A survey of current animation programs – the oldest example is from 2016 – reflect a possible shift in how Western writers present male characters. This survey includes varied examples of animation in the twenty-first century: traditional broadcast animation (DuckTales [2017- ]), animation on streaming services (Voltron: Legendary Defender [2016-2018]), and film animation (The Lego Batman Movie [2017]). While these examples differ in format and style, they are all established Western children’s animation franchises. Each franchise initially showcased men defined by their anger (Donald Duck, Batman), or by their power/heterosexual romances (Commander Keith). But in their newest incarnations, these men are now reimagined through care ethics. Maureen Sander-Staudt outlines care ethics as emphasizing nurturing of others to promote social behavior (IEP) and subvert patriarchal norms. Of course, nurturing men have appeared in previous animated programs. Examples include Steven in in Steven Universe (2013-) and Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender (2003-2008). Amy M. Davis also notes in Handsome Heroes and Vile Villains: Masculinity in Disney’s Feature Films that many Disney films showcase gentle-hearted men, like Johnny Appleseed (1948) and The Rescuer’s (1977) Bernard (87). In “Post-Princess Models of Gender: the New Man in Disney/Pixar,” Ken Gillam and Shannon R. Wooden highlight the trend in recent Disney/Pixar animation to feature male protagonists that unlearn toxic masculinity (2). Gillam and Wooden are correct that the influx of male characters learning empathy reflects a trend to accepting nurturing men (3), but the nature of animation franchises that have been rebooted must be considered as well.
While Steven and Aang are original characters, Johnny Appleseed and Aladdin’s stories reside in the realms of folk and fairy tales (Davis 90, 110), vague enough that a writer who wants to create a gentler male protagonist can do so without worrying too much about the character’s past baggage. Donald Duck, however, has a pre-set personality due to his commercial legacy, as opposed to a legacy in folklore or a fairy tale: audiences have seen his temper before in past films and/or comics, so they expect to see it in sequels and reboots as well (Blitz 6). Thus, when Donald is revised to become caring, it demonstrates “innate” masculinity’s artificiality. These men are not the first animated characters to subvert Bereska’s outline for traditionally masculine characters, but revising the masculine hallmarks of animation into nurturing characters represents a signifi cant trend in how audiences are reinterpreting masculinity.