Saying that most movies, whether independent or blockbuster, star men is such an extreme understatement that it's like saying the ocean is wet. Sadly, even when women are given the lead, they're frequently just passive damsels in distress. That's equally true with child roles. The standard for young female characters is that even when they're smarter, their male counterpart ends up with all the glory (Harry Potter, we're looking in your direction).
Fortunately, we're not the only ones who've noticed this pattern, and a few movies have begun featuring girls in starring roles — ones where they not only don't play second fiddle to men, in some, they even get to make their own honest-to-goodness choices. Pixar joins the trend with its latest, Brave, the studio's first movie to feature a female lead. In honor of its release, we put together a list of our favorite movies starring spunky young women.
See the "Not Your Pretty, Pretty Princess" List >>
Posted 06.19.12 by reelz