Proposal

Title
To what extent does 'Enchanted' problematise the stereotypical representation of women in Disney films?

Hypothesis
Despite the alteration of female roles in society, Walt Disney films have remained conventional in the representation of women. The idea of a damsel in distress is prevalent in ‘Enchanted’; Disney films depict women as passive.

Migrain analysis
Media language
- A close up of the Princess's face whilst she's sleeping reflects her innocence.
-High angle shot of the princess makes her seem weak and feeble.
-Props such as the Princesses flamboyant dresses portray a glamorised look, which aspire to young girls.

Institution
-Walt Disney Pictures are a commercial company that target a young audience. However, Walt Disney Pictures release films that deal with more adult issues than associated with Disney films.

Genre
-It incorporates animation, comedy, adventure, romance and family viewing; therefore it is a hybrid genre as it embodies different genre conventions. The surreal storyline is associated with children’s fictional adventure which is prevalent throughout the film; which makes adventure the main genre.

Representation
-Stereotypically, the Princess represents innocence which is manifest through her confusion and attire. The white extravagant dress symbolises her childlike mindset but white also connotes her lack of experience. Her sweet nature is juxtaposed by the evil corrupt witch.
-Giselle (princess) urges to be rescued by the prince. Men in the film symbolise strength and bravery in stark contrast the unadventurous princess. A binary opposition between the men and women is evident through the contrast of the two.
-New York itself is glamorised but also portrayed as an unpleasant city, as nobody helps the princess.

Audience
-Clearly, it is aimed at a younger audience, in particular girls between the ages of 4 to 11. In addition, it appeals to adults, especially parents through the use of humour such as double entendre.

Ideology
-Patriarchal ideals are demonstrated by the princess’s expectation of being saved by a prince. However it can be argued that the evil witch is independent and has ultimate control over her assistant; thus a matriarchal ideology is being shown.
-Finally, when the princess discovers her true love a familial ideology is conveyed through the closeness of the family.
-Overall traditional values are exemplified in this film and reflected onto the audience.

Narrative
The narrative is liner as it highlights the princess’s life in chronological order. Proppain characters are created in the film.

Theorists/theories
I will be incorporating theorists which I have learnt about in year 12 such as Propp, Levi-Strauss, Laura Mulvey and Rabiger. In addition, I will be conducting further research into historical facts about women and the development of Feminism. Similarly, I must also explore new media theorist during my investigation. Additionally, my research will be examining the concept of hegemony.

Debates
I will also be contrasting and comparing previous Disney films to discover similarities with 'Enchanted'. Additionally it will be relating Disney to other institutions aimed at a similar audience demographic such as Pixar. Both institutions appeal to a young 3-12 years old and according to feminist sociologist Norman et al (1988) sex stereotypes are taught before children go to school. Therefore, prompting the question are Disney and similar institutions partially responsible for creating gender stereotypes?

Research required
Solely, I will be analysing the Disney institution it's representation of women and how it has altered in the past fifty years. Also my work will entail researching books, the Internet and articles for theorists and historically depictions of women.
A recent notion that Disney films contain subliminal sexual messages which corrupt children will be further explored in this research.

http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2003/gp13/gp13.pdf
http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/aladdin.asp
faculty.pepperdine.edu/rperrin/courses/soc200/Inquiry%20examples/Gender%20and%20Disney.doc
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3613496.ece
These websites discuss subliminal messages in Disney films, all of the undertake different viewpoints on The notion of subliminal messages. Thus, from this evidence I can conclude if the alleged messages are an explanation sexually exploit females and subconsciously teach sex stereotypes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company
http://www.famouspeople.co.uk/w/waltdisney.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/03/25/eadisney125.xml
These sites highlight information about Walt Disney and the history of Disney.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461770/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchanted_(film)
http://www.enchanted-movie.com/
http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=163982
These website are contain detailed overviews of the 'Enchanted' and also
contain reviews of the film. This is important as it will prove whether my hypothesis suggesting that Disney films do present women stereotypically.

Sociology and social policy for the early years, By Alan Yeo and Tina Lovell
This book will demonstrate the development of children and the influence of media on them.

Women and the family, by Kate Hyndley
This book depicts the changing roles of women throughout history and will help my research by revealing whether Disney's presentation of females is outdated.