Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government

Abstract

Animated Films have been applauded and have garnered much fan following
and acclaim owing to their creativity. The stories in the films tend to have a lasting impact
on the minds of the audience and have influenced generations to take inspiration from the
characters and stories. The stories have effected traditions, cultural values and gender
norms across societies.
It is in the wake of the huge impact that these films tend to exercise on the minds of the
audience especially the impressionable children, thereby shaping their moral and value
systems, that the films are often subjected to a lot of scrutiny in their role in the lives of the
audience and their effect on their thought processes. These films, especially from the
yesteryears, have been ridiculed for their glorification of male machismo and portrayal of
female lead as a damsel in distress that requires saving by the hero of the film. Also the
cliched depiction of beauty standards is another factor that adds to the ridicule.
This study examines the popular animated films from Hollywood and studies the depiction
of the female lead in the films. The study finds that there has been a lot of difference in
how the female lead was depicted in old times and the female lead in the animated films in
recent years. This signals a paradigm shift in the way women are represented in films and
kind of influence they have on the societal values