Realism & Representation of Women: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Disney Animation & Studio Ghibli

Hi, My name is Ashton Craig, and I am a

senior in the English Department at Stetson University.

My senior research is on realism and the representation of

women, a cross cultural comparison of Disney animation and Studio

Ghibli. So my thesis is that she arguably has a

more realistic representation of woman than Disney animation.

To quote myself, arguably, Disney Animation presents false dichotomies in

their films with the use of archetypes and a polarized

good versus evil conflict.

Using visual context like age and the attractiveness of characters

that reinforce the dichotomy.

And by doing so, Disney Animation portrays a less complex

portrayal. Woman, while Miyazaki uses seeming seeming place, simple narrative

structures, visual elements and archetypes, he deconstruct the deconstructs these

elements in his films by blurring the line between good

and evil and flushing out these archetypes with flaws and

good intentions, thereby showing an entirely more realistic portrayal of

woman. So Nia Zaki, as a Japanese director of film,

um, has been influenced by Disney, and there's kind of

ah, reciprocal relationship between the two studios to kind of

establish why there needs to be a cultural comparison.

Let's take a look at some details from my research.

The relationship between the studios is directly impacted by the

social historical relationships between the West in Japan, showcased with

catastrophic and beneficial impacts of their relationship.

That was rooted in the Second World War that continues

today. Addressing the social, historical and cultural connections a significant

due to Miyazaki's reliance on these context in his films.

And his representation of conflict relies on this relationship to

a degree.

So, um, Miyazaki personally feels guilt toward the Second World

War because of the privilege that his family experience during

the war, his grandparent's um, were involved with a manufacturing

company that created parts for planes used by the kamikaze

in the Second World War, as well as his family

was able to retreat Teoh a safe countryside area instead

of being by the war front.

Um Miyazaki also has, um, been influenced in his theme,

said he chooses to have in his films because of

the Second World War.

Um, he is a pacifist.

At one point, he was a Marxist.

Um, a lot of these themes overlay his stories.

Um, in Disney films, a lot of influence comes and

same with Miyazaki, but there's a lot of influence from

folk tales, the Bible and other similar Western sources.

In their films, however, Disney takes a conservative Christian approach,

Teoh to the film's portraying a almost conservative ah message

to young viewers about, um, Heteronormative e and pretty much

the, um, the binding powers of marriage and woman um,

in Studio Ghibli.

He kind of he uses these Western influences, but he

takes his own spin on it.

For instance, uhm hyo Miyazaki maden Adoption of Housing Castle,

which is a Western British novel by Diana Wynne Jones

and he has taken the novel, has eliminated a lot

of plot points characters, even a representation off that, Um,

book. It's just completely different.

Miyazaki creates his own world using that novel, um, and

has inserted Mawr of his ideals and themes.

Um, such as pacifism.

Um, in the book, there is, you know, small mention

ings of a war, Um, but Miyazaki brings in this

war into the film much more and even makes Howell

kind of a combatant in this war, even though he

did not do this at all in the novel.

So some of the archetypes that can be found in

Disney Princess films According to a study by Don England.

I believe her name is is, um, woman, young woman

and girls, mostly young girls, um, who are often tending

to physical appearance, which is referring to the adjustments made

by the princesses to look more conventionally attractive, warm and

kindhearted. Depictions a depiction that would indicate a lack of

strength, for instance, physically weak, submissive, showing negative emotion, fearful

collapses, crying, ask for help, ask or accept advice or

help and victimized, or that they suggest mischief.

Um, so an often a lot of these characters are

depicted in a way that is conventionally attractive, yet you

know, not it not expected for young girls and teenagers

in reality.

Um, a lot of these, um, moments they they note

the heroine's extremely pale skin tone, small ways, delicate limbs

and full breast.

Um, so, for instance, one of the characters that I

take a more closer look at in this essay is

Ariel. So Ariel, she is pretty much in a shell.

Brome. She is very pale, um is ideally beautiful.

Very thin.

Um, and it is not really visually, um, a accurate

depiction of a 16 year old, which is how old.

She is supposed to be, um, as well as her

personality. It's very, you know, submissive.

I'll go more into detail about this little later.

Um, so the girls and teenagers young woman into your

Ghibli films?

Um, they have first appear to fit in archetype called

Yes, A she which is meaning meek, sensitive, warmhearted and

kind. But however, Studio Ghibli deconstructs this fee feminine ideal

in Japan by having a variety of a level of

Musashi in the protagonist personalities.

So, for instance, a character with the least amount of

Yassa She is, um Sohn from Princess Montaigne.

Okay, She is very bitter ex out and is hateful

toward humanity.

Of course, Um, throughout the film, this gradually decreases and

she is much more kindhearted.

At least a Ashitaka who is the main character main

male protagonist in the film.

So the grotesque.

This is kind of important for where you go to

next. Um, the grotesque is defined by Mikhail Back Teen,

a literary scholar, as that class of frightening which leads

back to what is known of old and blown familiar.

So the grotesque is not necessarily evil, but deals in

matters of excess showing over consumption, bodily fluids and similarly

excessive depictions of humanity.

So Disney is pretty much devoid of thes instances.

Um, in their films, they have a very, um, I

guess clean evil.

It doesn't really elicit, um, a truth in society.

Whereas the grotesque it elicits some kind of a truth.

Um, it's often paired with the carnivalesque, which really kind

of it flips the roles of what is, um, the

ruler, the working class.

And it flips it over, and it shows kind of

like some kind of a relative nature of society.

So the use of evil and Disney, it fits in

the narrative, and the destruction of it leads towards a

happy ending.

Whereas the grotesque that's shown in Studio Ghibli films, it

doesn't really, I guess add up to a, um, a

happy ending.

So a lot of these moments kind of exist.

Notice a little strange.

So, um, Panyu in her transitionary period, she looks like,

Ah, frog chicken.

Um, I others in a real term for it, but

she looks pretty strange.

Um, it's kind of unnecessary to see um, in aerial.

Well, in the Little Mermaid Ariel, her transformation go straight

from a mermaid to human with a flashy, glowing transformation

that's beautiful.

Whereas POND Eos it's a little more abstract, a little

weirder. You can see her whole body meshing into this

new form.

So, um, another instance isn't, um, spirited away, so no

face he is shown as over consuming, even never seen

image like this in a Disney film, even though Ohio

Miyazaki says, this movie is for 10 year olds, you

look at that image and you question why, maybe what?

They target this for Children?

This is clearly oh, so this shows kind of like

the dehumanization of over consumption and no face.

You see him eating some of the staff members of

the bathhouse.

However, J hero is not really afraid of new face.

In fact, she kind of defies his greed and in

turn ends up helping him and kind of returning Teoh

a more stable state, a state that is no longer

excessive and while like no face is not the main

antagonise of this film.

But he is used at least to show and demonstrate

the growth of a hero has throughout the film.

So lastly, and I'll try to make this quick.

Um, So I did a case study of upon you

in the Little Mermaid.

So arguably, Panyu has a more realistic, um, representation of

being a child rather than Ariel.

Now, both of these sources are both based on Hans

Christian Andersen's novel The Little Mermaid, and, um, and while

a lot of there's a similar narrative structure upon you

is deconstructed more so and there are a lot of

directorial choices that make um, upon your less dependent on

her family her father, Fujimoto and her, I guess, love

interest. But it's kind of more of ah, familial, um,

love with so scale, um, versus the Little Mermaid, where

her motivation is purely on.

At first, she wants to be with, you know, the

humans. But once she sees Eric, it's almost a Ziff.

Her whole agency is dependent on being with Prince Eric.

So thank you very much for sticking in.

Um, in watching this eso arguably, Studio Ghibli has a

more realistic representation of woman because Hyo Miyazaki doesn't conform

and stick to the simple narrative structures and archetypes that

Disney animation has throughout decades.

And, um, yes, thank you

Realism & Representation of Women: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Disney Animation & Studio Ghibli

Audio TranscriptAuto-generated