Towards Greater Female Representation in Animated Fairytale and Fantasy Media

Abstract

The filter through which most fairy tales reach the masses today is animation—most notably, through Walt Disney Studios. Although Disney is becoming more diverse with regards to race, ethnicity, and even body type of its main cast with each movie release, they still lean towards an infantilized, Eurocentric ideal. My goal with this thesis is to demonstrate that when adapting fairy tales to animation, the characters can be drawn as more diverse (and along more axes) than Disney's current slate of female main characters. Using fairy tales of Portuguese-language origin and proposing character designs of its central young women, I will elevate the women of color and women of different body types and self-presentation who are only marginally visible in animation and fantasy today.