University of Huddersfield Repository Smith, Eleanor Breaking the Mould: gender, stereotypes, and coding in the musical scoring of Disney’s female characters. Original Citation Smith, Eleanor (2016) Breaking the Mould: gender, stereotypes, and coding in the musical scoring of Disney’s female characters. Masters thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/31074/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. 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The author of this thesis (including any appendices and/or schedules to this thesis) owns any copyright in it (the “Copyright”) and s/he has given The University of Huddersfield the right to use such Copyright for any administrative, promotional, educational and/or teaching purposes. ii. Copies of this thesis, either in full or in extracts, may be made only in accordance with the regulations of the University Library. Details of these regulations may be obtained from the Librarian. This page must form part of any such copies made. iii. The ownership of any patents, designs, trade marks and any and all other intellectual property rights except for the Copyright (the “Intellectual Property Rights”) and any reproductions of copyright works, for example graphs and tables (“Reproductions”), which may be described in this thesis, may not be owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual Property Rights and Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use without the prior written permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual Property Rights and/or Reproductions. 2 Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my family, friends and supervisor Catherine for fully supporting me in my writing. A big thank you also to my parents Pamela and Peter in introducing me to Disney films as a child and fully encouraging me to pursue my dreams. 3 Synopsis The work of Walt Disney studios has become an important influence in animation history, helping to mould the way we observe everyday life through image and music. These films are so iconic and memorable they have the power to influence their audience. Disney films have been known to portray gendered and sexual identities in problematic ways; often presenting the male protagonist as the hero and the women as helpless frail figures. However, there is inadequate research into the music of these films, and this thesis will investigate the role of the score and soundtrack observing the songs and underscore of a variety of Disney films between 1937 to 2010. Case studies are grouped thematically around three significant and recurring stereotypes of women that occur: the virtuous wife, the fallen woman and maternal and motherly figures. Music and image are shown to be crucial elements in the way Disney’s Hollywood animations represent women, with elements of coding and stereotyping as key features in the writing. Music has the power to influence and to cause viewers to feel empathy towards the on screen characters; without music the image would not successfully bring its messages across. Furthermore, techniques used in film throughout history have been developed through models in order for animated films to appear realistic and trustworthy. The voice is also a largely influential factor in the writing for a Hollywood score, with the notion that women are silenced and men are the dominant opposition to continuously control the situation. The following films are examined in the thesis: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (p. Disney, c. Churchill, Harline, Smith, 1937), Pinocchio (p. Disney, c. Harline, Smith, 1940),Dumbo (p. Disney, c. Churchill, Husher, Wallace, 1941), Sleeping Beauty (p. Disney, c. Adar, Bruns, Lawrence, 1959), 101 Dalmations (p. Disney, c. Bruns, Leven, 1961), The Little Mermaid (p. Disney, c. Ashman, Menken, 1989), Beauty and the Beast (p. Disney, c. Ashman, Menken, 1991),Pocahontas (p. Disney, c. Menken, 1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (p. Disney, c. Menken, 1996), Hercules (p. Disney, c. Menken, 1997), Mulan (p. Disney, c. Goldsmith, 1998), Tarzan (p. Disney, c. Collins, 1999), Tangled (p. Disney, c. Menken, 2010). 4 Contents Dedication ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Synopsis .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Table of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 2: Music in Film ....................................................................................................................... 15 How Film and Music Combined ........................................................................................................ 15 Film Music as Emotional Stimulus .................................................................................................... 16 Theorising Early Film Music: Issues of Practicality and Purpose....................................................... 17 Music and Meaning: Semiotics and Leitmotifs ................................................................................. 18 Manipulation and Influence in Film .................................................................................................. 21 Chapter 3: Gender and Film Sound ....................................................................................................... 24 Women’s Limitations Within Film ..................................................................................................... 24 Women Portrayed as ‘Too Emotional’ .............................................................................................. 26 Speechless Women: On Screen and Off ........................................................................................... 27 Coding & Gender ............................................................................................................................... 29 Gender Issues linked to the Voice..................................................................................................... 32 Woman’s Voice in Sound Media ....................................................................................................... 33 Voice, Lyrics, Singing: Gender in the Musicals .................................................................................. 34 Chapter 4: Animation ............................................................................................................................ 38 Disney: Enhancing Animation and its Issues ..................................................................................... 40 Chapter 5: The Virtuous Wife ............................................................................................................... 43 Silent Women: Ariel & Aurora .......................................................................................................... 43 Women with Dreams, Men in Control: Snow White & Rapunzel ..................................................... 48 Feminist Strong Women: Mulan & Pocahontas................................................................................ 55 Chapter 6: The Femme Fatale ............................................................................................................... 66 Villains with Drag Queen/Cabaret: Ursula, Mother Gothel, Cruella & Evil Queen ........................... 67 Sexual Women: Esmerelda & Megara .............................................................................................. 77 Chapter 7: The Maternal & Motherly Figure ........................................................................................ 82 Maternal Unconditional Loving Parents: Jumbo & Kala ................................................................... 83 Wise Women: Mrs Potts, Grandmother Willow & The Blue Fairy.................................................... 87 5 Controlling Mother: Fa Li .................................................................................................................