My friend sent me this video today. I haven't watched a Disney movie in an age, but I was certainly exposed to them all throughout my childhood. It's awfully surprising to view these small clips out of text. Certainly children wouldn't pick up on all the subtle imagery and sounds, but there is no denying the stereotyping of minorities here.
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Wow, just wow. Its amazing how such a powerhouse can send such negative stereotypes to children. Fantasia (which came out in 1940) was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I never saw those images before now. Obviously the context of today's society is drastically different than what was acceptable in 1940 but it was still quite a shock to see. The clip of the Hun leader from Mulan was most likely made to resemble villians, and not to stereotype Asians as a whole. However, Disney apparently had enough negative Asian stereotypes from the past anyway (Lady and the Tramp still makes me cringe...) Hopefully with the new Disney movie coming out (with a black princess... it only took them until 2009) we will not see stereotypes rampant throughout the movie.
ReplyDeleteI think I watched almost every Disney movie imaginable growing up, and I never picked up on the racial stereotypes that were present in them. Seeing them clearly established in the clip was really surprising. I never would have expected that a production company known for creating popular films for children would have anything to do with introducing stereotypes to such young audiences. What message is that sending? Definitely not a good one. I heard about the new movie that Kerrie mentioned as well, which is set to feature the first black princess, and I was thinking to myself, really, it took this long to make such a film? I saw movies like Mulan and Pocahontas, and never realized that there weren't any black princess type characters. I would say that is one film that is long overdue.
ReplyDeleteI agree. There is no denying the racial stereotypes we are exposed to as children. Disney movies and cartoons. Remember Tom and Jerry? Remember the person who chased Tom with a rolling pin? A big, black lady in a maid's uniform. But what 5 year old picks up on that? It can be ingrained subconsciously at such a young age it is scary.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are right. It's not even funny the amount or degree of racial stereotypes we were once exposed when watching those Disney movies. When discussing something like that, we should not forget the crows in DUMBO. Clear and painful stereotype if you guys remember.
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect video clip! It shows perfectly were people get their stereotypes, and in a lot of cases they aren't good but they come from such an innocent place... watching something like a Disney movie. Small children watch these shows and aren't thinking, "wow, this is racist," they are thinking... what a pretty princess I want to be like her. So they are getting all these racist images and have no reason not to just accept them as life. It's almost like targeting minors in alcohol ads.
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