crap that is out there now. Well, maybe not. After reading the article "Are Disney Movies Good for your Kids"?, I'm thinking they are not as safe as I remember. There have been many issues raised in the past concerning Disney being prejudiced. In the article, Giroux cites Aladdin as one movie that this controversy is present in. He talks about the opening song which says:"Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where they cut off your ear, if they don't like your face
Its barbaric, but hey, its home".
How many times did I listen to this song? How many times did I sing along? Did I even stop to think about what they are saying? I know I didn't when I was younger, and I know I didn't until I read this article. Aladdin is not the only movie this takes place. The article cites a couple others. My friends and I, the kids I babysit for, my cousins, etc. watched these movies again and again. What kind of stereotypes were presented to us that we use today?
Disney continues to reinvent old classics and put a new twist on them. One movie I am thinking of in particular is Cinderella, the people version starring Brandy. It is the beloved tale only with a modern look and better vocals. The cartoon Cinderella, and even the previous people version starring Leslie Ann Warren, portrayed all white characters. This version has an extremely diverse cast. Cinderella, the fairy godmother, the queen and one stepsister are African American. The Prince is Asian, and the king, stepmother and stepsister are white. The ball consists of people of many different races (see video clip). Why this change? Isn't this the Disney that portrayed Middle Easterners as barbaric? Modern Disney movies seem to all posess this change and include widely diverse people: races, weights, personalities. Not everyone is from one mold. So is Disney regretting their decisions in years past? One can hope.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg5WtJnXye8
Is it bad that I still really love these movies??!
3 comments:
When we were younger I don't think many of us really knew what the words meant. We just sang along with the movie because they had a cool beat. Now that we are older and know the truth does that change much? In some respects but now we are seeing Disney through different eyes. It adds the question is ignorance bliss in this case?
I think Disney can change some things about their practices. I mean, they won't stop hyper-commercializing childhood. That's their bread and butter. But in terms of representation, it just doesn't seem like it should be that hard to have clearly ethnic characters who aren't stupid, evil, or just plain racist. Or to have a female lead who wants something besides "true love" and marriage to a prince.
I don't think it's wrong to enjoy Disney movies. I don't even think it's wrong to show them to kids. But parents need to consider: if Disney movies are potentially teaching my kids some lessons I don't want them to learn, what should be my response? With older kids, it might be some good conversations about some of the content. Maybe it means not showing the movies at all to kids who are too young/immature to have that conversation. Maybe it means limiting the purchase of other Disney products. Maybe it means "balancing" Disney movies with other entertainments that teach better lessons (most likely carefully-chosen kids' books).
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