Abstract

This case study will analyze scenes from the 2019 movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil to see if tokenism has occurred. Tokenism is, "the policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort (as to desegregate)" (Merriam-Webster, 2020). This act is often seen in the entertainment industry, where people of a minority will be cast in an unimportant role, regardless if it makes sense in the context of where the story is set. In the film, a supporting character named Percival is the close friend of Prince Philip. The character is portrayed by David Gysai, a British actor of African descent. The most well-known version of the original fairy tale was written down by the Brothers Grimm. The story takes place in a Germanic setting roughly during the 15th century. One might question whether an African man could rise to such a position in the 15^th century court the film depicts. Bok's model will be used to look at whether Percival is a token character. Bok’s model asks if an action is right, what the alternatives are, and whether there was a dispute among the parties involved. The Utilitarianism philosophical principle of John Stuart Mill will be used to analyze the ethics of tokenism in this film because it examines if “an act’s rightness is determined by its contribution to a desirable end” (Patterson et al, 2019, p. 13). Answering the following questions can further clarify the ethics of tokenism.

1. Micro: Was there a scene in the film that justified Percival’s inclusion?

2. Midrange: Does it matter if minorities are cast in minor or background roles?

3. Macro: Should a fantasy film set within a certain time period adhere to the standards of that time?