Once Upon a Dream.

My favorite Disney Princess movie has been Sleeping Beauty for the past twelve years. However, that does not mean I believe it is the best movie or necessarily a good movie for children. I agree with Giroux that Disney movies are not actually teaching good cultural values and roles for the youth. As a young girl watching them, I thought that if I had a beautiful voice, or a beautiful dress, or a beautiful face, a perfect prince and I will fall in love, and live a magical life. Specifically with Sleeping Beauty, I would argue that Princess Aurora embodies the stereotypical maiden in distress, and just a pretty face. There are no changes, growth, or development in her character, and she is constantly under someone’s control and will.

When she is out berry-picking in the woods, she talks to her animals about a “stranger” she meets and how they walked, and talked and were about to kiss, and this happens in real life as well when Prince Philip comes and dances with her, so reality is also presented in a warped manner. People do not just dream about meeting someone and then actually meet them the same day. But from that small encounter, they are in love, and after she is lifted from the curse of the evil witch, they marry and live happily ever after. Princess Aurora does not actually have much of a roll since she is sleeping for half of the movie, and she is presented as a mindless fool, since she follows the green light all the way up the tower and the spindle to her “death.” So the Prince must fight to his death to save her, since she cannot do it herself.

Other patterns I have noticed in Disney films are that there are many evil witches or queens as the enemy. How interesting that the villain is a queen or witch of some sort, and the man or prince is always the hero. Cinderella has the evil step mother and step sisters, Snow White has the evil Queen, Little Mermaid has Ursula the witch, and Sleeping Beauty has Maleficent, the another wicked witch. This pattern presents to little girls and boys that there are only two options for women. Either you are the evil tyrant and witch, or you are the beautiful princess, dainty and fragile. All girls are supposed to be feminine and pretty right? So in actuality, there is only one option: the princess. Which is worst- being the evil witch, or the mindless Princess?



P.S. the reason why Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney princess movie is because when I was living in Egypt during 2nd grade, I wanted my mom to get the VCR, but when she didn't the stand owner just put it in a brown paper bag and gave it to me anyway. Ever since, I watched it countless times and attached my childhood to it.