Analysis Of Escape From Wonderland: Disney And The Female Imagination '

here,” simply offering themselves up so easily. Competition also brews between Ursula and Ariel, as they compete for the prince’s hand in marriage. Deborah Ross even argues that the bubbles in Ariel’s bathwater are significantly linked to Sebastian’s earlier ode that it is also “better down where it’s wetter.” Ross argues that sexual innuendos are implied in other aspects of the movie as well in her article, “Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination.” She also claims that Disney irresponsibly encourages the imposition of traditional women’s roles as an ideal infrastructure upon women, and encouraging their sexuality to be ignored and suppressed, although these ‘desires’ appears in later ambiguous forms throughout movies like

Ariel still faces scrutiny and severe judgement by the men in her life, which leaves Ariel herself, questioning and doubting her own identity. The viewers are left to assume that in order for females to achieve happiness, based on what society tells them should make them happy, such as love, they must give up their soul, like Ariel literally did to become authentically fullfilled. “It leads the girl whom we have to know as Ariel to give up everything that defines her-her kingdom and family, her fish tail, and, most important, her voice-in return for two ostensibly beautiful human legs that leave her in eternal agony,” (Dunes 59) She must also choose between one or the other, because women are not simply given their free will on a silver platter, but only at a cost, in which she must choose between her father or the man she loves. However, love in this context is reduced and equated to sex, as the terms of her arrangement with Ursula that he must fall in love with her, “that is-kiss you” (Trites). Ariel is the only reoccurring female character, as most of the animals and people featured in the human kingdom are male, sharing the same male dominated ideals. The Little Mermaid was even accused of portraying penile imagery on its videocassette cover, which Disney later defended as simply a “castle,” although its “phallic-shaped center spire” makes this unbelievable (Schweitzer and Schweitzer 143) Most of all The Little Mermaid exhibits many examples of female objectification and themes of misogyny, versus the hegemonic male characters, that force inflicting control of sexism over the women, while belittling their self-worth and social relevance. They are constantly victimized or portrayed as victims and imposed upon by