Brenda Chapman: “I Was Hired [at Disney] Because I Was a Woman”

I’m not making assumptions. I was simply told that by the executive at Disney Animation with the cold blue eyes who sat behind his desk. It was 1987. They were getting some flack because they didn’t have enough women in creative positions–especially their story department – their current count: 0.
“We need a woman. And you’re the right price.” His exact words – I kid you not. — Brenda Chapman, speaking of her first job in the animation industry, fresh out of school, in the Disney story department.

Jezebel’s right when they say that another way to put this would be that Chapman was the first in a very long time to not be passed over as a hiring prospect because she was a woman. But it’s just as sad that she was removed from her brainchild because she refused to stray from her vision of a mystical action drama starring women and replaced by a better connected guy with less feature length film experience willing to make it “more marketable” by upping the comedy.

(Brenda Chapman’s Blog via Jezebel.)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

Previously in Brave

• Brenda Chapman Leaves Pixar for Lucasfilm
• Stephen Colbert Lambastes Folks Accusing Brave of Supporting Lesbianism Just for Having a Tomboy Main Character
• Brave Is About an Action Princess. Deal With It

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Susana Polo

Susana Polo thought she'd get her Creative Writing degree from Oberlin, work a crap job, and fake it until she made it into comics. Instead she stumbled into a great job: founding and running this very website (she's Editor at Large now, very fancy). She's spoken at events like Geek Girl Con, New York Comic Con, and Comic Book City Con, wants to get a Batwoman tattoo and write a graphic novel, and one of her canine teeth is in backwards.

twitter