The proposal title for my dissertation is: how Disney’s depiction of gender and sexuality changed between original animated films and their live action remakes? While Disney and gender are a wide topic of study in the academic world, there are not many studies that focus on the comparison between the original animated films and their remakes that Disney have produced, as these are considered recent media texts.

The course of my research will primarily focus on identity politics. It would be of interest to question whether Disney has embraced identity politics in relation to gender and sexuality, particularly, in regards to women and their representation in the Disney feature films.

Main case studies that I will be focusing on are the original animations of Beauty and the Beast, Mulan and Cinderella; as well as their recent remakes. These case studies will require a good amount of textual analysis to draw out the comparisons between the original texts and their remake counterparts.

Theories surrounding adaptation will also feature in my research. For the majority, adaptation theory involves a literary source being adapted into another genre or medium, however, my focus on adaptation theory will be from animation to live action remakes in feature films. Through these theories, I will be exploring how Disney changes (if it changes) the depiction of sexuality and gender in their live action remakes.

Another prominent theory featured in my research, will be feminist theory. This will be a key factor in the analysis of gender and sexuality in the animated originals and their remakes. It would be of interest, with the advancement in feminism, to note whether Disney has kept up with the new modern society and gender roles.

There is an extensive amount of research on Disney’s diversity in their films, the move that Disney has made to create powerful heroines proves to be a step in the right direction, regarding gender politics. However, through the animated feature Frozen (2013), what Disney fails to represent is the balance between power and romance. For Elsa, power is a substitute for romance and she is, therefore, presented as the power-hungry villain who threatens the “patriarchal status quo”. (Streiff & Dundes, 2017).

references

Streiff, M & Dundes, L. (2017). Frozen in time: How Disney gender-stereotypes its most powerful princess. Social Sciences, 6(2), 38. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/2/38/htm