Entre a fantasia e a realidade: representações de gênero nos filmes “A Princesa e o Sapo” e “Valente”.

Abstract

This research analyzes gender representations in the films The Princess and the Frog and Brave, produced by Disney Animation Studios. The study is based on contributions from History and Cinema, Women’s and Gender History, as well as Social Representations, using the New Cultural History (NCH) as a methodological framework. Its objective is to examine the gender constructions present in the narratives, understand the transformations in the characterization of the protagonists over time, and investigate the influence of fairy tales on social perceptions of femininity. The results indicate that children’s films not only reflect social models but also contribute to their preservation, alteration, and re-signification. Comparative analysis between the two films reveals subtle changes in the characters’ profiles, indicating progress in breaking traditional stereotypes, however, some stereotypes were reinforced, and new mechanisms of normalization were also created. Thus, cinema and, in this specific case, its products, the films is understood as a gendered technology, capable of shaping discourses and social practices in dialogue with feminist achievements, political demands, and the commercial interests of media corporations.