"Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," was released today. Like almost every children's movie, the hero is a young boy, Soren. His sidekick is a girl, Gylfie. She's a smaller owl who shows signs of weakness from the beginning. Soren protects Gylfie. She states she's a good navigator, but this isn't explored much. When they learn to fly, she's the one that has the most problems. She's the one who tires first. Her character is shown as weaker.
This strong male, weak female dynamic has been done in hundreds of films. It needs to stop being the predominant set-up. Mix it up.
For once, can we have a kids' movie with a strong female character? Even if the female is the sidekick, which is fine, can't she be strong and capable? By constantly showing children this type of dominant dynamic, we only further the gender gap.
As children, many of us looked up to particular characters. There are not nearly enough fictional female characters for girls to look up to. Growing up, I thought Princess Leia from "Star Wars" was the best. She took control of her rescue, never backed down and was just as, if not more capable, than the others. A more recent example is Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter franchise. Not only is she smart, but she is equal to Harry and Ron. These are the type of role models girls need.
We need more Princess Leias and Hermiones.
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