney Corporation’s first truly feminist character. The last character I will highlight is Jasmine from Aladdin, a princess who finds it important to be true to herself and she does not let others control her life. Among the many Disney heroines, I considered these four protagonists the best examples for my BA Thesis. The creation of these characters were influenced by the American women themselves, since from the 1990s on, they got higher positions in the media and had the opportunity to shape the way women were represented in movies and tv shows.