During a time of widespread controversy over the role of women in film, Japanese filmmakers have long been crafting heroines more layered and complex than their Western counterparts. Each character has their own strengths and talents, but also unique faults and weaknesses; they are not assets or franchises, they are personalities the filmmakers genuinely believe in.
Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle,” released this year in the United States, is an adaptation of the French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Suzu, an average teenager and the main protagonist, has an alter ego in the cyberworld of U as a newly minted pop diva. While Belle can draw a crowd of over 200 million in U, Suzu is an introverted high schooler in real life with a passion for music. Despite her timidness, she wins over sophisticated listeners; her music reflects on her pain and sorrow, especially from losing her mother.
Suzu misses her mother, but not in the same cookie-cutter way as in Western films. Instead of only experiencing grief, she’s also angry at her mother for sacrificing her life for a kid she didn’t know. Suzu even goes so far as to abandon her musical gifts since they remind her too much of her mother.
You won’t find these deep, intertwined emotions in Disney’s adaptation. In the American-made Beauty and the Beast, Belle also misses her father after he is imprisoned by the cold-hearted beast, but nothing more; her sorrow lacks the deep, multifaceted emotions of Hosoda’s adaptation. In the original 1992 animated movie Aladdin, Jasmine’s mother is barely a thought; the only mention of her is when the Sultan says Jasmine’s mother “wasn’t nearly so picky” when it came to choosing a husband.
“When you think of animation and female leads, you always go to the fairy tale tropes,” Hosoda said. He worked to break this stereotype with Suzu, not building a person but instead “someone who reflects the society in which we live.” Suzu longs for a more exciting life than her “poor, provincial town” could offer — a desire expressed by many real people, but a feeling never expressed by Snow White or Cinderella.
Also unlike Disney’s adaptation, the beast Suzu encounters is not a charming prince nor a cold-hearted beast. Instead, Kei is an abused teen shielding his younger brother from their abusive father.
A root reason for the superior heroines in Japanese animations can be traced back to the studio. Japanese studios consist of smaller crews and operate with smaller budgets than their American counterparts, meaning film directors can implement their own, more nuanced visions. Big-budget American studios have story crews, meaning ideas are subject to the bureaucracy of executive approval and advisory committees.
All of this is not to say that high-budget Western features don’t have their own merits. The visual effects in a film are just as important as the storyline. However, the use of special effects cannot make up for a good storyline. The plot is one of the most important elements that make up for a successful film as well as having a good cast that can deliver great, memorable performances.
The decentralization of Japan’s animation industry provides animators creative freedom to experiment and be distinctive, resulting in the iconic animation styles found today.
Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle,” released this year in the United States, is an adaptation of the French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Suzu, an average teenager and the main protagonist, has an alter ego in the cyberworld of U as a newly minted pop diva. While Belle can draw a crowd of over 200 million in U, Suzu is an introverted high schooler in real life with a passion for music. Despite her timidness, she wins over sophisticated listeners; her music reflects on her pain and sorrow, especially from losing her mother.
Suzu misses her mother, but not in the same cookie-cutter way as in Western films. Instead of only experiencing grief, she’s also angry at her mother for sacrificing her life for a kid she didn’t know. Suzu even goes so far as to abandon her musical gifts since they remind her too much of her mother.
You won’t find these deep, intertwined emotions in Disney’s adaptation. In the American-made Beauty and the Beast, Belle also misses her father after he is imprisoned by the cold-hearted beast, but nothing more; her sorrow lacks the deep, multifaceted emotions of Hosoda’s adaptation. In the original 1992 animated movie Aladdin, Jasmine’s mother is barely a thought; the only mention of her is when the Sultan says Jasmine’s mother “wasn’t nearly so picky” when it came to choosing a husband.
“When you think of animation and female leads, you always go to the fairy tale tropes,” Hosoda said. He worked to break this stereotype with Suzu, not building a person but instead “someone who reflects the society in which we live.” Suzu longs for a more exciting life than her “poor, provincial town” could offer — a desire expressed by many real people, but a feeling never expressed by Snow White or Cinderella.
Also unlike Disney’s adaptation, the beast Suzu encounters is not a charming prince nor a cold-hearted beast. Instead, Kei is an abused teen shielding his younger brother from their abusive father.
A root reason for the superior heroines in Japanese animations can be traced back to the studio. Japanese studios consist of smaller crews and operate with smaller budgets than their American counterparts, meaning film directors can implement their own, more nuanced visions. Big-budget American studios have story crews, meaning ideas are subject to the bureaucracy of executive approval and advisory committees.
All of this is not to say that high-budget Western features don’t have their own merits. The visual effects in a film are just as important as the storyline. However, the use of special effects cannot make up for a good storyline. The plot is one of the most important elements that make up for a successful film as well as having a good cast that can deliver great, memorable performances.
The decentralization of Japan’s animation industry provides animators creative freedom to experiment and be distinctive, resulting in the iconic animation styles found today.
