A Gender-Based Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Selected Walt Disney’s Animated Feature Films and Japanese Anime

Abstract

This study investigated mainly four animated feature films: two for Walt Disney. The first one is Mulan (1998), the second one is The Wizard of Oz (1939), and the other two are for Hayao Miyazaki. The first one is Spirited Away (2001), the second one is Princess Mononoke (1997) in terms of Gender and identity within the paradigm of Multimodal Discourse Analysis to interrogate how moving pictures draw on modes of communication such as camera attitude, posture, contact, distance, colors, facial expressions, and gestures in combination with words to make meaning. Besides, the study examined how representational, interactive, and compositional semiotic resources could help in showing the portrayal of female protagonist in those animated feature films. The study has analyzed the effect of SFG tools to investigate the influence of the use of multimodal tools (posture, facial expression, gestures, distance, contact, colors, and camera attitude) throughout the selected feature films. The study aimed to investigate how far the messages and themes from Disney’s and Miyazaki’s most popular animated films have influenced females' perceptions of gender and love. It also investigated whether that difference or similarity had an effect on the message communicated to the target audience. This study attempts to set clear the similarities and differences between American and Japanese cultures in order to understand the relationship between popular culture and identity in both societies. In so doing, this study compares and analyzes The Wizard of Oz, Mulan, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke from a cultural perspective because both Walt Disney and Hayao Miyazaki are the best known and world-renowned directors in the history of animated film. When watching these four animated films, it is very clear that the female protagonists take control of their own mental and emotional growth, and the stories are good representations of what modern women should be. Besides, the study examined how representational, interactive and compositional semiotic resources could help in showing the portrayal of women as heroines in those animated feature films.