If we’re being honest, it
was never going to take long for a Disney post to appear on my blog and, if
we’re being even more honest, it most definitely won’t be long until the next.
Whether you’ve found life-long loves in Disney like me, are a part-time fan, or
could not care less, Disney and Pixar characters are everywhere. From a cartoon
mouse to a rat chief, from motor vehicles to emotions, from princesses to
demi-gods, Disney has had a huge influence on popular culture. As a writer, my character
inspiration can come from anywhere, and there are a hundred great examples to
draw from.
There are plenty
fan-favourites floating around out there that are hard to forget. Then there
are some we don’t hear about very often, or don’t even recognise as great until
we watch the movie again.
I have seen a number of
appreciation posts for some of the following characters, which has made my
heart sing, but some, I have rarely seen mentioned. Whether underappreciated is
true for all or not, here are 6 female Disney characters to inspire you or,
shortly titled, 6 characters I wish I’d come up with myself.
1
Captain Amelia from Treasure
Planet
“Doctor. To muse and
blabber about a treasure map in front of this particular crew, demonstrates a
level of ineptitude that borders on the imbecilic! And I mean that in a very
caring way.”
I start with Captain
Amelia, because she is what inspired this post. I loved Treasure Planet growing
up but it wasn’t until I watched it again in my teens that this character hit
me. Like a bat in the face, she hit me. I was captivated by everything about
her. As the Captain of her crew, she’s commanding, intensely loyal, and very clever,
but what is most intriguing about this particular character is her manner.
She’s fast talking, quick-witted, and uses eloquent speech to insult those who
have it coming. Combining her personality with her agile, elegant mannerisms,
you have a character you can’t look away from. What motivates her is what’s
best for her ship and her loyal crewmen, and her conflict is having to entrust
the role of authority unto someone else.
2
Audrey Ramirez from Atlantis: The Lost Empire
“About
time someone hit him. I’m just sorry it wasn’t me.”
From one of my top ten favourite
Disney films (although don’t ask me to make a list, I won’t ever actually
narrow it down), Atlantis: The Lost Empire. One of my favourite movies because
of the characters. Every time I watch it, it sparks my imagination. I love the team
dynamic in this story, each member with their own strengths, weaknesses and
mannerisms. I settled on my favourite: Audrey Ramirez. A tough, female
engineer? I couldn’t be more in awe as a kid. Add the sarcasm, the nonchalant
bubble blowing, the good heart that shines through at the end, and you have a
character I wish I could read a whole book about.
3
Esmerelda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
“What
do they have against people who are different, anyway?”
Esmerelda is more popular
than some of the others mentioned in this list, but I’d still consider her
somewhat underappreciated. First appearing as a dancing beauty, she quickly
reveals her gold heart and fiery, passionate soul. Fierce and unapologetic, she
stands up to authority for the greater good, damning the consequences. She’s
clever and quick in a crisis, and willing to fight. She does not think of
herself, but the treatment of others, and bases her decisions on what is right.
If I could have, I would’ve made her quote all the lyrics to God Help the Outcasts.
4
Charlotte La Bouff from The Princess and the Frog
“Why
look at you! Aren’t you just as pretty as a magnolia in May? Seems like only
yesterday we were both little girls wishing our fairy tale dreams.”
Daughter of the
wealthiest man in New Orleans, Charlotte first appears as a spoiled and shallow
character, and stays that way. She comes across as the stereotypical blonde;
dressing only in pink and having all the traits of the common ‘rich girl’. She
wishes to marry a prince, seemingly just to be a princess. Her most obvious
traits are usually represented by female characters who are meant to be
disliked. The spoiled rich girl is always nasty and back-stabbing. I loved that
she wasn’t, although I’m sorry to say I thought she would be, and quickly
realised I was playing into a stereotype I didn’t like at all. I thought she
would act selfish toward Tiana and somehow hurt her dream. Charlotte La Bouff is materialistic, spoilt and shallow in
some parts, but she is extremely kind hearted, naively optimistic, and adorably
excitable. When Tianna has a disaster at her masquerade ball, Charlotte stops
everything to help her, giving her only kindness and comforting words. She then
quickly gives up her dream of marrying Prince Naveen for her best friend and,
even at the end when she is no closer to marrying a prince than she was at the
beginning, she’s able to brush it off and laugh about it, only ever being happy
that Tianna did marry a prince. I
cannot emphasise enough how much I enjoyed this character, in particular
because she challenged my expectations. She showed a character with what we are
often told are ugly traits, but with
complete lovability.
5
Nani Pelekai from Lilo and Stitch
“Sometimes
you try your hardest, but things don’t work out the way you want them to.
Sometimes things have to change, and maybe sometimes they’re for the better.”
Nani stands out because
of how fiercely she loves Lilo. Despite the many trials she goes through in her
effort to maintain care of her sister, Nani always puts her first. Even when
she’s fired and emotionally defeated, she assures Lilo it wasn’t her fault with
an absurd story she’ll understand. She’s made all the more realistic when she
breaks, her anger and frustration taking the form of a verbal match against her
younger sister, that she then makes amends for. Nani is a parent when she was
too young to handle it, but she becomes what she has to be. I loved the
character because she’s always doing what’s right by her sister, even when she so
obviously struggles every step of the way.
6
Jane Porter from Tarzan
“Now,
you stay away from me. Like a very good wild man.”
I’ve
always loved the character of Jane. To me, she’s just a hot mess. She trudges
through the jungle in a massive dress, and acts, well, exactly the way you’d
expect someone to act under the same circumstances: hysterical. Her frantic
rambling to her father when she retells the events is something I wish I could
capture with words alone, but I fear it would not do it justice. She’s an
intelligent artist, with a curious and inquisitive nature, and accompanied,
sometimes, by both manic and excitable reactions. Unfortunately, I haven’t come
across many characters like Jane, but I think that’s one of the reasons she’s
as enjoyable to watch as she is.
Captain
Amelia began this list and inspired this post because I didn’t remember much of
her as a kid. I only began appreciating the character when I re-watched the
movie as an adult. Which tells me, above all, that if I am lacking in
inspiration, I need only to go back to what I loved as a kid. As a writer, I’m
always trying to recapture, rewrite, reimagine, what I love the most about
stories. I forget far too often that my passions began as a youngling, so why
not start there?
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