When I was a little girl, I loved all the Disney princesses. It was so romantic to the watch princess find true love and be rescued by the handsome prince. Then I grew up and realized how ridiculous those princesses were. Once in a while, though, Disney gets it right and gives us a princess who is truly extraordinary and self-sufficient, and melts my heart with her spunk, strength and ability to fend for herself.
Last year, two princesses, Elsa and Anna, together saved the kingdom of Arandelle and themselves in the Academy Award-winning Frozen. Very loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale The Snow Queen, Frozen is the story of two sisters who use their inner strengths to overcome the many obstacles put in place to keep them apart and find a way back to each other. What I love about Frozen is the strong message of the importance of sisterly love, which is more powerful than any obstacle they encounter.
Brave, which is loosely based on the Irish folktale Brave Margaret, is another story about the power of love between female family members. Merida and her mother just do not understand each other. Merida wants to be her own woman, but her mother wants her to be a lady. When a spell accidentally turns her mother into a bear, Merida must mend the rift between them before her mother is lost forever. My favorite scene in this movie is when Merida steps up to shoot for her own hand in marriage during the archery tournament that will decide who she must marry.
Mulan, loosely based on the Chinese folktale Fa Mulan, tells the story of a young girl's love for her father. When the Huns invade China, one male from each household must join the army to fight the invaders. Mulan disguises herself as a man and steals away to honor her family by taking her wounded father’s place in the army. With a little help from her ancestors, Mulan skillfully saves China from falling to the Huns. What is great about Mulan is her persistence and desire to do her best at whatever she is doing, even if she can’t do the “womanly” things she’s supposed to know how to do by instinct.
Want more strong folktales heroines? Check out these titles. Who is your favorite?
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