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How do disney movies impact society
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Disney was and still is one of the children’s greatest happiness. His movies represented a way of disconnection with the real world, a model of beauty and bravery in which every child wants to take part. Disney characters have become extraordinarly notable to millions of children and, as one analyst of the Disney empire noticed, “these films inspire at least as much cultural authority and legitimacy for teaching specific roles, values, and ideals than more traditional sites of learning such as public school, religious institutions and the family”. However not everything which is beauty can be real. Due to its incredible impact on children and adults, Disney created an empire that may influence human’s mind by hiding certain messages which might …show more content…
Therefore, in the following essay I want to investigate Disney’s utilization and representation of foreign cultures and its awareness to the whole world. Producing the magic and breaking the Disney Spell Disney applies the same ideology as Harry Houdini, an illusionist and stunt performer, who once said “What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes”. But how does Disney continue to play with their minds? Family is the first encounter and also they try to bring joyfulness to their child through what is known as “magic”. Also, children often make use of popular stories, myths and fairy tales to make sense of themselves and their surroundings, but for many young children their earliest exposure to this term likely come from media sources. Simply put, the great “magic” of …show more content…
Above all, I want to define the word ‘orientalism’ as “style, artefacts, or traits considered characteristic of the peoples and cultures of Asia” (Oxford Dictionary). According to Celeste Lacroix, the characters of colour are portrayed far more sexually, with a strong, active and adult appearance. For example, Mulan and Pocahontas are seen more athletic and brave with a physique that reflects a body structure to that of a Barbie Doll. Also, by changing the shape, colour and the size of facial features (Jasmine’s skin tone is appropriately darker for the Middle Eastern, Pocahontas is drawn with large almond shaped eyes) might portray the distinctive look of a “I am a foreigner”. Moreover, their traditional clothes place the characters in a more sexualized light (Pocahontas dress is quite short, as in Jasmine’s costume the shoulders are almost bare). Paula Gunn Allen, a Sioux tribe member and a professor of literature, finds Disney’s portrayal of Pocahontas disquieting. She is “troubled that Hollywood’s sexual stereotyping eclipses much of the power women held in native cultures.” On the other hand, the elements of physique, costuming and iconography of the white women (1989: The Little Mermaid, 1991:
The Historical Interaction Between the Europeans and Indians in the Disney Movie Pocahontas Over the past couple of weeks, we have been studying the story of the Native American (Indian) princess, Pocahontas. We have studied both literature and the 1995 Disney movie. I am going to write about what methods are used to portray the relationship between these two civilisations. Both media portray the same relationship between the civilisations; this is one of mistrust, misunderstanding and dislike. From the moment the Europeans landed in "the new world", the natives were not sure of what to think of them, they looked different, sounded different and carried themselves differently.
Part of this commonality is the commodification of these other cultures. In Pocahontas, Mulan, and even The (Bell-Ringer) of Notre Dame the commodification is done through the previously mentioned animation of the women that Kilpatrick aptly describes as, “the improbable physics of (Pocahontas’) body” (153) that also can be applied to just about all of Disney’s multicultural female characters, most notably Jasmine, Tiana, and Esmerelda. In the case of Lilo and Stitch it is way the animators have constructed the islands in Hawaii. Cheng states this example as, “packaging the ‘aloha spirit’ as a multicultural self-image of Hawaii designed to ensure an authentic Pacific experience” (126). Although Disney commodifies these aspects of their films differently, they are both equally problematic.
The Disney film Pocahontas can be viewed as a false portrayal of American history. Although it may have been made for entertainment purposes, Pocahontas is regarded to be a coming of age film for children due to its didacticism. The life lessons that one could possibly take away from the film are considerably positive, but the depiction of Native American and European cultures is deceitful. Most Disney films involve “epic romances,” in the case of Pocahontas one is not necessarily needed to convey the message of the film. Even though historical films cannot always be accurate to actual events, this film manages to stray away from the actual historical story of Pocahontas entirely. Due to this, children are presented with false information that they perceive to be true. Adults on the other hand might just perceive the fictionalized account as source for their children to learn sugarcoated lessons and not historical facts. While distorting historical facts, Pocahontas fulfills the typical Disney film mold as it incorporates multiple moralities for its audiences.
Alexandrova, Marina. "Disney and The American Princess: The Americanization of European Fairy Tales." America: The New Society (2010): 1-77. Print.
Rebecca expresses her dissatisfaction of her clothes:" I wear the clothes of an English woman and will disturb you less when I walk" (Princess 30). Here Mojica deconstructs the Disney stereotype of Pocahontas. Jacquelyn Kilpatrick,in “Disney’s Politically Correct Pocahontas” (1999) confirms that ,in the Disney film, Pocahontas looks more like a modern-day disco queen than the timid image of her found in the only surviving portrait painted on her fatal visit to
The acting in Disenchanted sheds light on these misrepresentations. Scene 3, the introduction to the character Pocahontas, played by MariJune Scott, showed how the rough and tumble, 10 year old Pocahontas was transformed into a more feminine, ethnically Caucasian, 20 year old princess. “I was given long flowing, straight hair, a mini skirt, and double-ds” (Giancio). Along with singing the lyrics, MariJune Scott used physical gestures to emphasize the lyrics. She flicked her hair, pulled at her mini-skirt and grasped her chest. The combination of the physical gestures and irritated tone in her voice successfully drew my attention to her act. MarieJune Scott’s acting accentuated how frustrated her character was with Disney’s misrepresentation of the historical figure,
In the essay, Disney’s “Politically Correct” Pocahontas written by Jacquelyn Kilpatrick, a considerable and well-known example of the media misleading the public, the Disney movie, Pocahontas is discussed.
His work in modern media was revolutionary. Moreover, he broadened communication and made it easier to learn about new cultures. Disney’s movies play a vital role in children’s development and their productivity when they enter the “real world”.
Disney’s intentions were more than to captivate young children. They were ultimately to retell the original story of Pocahontas and the settlers and to address social issues of lifestyle and acceptance depending on race and the way they are being treated, proving that marriage isn’t all that important and addressing familial gender roles in society based on having a mother figure. Since 1995, the story of Pocahontas serves to entertain the young minds of children, but none the less the messages for seen in the movie, are mentioned to stress the issues of a series of systems in which maintain the imbalance of power among society’s social organization.
Disney has made it his life 's goal to create home entertainment for both young and old. From the creation of Mickey to his work in films, Disney had made it clear that happiness is something that everyone should have. Disney had also know that animations is not just for the imagination of the children. Early movies such as Snow White and Pinocchio have clear messages for the younger views. “In Snow White- the main characters are victims of injustice who are eventually restored to their rightful place. In Pinocchio, the characters Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket and Geppetto are faced with dilemmas, and their own actions result in them becoming victims of ev...
The movie prides itself on alleged historical accuracy including the one-hour documentary feature Making ‘The New World’ (2006, Austin Lynch, dir.) which supports the presumptive authenticity of Malick’s worldbuilding. However, the attempt at providing a historically accurate representation of the events revolving the founding of Jamestown calls for thorough scrutiny of the director’s style. Particularly cinematography and mise-en-scène often reveal white patriarchal power structures through the representation of race, ethnicity, and gender. Notably, the depiction of Pocahontas is critical to understanding contemporaneous attitudes toward race, ethnicity, and gender in relationship with the misrepresentation of Native Americans in popular movies. There has been an abundance of movies containing problematic representations of Pocahontas throughout the years – the most infamous one probably being the 1995 Disney feature Pocahontas (Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg, dir.).
As one of the first Disney movie that introduces different culture and different culture interacting with other culture, Pocahontas give the audience an idea of multiculturalism. With long muscular arms and legs, tiny waist, healthy copper skin and huge breasts, the image of Pocahontas present in the movie is emphasis placed on traditional beauty. Different to other Disney princess, Pocahontas present the general public a princess from Native American’s land, who is displayed as a independent and highly spiritual young lady went after her dream and rebelled against the men. Female representation in Pocahontas is complicate. Pocahontas as the only Disney princess, who did not fall in love with a prince and does not depend on others to save, she breaks the stereotype that women have to merry a men for happiness.
In today’s modern age, young children are being raised by their TV screen. Reining from the original tales of Perrault and the Grim Brothers, the Disney princess line has been a staple on the screens since the 1930s (Do Rozario 1). However, these princesses have gone through dramatic changes to remain relevant to todays youth. The effects that can be influenced by the roles expressed in these types of films send mixed messages to the audience, causing them to ask themselves whether or not they should believe what the princess is expressing on the screen.
of influence in both the characters and gender roles of people in our society. The films have brought about the shaping of morals, behaviors and characters of not only children, but also adults in todays society, through engaging them in a constant series of unthinking consumption. In addition, most of the films in Disney bring out many different gender roles and people who grew up watching them have been influenced greatly by the content in the films (Blum 13). This paper will involve the various roles played by the characters in the films and how their roles have influenced the society at large.
Should Disney movies be banned for all children? Of course not, but we can encourage juveniles to analyse what they view from a young age. The responsibility to teach these skills can be entrusted to parents. Matthew Johnson, the Director of Education for the Media Awareness Network tells parents that “there may be no escaping the ‘princess phase,’ but teaching kids to view media critically can help make sure your princess doesn’t grow up expecting a handsome prince - or a fairy godmother - to solve all her problems” (Johnson 35). He encourages parents to allow their children to enjoy the entertainment these movies give, but discourage the idolization of the characters.