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Alex Knorp
Dr. Parker
ENGL 113-03
4/23/15
Justice Critical Summary
In the article, Maleficent Reborn: Disneys Fairytale View of Gender Reaches
Puberty, Benjamin Justice argues that Disney has finally produced a film that defies
gender stereotypes and empowers women. In his article, Justice reminisces on past
Disney films and critiques the way that women are portrayed in films such as Cinderella,
Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid. He states that in past films,
Disney stirred in an unhealthy dose of sexism. The female protagonists were morally
(and sexually) pure young princesses fresh out of puberty, with lives defined by longing
for a prince (194). He does not believe that a womans primary role in a film should be
to wait for a man to make her dreams come true, and I agree with him. The rest of
Justices article compares the 2014 movie, Maleficent to past Disney films and
commends the strong character of Maleficent. Justice claims that Maleficent is a special
film in a league of its own because of its strong female lead and ability to critique a male
character, which suggests that women are being seen as equals in society and in films.
One main argument presented in Justices article is that the idea of True Loves
Kiss is overrated and degrades women by making them objects for men to use for a
physical relationship without even knowing the woman. He claims that Disney puts a
higher emphasis on womens beauty than it does on their personality when he talks about
how Ariel has to make Prince Eric fall in love with her despite not being able to speak.
Ursula tells Ariel, Dont underestimate the power of body language! The men up there
dont like a lot of blather Its she who holds her tongue that gets her man (195).
Justice points out that, Incredibly, the movie endorses Ursulas point: the prince does fall
in love with Ariel in three days, based solely on her looks and (presumably) her talents as
a mime. Disney should not promote people judging others based on the way that they
look. People should be seen for their personality and the values that mean the most to
them. In past Disney films, the idea of True Loves Kiss may be mystical and kind of
romantic, but it is not very realistic. In Maleficent, the idea of True Loves Kiss is put to
the test when Maleficent does not believe that there is any such thing. She was hurt too
badly to believe that a kiss could break a curse. Maleficent puts a spin on the traditional
True Loves kiss, though because Maleficents kiss on Auroras forehead breaks the spell.
Her love for Aurora is not the same artificial and physical love that Disney princes have
for their princessesit is a love that stems deeper, and it is a maternal love. The message
of motherly love is powerful and reminds America that pure, genuine love is strong
enough to overcome betrayal and heartbreak.
Justice suggests that, The question is what Maleficent tells its viewers about how
girls and women are supposed to act and, further, what Disneys assumptions are about
who would view this message and how they would receive it (195). While I think that
Maleficent is about so much more than how women should act, I do think that it is a very
interesting point that so many people from different age groups interpret the film in a
different way. Young girls who watch it may just understand that Stefan treats Maleficent

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poorly and betrays her, leaving her heartbroken and angry. Older girls and women may
take the act of Stefan cutting off Maleficents wings a step farther and interpret it as rape.
The film is powerful no matter how it is interpreted because in the end Maleficent
conquers Stefan and overcomes the broken heart that he gave to her.
Justices article is well written and very well organized. He does not have a very
clear thesis statement because he is mainly just commenting on his thoughts about
Maleficent in general, but each section of his article has a clear main assertion. He
discusses the revolution that Maleficent is starting for female empowerment in films and
commends the writers and directors in the hope that this feminist trend will continue.
Work Cited
Justice, Benjamin. Maleficent Reborn: Disneys Fairytale View of Gender Reaches
Puberty. Social Education. 78(4). pp 194-198. National Council for the Social
Studies. 2014.