An Analysis of Feminism in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the portrayal of the feminist characteristics of Maleficent as the main female character. Numerous researchers have focused on Liberal feminism on the main female character in the film as the main topic of their research. However, there have not been so many studies that particularly focus on care-focused feminism. For this reason, the present study aims to fill the gap by exploring the portrayal of the feminist character in Maleficent through care-focused feminism. The study employs a qualitative approach and textual analysis since this study focuses on an in-depth and descriptive analysis of Maleficent from evidence in the film text. Framed by the theory of care-focused feminism (Gilligan, 1982) and film theory (Bordwell, Thompson, & Smith, 2016) to achieve the aims. The study found Maleficent"s portrayal of care-focused feminism can be seen from the three stages she experienced, which concludes that Maleficent is a main female character who does not only fight for her rights as a woman but also cares for others -women and men-to achieve harmony. Thus, this study implies that this portrayal offers a different kind of feminist character for young viewers.