This evening at my dorm, we had a program about how Disney might’ve affected our worldviews in a number of ways when we were children. The discussion wasn’t so much to bash Disney as an evil organization that brainwashes children (though that might actually be the case, for all I know), but so much to sit back and tak as educated adults about how Disney may have incorporated certain things into their works, willingly or unwillingly, that changed our outlooks on life. The discussion went through all sorts of topics, from the princess mentality (you saw that coming), sexuality, the villains all are ugly and wearing black, the good looks of the main characters and the sometimes stereotypical ugliness of the villains and minor characters, the differences between men with power and women with power, and it encompassed all sorts of works, from the early Disney films that were obviously about women in traditional roles and love at first sight, to Disney’s current attempts to be more modern and accepting at the expense of the princess of Brave being called a lesbian and the popular TV show Once Upon a Time, which is owned by Disney but takes it old classics and turns them upside down in an interesting fashion.
What we discussed was really interesting and I learned a lot more than I thought I would, and I think everyone else feels the same. Heck, we brought up major criticisms of Aladdin involving stereotypes and mishmashed cultures, and that’s something I haven’t thought about. If you go back and look at some of these old films, you may find yourself seeing things you didn’t see as a kid (I went to Youtube to look at some songs brought up at the discussion, and Good Lord, there were lyrics with more significance than I remember).
Oh, and for those of you wondering how much Disney may have affected me (and consequently my writing), you don’t have to worry; when I first saw those films, I was at an age where I had pretty pictures and sounds to occupy me. I didn’t absorb much beyond that. It wasn’t until I was older that I started absorbing stuff from what I watched, and by then I’d moved onto animes like Sailor Moon and Ronin Warriors. Trust me, it showed in my early writing: when I was ten I tried writing a pirate novel, and a princess ended up joining the crew after they boarded her ship (why she was on the ship or what happened to the crew of said ship or why she joined the pirate crew as an alternative to a dungeon on a magic island or why she was automatically made first mate, I never explained, but I was 10, so go figure), and for a while she was only interested in being a good first mate. Romance didn’t develop till later (or it would have; I never finished that story to tell you the truth).
What about you? Has Disney films affected you in any way?
That includes wondering if your kids should be watching this sort of stuff with all the themes you’re noticing in the storyline and animation, by the way.
Oh, and who in the discussion group said that in the Aladdin song “Arabian nights” there was a lyric about getting ears cut off for ugly faces? I looked, but it’s not in the official movie. It’s in another version though. Look:
Rami Ungar The Writer 
I refuse to let my kids watch Peter Pan. It’s pretty friggin’ racist. Aladdin is not great either, but my youngest has no interest in it anyway, so I’m not worried about it.
Is the princess from Brave being called a lesbian? When I saw the movie her suitors were all portrayed as duds. So that explained why she didn’t want to marry them…
This is just what I heard at the discussion group; apparently some bloggers feel that because the princess doesn’t want to marry, specifically marry men, she must be a lesbian. that’s stupid though; she’s a modern woman in a conservative age, she’s 14, and like you said, her suitors are duds. with all that in mind, why would she want to marry?
besides, Disney’s not ready for gay characters yet, and even if they were, a desire to not marry doesn’t mean you’re gay; in some states the LGBT community is fighting just to marry! the bloggers who write this crap obviously need their heads checked.
LOL, I think so. That’s just messed up. Was the prince gay bc he didn’t want to marry the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella? He just had standards…
standards? puh-leaz, he was lucky to have lines! you could switch him out for the prince from snow white and nobody would notice!
OMG, I think you’re right.
Forgot to ask you, are you referring to the Indians when you say Peter Pan is racist?
Yes. I can’t even watch that segment. I’m a 1/4 Mohawk, and it’s pretty offensive.
i figured it was something like that. sorry that movie makes you so uspet. what about the new version, the one from universal that came out a few years back?
I certainly have issues with a number of Disney films, but they’re such a beloved part of my childhood. I have conflicting feelings.
That’s perfectly fine to have. And besides, it’s Disney, so it’s not something you should put too much thought into unless absolutely necessary.
It’s a very good topic. In many ways, Disney is an empire that had questionable beginnings and is trying to move away from them, the later generations of rulers trying to correct the mistakes of their forefathers. Its also a good topic because it raises the question of our current prejudices. Should we worry about things from the past prejudices us today, or are we safe since we’re likely to run it through the wringer of our current cultural baggage?
all very good questions, all with different answers depending upon whom you ask.
Exactly. I remember having a debate about this in high school, on the topic of literature. We took the position that old books had value, regardless of whether or not they contained prejudices from their time. I wanted to say that we today were so conditioned to spot prejudice that we were sure not to let them sway us, but accidentally made the much smarter point that the prejudices of yesterday can’t compete with the ones we have today. Every generation does this, reinterpreting old works to fit our current ideas. The teacher liked gave me a note saying it was the best argument she’d heard. I for one don’t know where it came from 🙂
ha! 😀