This Disney Princess Is Making History With This Unexpected Plot Twist
Disney’s new film Moana, the tale of a Polynesian princess on an ocean-bound quest to save her people, has only been released in snippets via its trailer thus far, but the film has already caused quite a stir: You might recall the legions of upset fans it faced over the “obese” appearance of one of its central characters. Now, the flick is back in the headlines again — only this time, it’s for an entirely positive reason.
Following in the history-making footsteps of this year’s Elena of Avalor, the first Disney cartoon to feature a Latina princess, filmmakers announced at this year’s Comic Con festival that Moana would break new ground by ditching the prince entirely. While Disney has been toeing the line on this subject for quite some time, it’s the first to allow the princess to fully focus on herself and her mission, entirely free of distraction (Frozen, of course, had its Prince Hans, and later, Kristoff, whereas Merida from Brave was still considered to be “rebelling” when she bucked her family’s expectations for her to find a suitor).
“There is no romance in the movie,” director John Musker told fans.
We, for one, are all for that plan: In breaking years of tradition in which Disney princesses have dutifully carried out their mission to find true love, all whilst saving the world (or, you know, whatever other task they might be faced with), Moana will offer young girls a fresh, alternative reality in which it’s okay to be alone and focus on you for a while — if not indefinitely — which is just what the film’s directors intend to do.
“Moana’s story will focus on her own personal journey,” ET reports.
While we certainly have nothing against the old model either (it’s also cool to show them that women really can have it all, should they choose to!), we’re stoked to see all the progressive steps our favorite big-time company has made as of late. After all, every little girl (or boy!) deserves a Disney hero/ine they can relate to. (#Arielforlife, because didn’t you know? We’re actually mermaids IRL.)
Are you as excited as we are to hear about Disney’s latest groundbreaking milestone? Tell us over @BritandCo!
