Kristen Bell Defends Teaching Kids 'Critical Thinking' to Question Disney Princesses
Kristen Bell is a Disney princess. She voices Princess Anna in "Frozen." But she's not a yes woman, and she's not afraid to challenge the Disney tropes as she raises her daughters Lincoln, 5, and Delta, 3.
Bell recently talked to Parents about reading "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to her daughters. Bell said, once she reads a story to her kids, they talk about and question the message:
"Every time we close 'Snow White' I look at my girls and ask, 'Don't you think it's weird that Snow White didn't ask the old witch why she needed to eat the apple? Or where she got that apple?' I say, 'I would never take food from a stranger, would you?' And my kids are like, 'No!' And I'm like, 'Okay, I'm doing something right.'"
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"Don't you think that it's weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?" Bell says she has asked her daughters. "Because you can not kiss someone if they're sleeping!"
Bell's interview happened to be posted around the same time that new Disney star Keira Knightley was talking to Ellen about banning her kids from watching certain Disney princess films.
This is not the first time anyone has challenged Disney princesses, but it's kind of new for high-profile Disney stars to do it in interviews. That said, they weren't bashing all Disney movies, just speaking for themselves and appreciating evolution away from the early "Snow White," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Cinderella" passive-damsel-in-distress storylines.
Of course, there was blowback -- even though neither actress was suggesting other fans follow their lead. Conservative Ben Shapiro jumped on Bell's comments, and she defended herself in the replies:
Kristen Bell is still working on "Frozen 2" for next year. She's also busy with NBC's "The Good Place" and bringing back "Veronica Mars" to Hulu. Meanwhile, Keira Knightley stars in Disney's "Nutcracker and the Four Realms," which opens in theaters November 2.
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