Have you ever heard of the Bechdel test? It’s this little tool you can run on books, movies, TV shows, and other forms of media to find out how women are being portrayed.
In order to pass the Bechdel test, it needs to meet three basic criteria.
- There needs to be a conversation between two female characters,
- Both of which are named,
- About anything other than a male character.
Sounds simple, right? Despite the ridiculously simple criteria, many movies completely miss the mark. Although we can’t fully judge feminism in media based on this one test, it’s still a pretty decent way to get a first look into how women are represented in popular media. After all, if the only conversations (if any) between named female characters are about men, what does that say about how storytellers view the roles and relationships of women?
Disclaimer: Whether a movie passes or doesn’t pass the Bechdel test does not indicate that the movie is feminist or anti-feminist. It’s merely a simple tool to judge how women interact within movies.
Disney Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test
I’m also going to be assigning points to the movies: if there’s a catch or it only passes if you squint, then I’m giving it half a point. It’s got to meet the requirements completely clearly in order to receive a full point.
Since I only ran the test on 41 Disney movies, keep in mind that the total possible points is 41.
Snow White (0.5 points) This one’s actually pretty tough to say. Snow White and the Queen do converse, and it has nothing to do with princes or dwarfs or men, but then again, does “The Queen” really constitute as a name? We’ll let it pass, but only with a grain of salt.
Cinderella (1 point) Cinderella has plenty of conversations with Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drisella about different things, so this one passes the Bechdel test without a flinch.
Alice in Wonderland (0.5 points) Unless you want to argue that “Queen of Hearts” doesn’t count as a name, then yes, Alice talks to the Queen enough to pass the test.
Peter Pan (1 point) Wendy Darling has conversations with her mother Mary and with Tiger Lily at different points in the movie, so we’ll give this one a pass even if it can be pretty dang racist.
Sleeping Beauty (1 point) Let’s be real for a moment: Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather made the movie. Aurora and Phillip were just the side show. Sleeping Beauty passes the Bechdel test with flying colors. (Now, is that blue or pink?)
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (0.5 points) Do male puppies count as men? If the answer is “no”, then Anita’s refusal to turn the dogs over to Cruella is just enough to let the movie slip into the green.
The Aristocats (1 point) Sure, all the female characters fall into some very archetypal women roles, but their conversations aren’t all about men, so we’ll accept this as a go.
Robin Hood (1 point) There’s exactly one conversation between two women: Maid Marian and Lady Kluck’s badminton game. Now, this quickly melts into a conversation about Robin when the kids come in, but we’ll give it a point.
The Rescuers (1 point) Yep, this one passes the Bechdel test pretty easily, actually – there are exactly two conversations that count.
The Black Cauldron (0.5 points, I think) The evil witches talk to each other at some point…right?
The Little Mermaid (1 point) This one’s actually pretty fishy (pun not intended). Ariel and Ursula talk about Ariel becoming human and the like, but then, Ariel’s sole motivation is Eric. There’s the song, but the “poor unfortunate souls” include mermen, correct? And Carlotta and Ariel do interact at one point, but then, Ariel can’t exactly speak… We’ll pass this one through, but it’s a far cry from perfection.
Beauty & The Beast (0.5 points) This one gets half a point. There’s a very, very, very brief exchange between Mrs. Potts and Belle (there are others, but those don’t count since they’re about the Beast). Then Belle does talk to the wardrobe about clothes, but this version’s wardrobe is nameless. (The 2017 version does pass the Bechdel test, interestingly enough, but only barely.)
Pocahontas (0.5 points) This one’s also pretty skeptical. We get a couple of female/female conversations, but Pocahontas’ dad is brought up, so does it truly pass? Hard to judge.
Hercules (0.5 points) This one…only passes if you squint. We have conversations between the Grey Sisters, but they’re not named. We have conversations between the Muses, but they’re not named either. That’s pretty much it. Honestly, it’s probably only worth maybe 1/100 of a point.
The Emperor’s New Groove (1 point) Yzma does talk to Pacha’s wife (I know she has a name, but I can’t remember what) about Pacha briefly, but there’s enough about the doorknob (“Try jiggling the handle.” “There is no handle!”) to get it past just barely, even if the reason they had the conversation was because of Pacha.
Lilo & Stitch (1 point) Unsurprisingly, my all-time favorite Disney movie passes without a doubt. Lilo and Nani have plenty of conversations (and arguments), only only a couple of times are they about a male character. Plus, there’s Nani’s infamous job search montage.
The Princess & The Frog (1 point) I’m a little hesitant to pass this one, but I’ll accept it. Tiana talks to her mom about her dream restaurant, but her father and lack of a husband come up in each conversation. Mama Odie’s talk with Tiana does technically pass, although an argument could potentially be made that it’s about Tiana needing to accept love. Charlotte and Tiana do also talk, but then men do come up frequently. The movie certainly fairs far better than most of the movies listed above, but even it’s a bit dubious.
Tangled (1 point) Does this pass? Yeeeesss, but only barely. Yes, I said “barely”. Mother Gothel does indeed speak with Rapunzel and manipulate her, but only the beginning of the movie counts. After that, it’s all about Flynn/Eugene and the idea of “men with pointy teeth”.
Wreck-It Ralph (1 point) Brief exchanges between Taffyta and Vanellope give this one an all-clear, but that’s about it.
Frozen (1 point) Anna and Elsa do certainly talk a few times throughout the movie about things other than men, so I’ll let this one go through. (Of course, the fact that they’re literally the only two named female characters in the movie is still cause for concern.)
Big Hero 6 (0.5 points) There’s exactly one exchange that allows this movie to pass the Bechdel test: GoGo: Get the mask. Honey Lemon: I’m right behind you!
Zootopia (1 point) Judy interacts with Mrs. Otterton (albeit about the latter’s husband), Bellweather (albeit much of the time it’s about Lionheart), Fru Fru, and her mom (albeit often about foxes) throughout the movie, so we’ll let it pass.
Moana (0.5 points) Moana interacts plenty of times with her Grandma Tala, so it passes. However, there’s a slight grain of salt to be taken in that Tala’s never actually called by her name in the movie itself, only in the credits. Moana’s song to Te Ka/Te Fiti certainly helps, but then, it’s not exactly like the latter says anything in return.
Total:
23 movies technically passed, earning a total of 18.5 points.
Disney Movies That Don’t Pass the Bechdel Test
- Pinnochio
- Dumbo
- Bambi
- Lady and the Tramp
- The Sword in the Stone
- The Jungle Book
- The Fox and the Hound
- The Great Mouse Detective
- Oliver & Company
- Aladdin
- The Lion King
- A Goofy Movie
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Mulan (sorry, but conversations about marriage and squabbles between unnamed ancestors simply aren’t enough)
- Tarzan
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- Treasure Planet
- Brother Bear
That’s 18 movies that do not pass at all.
Final Results
Out of 41 movies, 23 pass the Bechdel test (although 9 of those are very dubious passes), The total “points” that Disney earned is 18.5 out of 41, leading to a whopping score of 45%.
Great job, Disney.
Image Credits: Disney