As amazingly spectacularly awesome as Pixar unarguably is, I've noticed - especially now that I have a daughter - the their female protagonist list is sadly lacking. Aside from Woody's female counterpart in Toy Story 2 and Boo in Monsters Inc., I'm hard pressed to think of any that spring to mind (Oh - the princess ant in A Bug's Life!), and of those that do, I obviously can't even recall most of their names. Apparently I'm not alone, as this open letter on NPR's website will attest. The unfortunate imagery the title of the letter may conjure aside, it's 100% worth your time to read.
This is not an angry letter. It is especially not an angry letter about Up, which I adored. I could have sat in the theater and watched it two more times in a row. I cried, but I also laughed so hard in places that it wore me out.
So I'm not complaining; I'm asking. I'm asking because I think so highly of you.
Please make a movie about a girl who is not a princess.
Fanboys and obsessive people take note: this is how you write an open letter to a mass media company. It's interesting, makes valid arguments and most importantly, comes across as 100% sincere and sane.
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on Jun 4th, 2009 at 8:43 am
The NYTimes had something similar a couple months ago:
To: John Lasseter
From: Manohla Dargis
I’m psyched that you and the guys at Pixar Animation Studios are finally making a movie with a girl as the lead character and with a woman as director, no less — another first for you! Congrats! Of course we have to wait until 2011 to see “The Bear and the Bow,” but on behalf of 51 percent of the population, I salute you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/movies/03darg.html?ref=moviesspecial
on Jun 4th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Very true! More good movies with good female characters in them!
on Jun 4th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
How about Dory in Nemo? Or Sally in Cars? Or Elastigirl/Mrs. Incridible? They were pretty major characters, and good ones.
But the lack of "leading" ladies is a re-occurring them in kid's films anyway. I guess it all comes from Walt Disney's mother issues at some point...
on Jun 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Good calls there, Dwayne, but it kind of proves my point - great characters, but all second fiddles to the main protagonist in each of their respective movies. The lack of a female lead anchoring a Pixar movie to this point is probably the closest thing they can come to feeling ashamed of...and that's really not being all that fair, I'm sure.