Girls today are more in need of good role models than ever before, but it often seems like the world of popular culture sabotages parents' efforts to provide them on every front. Newspapers are full of the exploits of the young, beautiful, and drug-addicted, female musicians dance on stage in ways better reserved for strip clubs, and films and television shows all too often feature women at their most stereotypical - maybe as airheads trying to escape the bad guys in low-cut dresses and four inch stilletto heels, maybe as wise and loving "earth mothers" who can do no wrong, maybe even, in some well-intentioned but misguided cases, so "successful" that they have lost the very qualities that make them women.
All is not lost, however! This Lens focuses on films and television shows that feature strong and appealing heroines in a variety of roles, both traditional and non-traditional, heroines who are feminine without being stereotyped, who are, in short, human. It is in that sense that the DVDs featured here are "great for girls." It is also safe to say that most boys will like most of the DVDs featured here, some boys will like all of them, and all boys will like some of them.
I have included DVDs appropriate for a range of ages from young children to older teenagers, with content warnings included as necessary. My standards for what constitutes appropriate entertainment for minors will be stricter than some, laxer than others, so if in doubt, preview the DVD first.
The Best Disney Heroines
Mulan (Special Edition)
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Beauty and the Beast
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Lilo & Stitch
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Rescuers
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Aladdin (Disney Special Platinum Edition)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Family Classics
Mary Poppins (40th Anniversary Edition)
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
The Sound of Music (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Special Edition)
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Annie (Special Anniversary Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
National Velvet
Amazon Price: $7.49 (as of 09/06/2008)
Classic Girl Stories on Film
Anne of Green Gables
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Little Women (Collector's Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
A Little Princess / The Secret Garden
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Secret Garden
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Great Girl Stories on Paper
The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Little Women (Signet Classics)
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 09/06/2008)
A Little Princess
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
More Great Family Films for Girls
Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
Amazon Price: $15.49 (as of 09/06/2008)
Fly Away Home (Special Edition)
Amazon Price: $10.49 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Journey of Natty Gann
Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Parent Trap (Special Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Princess Diaries (Special Edition)
Amazon Price: $15.49 (as of 09/06/2008)
Harry Potter's Heroines
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Special Widescreen Edition)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 3)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Two-Disc Deluxe Widescreen Edition)
Amazon Price: $25.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Fantasy Heroines
Due to violence and mature themes, some of these films may be most appropriate for teens and preteens, not young children.
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Widescreen Edition)
Susan and Lucy Pevensie
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Elizabeth Swann
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
Eowyn, Arwen, and Galadriel
Amazon Price: $64.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Best of Jane Austen on Film
Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)
My favorite of the many adaptations and updatings of this, Austen's most beloved novel
Amazon Price: $23.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition)
A brilliant adaptation in every way
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Persuasion
A fine adaptation of one of Austen's less-appreciated novels
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Because everyone should read Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics)
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 09/06/2008)
Emma (Penguin Classics)
Amazon Price: $8.00 (as of 09/06/2008)
Persuasion (Penguin Classics)
Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 09/06/2008)
Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics)
Amazon Price: $7.00 (as of 09/06/2008)
Northanger Abbey (Modern Library Classics)
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 09/06/2008)
Smart Girls
Veronica Mars - The Complete First Season
Amazon Price: $44.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Mean Girls (Special Collector's Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Enigma (Special Edition)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Much Ado About Nothing
Amazon Price: $7.49 (as of 09/06/2008)
Alias - The Complete First Season
Amazon Price: $33.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Joss Whedon
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Collector's Set (40 discs)
High school becomes a metaphor for hell in this ground-breaking series.
Amazon Price: $186.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Angel - Seasons 1-5
Buffy's ex, Angel, the vampire with a soul, got a show of his own, and we got Cordy, Fred, Lilah, and more.
Amazon Price: $132.20 (as of 09/06/2008)
Firefly - The Complete Series
Space opera meets Westerns in this cult classic.
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Serenity (Collector's Edition)
The cast of Firefly returns for a feature film based on the series.
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Kickass Science Fiction Heroines
Some of these DVDs contain sex, violence, and other mature themes, and are best suited for teens.
Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition with Bonus Disc)
Amazon Price: $51.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Farscape - The Best of Season One
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
The X-Files - The Complete First Season (Slim Set)
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
X-Men Trilogy (X-Men/ X2 - X-Men United/ X-Men - The Last Stand)
Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 09/06/2008)
Clothes for Heroine Addicts
Looking for Great Books for Girls?
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Great Books for Girls
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Welcome to Chapter 3 of Noori's Library: Great Books for Girls!
Great Sites For Heroine Addicts
- See Jane
- See Jane's mission is to have the entertainment industry, parents, and the general public recognize the need for gender balance and varied portrayals in the overall universe of kids' entertainment.
- Women In Film
- Women In Film is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women achieve their highest potential within the global entertainment, communications, and media industries and to preserving the legacy of women within those industries.
- Sheroes Central
- SheroesCentral.com is about female heroes, "Sheroes", of every age, race, and country.
- Girl-Wonder.org
- Girl-Wonder.org is a collection of sites dedicated to female characters and creators in mainstream comics.
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