Actress Keira Knightley has banned her three-year-old daughter from watching two of Disney’s fairy tale classics because they don’t enforce female empowerment.
Speaking with Ellen Degeneres on Tuesday, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star said the “The Little Mermaid” and “Cinderella” are persona-non-viewing in her household because they send the message that women should wait for a handsome prince to rescue them or that women should give up everything for a man.
“‘Cinderella,’ banned,” Knightley said. “Because, you know, she waits around for a rich guy to rescue her. Don’t! Rescue yourself, obviously.”
Knightley admitted she loved “The Little Mermaid,” especially the songs, but conceded that Ariel’s decision to give her voice up to the villain, Ursula, in pursuit of Prince Eric was a terrible example for little girls.
“This is the one that I’m quite annoyed about because I really like the film, but ‘The Little Mermaid.’ I mean, the songs are great but do not give your voice up for a man. Hello?!”
“I love ‘The Little Mermaid,’ so that one’s a little bit tricky, but I’m keeping to it,” she added.
In an obvious nod to Ellen, Knightley said that films like “Finding Dory” and “Moana” are permitted in the house. Ellen Degeneres, of course, provided the voice of Dory in “Finding Dory.”
Knightley will be playing the “Sugarplum Fairy” in Disney’s upcoming adaptation of “The Nutcracker.”