Disney and Masculinity

I love examining what we watch in cartoons but I think that their are a few flaws in this argument. I too am critical of Disney Princesses. Damsels in distress are pretty pathetic role models. But take Beauty and the Beast, a film that is mentioned in this clip. The heroine of this movie is Belle. She is a bookworm that is relentlessly pursued by Gaston. While Gaston is portrayed with stereotypically male cliches - hunting, muscles, bravado - he is clearly openly rejected by our heroine, Belle. In fact, it is only when the Beast begins to show his more emotionally open side that Belle begins to have feelings for him. This may be a result of this being a later Disney movie but I like the message the film is presenting as a whole.