Clarity

So in my final paper, I expand upon the argument in the Movie in Context Paper about how in Big Hero 6 Hiro and Dr. Callaghan act as parallels of toxic masculinity. Here is the portion itself, so please tell me if I should elaborate more on how Zootopia adresses toxic masculinity as well.

As a big fan of Disney films, particularly the more feminist films produced in the 1990s, I really enjoy more recent films like Big Hero 6 and Zootopia because they promote feminist ideals of multiculturalism and combatting toxic masculinity. Big Hero 6 shows how Hiro’s emotional development is important to the overall message of the film—one where his sadness and tears tell young children that boys do not need to be tough all the time. Hiro’s stages of grief challenge traditional masculine traits that do not allow for men to be emotionally weak or reliant on others. Hiro’s reactions to loss fight the ideals of toxic masculinity in regards to emotions like grief and sadness that men experience in their lives.

In contrast, Hiro’s parallel, Dr. Callaghan, shows the negative consequences that result of traditional masculine ideals that stunt emotional growth. To put it simply, Dr. Callaghan is unable to handle his own emotions so he bottles them up until he lashes out negatively. Dr. Callaghan is a victim of the patriarchy, one that tells men that the only “healthy” way they can express their grief is through anger and revenge. Due to the fact that Dr. Callaghan grew up with this being ingrained into his mind, he felt that his actions against Alistair Krei were justified because he was doing “the right thing.” As Tyson states in Critical Theory Today, “that anger and other violent emotions are the only emotions permitted, and anger usually produces the kind of aggressive behaviors associated with patriarchal manhood” (88).  In the film, Dr. Callaghan exemplifies this concept in his revenge plot against Krei, evident with his words, “You took everything from me when you sent Abigail into that machine. Now I’m taking everything away from you. You’re going to watch as everything you built disappear. Then, it’s your turn.” In addition, Tyson points out how “men are not permitted to fail at anything they try because failure in any domain implies failure in one’s manhood” (87). Dr. Callaghan could not allow himself to fail when he tried to kill Krei, and admitting that his actions were wrong would make him look and feel like a failure to his daughter and to others. Hiro, in contrast, did not grow up with patriarchal ideals that stunt emotional growth, so he was able to see the fault in his actions when he tried to kill Callaghan, thus enabling him to heal.

Zootopia also shows that it is okay for men to express their feelings openly. During Nick Wilde’s childhood he encountered fierce bullying from prey for his predator status. After escaping his abusers, he fled outside where he finally allowed himself to cry, later ending his flashback by stating “Never let them see that they get to you.” Nick reveals himself to be a victim of the patriarchy because he was told to not express his emotions, especially “weaker” ones, in front of others. However, later in the film he shows a willingness to express “feminine” emotions like fear. Nick and Hiro represent the third-wave feminist viewpoint of males and shows how when toxic masculine ideals are removed, men can learn to express their emotions in a healthy way.

So, tell me if you love it, if you hate it, or what I could clarify or explain more in this portion.