Letters to the Editor
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Sclatter
Is there a reason why a Barbie doll couldn't have become really jealous of a Bratz doll and thus end up losing, and having to win back the respect of, a little girl's entire stable of toys?
Is there a reason an overprotective mother fish couldn't have gone on a quest to save her fatherless daughter with a bad fin from being trapped in a dentist's aquarium?
Given that a rat is a rat, why would it make things different if a female rat was determined to be a great chef?
Most of the Pixar stories are aimed at kids of both sexes, not at boys. Very few of them actually have storylines that depend on the characters being male. Okay, so you couldn't replicate Buzz Lightyear's weird belief that he is an actual astronaut exploring an alien planet with a Bratz doll (or a thinly disguised variant thereof), but on the other hand, it would be awfully funny to see someone who thinks she's a top-rated fashion maven and designer figure out that in fact she's just a doll. The story of an overprotective mother going on a quest to save her child is *just* as meaningful and relevant as the same character being an overprotective father. Admittedly, The Incredibles would have been a different story if the main character had been the mother -- stay-at-home moms and working moms have different life angst than working dads. But that's the only one I can think of off the top of my head.
Meanwhile, the movie Barnyard starred a male cow. Yes, that's right, a male cow. Teats and all. And then when his girlfriend had a calf, it was a male calf. With teats.
Animators aren't even really *trying* to achieve gender balance... and it's stupid. My son would eagerly watch the story of a girl who wants to be a giant mecha pilot, and in fact he has. Why do we have to look to Japan (which by most measures is more sexist than we are, anyway) for good female role models for our children? I mean, frickin' Sesame Street took until last year to add a main regular who's female and I *still* haven't seen her on the toys, diapers or sippy cups.