Disney has rolled out its first-ever plus-sized female protagonist. Photo / Disney
Disney has rolled out its first-ever plus-sized female protagonist. Photo / Disney
Disney has produced its first plus-size heroine for a short film about body dysmorphia.
The project, titled Reflect, shows a young ballet dancer called Bianca who is said to battle “her own reflection, overcoming doubt and fear by channelling her inner strength, grace and power”.
Directed by Hillary Bradfield, the film is part of the second batch of the ‘Short Circuit’ series of experimental short films and will be available to watch on Disney+.
It shows Bianca’s teacher inspecting her position at the barre while reminding her: “Tight tummy! Long neck!”, before the mirror shatters around as the girl struggles with the image of her broken body.
The NHS says: “Body dysmorphic disorder, or body dysmorphia, is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others.”
Twitter reaction was mixed as critics accused Disney of promoting obesity. Photo / Disney
Despite the seemingly good intentions of Bradfield’s inclusive vision, New York Post has reported the film has provoked a divided reaction among fans.
Some have taken to Twitter to claim the short film is “glorifying obesity”, while others disagreed and insisted that it was important for media companies to adequately depict a cross-section of society.
“You wouldn’t represent anorexia, Disney, don’t represent obesity either. It’s wrong,” one person tweeted. Another person took to the social media platform to say, “16 year old me needed this Disney short before I quit ballet because I didn’t want to be the fat girl in class anymore,”
“I’m glad little ones will have this.” the person added.
Meanwhile, other fans have expressed their reaction to the film and revealed they were left in tears by the spotlighting of a plus-size character.
An all-new Short Circuit Experimental Film has arrived! Stream “Reflect” and all the Short Circuit Experimental Films by Walt Disney Animation Studios artists now on @DisneyPlus. 🩰 🎆 pic.twitter.com/c0gw5U4ecc
Bradfield is a Disney Animation artist who is solidifying herself as a director set on breaking norms in the Disney world as she also worked on Frozen 2 and Encanto. The latter featuring the first Disney princess with glasses.
It comes after a 2014 petition from American high school student JewelMoore reached 37,000 signatures as she campaigned for Disney to make a plus-size princess with the slogan “Every body is beautiful”.
The film follows the new Baymax series on Disney+ which featured an episode dedicated to a girl’s first period.
