DISNEY PRINCESSES AND THEIR LEGACY IN CURRENT STORIES. NEW MODELS FOR NEW TIMES

Abstract

Disney productions have marked not only the aesthetic education of a generation, but they have also made an impression on ideologies and ways of thinking. It has shaped a perception of reality that has been transmitted for decades and, in this transmission, the female protagonists of these films have been the most effective means to promote it. They are obedient, submissive, delicate, young women whose ultimate aspiration is romantic love. However, the vision of the world that these materials (films, books, merchandising products) offer cannot be held in our society, in which relationships have changed so much and in which concerns and values such as the equal education of boys and girls, the commitment with the environment, solidarity or tolerance are so relevant. The Disney industry, which has fully understood this, has provided new heroines with motivations and characteristics that match with the new times. In this work we start with the analysis of the new protagonists and their predecessors, but we also ask ourselves if the perception that children have of how princesses should be has changed. That is why knowing their opinions and providing new books and stories to complement the movies they enjoy so much are also important aspects in this work.