Disney films have changed over the years. The most iconic and oldest movies were mainly known for the use of the Disney Princesses. Disney Princesses are still a staple of the brand, but what it means to be one has dramatically transformed since Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. No longer damsels in distress, Disney Princesses are leaders of their own stories. They do not need anyone to save them. They will save themselves.
In more recent movies, such as Moana, the female lead goes to great lengths and adventures, knowing the potential dangers that await her. Although Moana must drag Maui along for the journey, he never is placed in the position of needing to save her because of that sort of danger. Ralph Breaks The Internet does a great job of parodying and making fun of the damsel in distress storyline.
The movies also look different, taking on a different style of animation as technology advanced and developed. Disney has also started taking on more serious approaches to their stories, discussing the more adult topics of racism and generational trauma, which are very present in Encanto and Zootopia. Although Disney movies have kept up their quality of delivering fun adventures and characters for children and adults, the ways they have presented their films have made some huge transitions.
The Animation Style
As technology has grown and changed, so have the animation styles in movies. Over the years, Disney transitioned from 2D to 3D animation, replacing the older style with a more realistic and human approach. Animation that was used in The Lion King, Aladdin, The Emperor's New Groove, and many other movies is now rarely used. Instead, Disney has highlighted the use of the 3D animation style, crafting characters that look more similar to the world the viewers recognize, resulting in films such as Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Encanto.
Transitioning Out of Romance
Nearly every iconic Disney princess movie is also a romance. Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Tiana, Rapunzel, Aurora, along with many others, end the movie with their romantic interests. While romance is still a part of life, and continues to act as a subplot in some Disney movies, it is not the central story anymore. Disney has grown to understand that there are stories beyond using romance as a significant factor.
Although plenty of other Disney films did not rely on romantic interests, such as The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, and The Emperor's New Groove, the most iconic Disney films had placed a focus on them. Over the years, more attention has been spent on an individual's growing journey, or their relationships with their friends and family.
Focus on Sibling Relationships
Lilo and Stitch did a great job at this, but it was one of the few older Disney movies that placed sisterhood as such a priority. Lilo's relationship with Nani is one of the factors that made Lilo and Stitch such a beloved film, and there is something to be said for focusing on the relationship between two sisters. Years later, Frozen would understand the exact same thing.
While romance plays a role in the background, Frozen's main story rests with the relationship between Anna and Elsa, and how far the duo will go to save each other.
Friendship Is Key
More often than not, friendship saving the day ends up playing a role in Disney films. Big Hero 6 is a huge investor in this, as the story relies on friendship and chosen family in order for the characters to be at their best. Wreck-It Ralph and Ralph Breaks The Internet places Ralph's friendship with Vanellope at the center of the movie, and part of the conflict in the sequel is Ralph's struggle to let Vanellope go if it means he will not get to see her as often.
Moana works because the dynamic between Moana and Maui is an unlikely friendship forged through needing to return the Heart of Te Fiti, and how they learn more about each other, and help each other, along the way.
Generational Trauma
Disney's take on generational trauma allows family pressure and those closest to the main character to create a situation that turns into the antagonist. There is no villain attempting to kill a king. No one is kidnapping babies. Instead, the antagonist comes far closer to home, and it affects the main character's emotional and psychological mindset.
Encanto uses generational trauma through Abuela Alma placing pressure on each generation to keep the miracles going. Bruno feels he must leave his family after they start to view him as a villain in their lives. Mirabel struggles to feel connected to her family when her grandmother has made her feel less than everyone else.
Discussing Racism
While older Disney films have faced controversy for their racist scenes, such as Peter Pan, the more modern Disney wants to make a point that racism, and other types of discrimination, are bad. Using Zootopia as a centerpiece, the movie entirely surrounds highlighting the problems of discriminatory behavior. Judy Hopps, who views herself as open-minded and excited about her new venture, still carries fox repellent.
Nick remembers being emotionally hurt by his peers as a child for simply wanting to participate in activities with them. The residents of Zootopia are quick to turn on predators, who have done nothing wrong, when they believe that the predators are becoming rogue and purposefully hurting others. The overall message of the movie is about recognizing that discrimination and racism are wrong.
Less Obvious Villains
Older Disney movies used to introduce the villains directly. Scar is the antagonist of The Lion King, which the movie directly informs the viewer. The same could be said about Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Jafar in Aladdin, Mother Gothel in Tangled, Hades in Hercules, and many others. Frozen and Big Hero 6 avoid this trope.
Frozen does not tell the audience that Hans is the bad guy from the beginning. Instead, his actions as Anna's initial love interest are fairly in tune with what to be expected from Disney, and if anything, it almost feels like a parody on how quickly previous Disney couples meet and get married. But, to wait until the near-end of the movie to reveal that Hans is actually the bad guy was a change of pace for Disney.
Writing Style
Over the years, Disney's films have transitioned to have a more charismatic energy to their dialogue. The male love interests are not one-note, forgettable characters, which was helped by the introduction of Flynn Rider, as one of the best animated Disney male love interests.
These characters have a real personality, not one that viewers have to create for themselves to give them more growth. The girls also expand beyond a more serious personality. They can be silly and goofy as well, allowing that to elevate the movie to being something more relatable than needing them to remain on a pedestal, suggesting they can do no wrong.
More Well-Rounded Female Leads
Rather than just being the lead female character, in more recent years, Disney has expanded on what that means. Anna is not a princess in a castle waiting to be saved by a prince. She wakes up messy, and then awaits people to walk into the castle in excitement. She has a range of emotion. Elsa's actions come from a legitimate motivation and sense of fear. Mirabel establishes a sense of love for her family, even with the internal conflicts of not having her own gift.
Vanellope, who views herself as an outcast due to her glitches, eventually determines that she is allowed to want more for herself. While Moana's journey is serious, she does not rely on severity to lead the movie. This is Moana's first journey, and she is comically unprepared for what that means in its entirety, but that does not stop her from striving to do the best possible job.
Sequels with Theatrical Releases
Most Disney sequels were straight-to-DVD releases. There were far more Disney sequels than anyone would have known about due to the amount that did not release theatrically. Ralph Breaks The Internet was the first Disney sequel to be released in theaters. Frozen 2 followed its example, coming up as the second Disney animated sequel to release theatrically. Frozen 3 and Zootopia's sequel will likely follow in their footsteps as well, given the success the sequels had.