Excellent post. I have done some analytical work on children's (primarily disney) films, and I completely missed the mark on this one. I'm excited/afraid to see what else you find...

This is really interesting. The only children's film I can think of that features a girl who goes through a transformation is "Spirited Away." Granted, she does return home with her parents but she's so much more self–assured and confident than she is at the beginning of the film.

*was* sorry

Well, Nemo does end up back at home in his same little anemone with his dad, but then, there is a transformation there, where mostly his dad changes, rather than him just learning to accept how his dad treats him because it's better than being shaken to death by the dentist's niece.

That said, the one that always got me is Beauty and the Beast. In the beginning, Belle's singing, "There must be something more than this provincial life!" and in the end, she learns to settle for being locked away in the home of a temperamental, brutish little brat because, well, he's got a library, at least, and he's got A Good Heart(tm)! That's what's being held up as a standard for girls? If you want adventure, marry an abusive asshole and hope he changes?

Fascinating post.

I think many women are led to believe in redemption through marriage and many men are led to believe that marriage will constrain them and almost emasculate them in the process. Once in a sex ed class I took in undergrad the professor asked for a show of hands as for whom wanted to be married someday. Predictably, all of the women raised their hands and none of the men followed suit.

This may be a result of children's films, but I think part of it is that little girls are treated as though they need to be sheltered from harm and little boys are treated as though they need to explore the rough and tumble world themselves. If they get hurt or injured along the way, then they're not supposed to cry or express pain. The sociological experiment I think about is when two three year old kids were standing at the top of a jungle gym.

The little girl was implored to jump into the arms of a waiting adult below her on the ground, whereas the little boy was told to jump to the ground by himself without any offer of help by the adult.

although we could sit and go over the Misogyny of cinderella all day long, it at least gives you the message that if you work hard enough you can get out of your bad situation. Oh and nothing really comes from finding nemo either. He still ends up at home and I think the message is still pretty much that you shouldn't wander away from home because bad things happen.

There will be SPOILERS for Labyrinth (1986) in this post. You have been warned.

I would argue that Labyrinth (1986) breaks the rules of the "there's no place like home" subgenre of "coming of age" movies in the same way that Spirited Away does.

For those who haven't seen Labyrinth, the basic plot is about a teenager, Sarah, who goes on an unbelievable quest one night to recover her half-brother from the Goblin King after she unwisely wishes him away. She gets him back, of course, and returns to her own life with a much better appreciation of her brother and a more willing attitude toward having her stepmother fill a role that Sarah's own mother either could or would not fill.

The lesson isn't about how there's "no place like home", though. It isn't even about how giving up your childhood dreams is normal. In my humble analysis, it's about realizing that the reality of your childhood dreams might not be nearly as great as you imagine, and taking control of the dreams before they take control of you.

Kiki's Delivery Service. The heroine is too young to get married, but she finds herself embarking on an exciting journey. In her adventures she learns that she can live a life of her own, extend help, receive help, utilize her unique talents, rescue someone, save the day, and receive the merited respect of others.

Matilda. Matilda triumphs using her own power over the Trunchbull, saves the school from her tyranny, and convinces her parents to leave her behind with Miss Honey.

How about Matilda (1996)?

*Spoiler Warning*

A girl mistreated by her parents develops psychic powers and uses them to exact revenge and get the parents she wants.

What you're describing is one variant of Campbell's Monomyth, in which the Great Hero leaves home, ventures into another world (generally a supernatural one), then returns home with newly discovered power. Not all Heroes come back, and I think the pattern you point out is interesting. Luke Skywalker follows the Monomyth pretty closely, but he doesn't come home and grant boons, he keeps on going out into the universe. There are some male heroes, like Oddyseus, who are just trying to get home, but those are the exception.

I think part of it is that stories are a fairly conservative medium (too radical a story, and the audience rejects it), and children's stories are even worse. Add to that Disney, which is to storytelling what McDonald's is to food, and the fact that they typically pull their plots from very old sources, like mythology, fairy tales, or novels that have long gone into the public domain, and you have a recipe for a lot of people telling their children stories in which the only path a woman has to power is the domestic one, no matter what kickass special abilities she might have (i.e. Samantha from Bewitched).

That being said, the struggle to appreciate and love our own lives, no matter how apparently dull, is one we all face, and there are a lot of films and books for adults that deal with it, and most of the ones I can think of seem to have male leads. Maybe it's all one problem: We condition our girls to accept and expect a small, domestic life almost from birth, while boys are told to expect grand adventures. Then when adulthood comes along, we have all these stories for men about how domestic life really is a grand adventure, you just have to learn to see it that way.

I agree with what you are saying about the gender disparities here, although there are several exceptions to the rule, as others have pointed out.
But, there is nothing wrong with stories that teach the lesson that it's important to cherish your family, consciously be grateful for what you have everyday, and realize that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Stories like The Wizard of Oz, Nemo, and Peter Pan do teach these valuable lessons.

I also want to point out that in the BOOKS these films are based on, the message seems a little different.

On paper, Dorothy and Alice returned to their other worlds a few times.

There are plenty of young heroines in literature that aren't sent running back home.

The whole "there's no place like home" message is a hollywood message. Not the real message of the stories as told.

Just on The Wizard of Oz, or more correctly the following books/movies/cartoons: does anyone have a perspective/analysis on the Tip/Princess Ozma situaiton? I'd find that interesting.

I think Up is another movie that breaks the trend - Russell goes on a grand adventure but learns that wilderness is not what he thought it would be (it's so much more "wild" I think he says), and he returns home with Carl replacing his distant father. Thus reinforcing the importance of family, fathers, and staying close. (I think there's a lot - good and bad - to analyse in Up, but this does break the stereotype and is very recent)

Lord of the Rings also has a multilayered message that goes against this trend - though the movies don't articulate it as fully for the women. Aragorn is seeking to return home (by claiming his kingdom), Sam ultimately returns home and settles in amongst his family and the other hobbits. In the books, Éowyn and Arwen have their adventures and do not return to their original homes (though they do get married and enter other households, I believe they do so as independent agents).

There was another one, but cerebroflatulence has banished it from my mind.

To be fair, Simba DOES go back to Pride Rock where he came from...

This message is also prevalent in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack is pretty much a self-obsessed jerk for most of the movie, doesn't learn his lesson till he gets shot down (literally) and gets put in his place by Santa.
Also, the only voice of reason besides Santa is Sally.

I've always appriecated The Little Mermaid---yeah, she goes off and gets married but that's what the girl wants.

And really, that's what the story is about--it's about her family letting her go to do what she wants.