Disney Studios brought us our childhood, from the Mary Poppins films to the Lion King, from Dumbo to the old school Treasure Planet, but in a more emblematic way; the Disney Princess line. From the OG Cinderella to the more recent Vanellope, princesses or female characters of similar status have a strong presence in modern film culture. The portrayal of these characters is unique in itself but all share similar feminine characteristics; beautiful, delicate and desperately in love with a male character. In many, if not most, action and fantasy films, women are portrayed as the damsel. Their whole purpose in the story is to help the male character, or to be their obsession. This is not a presentation on any of them, quite the contrary. With the rise of feminism and the demand for equal rights between the sexes, strong female characters were introduced into modern film culture and have become a recurring archetype in cinema. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay When we say “Strong Female Character,” what comes to mind? Usually the answer is a female character who has a direct or aggressive personality. A woman who controls her emotions and refuses to let them dominate her. She is independent, conventionally beautiful and intelligent while often being sarcastic. This is Hollywood's stereotypical representation of a "strong female character." What about strong male characters? What similar characteristics do they share with their gender counterparts? Well, they are usually direct, slightly aggressive. They are confident, intelligent, conventionally beautiful, in control of their emotions, sarcastic and can kick ass. For Hollywood, a strong female character is simply a woman who exhibits masculine traits, as if to say that a woman rejecting her femininity and embracing masculinity in her place will make her "strong." But is this true for all films, especially Disney films? This brings me to my thesis; Bancroft and Cook are more effective in using symbolism to drive the plot and develop the female protagonist, than those of Burton's Alice in Wonderland in challenging the expectations set by stereotypical gender roles. This will be demonstrated by comparing and contrasting how the strong female protagonists of Mulan and Alice in Wonderland are portrayed in relation to their gender roles, particularly in aspects of masculinity and femininity. We all know the story of Alice in Wonderland. An unassuming and individual 19-year-old faces an imminent arranged marriage to a future English lord, Hammish. Alice spots an unusually familiar rabbit running through the backyard of the residential estate and falls into the rabbit hole…. After arriving at the bottom, Alice finds herself in the wonderful and surreal world of Underland, filled with talking animals, queens, knights, and an impending prophecy. She realizes that she is indeed the “good” Alice, defeats the horrible jabberwocky and returns the throne to the rightful queen. Mulan is the story of a soldier's daughter. As a new war approaches and her father is called to fight, Mulan decides to take his place – even though, as we know, women were considered ineligible for war in China's patriarchal regime of the time . As such, Mulan poses as a man and leaves to train for war with the other recruits. Accompanied by hiscompanion Mushu, she learns to fight, protect from the invasion of the Huns and defeat Shun Yu, thus saving China. Alice is the “very typical female character, who gives her power not through her femininity, but through her masculinity”. At the beginning of the film, we see Alice struggling with social conventions and gender roles imposed by society, such as being forced into an arranged marriage and being asked to do what is "proper" or "appropriate" for a woman , which works. as a test of her feminist ideology. Alice is repeatedly criticized for her creative, imaginative, and curious mind, as it deviates from the norms of a society driven by regulation. An example of this is that while dancing with Hamish, Alice finds herself amused by his imagination or "visions". Hamish urges her to "keep her visions to herself", the first example of the oppression of Alice's imagination. Hamish continues with “when in doubt, keep quiet.” This pivotal scene marks the beginning of Alice's departure from what is considered "normal." Hamish is the representation, or symbol, of society's unwillingness to reform the well-established gender expectations of a male-dominated culture. While Underland offers Alice a means to express her budding feminist beliefs, she is further challenged to conform to the expectations of others and therefore must demonstrate the confidence and independence to assert herself. “Since I fell down this rabbit hole, everyone I have met has told me what to do and who I am. … [T]his is my dream, I will decide where it goes from here. The contradictory nature of Alice's feminism suggests that femininity cannot be celebrated as a source of strength and should instead focus on that which justifies male superiority: masculinity. Burton's modern adaptation pushes Alice into traditional masculine roles, such as becoming a knight in shining armor and embarking on a career in the capitalist trade industry, to prove her worth. Burton's attempt to break the mold of Disney's past female characters ultimately suggests that female characters can only achieve equality and power by eschewing femininity and instead embodying masculine qualities. But it's not just speculation. When Alice meets Madhatter for the first time, or should I say meet again for the first time, he says, “She’s absolutely Alice. You are absolutely Alice! I would know you anywhere. I would know him anywhere. This suggests that Alice must transform herself into a strong male figure, foreshadowing the battle at the end of the film, in which Alice plays a knight and defeats the jabberwocky. Unlike Alice, Mulan doesn't reject her femininity, nor does she. she rejects masculinity. At the beginning of the film, Mulan is depicted as a typical young woman. In the early scenes, including the first song “Honor to Us All,” we are introduced to the social gender hierarchy present in the film. Mulan learns that her manners and appearance are what will attract her a husband and, in doing so, bring honor to her family. The consequences of not following the social ideas imposed on her and the struggle Mulan endures lead to the song "Reflections", where Mulan considers the duality of her identity. Mulan shows signs of internal conflict because she does not have all the values ​​of women; grace, delicacy, balance, refinement, calm and punctuality. Her family and society have asked her to play a role of abject conservative feminism, which she knows within herself is not who she is. This foreshadows Mulan's growth as a protagonist and symbolizes the change the character will undeniably take. After joining the army in place of her father, Mulan, or Ping as.