CNN.com interviewed me for its post: 2012: The Highs and Lows of Women In Hollywood  on the lack of female protagonists in movies made for children:

Not only will a record 20 women hold U.S. Senate seats next year, but women voters also greatly influenced the 2012 election, making an impact in swing states such as Ohio.

As founder of reelgirl.com Margot Magowan says, Hollywood needs to catch up.

The sheer increase of strong female characters isn’t enough, Magowan said, noting that role models such as “Wreck-It Ralph’s” Vanellope (voiced by Sarah Silverman) are often secondary characters.

“It’s important for the female to be the star of the movie,” the mom of three girls said. ” ‘Harry Potter’ has Hermione, but her role is to help Harry on his quest. … You can be the first lady, but you can’t be the president. … If you can’t imagine it, you can’t be it.”

 

My favorite quote is from Joss Whedon:

In 2006, while accepting an award from Equality Now (an organization promoting the human rights of women), Joss Whedon (“The Avengers,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) said he’s often asked why he creates such strong women characters.

His response: “Why aren’t you asking 100 other guys why they don’t write strong women characters?”

Read the whole post here.

Read Reel Girl’s review of “Wreck-It Ralph.”