Pocahontas and Mulan

The third group of Disney princess movies were Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998). These two princesses showed the biggest change in the characterization of the Disney princesses. Instead of being overtly feminine and sensitive, they are quite the opposite—even exhibiting many behaviors typically reserved for male characters. But, their male counterparts are that much more masculine to make up for the masculinity of the female princesses. Pocahontas is the daughter of a Native American chief, making her like royalty and also making her into a resourceful and intelligent character. This lifestyle of hunting, gathering and constant canoeing turns her into a strong and athletic woman unlike the white women that John Smith encounters before meeting her. I like Pocahontas—she has family values, drive and determination and a good head on her shoulders. She doesn’t give in to the overwhelming influence of the white settlers. Mulan is also a “princess” that must tap into her masculinity to overcome adversity. She is being primed to be the perfect housewife but chooses to take her father’s place in the Chinese army to save his life. She is selfless and gives up her femininity completely and dresses like a man for the most part of the movie. While cross-dressing is a strange concept to be featured in a Disney movie for young kids, it shows a woman that is not afraid of becoming a dirty, unclean soldier (so far from the typical appearance obsessed other princesses). These movies are also significant because they were the beginnings of movies about clearly ethnically diverse princesses. I will discuss race in more detail in a later blog, but I thought that it was significant to mention here that the most masculine Disney princesses were the ones that were not of Caucasian heritage. I think that this is an almost racist generalization made by Disney studios. These princesses are much different from the last five, but not necessarily in an attractive way.