Why Brave and Moana remain excellent movies to empower young girls

There are many Disney and Pixar movies of the past that haven’t fared well with age. The older ones focus on waiting for a man to come and save the day, or on sacrificing everything for a man. That’s not the case with Brave and Moana.

In Brave and Moana, we follow two teenagers who are not what you would initially expect. Merida is the wild daughter of a Scottish king, while Moana is the eldest daughter of a Motunui chief. They are supposed to set examples in their attitudes, and they’re supposed to show that they are worth marrying. However, they have very different goals for themselves.

Merida and Moana aren’t afraid to speak out

We won’t need young girls to be meek and mild. Sure, I know a lot of men out there would love the obedient type, but this isn’t the 1950s. It’s time for women to have a voice, and it all starts with our younger generations.

Merida and Moana aren’t afraid to speak out about things that are wrong or questionable. At the same time, they learn lessons on when sometimes you can’t speak out. You can’t always act the way that you want.

It is important to find a balance in life. Young girls need to know the times to stand out for themselves and others, but also the times to follow rules. We go on Merida’s journey especially to see that.

Brave and Moana focus on doing the right thing

Sacrifices do need to be made in life. That doesn’t mean sacrificing everything for a man, though. Merida and Moana don’t take action because they want to get the attention of a man. They don’t act because they want love—at least, not the traditional romantic love.

These two teenagers focus on doing the right thing for their people or those close to them. Merida finds out that a selfish spell she gets involved in has turned her mother into a bear. She needs to risk it all and head out on a selfless journey to get her mom back before it’s too late. It’s all about familial love and growing up.

Moana focuses on saving her people. She heads out on a journey that is dangerous because her people need her to do it. Some try to talk her out of it, but she does what needs to be done.

Focus on life and not love

Too many movies and shows focus on love, and it’s never realistic love. A prince isn’t going to look for us all because of a shoe! We don’t have to wait for Mr. Right because all we’re good for is being barefoot and pregnant. Brave and Moana ditch the love trope.

Instead, they focus on life. They give the two characters a chance to grow and learn about the world around them. Yes, King Fergus is trying to find a husband for his daughter, but that’s not the main focus of the film. The focus is on Merida learning who she wants to be and balancing her wishes and the needs of the kingdom, while also learning to get along with her mother.

The focus for Moana is to explore and achieve happiness for her people. There isn’t the talk of marriage and expectations for her, keeping the focus solely on her life.

We need more Disney and Pixar movies like Brave and Moana. The two remain excellent for young girls to take inspiration from.