| This thesis mainly examine the construction of female image in the recent four Disney animated princess films: The Princess and the Frog(2009), Tangled(2010), Brave(2012) and Frozen(2013). It aims to reveal the films' efforts to construct a new ideal female image — a complex whole — in contemporary context, by comparing the films with the other Disney animated princess films from three aspects: the portrayal of the heroines' physical appearance, the heroines' choices of life, and the adjustment of the heroines' relationships with others.The thesis is divided into three sections. The first section is an introduction which reviews previous studies on the portrayal of Disney princesses and introduces the purpose of this study as well as the structure of the thesis. The second section includes three chapters. Chapter One examines the changing portrayal of Disney princesses' physical appearance, which reflects the decreasing dependence on physical appearance of the newest princesses. Chapter Two compares the two different choices of life for Disney princesses, which emphasizes that the newest princesses have a stronger sense of self. Chapter Three analyzes the relationships that Disney princesses establish with other characters, which indicates that the newest princesses are able to enact equal and friendly relationships with people around them. The last section draws a conclusion that the newest Disney princesses reflect a new ideal female image — a complex whole. |
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