The Mouse That Blonde Film Analysis

Disney Princesses are some of the most influential characters in the average girl’s lifetime. These princesses are supposed to be people these girls can relate to, admire, and look to for guidance, all which has been going on for over 80 years. Are these actually characters worth looking up to? Henry Giroux does not think so. In The Mouse That Roared, Giroux claims that female characters in Disney movies “are ultimately subordinate to males and define their sense of power and desire almost exclusively in terms of dominant male narratives,” which he then goes to give examples of in films such as The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and Pocahontas, stating that each female lead is defined by their relationship with their male co-stars. Giroux does raise this concern with good intentions due to the standard Disney princess being the basis for “construction of gender identity for girls,” but his analysis of these movies does not seem to hold true with what is actually taken away from the film by most audiences. …show more content…
Giroux argues that even though Mulan takes the identity of a man, she does not actually defy gender roles because she aligns herself with, “the patriarchal celebration of war, violence, and militarism,” meaning that she accepts hypermasculinity. Even after she wins the war and saves all of China, Giroux states that the main purpose is still, “Mulan is still just a girl in search of a man,” which is shown through her getting engaged with General Li Shang at the end. Giroux’s main claim is that Mulan is a false feminist prophet who really stays in her gender stereotype by marrying a