Body image and being conscience of your body doesn’t just appear out of thin air—it starts at a young age, and is often affected by a child’s surroundings and influences. DreamWorks Animation just came out with its new cartoon movie Trolls, and I was pleasantly surprised that they found a way to talk about being positive about your body in a way that even a small child would understand.
Producer Gina Shay said in a panel about Trolls, “We feel it’s our responsibility as filmmakers to offer a positive image,” said Shay, adding “We broke every princess rule in the book.” The main character in particular, voiced by Anna Kendrick, was specifically made to look like a troll in the movie. This seems like a “duh” moment due to the title, but Shay did not want to depict an unrealistic figure. Too often the heroines in movies wear the too-tight bodysuits (i.e. Catwoman, Wonderwoman, and BlackWidow). This leads to the interview talk of regular 5-hour training days to keep weight down and insane diets needed to shrink an actress’ size.
Shay went on to say, “My daughter is 11, she has a powerful mind. I’d rather have her use it imaginatively than be obsessing in the mirror.” We couldn’t agree more!