The landscape of animated musical films has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. Male storylines, once the hallmark of the genre, have taken a back seat, thanks to the revolutionary success of a film that centres around the relationship between two sisters: Disney’s Frozen. Released in 2013, it marks an important turning point in the history of animated musicals.
Frozen not only provided a song every five-year-old can sing, it was also the catalyst for the shift away from Disney tales that centred around the experience of a young male protagonist.
It set the stage for the rise of empowering culturally rich narratives in the decade that followed. Subsequent hits included the strongly female-centric Moana (2016), Encanto (2021), and Turning Red (2022), marking a new era in animated storytelling celebrating different kinds of voices and perspectives.
