Disney+ has celebrated International Women’s Day by showcasing some of its most prominent female leads.
The video, which was posted to its official Twitter account, was dedicated to “the explorers, the dreamers, the leaders, and the healers” and featured characters from Disney’s many television shows and films — with the addition of real-life superheroes from its documentaries.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (including the late Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia), The Princess and the Frog, Diary of a Future President, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Kim Possible, Tangled, Frozen, Brave, Captain Marvel, Zootopia, Black Panther and many more appeared in the thirty-second clip.
“You are all Super Heroes,” the video read, accompanied by the caption: “Explore. Dream. Lead. Happy #InternationalWomensDay.”
Explore. Dream. Lead. Happy #InternationalWomensDay. pic.twitter.com/chFgFRRhIj
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) March 8, 2020
Over the past few years, Disney has made every effort to develop leading female characters.
Daisy Ridley’s Rey became the centre focus of the new Star Wars trilogy and Marvel will continue the trend with The Black Widow.
The powerhouse also removed Mulan’s love interest, Li Shang, from the live-action remake of Mulan, splitting the character into two different ones with producer Jason Reed telling Collider, “One became Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui (Yoson An) who is [Mulan’s] equal in the squad.”
“I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn’t think it was appropriate.”
The official Star Wars Instagram also released a nod to its female leads with a “women of the galaxy” montage.
The video features Rey (Daisy Ridley), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), Jannah (Naomi Ackie), Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), Val (Thandie Newton), Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman), Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar), Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell), Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern), The Armorer (Emily Swallow), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall), and Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie).