Disney Rankings Finals: Best Female Lead
Disney Rankings Finals: Best Female Lead
This is part of my Disney Rankings Blog series, in which I discuss every single Walt Disney Animation movie and rank them according to different aspects. This is the first part of the end, so if you'd like to see some of the earlier stuff, you can visit this link right here, which has links to all the previous posts.
Alright, so we've finally made it to the finals! After six long months of watching 48 Disney movies, and ranking them, it's time to find out which movies are the best of the best. In this round, we're going to take a look at all of the best female leads from previous leads and talk a little big about what make them the "queens" of Disney. Even though I am technically "ranking" them, please know that, in my opinion, simply being on this list is a great honor for each of these characters, so please don't feel too bad if one of your favorite characters does not score high on this list. However, I'd love to hear what you think, don't be afraid to make your case for a character who you believe deserved a higher place.
During the finals, I'm going to be sharing fan art, videos, thoughts/ideas from other Disney fans, and I will make sure to credit them and provide links to their original works so you can learn more about them.
So, let's get started!
12th Place: Bambi's Mother (Bambi)
Ted-Drakness (link)
ArunaTramp (link)
allisonchinart (link)
This video, by Big Joel on Youtube, discusses how Bambi is essentially Disney's giant love letter to nature. It's supposed to symbolize the natural cycle of life and death that permeates nature. I feel like Bambi's mother is central to this theme. She is there at the very beginning, providing life and warmth to the film. Her death introduces the darker themes of the movie.
11th Place: Perdita (101 Dalmatians)
Stray-Sketches (link)
n8eulchen (link)
Shade-SilverWing (link)
As highlighted in this article written by Errin Spencer, Perdita, along with Pongo represents the true love of a parent. That is something very powerful which we the audience can connect with. As I mentioned in my earlier blog post, Perdita goes through a lot trying to rescue her puppies, and her devotion and love just really stood out to me.
10th Place: Cinderella (Cinderella)
Meike Schneider (link)
PrincessFairy (link)
Amanda Borges Leite (link)
Cinderella definitely gets a lot of hate in today's culture for being, what many people consider, the poster child of the "Female Passivity" role model. However, in their video, Stop Blaming the Victim, Screen Prism from YouTube, argues that Cinderella is not a model of passivity, but rather, a model of inner strength in the face of severe abuse. It really is amazing how Cinderella is able to keep holding on to hope, faith, and kindness while struggling to cope with the challenges of her life. If we knew Cinderella as a person in real life, I'm sure most of us would love to have her as a friend, and would be inspired by her fortitude. She may be an old-fashioned character, but I think she represents a story worth telling.
9th Place: Lilo (Lilo & Stitch)
Heather Theurer (link)
Oi-Pying (link)
Silviarte (link)
Most of you have probably seen a copy of this meme floating around the internet. It essentially describes one of the things that makes Lilo such a good character. As the meme states, Lilo is passionate about everything. She doesn't really do things halfway, even her daydreams. Lilo comes from a very troubled background: both her parents died when she was a young age, meaning she is being raised by her well-intentioned, but completely overwhelmed older sister. This background could make it easy for her to be un-motivated and passionless, but she forges ahead, dreaming and believing anyway. As the meme says: "Be a Lilo".
8th Place: Widow Tweed (Fox & the Hound)
Widow Tweed is definitely one of the most underrated Disney women there is. This article by the Feeling Animated Blog, describes why I really like Widow Tweed. Movies generally don't do a very good job of writing older women characters. Usually, they're simply comic relief. However, in contrast to that, Widow Tweed is extremely well-written, and does a lot to showcase themes such as loneliness, surrogate family, and the pains/blessings of Motherhood. Her character shows that being a mother isn't limited to your own family, but is a powerful force that can express itself in myriad ways.
7th Place: Pocahontas (Pocahontas)
ArtCrawl (link)
foomidori (link)
Mohanad05 (link)
Disney's Pocahontas is by no means a perfect movie, and may people have criticized it for its representation of Native American culture. Sadly, Pocahontas herself is often lumped in with all those criticisms, and she often doesn't get the praise she deserves. The thing that I admire the most about Pocahontas is her devotion to what's best for her people, and her courage to fight for peace. In a world of two peoples who saw each other as enemies, Pocahontas was the one who risked her own life to bring them together.
6th Place: Mittens (Bolt)
AtutumnDeer (link)
Goldy--Gry(link)
Xx-Syaoran-kun-xX (link)
There are a lot of female characters in Disney movies who struggle and have their challenges, and I feel like Mittens is a very good representative for them, and for women who struggle in real life. Like a lot of people who struggle, Mittens seems very bitter and sardonic at first. At the center though is the belief she has that she is worthless, that she's just a piece of trash to be thrown away. This is pointed out poignantly when she basically tells Bolt that the animal shelter is going to euthanize her because she isn't "cute" like him, and no human would ever want her (which sadly happens to about a third of all cats and dogs who enter animal shelters). Despite these serious challenges though, Mittens becomes a true and loyal friend to Bolt, and helps him learn how to cope with his new life. She may not have the most "epic" story, but she definitely has one of the most satisfying endings.
5th Place: Belle (Beauty & the Beast)
MaxiePerlberg (link)
briannacherrygarcia (link)
madam-marla (link)
There's a lot of great things about Belle. For one thing, she gives representation for all of us bookworms! She has one of the best singing voices of all the Disney princesses, and she is also intelligent.
The thing that I like most about Belle though is her willingness to help people change. We can see this most clearly with how she interacts with the Beast. She isn't gullible or naive in her interactions with him, but she still sees and nurtures the good in him. She gives him a chance to develop his redeeming qualities. Even if they didn't end up together, I think the transformation Belle helps the Beast go through is one of the best examples of what's great about Belle's character.
4th Place: Tiana (Princess & the Frog)
alicexz (link)
Spiritwollf (link)
nightwing1975 (link)
While many people praise Tiana for being the first African-American princess, I think she represents so much more than just that. She also represents everyone who has ever had to work themselves to the brink of exhaustion every day in order to see their dreams come true. She represents those of us who sometimes forget to turn to others in our obsession to be independent and hard-working. She represents those of us who have ever lost a loved one and did all we could to live up to their memory.
3rd Place: Bianca (The Rescuers)
lord-phillock (link)
idontruntoofast (link)
LauraMegara (link)
A lot of my thoughts on why Bianca is such a great character are echoed in this article here.
First of all, let's recognize that Bianca is a mouse who travels around the world saving children from child abuse and human trafficking. And she doesn't just save animal children mind you, she rescues human children. Meaning, she's a little mouse going up against some of the worst of humanity. That is without a doubt, one of the best character backgrounds in Disney history--she's basically Batman.
Anyway, despite her awesome background, Bianca also has a keen eye for recognizing potential in other people. This can be seen in the way she treats Bernard. While all the other mice don't even notice him, Bianca sees him as a hero, and even chooses him as her partner to help her rescue Penny, despite his lack of experience. She saw something in him worthwhile, while others simply saw a janitor.
There's been a lot of talk in the media about "strong female characters". Sadly, many people think that simply giving a female character the ability to fight makes her a "strong" female character. What I like about Bianca is that she demonstrates what it really means to be a strong female character. Bianca is confident, but also realistic--she recognizes her strengths and isn't afraid to recognize her weaknesses. She's skilled at what she does, and is good at effectively cooperating with others to accomplish the better good. Although she feels fear, she chooses to react courageously. Most importantly, Bianca is a balanced, three-dimensional character.
2nd Place: Officer Judy Hopps (Zootopia)
Deriee (link)
Joakaha (link)
Anastasia-berry (link)
As I pointed out in my last post, Judy Hopps is one of the most well-written Disney characters ever, so she definitely deserves to be sitting at the top of this list.
I love the character arc that Judy goes through in her movie. She starts off as a very likable, relatable, and powerful character, who has strong ideals and values. She has an inspiring dream of making the world a better place, and she's incredibly tenacious in working towards that dream. All of this seemingly comes crashing down on her as the movie reaches its emotional climax. Judy comes face to face her greatest fear: that she is making the world a worse place rather than a better one (at least, from her perspective). I find this so powerful because we rarely ever get to see such a virtuous character be tested like this in most movies. It really is the ultimate test of a good person--to confront the possibility that you might not be as good as you think you are. Judy confronts that fear, and learns how to cope with it. She realizes that she might not be perfect, and she may have flaws, but that those weaknesses don't define who she is, and that she is still an amazing person despite them.
Winner: Fa Mulan (Mulan)
LarryWilson (link)
PeterPrime (link)
lieusum (link)
ArtCrawl (link)
It might seem a little cliche to have Mulan as the best female character, but I truly believe that she deserves this position. Somehow, the writers were able to put so much into her character without her feeling bloated or overdoing it.
For one thing, the internal conflict Mulan has with her flaws and weaknesses is executed wonderfully in the movie. We can see that Mulan is awkward, unsure of who she is, and doubts her self-worth, which is something that so many of us can relate to. These flaws give her a very human feel, and they help her victories feel truly earned. We see her struggle mentally, emotionally, and physically to not only save the ones she cares about, but also to find her own worth. That struggle is what endears her to us and drives the story forward.
I also want to point out Mulan's incredible bravery and selflessness. It would have been easy for her to just let her father go to war. She knew that there was a very real possibility of death by taking his place--both from the Huns and from her own people if they found out about her--but she did it anyway because her love for her father was more powerful than her fear. A lot of characters make sacrifices to do what's right, but Mulan's sacrifice just feels so powerful and poignant--it makes a tired old moral, "do the right thing" feel powerful and earth-shaking.
For additional reasons why Mulan is the best female character in all Disney, watch this video.
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Well, the first of the final rounds has been completed, and I must say I'm really glad with how this one turned out. Next time, I will talk about the top 12 Male Disney Leads, and find out which one is the best! Because I am currently swamped with school, it may be a little while, but I promise I will work hard to get to you guys as quickly as I can!
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