Ten Feminist-Friendly Movies for Kids
June 17, 2009
Here’s a list for all of you parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and friends of young children. This is a list of kid movies that have girl leads, the girl leads are NOT princesses , and the movies are enjoyable. In no particular order.
- Chicken Run
- Hoodwinked (produced in Oklahoma!)
- Castle in the Sky
- The Corpse Bride
- Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
- Lilo and Stitch
- Alice in Wonderland
- Monster’s Inc.
- Any Sailor Moon movie
Okay, so I couldn’t think of ten that met my criteria of girl lead, not a princess, and entertaining. Isn’t it depressing that I can’t even think of ten? But I hope and pray that it’s because I just haven’t seen the movies I’m looking for. Can you help a girl out? The future of America is at stake here.
For real,
Spring
Advertisement
June 17, 2009 at 9:09 am
How would the Wizard of Oz fare?
June 17, 2009 at 10:51 am
Nancy Drew (the remake), Hotel for Dogs, Kitt Kittredge, Heidi, Tammy Meets the Doctor (okay so not really for kids I think – more pre-teen), Spy Kids, Hannah Montana (not a good movie), Monsters vs. Aliens(?), Scoobie Doo movies (?), Alien and Aliens (could be traumatizing), Anne of Green Gables (!!!!), Ice Princess (she’s not a real priness), Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, Nim’s Island, Golden Compass
June 17, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Wow, already so many good additions to the list.
Wizard of Oz definitely meets the criteria…
Michael-pedia, you really out did yourself!!!
June 17, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Damn, Michael beat, I was thinking of the Golden Compass on the way home. The movie toned down the more “controversial” (if you want to call ‘em that) aspects of the books, but the casting of Lyra–the smart, witty, defiant, tomboyish, courageous 12-year-old heroine–was SPOT ON.
The books are great–I highly recommend the trilogy. And that’s pretty strong from me, seeing how these books come with those two little words that would otherwise prevent me from ever reading them: SCIENCE FICTION. But in addition to feminism, the books express themes of anti-theism, eco-consciousness, biological evolution, science vs dogma, and portray homosexuals in a positive light. What? KIDS read this stuff? >gasp!<
I was at work when I read this blog post, and I had my coworkers–both female, with elementary school-aged siblings–to read it and see if any movies came to mind. Both simultaneously said "Pocahontas".
FAIL.
June 18, 2009 at 9:45 am
yeah, pocahontas totally fails!
June 18, 2009 at 11:51 am
Spirited Away. And maybe this wouldn’t be good for little kids, but Little Women (I love the Winona Ryder version) is fabulous.
Great blog! I was thinking about how much I liked “Up” but that I wish there could be a movie like that with a girl and a grandma figure. WHY MUST ALL DISNEY MOMS HAVE TO DIE?? (Academics have written about this; I just take up the battle-cry.)
June 18, 2009 at 5:18 pm
There’s a movie called Penelope starring Christina Ricci that I watched recently that was totally awesome. It’s very fairy tale, but the ending is not what you expect! There are still a few things that suck about it, like one very scary moment (even for a grownup) in the beginning when the little man and the snobby guy are sitting in the car outside Penelope’s house… and something else that I can’t tell you because it will give the ending away.
June 19, 2009 at 8:57 am
One Disney mom who doesn’t die and has somewhat of an important role is Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast. She sings a number of the major songs, and she is so cute. There is also Simba’s mom from the The Lion King, who if I remember correctly makes it into all of the sequels. I don’t think they would qualify as leads. The lady/mom from 101 Dalmatians is pretty cool. I have been reminiscing about that movie lately with friends. Wendy plays a mother figure in Peter Pan. Peter Pan doesn’t seem like a very feminist film per se. But it makes me think of connections to Mary Poppins and children. I don’t think anyone has mentioned Mary Poppins yet. Jami and I just had an hour long discussion about the ethics of suffragism portrayed in MP. There is a mom in Aristocrats. Female mouse lead in the Rescuerers. Has no one mentioned MULAN yet! Oh my! What a great feminist-light film for kids! Then there is Bedknobs and Broomsticks, maybe not a feminist film, but a kind of decent kids film that features female leads.
June 19, 2009 at 9:48 am
A lead’s mom definitely doesn’t count as a lead. When you have to reference the adult female by her child’s existence- FAIL! Though Mrs. Potts IS precious!
My daughter says that MULAN is a princess, albeit a warrior princess…
June 19, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Speaking of which, I have every season of Xena on DVD. And she’s technically not a princess–she got the “Warrior Princess” title from the wife of a Chinese emperor with whom she had a lesbian tryst.
Portlyn’s dying borrow ‘em, right?
RIGHT?!?
June 19, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Ella Enchanted is good, even if there is some Princess-adjacentness, simply because the point of the movie is that Ella’s subservience and obedience is BAD and Ella ultimately rejects the title of “princess.”
Labyrinth is #1 with a bullet. Sarah is kind of a bad-ass, especially at the end when she shuts down HOT HOT HOT David Bowie for being a dick.
And Whale Rider! Awesome stuff about Maori culture in addition to the cutest little girl ever. Not only is the lead a girl, SHE’S NOT EVEN WHITE!
Kiki’s Delivery Service is super, super cute.
And while it’s not really a “kids’” movie, Tank Girl is high on the awesome list. “Lock up your sons,” indeed!
Return to Oz, also good, but a little scary.
June 22, 2009 at 8:23 am
ARGH! How did I forget Whale Rider? That movie is freaking amazing!!!
June 22, 2009 at 2:29 pm
majorly seconding THE LABYRINTH!!!
June 22, 2009 at 2:33 pm
i’d also recommend The Secret Garden. a little trite, but i love the part where mary puts the logic smack down on colin for being spoiled and hysterical.
June 22, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Tim Burton is doing Alice in Wonderland! Dollars to donuts, it will mos def be good for grrls.
June 22, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Just saw some stills for the new Alice in Wonderland and it looks amazing. I would have to add to this list Buffy…not a movie, but a strong female character.
I loved Harriet the Spy. When my sister was little we watched it. Also, Pipi Longstocking. Oh, and I totally forgot Shirley Temple in the Little Princess. The reason I love this movie is that even though she goes through some tough things she doesn’t let her playfulness and dreaming go away. She is not “technically” a princess
June 24, 2009 at 1:15 pm
“The Golden Compass” is awesome!!! The series of books are even 10 times more amazing!!
June 28, 2009 at 4:05 pm
ahhh wonderful girl lead in “OFF the Map”–and strong mother figure also…unconventional, strong, good people…yes…a movie for encouraging independent minded growth in a girl…
June 28, 2009 at 4:08 pm
ps—http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/off_the_map/
it’s a much stronger film than the 69% fresh rating might suggest–all depends on your perspective–and strong women raise the rating in my book..
July 12, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Just watched Inkheart recently. It’s a little bit scary but all about the magic of books. A girl who loves to read (I’m guessing Portlyn does?) would love the idea of being able to make books come to life just by reading them out loud. And for once, the person who actively saves the day is the young girl herself.
May 22, 2010 at 5:12 pm
The Secret of Roan Inish. Almost no one has ever heard of it, I know, but it’s friggin awesome- lead is a pre-teen girl who comes to live with grandparents and is convinced she is seeing her supposedly dead baby brother being raised by seals and ends up bringing her family back to their ancestral home. Involves Irish myth especially Selkies. Very cool.
May 23, 2010 at 6:39 am
Great suggestion…I gotta see it!