Female Antagonists In Disney Films

Throughout the early history of storytelling, the antagonist has existed as a plot device, to which Bulman defined as a character that ‘usually represents negative things, while the protagonist espouses positive values.’ (Bulman, 2006, 17). He goes on to expand on the device’s use of conflict and how it is a necessary building block of creative storytelling. This analysis will explore the state of existence of the female antagonist, who has long been argued to be held in a transgressive state of bondage compared to the male. A woman who – as Mallan infers – is ‘largely drawn from literary and cultural stereotypes (e.g. the witch and the evil woman who lures, controls, and conspires).’ (Mallan, 2000, 26-35) and a woman who - when compared

Davis comments that ‘Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of villainesses in this era of Disney films is the much higher proportion of agency they show compared to that of their victims.’ (Davis, 2006, 107). They are given agency to act upon their desires freely, in addition to not having to resort their character to a heavy backstory to excuse their antagonistic nature or soften to become more appealing to the audience. In Sleeping Beauty (1959), Maleficent’s motivations for evil begin when she is seemingly left out of the invitations to the christening of the young Princess Aurora. Juneau writes that Maleficent’s ‘…petty excuse for villainy just adds to her evilness -- that she could be so cruel for such a small infraction.’ (Juneau, 2012) This is certainly true, as she resorts to attempted murder for such a slight mistake; She is seen as jealous of being uninvited, and thus acts out her revenge upon an innocent. Comparatively, in Maleficent (2014), her jealousy has turned into revenge for having her wings cruelly removed by someone she trusted, which during the time of release many sources interpreted as a metaphor for sexual assault, a metaphor in which ‘…too many adults in the audience will have had the experience to be able to apply it.’ (basilmarinerchase, 2014). However, such

As Ella argues: “As a villain, Mother Gothel in Disney’s Tangled is unique. She’s not motivated by revenge, greed, or lust for power. Gothel, terrified of growing older, is motivated by fear.” (Ella, 2012). The ‘fear’ – unlike early films where “Snow White’s beauty is the object of Queen’s envy…” (Stringham, 2011, 637) and being displaced as ‘The fairest of them all…’ (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937), Mother Gothel’s fear comes from something more permanent; the passing of time. However, her villainy does not come into play from her motivations alone, it is how she treats the protagonist. Unlike Lady Tremaine, whose possible abusive roots are alluded to off-screen, as Sapeni suggests, “One look from Lady Tremaine, and Cinderella falls into submission. It is my belief that Tremaine did something very traumatic to Cinderella…well beyond the psychological abuse.” (Sapeni, 2012), the trademarks of psychological and emotional abuse are clear to see with Mother Gothel’s actions. She does very little compared to previous antagonists. For example, she does not kill Rapunzel’s parents, neither does kidnap and abuse her in subpar conditions. In fact, it is rather the opposite. Her power is within her words and subtle