When Disney’s Brave was first released, people rejoiced over the fact that Merida had no love interest in the movie. Instead, she fights for her own hand and works to get closer to her mother. Of course, Merida turned her mother into a bear, and now she’s trying to make things right but that isn’t exactly the story line we expect from Disney. I grew up watching these princesses waiting for their prince charming to come and rescue them. Merida was a nice change.

the grumpy reindeer. Frozen was praised for showing a story about two sisters, and finally giving a female character power. But love interests are present, Elsa may not have had any because she was too busy trying to conceal and not feel, but Ana sings an entire song about meeting her future husband and then decides to marry a guy after knowing him for like three minutes. It left me a little bit disappointed.

Now, Disney has released Moana, a Polynesian “princess.” Moana is the daughter of the chief of the tribe, not a princess per say, but close enough. Throughout the whole movie, I was waiting for the introduction of her male interest, but it never came. Moana travels the world on her own to save her tribe. Like Merida, Moana seems fearless. Although like Mulan, Moana questions her purpose in life, but where Mulan was asking when her outside would match her inside, Moana wants to know why she’s here in the first place. Moana is loved by all, especially her grandmother. It’s actually the first Disney movie I’ve seen where the character actually has a deep relationship with a grandparent. Moana loves her grandmother and is the only one who really understands her. Her grandma encourages her to “go beyond the reef” and explore. Even though (spoiler alert!) her grandmother passes, her spirit comes back to help Moana through her dark times. But this isn’t the only reason Moana is a fantastic movie, Moana is named the next chief of the tribe. A young female character who is granted power, this has only happened in Mulan, Moana, and Frozen.

This change in Disney’s portrayal of young women is a much-needed change. While Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Rapunzel and Jasmine will always be part of my childhood, we need more characters like Mulan, Merida, Elsa, Ana, and Moana. We need strong female leads to show that girls can do important things. Girls can save China, their mother, sister, or people. Girls can be heroes on their own. Girls can.