Search Results for: Mad Men

Animated Children’s Films: Third Time Still Not the Charm for Toy Story’s Female Characters

This guest review by Natalie Wilson first appeared at Bitch Flicks in January 2011.   Toy Story 3 opens on a woman-empowerment high, with Mrs. Potato-Head displaying mad train-robbing skills and cowgirl Jessie skillfully steering her faithful horse Bullseye in the ensuing chase. And that’s the end of that: From there on, the film displays … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Third Time Still Not the Charm for Toy Story’s Female Characters”

Animated Children’s Films: Monsters vs. Aliens: Animation Finds Girl Power

This is a guest review by Amanda Krauss. Note: This is adapted from a review I wrote on March 28, 2009, after seeing the movie when it first came out. Although this was the fist movie to be fully produced in 3D, I didn’t see the 3-D/IMAX version. Nor had I seen the original, nor … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Monsters vs. Aliens: Animation Finds Girl Power”

Animated Children’s Films: Aladdin

This is an anonymous guest review.  This movie is about a princess and a “street rat” who fall in love and must overcome the evil Jafar to get married. This movie is also about generalizing non-Western cultures (mainly Middle Eastern cultures) and perpetuating cartoonish stereotypes of Arabic peoples. As an added bonus, this movie masquerades … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Aladdin”

Animated Children’s Films: You Say Princess Like It’s a Bad Thing

This is a guest review by Myrna Waldron.  “The sarcasm is practically melting off the screen!” If you’re an internet and animation addict like I am, you’ve probably come across several sets of images, like the one above, that point out the sexist flaws present in Disney films. While I wholeheartedly believe in critical analysis … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: You Say Princess Like It’s a Bad Thing”

Animated Children’s Films: From the Archive: Tangled

This guest review by Whitney Mollenhauer was published at Bitch Flicks in May 2011.   Last Friday, I saw Disney’s Tangled with my husband.  I thought it was a pretty good feminist-y movie, especially considering that it was a Disney princess-type movie. Because I am lazy, I have written my review in bullet-point form: Rapunzel’s father … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: From the Archive: Tangled”

Animated Children’s Films: The Land Before Time

This is a guest review by Juniper Russo. My three-year-old daughter is a short-haired, bluejean-wearing feminist who will eschews the princess genre as “impractical and silly” and views “dinosaur movies” as the zenith of modern cinematography. “We’re Back” and “Fantasia” get honorable mentions in her book, but her favorite film by far is “The Land … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: The Land Before Time”

Animated Children’s Films: The Tale of Despereaux

This is a guest review by Robert Poteete. Out the gate, this movie shows a lot of promise with great animated sequences. There were plenty of visually interesting scenes, such as a giant soup-making Rube Goldberg machine, and an advisor spirit composed of vegetables. The movie also features a rat protagonist who breaks the stereotype … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: The Tale of Despereaux”

Animated Children’s Films: Ferngully: Last Rainforest and Great Gender Equalizer?

This is a guest post by Emma Kat Richardson. If you’re the parent of a child who has outgrown mindless fare like the Teletubbies but not quite ripened toward Harry Potter levels of sophistication, stumbling upon a film like Ferngully: The Last Rainforest to share with your family must be nothing short of an epic … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Ferngully: Last Rainforest and Great Gender Equalizer?”

Animated Children’s Films: From the Archive: Howl’s Moving Castle and Male Adaptations of Female Work

This piece by Emily Belanger originally appeared in June 2011.  The first time I saw Howl’s Moving Castle, five or six years ago, I was delighted. I’d seen Spirited Away, but other than that I’d never seen any Miyazaki films, and as far as Miyazaki films go, HMC is a tad more accessible to Western … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: From the Archive: Howl’s Moving Castle and Male Adaptations of Female Work”

Animated Children’s Films: Anthropomorphism and Sexism in Disney’s The Aristocats*

This is a guest post by Rhea Daniel. Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, a wealthy retired opera singer, lives in Paris with her cat Duchess and her three kittens Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz. Edgar the butler is surprised to learn that Madame, with no living relatives, plans to bequeath her entire estate to her cats and he … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Anthropomorphism and Sexism in Disney’s The Aristocats*”

Animated Children’s Films: From the Archive: Fantastic Mr. Fox

This review by Amber Leab was originally published in 2010.  After hearing repeatedly that Fantastic Mr. Foxis Wes Anderson’s best film, I gave it a try. I’m not the biggest Anderson fan—I generally find his aesthetic too precious, his characters over-privileged bores, and his daddy issues repetitive and tiresome—but it seemed to me that stop-motion … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: From the Archive: Fantastic Mr. Fox”

Animated Children’s Films: Lilo & Stitch

This is a guest review by Sarah Kaplan. In the spirit of Whitney Mollenhauer’s bullet point review of Tangled, please enjoy this review of Lilo & Stitch, the most feminist kids’ movie I’ve ever seen, organized by character. The Grand Councilwoman The first character we see in this movie is female, powerful, and complex. She appears … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Lilo & Stitch”