Kidsmovies.com posted a link to ReelGirl's gallery of girls gone missing pics of 2011 movie posters. ... Curious George, Nemo, Toy Story 3, Tangled, Gnomeo and Juliet, Up, Kung Fu Panda and Horton. The only girl front and center, out of 9 movie posters is Rapunzel (typical rescue story- can you see why girls are obsessed with princesses? ...)
There's not a single poster that features multiple girls and no boys in this particular montage.
... If women were running these animation studios, you'd never hear a quote like "unpredictable" to describe the slew of Pixar/ Disney movies where girls are continually relegated to the role of sidekick or princess. Instead of a G Rating, too many Pixar/ Disney movies should get a Triple S for major stereotyping ...
Blogger/columnist Margot MaGowan goes on to belittle the top kicks at Pixar/Disney for their reactionary policies regarding women in animated features.
Frankly, this is unfair. Pixar (and/or Walt Disney Animation Studios) only seem like boys' clubs. The fact that no women have ever headed up a feature from start to finish in Burbank or Emeryville is because everyone knows that women have minimal interest in animation, are mainly interested in cooking and child-rearing, and clearly don't have the imagination or pizazz to towel-snap with the story crews of a major, Class-A animation facility.
We ask you: What is Ms. MaGowan thinking? (And if somebody brings up the name "Katzenberg," they will be immediately beaten about the shoulders and head with words like "fart jokes," "low brow humor" and "lousy sequels." Pixar never stoops to the lame sequelitis thing.
Oh wait! ...)
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44 comments:
If only there was and upcoming pixar film with a female character all by herself front and center in the poster and in the trailer, perhaps even a complete lack of men. That would awfully ironic...
Uh hello monsters vs aliens?
Every now and then we get articles trying to re-fan the flames of the 60s feminist movement.
"If only there was and upcoming pixar film with a female character all by herself front and center in the poster and in the trailer, perhaps even a complete lack of men. That would awfully ironic..."
And if only it were directed by a woman...
One whole film that's directed by a woman that features a female character out of HOW many animated films out there? WHEW! That oughta shut the laydeez up before they're told to get back into the kitchen, amirite?!
Uh hello monsters vs aliens?
Exactly! Why didn't this disgruntled woman name that Pixar film?!
Prep and Landing 1 & 2 was co-directed by a woman (and also "The Ballad of Nessie")
The upcoming Sony film "Arthur's Christmas" is directed by a woman.
While the industry is predominately men, there are a ton of women in major roles at the studios. Also, for those who pay attention to the talent coming out of schools (Ringling, SCAD, CalArts, Animation Mentor) the split is now almost 50/50
Complaining about studios being a boys club is looking to the past and not paying attention to the signs of the future. And it also smacks of negative press because negative press is more fun.
As I've mentioned before, DreamWorks Animation has had women directors going back to "Prince of Egypt."
And I think it's true that the tide is indeed turning.
Oh great another let's bash on men column. Ladies you think it is a boys club (it is not) then change it instead of bitching about it, plain and simple (it is called hard work and talent). Animation till the present has mostly been men so it was ran by men that is how most things work. As more women enter the field then more women will take on these roles. There are many competent women who can animate and direct and fill any position in our field. If I was a woman I would want to reach those plateaus without bitching about it being an all boys club, in doing so others will may think you got a position due to bitching and political correctness and not talent. Can the Tag blog please stop being so politically correct and running these little worthless snippets that are aimed at bashing the male gender.
Tell whoever directed nesiie...to stop.
As more women enter the field then more women will take on these roles. There are many competent women who can animate and direct and fill any position in our field.
This may be true, but I doubt female artists will look twice at the field if they grow up without seeing any animated stories that appeal to them.
Luckily, projects like Beauty and the Beast, Lilo and Stitch, InuYasha, Coraline and Escaflowne can help girls fall in love with the art of animation. Even though only one of those projects was actually created by a woman, they still appeal to girls and women.
Tell whoever directed nesiie...to stop.
Learn to spell. And capitalize.
Also, come back and report when YOU'VE directed...anything.
Loser.
Why does everyone seem to bash on Nessie? It is a charming little film and 2d to boot. People gripe that Disney isn't backing 2d yet they do a 2d short. Stevie (one of the Directors) was awesome to work with, very approachable and fun.
Oh great another let's bash on men column.
It is the sign of a deeply insecure man that any mention of women or girls getting a fair shake is taken as an attack on men.
Not insecure but the bias of most sitcoms to feminists view of men are disheartening. Men are portrayed as being idiots and lack emotion and that we all think with our dick. Not once did I mention that women might get their fair share, there is no such thing as "fair share". Just pointing out my personal point of view but as usual some idiot has to make it into something else. Well if you are a man than I guess society stereotypes us all quite well, thanks. If you are a woman than I feel that is your view on men and a poor view of them, you have daddy issues I guess. Go watch your Oprah reruns.
Not insecure but the bias of most sitcoms to feminists view of men are disheartening.
I don't watch broadcast TV, and I'm not the same person you're responding to here.
However, I'd like to say I find the lopsided ratio of female characters in American animated films disheartening. I have to look hard to track down an animated film with a female lead, and then it's rare to see a female lead that's not a princess (ex: Coraline).
I'm looking forwards to Arietty and Brave. Films like these should encourage more girls to watch animation, and perhaps more young female artists to work in animation.
The main character in Brave is a princess, Princess Merida.
After Kung Fu Panda came out, a lot more applicants here at Dreamworks have been pandas.
I dont think females get into the animation field because a films main character is female. Most likely they get into the animation business because they are an artist, probably why most men get into the business. Many animation films have animals as the lead characters yet I only see humans getting into the field. That whole point of not enough female main characters inspiring young girls is a moot point. My little girl wants to work in animation (age 9) and that is because she loves to draw and loves coming to my jobs and seeing all of the art work not because of Rapunzel or Coraline or any other character for that matter. "Hey dad look, that cartoon character is a male, guess because I am a girl I couldnt ever do that job", that never has happened. Just say you wish there were more female lead characters and be doen with it, final!
The main character in Brave is a princess, Princess Merida.
Argh. Well, it's the first Pixar movie with a female lead, so I still give them credit.
Many animation films have animals as the lead characters yet I only see humans getting into the field.
Mostly male animals...
Just say you wish there were more female lead characters and be doen with it, final!
Why? I can look outside of American animation for female leads. Triplets of Belleville, Spirited Away, Blood: The Last Vampire, Masks of Glass, and Kiki's Delivery Service all have fine examples of non-princess female leads.
It's just a bummer that females represent 50% of the population and less than 50% of lead characters in American animation.
Boo hoo hoo, feature animation or any other piece of animation isnt being equal. Well then they better start making rapists and child molesters be the lead roles as well, dont want them to feel left out. What about those Panda films, now thats not fair they arent making films where black widows are the leading characters. I guess life is just so unfair. You must be a liberal because only a left winged idiot would cry about such unfairness.
And only a conservative douchebag would turn it into a political straw man argument.
It is called cynical humor and one uses extremes to get a point across but of course you equate the word women with rapist and child molester. I think you are reading way too much into this and trying to make an issue out of nothing, nice try though. Reread the post and you will see it does not equate them in that way. The topic was being fair so the statement was made that you better include everyone and anyone to make it fair.
Damn, a lot of thin skinned, insecure men who don't know how to engage in civil conversations. Maybe those sit-com writers, who are almost exclusively men, have it right -- men really are jerks, except in animation, where they're always the heros.
The article is from San Francisco, does anyone need to know anymore? (null and void)
Advocating a greater range of non-white male protagonist has nothing to do with men-bashing. To look at entertainment today there is an appalling lack of diversity. A handful of films doesn't overcome this issue. (Although I do think the blogger hasn't actually seen Tangled, since I certainly didn't consider it a 'rescue the damsel' film.) Pointing out that men too are treated badly isn't exactly the same either - the reason why is that men are portrayed across a wide variety of character types both good and bad; women characters often fall into a narrowly defined set of stereotypes. I would personally like to see more balance and variety, both on screen and off.
It's unfortunate that the article was aggressive when it didn't need to be. I do think everyone needs to be aware that there is a very real discrimination still at work; there are still many individuals who believe that a woman should not take away a man's job because she may get pregnant, that a woman cannot be as creatively talented as a man, and even that women gaining the right to work led to the economic collapse in 2008. All of these examples come from direct experience. I am NOT saying that all men believe this, just that it is out there and is a very real aspect of life that women deal with.
Also, I find the comment by an anon to 'go watch your Oprah reruns' insulting, as well as the daddy issues comment. The insecurity comment that prompted it is also unnecessarily inflammatory; we should be able to discuss this as adults without resorting to insults.
In regards to feminism: Equality for everyone should be something we always strive towards.
There have been a LOT of trolls on the TAG blog lately
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Spoken by small-penis man. We're sorry that your mother wasn't nice to you, but please don't take the fact that you can't have a relationship with a woman as an excuse to troll on this blog.
Good grief he isnt trolling it is truth and glad to hear it especially on this left winged blog. Feminists say equality so here we are spelling it out and all you can talk about is the "Boys Club". You want to be treated equal then learn to take some harsh talk and some off colored comments as well even if it is about your precious Oprah or a "daddy issues" comment. If any man in his right mind made such a big deal about things as some of you women do he would be called..."a woman".
Anon 2:22 and 3:08: Hush baby, your mommy will come change your diapers soon.
Anon 10:48: you present a well-reasoned first paragraph. Thank you for the civil discourse.
I'm still baffled by the general lack of diversity in characters or stories whether it's animation or live-action. There are so many INTERESTING people doing INTERESTING things out there, yet all we see is the same blandness and stereotypes.
Working on such blandness and stereotypes is also disheartening. I see so many talented people working on such crap...I know that's been the case for decades, but DAMN, it's old.
What will it take for studios to take a chance on something even slightly more original?!
When it all boils down, the truth is that women are represented far less in animated films. And when they are represented they are often the stereotypical arm-clinger, who needs the help of men to save her.
I am also shocked by all the hostility in this board who deny this lack of representation as a problem. When you guys start blaming "feminists" and women themselves for speaking up, you know there's something wrong.
Like I said before, there are rampant, non-industry trolls on this blog.
I really hope Steve establishes a registration-required anonymous format for this blog someday.
Seriously, in all liklihood they dont even work in the industry. They might not even be adults. They certainly dont think like adults.
"Seriously, in all liklihood they dont even work in the industry. They might not even be adults. They certainly dont think like adults. "
I think you just described more than 50% of the men (and many of the women) in this industry
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Spoken by small-penis man. We're sorry that your mother wasn't nice to you, but please don't take the fact that you can't have a relationship with a woman as an excuse to troll on this blog.
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nothing but the speculations and rantings of an a-cup,foaming at the mouth,broke ass feminist.
So sad.
"I'm still baffled by the general lack of diversity in characters or stories whether it's animation or live-action. There are so many INTERESTING people doing INTERESTING things out there, yet all we see is the same blandness and stereotypes."
Now this is an actual topic I can discuss and has nothing to do with women or men. Yes so many people with such interesting stories that need to told. Why Hollywood doesnt do this, simple they want a fast return on their money and they go with the tried and true formats that work. If this topic had been approached like this in the first place I believe the remarks would of been quite different and many people would be more agreeable.
"I'm still baffled by the general lack of diversity in characters or stories whether it's animation or live-action. There are so many INTERESTING people doing INTERESTING things out there, yet all we see is the same blandness and stereotypes."
This is something with which I can agree with. I also agree with the annonymous at 5:17.
Feminists are not advancing the argument by commenting on other peoples genitalia, which is completely irrelevant to start with. It hurts your position. It's crass and classless.
The complaint about the absence of compelling female characters is a legitimate grievance. I would say that unfortunately, it applies to both genders. I can only suggest perhaps, writing your own animated short or feature, about characters that are up to the standards you seek.
r.
The complaint about the absence of compelling female characters is a legitimate grievance.
This is true.
I would say that unfortunately, it applies to both genders.
This is false, and is a clever way to invalidate the first statement.
Both parties should be called out on their insulting behavior. To do so otherwise indicates while it is okay to hurl insults towards women, talking about male genitalia is going to far.
As to the anon saying a person making a big deal out of some insults would be called 'a woman', you sorta just made my point. Each individual should have the ability to stand up for themselves to avoid being insulted or harassed without retribution. Furthermore, saying a person should simply take 'harsh talk' or 'off colored comments' is irrelevant, especially when the phrases are specifically being used in a derogatory manner. Part of this goes back to what is professional behavior, and what isn't. Keep in mind that the standard was established by men - simply because for a long period of time, women were not permitted to work in all but a few industries. It costs you nothing to not say those comments, yet those comments can be very harmful to individuals. It's also not unheard of for women to shoulder such insults and 'off-color' commentary without complaint no matter how uncomfortable it might be, because of a fear of a negative reaction that simply further mocks her because she had the unfortunate luck of being born female. Everyone has a right to be in a non-threatening, comfortable work environment.
Irregardless:
I'm sorry you've had such poor experiences with people who claim to be feminists. However, if everyone simply allowed the status quo to continue simply because that's the way the word is, the civil rights movement never would have happened. Not only that but you are using specific gender genitalia as an indication of strength..which means what not having balls isn't? (I know it's a phrase, but I'm trying to point out how there is subtle discrimination against women that permeates our very culture.)
Anon 3:24: Agreed. And I think you have already nailed part of the problem - businesses don't like to take chances.
Anon 5:17: But when women and minorities are severely underrepresented, how can the conversation NOT be about gender and race? Even more damning, what about instances were stories that originally had POC were changed so the protagonists were played by white men?
As for the person who claims that there are 'a ton' of women in the industry, I suggest giving these articles a read: http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/your-april-statistic.html and http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/it-aint-just-animation.html
I wonder what the statistics look like when broken down even further into race. This likely DOES have an affect on the stories we see in film and TV.
rufus: You may not feel there are any compelling male characters, but there are certainly a lot more of them that show a wider variety of personality types, good and bad.
"I can only suggest perhaps, writing your own animated short or feature, about characters that are up to the standards you seek."
Let's ask Brenda how well that went....
Don't be a doofus Rufus...
I'll concede with anon 10:24 about (I pressume) her point on the variety of male character vs female characters. And I thank you for not making fun of my naughty bits.
I find it a little confusing that you're comparing your struggles to that of the struggles that lead to the civil rights movement though.
I applaud your efforts in raising our consciousness on your grievances.
But you have to realize other people will dissagree with you. Resorting to insults does not advance the discourse (perhaps, it was someone else who did). Responding to insults, does not help your cause either. Two negatives don't make a right.
See, someone called me a doofus...does not affect me at all,it actually gave me a chuckle!. I just made a suggestion.
Even if it did'nt work for Brenda, that's irrelevant. You're letting someone elses failure stop you from realizing your vision?!?
rufus the doofus!
"Let's ask Brenda how well that went...."
Precisely.
Rufus:
I was simply using the civil rights movement as an example that just because there is a status quo, doesn't mean it's right. As it is generally accepted now that the movement was necessary against an injustice, it's usually an effective one. (Also, just because something isn't as extreme as that situation doesn't mean it isn't worth discussing or trying to change. But first, awareness.)
And why would I make fun of your naughty bits anyway? I don't know anything about them. ;)
Side point: Irregardless isn't a word.
Side point: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless
Grammar snob
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