It's already been documented that I can't wait to see Pixar's latest animated feature, Up, which hits theaters this spring. In an era where movies like Paul Blart: Mall Cop rule at the box office, Pixar is the one studio that can be counted on to provide imaginative, groundbreaking films that still manage to connect with massive audiences. From Toy Story to Finding Nemo to WALL-E, it's hard to think of a single Pixar film that hasn't earned the right to be called a modern classic.

But even such a flawless track record of beloved hits doesn't mean Pixar can do no wrong. There's still one thing I've been waiting for Pixar to give us in every film that they have yet to deliver on: a female hero.

Now, I'm not accusing Pixar of failing to depict strong female characters in their films. I love Jessie the cowgirl in Toy Story 2, Elastigirl of The Incredibles, Dory from Finding Nemo, and WALL-E's robot love EVE. But Pixar is now well into their second consecutive decade of dominating the world of animated film, and they still have yet to give us a film told from a female character's perspective. (This essay breaks that claim down in shocking detail.) And the most troubling part is that there's absolutely no reason for it. With the exception of Cars, none of Pixar's films have been set in particularly male-dominated worlds. I am sure there are plenty of little girl fish that get separated from their families and plenty of female rats who dream of becoming chefs. I love all these movies the way they are, but why can't Pixar ever consider the fact that girls go through these same problems too? (Jessie was a good start, but she was still frustratingly cast in the love interest role in the end.)

The blog/essay I linked to earlier also breaks down Pixar's slate of upcoming projects to prove this gender imbalance won't be corrected anytime soon. They may even make things worse with The Bow and the Bear -- a fairy tale about a princess. Now, if anyone can find a way to make a princess movie that doesn't revert to the damsel-in-distresss+handsome-prince formula, it's the geniuses at Pixar, but why even go there? Why continue to spread the notion that female heroines only exist in fantasy worlds? With a few exceptions like WALL-E and Monsters, Inc., most of Pixar's films have been flights of fancy that have been centered on real objects or creatures (cars, toys, rats, etc.) in a world we can recognize as our own. Why do they feel they need to take us to a full-blown fairy tale world to find a female protagonist?

Pixar has given us a great wealth of stories and images I will want to share with my kids and grandkids someday. But as of right now, I can only hope that by the time I have a daughter, Pixar will have made a movie I can show her in which she'll truly be able to see a reflection of herself.

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