From the earliest animated films, female characters have enjoyed a level of attention and visibility when compared to other movie genres. There has still been a lack of variability amongst female heroes, which is a prejudice that production studios have been trying to correct in recent years.
There are several archetypes that female-led animated films have established, as well as philosophical, sociological, and other poignant observations on the human experience. While there are a multiplicity of memorable female animated protagonists, one hopes that in the years to come there will be even more to speak of, representing culturally diverse characters that slowly but surely are emerging as some of the genre's best.
Alice - Alice In Wonderland
Adopted from the novel from Lewis Carroll, there is no other female animated character that has penetrated other areas of popular culture as much as Alice from Alice in Wonderland. References to Alice "tumbling down the rabbit hole" became a metaphor that first caught the attention of the hippie generation, found new meaning during the Dot Com Boom in films like The Matrix, and most recently with the films' live-action revival.
The story of a young girl who chases after her curiosity, in this case in the form of a white rabbit, to reveal a whole new world under the stale one that was boring her, will forever be a testament to the liberating power of the imagination.
Joy - Inside Out
A representative of the British adage "keep calm, carry on", Joy is the leader of the other four fundamental and drastically less composed emotions: anger, sadness, fear, and disgust.
Inside Out is an ingenious film about the nature of memory as the database of personality and emotion, that if lost, as sometimes sadly happens, erases who the person was. Joy stands out not only as a leading female protagonist but also because of the voice work of Amy Poehler, who triggers bursts of laughter and draws tears to the corners of our eyes.
Kiki The Witch - Kiki's Delivery Service
Kiki is a witch capable of supernatural powers, but her kind and earnest nature enfold her in the quotidian concerns of ordinary people. As part of her witch training, she runs a delivery service at a small-town bakery in exchange for lodgings.
Many townsfolk marvel at her ability to fly, yet she struggles to adapt to her new responsibilities and to the alienating effect of how others perceive her. Kiki's Delivery Service is a beautiful tale of the conflicting forces of self-doubt and self-belief.
Major Motoko Kusanagi - Ghost In The Shell
Technically an android and therefore androgynous when the audience meets her, Mokoto Kusanagi a.k.a. the Major, refers to her life as a woman before having her brain imported into her android "shell", which also happens to be in the form of a female body.
Leader of an elite police task force engaged in a manhunt against an international terrorist and computer hacker known as The Puppet Master, the Major battles her way through the cyberpunk streets and alleys of a futuristic Japan. Her skepticism about the nature of her android existence is a central part of her character development, attracting the attention of those outside the normal animated film fanbase, and is largely responsible for the film's enduring popularity.
Mulan - Mulan
No other character in animated film represents the struggle of female equality in a male-centric world than Mulan. Set in Imperial China, Mulan follows the titular character's stand against the injustices the militarized society commits against her father, being a military veteran yet ordered back to the frontlines in his old age.
These unfair expectations inspire her to disguise herself as a man to enlist in the army, breaking the rigid gender barriers of the time to heroically protect her father and people whilst paradoxically bringing shame to her family and community.
Paravana - The Breadwinner
Paravana is an 11-year-old Afghani girl who witnesses the cruel terror of the Taliban after they arbitrarily arrest her father, leaving her mother to provide for the family - an impossible feat under the tyranny of Sharia law. Unable to survive without her father in the patriarchal society of Afghanistan, Paravana disguises herself as a boy so she can support her family, hoping to bribe the corrupted officials so she can meet with her father.
Drawing on her skills for reading and writing that her father taught her, Paravana stealthily weaves her way through the streets of Kabul, witnessing the inequities and hardships people endure at the merciless hands of the Taliban. As Paravana encounters one peril after the next, she finds the courage to soldier on in the parables her father taught her.
Pocahontas - Pocahontas
Featuring one of the most famous rebellious female characters in Disney animated history, Pocahontas spends her private time rapid river kayaking and diving into lakes from the heights of waterfalls. The film is notable for being the first Disney film that has a non-white female protagonist.
Besides being one of the most adventurous of the Disney princesses, Pocahontas is memorable for being an introspective character. Thwarting her family's wish that she enters into an arranged marriage, after much personal conflict, she courageously decides to act contrary to conventional wisdom and be true to her adventurous spirit.
Princess Merida - Brave
A Scottish princess who has a talent for shooting bow and arrow rather than making curtsy as her royal designation of princess commands, she is able and willing to do what it takes to preserve living life as a free spirit.
Liberty is a burden as Merida discovers, unwittingly cursing her loving mother in her reckless battle to maintain her autonomy. Merida is a sorry princess and a triumphant action hero, coming to the rescue of queens and princes, rather than the other way around.
Princess Mononoke (San) - Princess Mononoke
One of the most fierce animated female protagonists, Princess Mononoke is a wolf riding female princess who has lived in a forest among the wild canines her entire life. Despite being a woman herself, she resents mankind for how humans repeatedly attempt to raize the forest where she lives.
After reluctantly coming into contact with Prince Ashitaka, the two find themselves fighting a battle on two fronts against the industrious humans and the eldritch power of the otherwise benevolent Forest Spirit they hope to protect.
Snow White - Snow White And The Seven Dwarves
A paradigm-shifting film whose revolutionary waves on the movie landscape have only in the last thirty years made their strongest impact. Releasing as far back as 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is the first color animated film ever made. Based on the tale of the same name by The Brothers Grimm, the film tells the story of a treacherous evil stepmother who is jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty.
The Queen nefariously plots Snow White's death whilst addicted to the vanity of looking into her magical talking mirror and inquiring "who is the fairest of them all?" Banished from the castle, Snow White finds refuge among seven dwarves who are each named according to the trait they personify.