Disney studios brought us our childhood, films from Mary Poppins to The Lion King, from Dumbo to the old treasure planet, but in a more iconic way ; the Disney Princess line. From the original Cinderella to the more recent Vanellope, princesses or female characters of similar status have had a strong presence in modern film culture. The portrayal of these characters is unique in itself but they all share similar feminine characteristics; beautiful, delicate and hopelessly in love with a male character. In many, if not most, action and fantasy films, women are portrayed as damsels. Their entire purpose in the story is to be a help to the male character, or be their obsession. This is not a presentation of any of these, literally the opposite. With the boom of feminism and the demand for equal gender rights, strong female characters have been introduced into modern film culture and have become a recurring archetype in cinema. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen you say “Strong Female Character,” what comes to mind? Usually the answer is a female character who has a direct or aggressive personality. A woman who is in control of her emotions and refuses to be dominated by them. She is independent, conventionally beautiful, and intelligent while often being sarcastic. This is Hollywood's stereotypical description of a "strong female character." And what about strong male characters? What similar characteristics do they share with their gender counterparts? Well, they are typically direct, slightly aggressive. They're confident, intelligent, conventionally beautiful, in control of their emotions, sarcastic, and can kick ass. For Hollywood, a strong female character is simply a woman who exhibits masculine traits, as if to say that a woman who rejects her femininity and adopts masculinity in its place will make her "strong". But does this apply to all films, especially Disney ones? This brings me to my thesis; Bancroft and Cook are more effective in using symbolism to drive the plot and develop the female protagonist than Burton's Alice in Wonderland is in challenging the expectations set by stereotypical gender roles. This will be demonstrated by comparing and contrasting the ways in which the strong female protagonists of both Mulan and Alice in Wonderland are represented in relation to their gender roles, particularly in aspects of masculinity and femininity. We all know the story of Alice in Wonderland. An unassuming and individual nineteen-year-old faces an impending arranged marriage to a future English lord, Hammish. Alice sees an unusually familiar rabbit running in the garden of the apartment complex and falls into the rabbit hole…. After reaching the bottom, Alice finds herself in the wonderful and surreal world or Underworld, full of talking animals, queens, knights and a looming prophecy. She realizes that she is indeed the "right" Alice and defeats the horrible scoundrel and returns the throne to the rightful queen. Mulan is the story of a soldier's daughter. As a new war approaches and her father is called to fight, Mulan decides to take his place, even though, as we know, at that time women were considered unfit for war in China's patriarchal regime. As such, Mulan impersonates a man and goes to train for war with the other recruits. Accompanied by her companion Mushu, she learns to fight, defends the Hun invasion and defeats Shun Yu, saving China.Alice is the typical strong female character, which gives her power not through her femininity, but through masculinity. At the beginning of the film we see Alice struggling with social conventions and gender roles imposed by society, such as being forced into an arranged marriage and being asked to do what is "appropriate" or "appropriate" for a woman, which works as proof of her feminist ideology. Alice is repeatedly criticized for her creative, imaginative and curious mind, as it does not fit the norms of a society governed by regulations. An example of this is that while dancing with Hamish, Alice finds herself amused by his imagination or "visions". Hamish urges her to "keep her visions to herself," the first example of the oppression of Alice's imagination. Hamish continues with “when in doubt remain silent”. This pivotal scene marks the beginning of Alice's departure from what is considered "normal." Hamish is the representation, or symbol, of society's reluctance to reform the well-established gender expectations of a male-dominated culture. While Underland provides Alice with an avenue to express her burgeoning feminist beliefs, she is further challenged to conform to the expectations of others and therefore must exercise an air of confidence and independence to assert herself. “Ever since I fell down the rabbit hole, everyone I've met has told me what to do and who I am. … [T]his is my dream, I'll decide where it goes from here. The contradictory nature of Alice's feminism proposes that femininity cannot be celebrated as a source of strength and should instead focus on what justifies male superiority: masculinity. Burton's modern adaptation pushes Alice into traditional male roles, such as becoming a knight in shining armor and pursuing a career in capitalist commerce, to prove her worth. Burton's attempt to break the mold of past female Disney characters ultimately suggests that female characters can only achieve equality and power by eschewing femininity and instead embodying masculine qualities. But this isn't just speculation. When Alice meets Madhatter for the first time, or should I say meets him again for the first time, she states, “It's absolutely Alice.” You are absolutely Alice! I would recognize you anywhere. I would recognize him anywhere.' This suggests that Alice will transform into a strong, masculine figure, foreshadowing the battle at the end of the film, in which Alice embodies a knight and defeats the Cinderella. Unlike Alice, Mulan does not reject her femininity, nor does she. she rejects masculinity. At the beginning of the film, Mulan is depicted as a typical young woman. In the early scenes, including the first song “Honour to Us All,” we are introduced to the social gender hierarchy present in the film. Mulan is told that her manners and appearance are what will attract a husband to her, and in doing so she will bring honor to her family. The consequences of not conforming to the social ideas imposed on her, the struggle Mulan endures leads to the song "Reflections", where Mulan considers the duality of her identity. Mulan shows signs of internal conflict as she lacks all the values ​​of women; grace, delicacy, composure, refinement, tranquility and punctuality. Her family and society have asked her to play a role of abject conservative feminism, something she knows deep down is not who she is. This foreshadows Mulan's growth as a protagonist and symbolizes the change the character will undeniably undergo. After joining the army in her father's place, Mulan, or Ping as I should say, must embrace male gender roles, taking on brute physical strength over feminine mores. While learning what.