Comparative Analysis Essay Paper

Changing Gender Roles in Disney Name:Institutional affiliationChanging Gender Roles in DisneyFeminism is a contemporary principle advocating for gender equality. Feminists believe that the patriarchal society is unfair to women by expecting them to be passive and dependent, while men as brave, adventurous and independent. In recent years, Disney has been at the centre of criticism for promoting patriarchal beliefs through its fairy tales. In the 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, the ‘queen of all evil’ casts a spell upon Princess Aurora, that she would be petrified on the night of her 16th birthday. The spell would only be broken after she receives the kiss from the love of her life. The 21st century version of the story is told from a feminist perspective. The film explains the reason why Maleficent is filled with hatred towards the kingdom, making the audience sympathises with her tragedy whiledegrading men as greedy for power. Maleficent is consistent with the feminist belief that women do not need men to save them. Unlike the conventional women in fairy tales like Aurora, Maleficent is an independent character devoid of the gender stereotypes of Aurora in the