Post 5

           Linda Woolverton is a screenwriter who helped create three of the most popular Disney films: Beauty and the Beast, Alice in wonderland, and Maleficent. In an interview she discusses the “trend of turning animated classics into live-action films.” Her trick to “re-invent fairy tales for contemporary tastes and attitudes without losing the essence” is by retaining what Woolverton calls the “icons” of the film. For example, for Beauty and the Beast it is the rose, while in Sleeping Beauty it is when Aurora pricks her finger. So using these central aspects of the film, Woolverton retains them but creates the story in the point of view of the protagonist. When creating a film with a female protagonist, she tries to portray the character with a variety of emotions and characteristics, not just an emotional damsel in distress. On top of that, being a feminist, she exhibits that through female characters that possess enough willpower to handle situations and settle them. 

      

Maleficent begins the movie with large, dark wings 

However, once her wings are stolen, it begins the story of how
she became the character everybody knows her to be.

 The scene that garnered so much attention for Maleficent is the scene where her male love interest betrays her, drugs her, cuts off of her wings and takes them; a scene that is reminiscent of rape.  So this scene essentially becomes the one that turns Maleficent into the revenge seeking villain that she is. Despite the underlying plot in this film that when a man does  something bad, revenge is the best solution, the movie nonetheless depicts rape in such a way that even children will grasp the concept. The movie includes a message about rape, which is a global issue that many people, including Angelina Jolie, hope to create awareness for and try to combat. So to include such a message, in a “global blockbuster,” it helps to create awareness by making people think about the horror of rape without having to witness the gory reality of it.

By the end of the film, Alice has amassed strength
and the capacity to fight for herself, but did not give up
her femininity to do so. 

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is another great film that possesses key elements of feminist characters. The movie has multiple female characters who are strong, but yet are still feminine, so the two characteristics do not deviate from each other in order to validate societal beliefs that a woman can not be feminine in order to be powerful. The film also reflects how woman can make their own choices, and make choices that do not follow societal gendered rules. For example, in the beginning of the film, Alice is pressured into accepting a marriage request. Considering this film was during the Victorian Era, woman had little to no other options than to marry and have a family. Nonetheless, Alice's ability to fight towards the end of the movie, reflects her decision to fight against such gender roles, and refuse to be reduced to go through a life of marriage that she does not desire. Alice's decision ultimately creates a film that proves that woman can be heroes, and claim victory without the help of a man. The movie also captures the ability for woman to have a happy ending, and a successful life, without finding a love interest or being married at the end. 

Citations:

• http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/maleficent-writer-linda-woolverton-on-     adapting-fairy-tales-for-a-new-generation
• http://www.themarysue.com/maleficent-review/
• http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/06/angelina-jolie-maleficent-rape
• http://www.genderacrossborders.com/2010/03/21/tim-burtons-alice-in-wonderland-is-almost-a-great-feminist-fairytale/