A year or so ago, I started looking for movies to watch with my child. And looking. And looking.
There are two main ways that most of the kids' movies I've seen concern me.
The first is simply a dearth of female characters or of any real focus on the female characters. (For example, Ice Age certainly has a female character in the mother, but because she dies right at the start, she's not really able to interact meaningfully with the other characters.)t
Movie after movie has either no female characters, or only one. Right now, my child sees female as an ordinary human state. Watching enough movies with character groups formed on the Smurfette principle looks like a great way to twist this perception into a belief that females are an exception to a male 'norm'. It doesn't matter whether a child is male or female; that's not true, so it's not a perception I think they need. Women are just as ordinary as men, and you're likely to meet fairly even numbers of both in this world, not five or six men for every woman.
Then there are the movies that have female characters, but the focus stays on male characters and their interactions. Alison Bechdel raised this issue twenty-five years ago in her strip entitled 'The Rule'. A movie passes the Bechdel Test if it contains at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. A movie where there are several women, but they only talk to men, or to each other about the men, keeps the men at the centre of inerest throughout the story.
My second concern is a bit more complicated. A lot of 'feminist' movies seem to me to do a great job of presenting bigotry as normal and/or overwhelming. If a heroine spends half a movie rebelling against a bigoted world, that's great and I applaud her effort, but it's not likely to create the assumption in the viewer that equal rights are normal.
People tend to accept cultural norms. The more people think it's unusual for a woman to be nothing more than a pretty doll, the fewer women are likely to act like them. The more girls grow up assuming that they have rights, the more likely they are to raise hell if they're deprived of them. Sexual equality is not a special privilege; it's how things ought to be. And while movies about overcoming oppression are valuable, I don't want the majority of my child's viewing to teach the idea that it's ordinary and normal for women to be oppressed. It doesn't make much difference whether the movie is combating bigotry by showing a character fighting it directly or merely presenting sexist tropes and then using role-reversal to combat the bigotry. Either way, the message a child is likely to get is that bigotry is normal.
I therefore prefer to be careful about how many times we view movies like Mulan, showing women fighting against attitudes like this: "Men want girls with good taste, calm, obedient, who work fast-paced, with good breeding and a tiny waist" or Beauty and the Beast, where Belle's whole village think she's weird for breaking gender stereotypes.
This doesn't mean all the movies I've found are bad. Some of them are great fun. I really enjoy the bit in Shrek where the princess belches and the donkey is surprised, and I love the other bit where the group is threatened by the Robin Hood character, the princess fights him successfully, and everyone is surprised. However, the surprise definitely teaches the viewers that the princess is being unusual, and that's one way children learn about our society's sexist assumptions.
Because I enjoy a lot of these movies, I'm not trying to avoid them. I just want to find more movies with female characters, who talk to each other, and that don't present sexism as a normal state of affairs, so that the ones with few female characters or that show people fighting prejudices are not the only ones we see.
Here are the criteria I've been using in my search.
1. Passes the Bechdel test
2. Doesn't present sexism as normal (either by demonstrating it or by fighting against it)
3. Isn't likely to give kids under five nightmares or serious issues for the rest of their lives
4. Is likely to interest kids under five and be at least reasonably comprehensible to them.
And here's what I've found so far.
These four movies match the criteria above. I was trying to find fifteen, but this is what I've got, so far. Do, please, comment, if you have recommendations. (Your character counts on the movies below may vary, incidentally; I'm not including minor bit-parts, non-speaking animals, and so on. I'm pretty sure my kid thinks the two mini-trolls in My Neighbour Totoro are characters.)
1. My Neighbour Totoro
Four female characters (Satsuki, Mei, Granny, Mother).
Four male characters (Father, Kanta, Totoro, Catbus).
Female viewpoint character (Satsuki).
Nurturing behaviours by both mother and father.
Domestic work by father and 'granny'.
2. Kiki's Delivery Service
Six female characters (Kiki, Ursula, Osono, Mother, Madame, Bertha).
Four male characters (Jiji, Tombo, the baker, Father).
Female viewpoint character (Kiki).
Three women with careers (Kiki, Osono, Mother).
Married and pregnant women with careers.
3. The Wizard of Oz
Four female characters (Dorothy, Aunt Em, Glynda, the Wicked Witch).
Five male characters (Uncle Henry, the Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Wizard).
Politically and socially powerful older women!
Physically brave heroine.
4. Labyrinth
Three female characters (Sarah, the Junk Lady, Irene -- Sarah's stepmother).
Eight male characters (Toby, Jareth, Hoggle, Ludo, the Worm, Sir Didymus, the Wiseman, Robert -- Sarah's father).
Note: This one barely passes. I actually thought it didn't pass the Bechdel test, until just today, because the only such conversation is the one Sarah has with the Junk Lady and I'd forgotten it. However, YMMV.
5. Chicken Run
I found this through this review. It's good.
Five+ female characters (Ginger, Mac, Mrs Tweedy, Bunty, Babs) + a female 'chorus' (all the non-named characters)
Five male characters (Rocky, Fowler, Mr Tweedy, Nick, Fetcher)
Passes the Bechdel test wonderfully. The only problems are that my daughter described this movie, which I saw as 'Ginger saves her whole flock' as 'he saves her from the machine' (based off one scene!). It also does rather assume that a man in a group of women will automatically be one of the main characters, just by being male.
Then there are the movies I don't know well enough to be sure how they stack up.
I think these ones may be fine, but I can't promise. They pass the Bechdel Test, according to what I can find.
1. Alice in Wonderland
Six female characters (Alice, Queen of Hearts, Alice's sister, snooty flower, Rose, Mother Oyster).
Fifteen male characters (Mad Hatter, Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, March Hare, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, Walrus, Carpenter, White Rabbit, The Dodo, Doorknob, Bill the Lizard, Card Painter, King of Hearts, The Dormouse)
2. Ponyo
3. The Wild Thornberries
4. Lilo and Stitch
5. Prince Caspian
I gather this passes the Bechdel Test, at least.
6. Bolt
See comments below.
7. Annie
See comments below.
8. Tinkerbell
See comments below.
9. Nanny McPhee
See comments below.
Possible contenders that are problematic
1. Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel
See comments below. Possibly doesn't count because it calls female chipmunks 'chipettes'.
2. Peter Pan, Return To Never Land.
See comments below. Massive imbalance in Lost Girls versus Lost Boys, though, and no female pirates.
3. Barbie and the nutcracker
4. Nim's Island Sadly, this may have some rather unpleasant race issues.
5. Monsters versus Aliens This is a great movie from this point of view. It's a bit obvious about the 'overcoming gender bias' things in the way it shows things and has a badly skewed gender balance, which is why it's not on the main list here, but it does most of this less obviously than many movies. For example, while it does show the heroine moving from thinking marriage to a great guy is a fulfilling life to thinking that having a fulfilling life of her own is a great life, it doesn't have any irritating songs about how everyone thinks marriage to a guy is the main way a woman can find fulfillment. Susan's sexist assumptions about herself aren't shown as being shared by her whole society.
It squeaks through the Bechdel test on mother/daughter conversations.
The reason I think it's great is that it not only finishes with [highlight to read spoilers]the heroine being determined, physically strong (without superpowers or reminding me of Buffy, River Tam, or Leeloo), clever, and brave, regaining superpowers that make romantic relationships unlikely for her, and then choosing to keep those superpowers because she just plain likes being superpowered and having a career that relies on those powers. She chooses a great career over romance. And the movie makes no kind of fuss about this fact. It's presented as a perfectly reasonable thing to choose. It's wonderful seeing a movie that doesn't present success in romance as a necessary part of being a successful woman.
Two female characters (Susan/Ginormica, Wendy - Susan's mother)
Eight male characters (BOB, Dr Cockroach, The Missing Link, General W.R. Monger, Gallaxar, President Hathaway, Derek, Jeffrey - Susan's father)
Older kids' movies
Spirited Away
The Princess and the Frog
See comments below. (Warning: "There is so much wrong with this movie.")
A Little Princess
Monsters vs. Aliens
This may pass the Bechdel test and may pass the other tests. Anyone know?
Despicable Me
Seems to pass the Bechdel and has gender-neutral minions. However, it treats the three main female characters as if they're aspects of one person and is focused entirely on the emotional development of the male protagonist (the girls don't really change or grow at all). At least in 'Heidi' (my Platonic ideal of the 'small girl rescues emotionally repressed unhappy man from his angst by being innocent' story), Heidi herself grows, loses some of her innocence, and gradually takes on more agency as she develops.
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Bolt - lead human is female action girl Penny, gender not an issue. Has developed female character of her mother who she talks with about things other than Bolt the male dog. Bolts main sidekick is female cat - hardnosed alleycat. Nice to have a female action hero for once too. Of course, my kids both convinced she was a boy for a long time.
Annie - lots of female characters, men definitely not the object here at all. Doesn't really deal with sexism as an issue.
Tinkerbell -bear with me here. She may wear a teeny tiny outfit, but most of the talent fairies are female but NOT ALL. Many conversations with other female characters with no reference to male characters, main theme not gender-related. Nice to see some male fairies both effeminate and butch.
Nanny McPhee - both original and Big Bang. Good mix of gender in characters, multiple female-female conversations without reference to males. Slightly worried about the way she becomes more traditionally beautiful as story progresses. Good sense of backbone in the female characters.
Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel - 3 female chipettes (don't get me started on this name...) 3 male chipmunks, grandmother character, 2 male managers, 1 female Principle, I think this one might meet the criteria, but damn if the whole thing doesn't make me shudder.
The Princess and the Frog - deep sigh. There is so much wrong with this movie. But lets move on and apply the criteria. The two lead girls/women Tiana and Charlotte do have conversations both as girls and grown ups which don't involve the men-folk. There is also the character Madam Odie in the mix, who talks to Tiana about her goals in life, men not included. We have a total princess who simpers, but also a hardworking business woman trying to open her own restaurant. However, it is on the scary side for under 5's.
Peter Pan, Return To Never Land. Jane and her mother Wendy develop dialoge with no reference to men. She becomes the first Lost Girl, which nicely points out the sexism in having only Lost Boys 'till now without making a big fat hairy deal of it. My kids didn't find it even slightly scary. No female pirates tho. Oh, and I think Jane and Tinkerbell talk about Tink dying and flying, so not discussing Peter at that point.
I'll add them to the lists above. That makes it well over ten movies that pass the Bechdel and don't make a big deal of gender-based behavioural restrictions.
The more I can find and list, the more options I have for choosing fun movies.
Btw if you are looking for things to watch with kids, Best of the (Auckland) Zoo is not movies (or fiction) but I'd recommend as fun, non-sexist local dvds to watch with kids!
I haven't seen much of the Auckland Zoo thing, but I do wonder if it would pass the Bechdel test. It's got a male narrator, and I can't remember seeing any woman-woman talks in the episodes I saw.
Similarly, our excellent BBC nature DVDs don't pass. David Attenborough is great, but he's not two women talking to each other about something other than a man.
The woman on the voiceover of Microcosmos is good too, but again isn't two women. (Although she's certainly not talking about a guy.)
The thing with rules like this is that they're useful, but blind. There are sure to be a few bad movies that pass and good movies that don't. However, the list itself isn't going to be much use for balancing out gender roles in the movies I watch with my kid if I just make it a list of good movies. Microcosmos is actually the only movie I've seriously considered including, because female nature presenters are in somewhat short supply, so it does balance out all the Attenborough.
I haven't seen much of the Auckland Zoo thing, but I do wonder if it would pass the Bechdel test. It's got a male narrator, and I can't remember seeing any woman-woman talks in the episodes I saw.
Similarly, our excellent BBC nature DVDs don't pass. David Attenborough is great, but he's not two women talking to each other about something other than a man.
The woman on the voiceover of Microcosmos is good too, but again isn't two women. (Although she's certainly not talking about a guy.)
The thing with rules like this is that they're useful, but blind. There are sure to be a few bad movies that pass and good movies that don't. However, the list itself isn't going to be much use for balancing out gender roles in the movies I watch with my kid if I just make it a list of good movies. Microcosmos is actually the only movie I've seriously considered including, because female nature presenters are in somewhat short supply, so it does balance out all the Attenborough.
I watched Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast a lot with my daughter when she was small. I don't think Ariel or Belle have many conversations with female characters, except, in Belle's case, a wardrobe and a teapot and in Ariel's case the glorious Ursula. Would either movie pass the test? If not, perhaps their target audience was me. Always a starring role for me as bossy Dad (King Neptune) or Belle's dad - inventive, well meaning and disorganized. But never a Mum in sight.
Beauty and the Beast fails so strongly it's one of the reasons I created the list. Whole songs about how society is normally horrifically sexist! And the social 'norms' presented are just so amazingly restrictive, compared with actual social norms. I won't get into the way the main character starts out wanting to travel and educate herself and finishes by changing her mind now she's happily married to a guy who thinks violence is an acceptable response to frustration.
I'm not sure about Little Mermaid, but I think I remember a similar theme in it. I'll check it out.
Sword and the Stone fails badly on the Bechdel. Finding Nemo fails the bechdel - but Dory gets a fair bit of air time and the Dad gets a good workout as primary caregiver. None of the characters have fake lipstick or stupid eyelashes to show they are female.
1. The mother is a highly active suffragette. This automatically puts sexism in as a major focus.
2. There is a whole song focused on how the father is, by being a man, the automatic leader of the household.
3. There's a really icky bit in the 'It's a Jolly Holiday' song, in which Mary preemptively explains that she feels safe from Bert making a pass because he's such a gentleman. Right now, it goes right over Ada's head, but it really squicks me.
There's also the casual racism of the bit where the Admiral mistakes the chimney-sweeps for hottentots. This requires, at least, discussion of a really difficult issue with the child, which isn't the point of my making this list. I'm trying to figure out movies I can just relax and enjoy with her, without needing to interpret in order.
Thanks, though! Glad to hear that about Finding Nemo. (The eyelash thing weirds me out, because men tend to have more obvious eyelashes than women naturally anyway. Mascara's like platform shoes -- a way of making women look more like men -- to my eye.)
Not as good as the book, but is anything ever?
Apparently these BS qualities are explained here - The extremes in her personality are explained in-story by the fact that a fairy's size prevents her from holding more than one feeling at a time, so when she is angry she has no counterbalancing compassion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinkerbell#In_original_play_and_novel But seriously what child is ever going to catch onto this 'fact' about fairies, I didn't even know about it until I researched her further for this post.
Peter Pan is OFF my list of mommy/feminist approved movies for my daughter.
It will never make it onto my main list, because I am not including movies that present sexism as the status quo, requiring a major effort to overcome. However, I am, as you can see, compiling lists of everything suggested, since I don't really want to review movies I haven't watched.