It is amazing how a seemingly educated woman that has won Oscar awards for her documentaries, could possibly be so far off base in her review of the Disney movie “The Lion King”. Margaret Lazarus has taken a movie made for the entertainment of children and turned it into something that is racist, sexist and stereotypes gender roles. She uses many personal arguments to review the movie but offers few solutions. The author is well organized but she lacks alternate points of view and does not use adequate sources. Lazarus utilizes the statement at the end of her review that “the Disney Magic entranced her children, but they and millions of other children were given hidden messages that could only do them and us harm” (118). She makes her point by saying that “the Disney Magic reinforces and reproduces bigoted and stereotyped views of minorities and women in our society” (Lazarus 117). She makes comparisons such as elephant graveyards are like ghettos (Lazarus 118). Other lines of reasoning Lazarus gives us are about Whoopie Goldberg using inner city dialect, the villain Scar being gay, and only those born to privilege can bring about change (118).
Lazarus begins her review first, by informing us that the hyenas lived in an elephant graveyard that was dark and impoverished and compared it to living in a ghetto (118). She does not tell us where she obtained her knowledge of how a ghetto is like an elephant graveyard. It was a dark and sinister place but her comparison of it being a ghetto has no justification. Actual hyenas are scavengers by nature and do not exactly hang out with the rest of the animals out in the middle of the Pride Lands. Disney by all accounts, typically has a location in almost every movie that is dark and sini...
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...t people not want to see or avoid this movie. Lazarus should have found sources to back up her arguments. If in some way, the Disney Company has wronged Lazarus, this may be why she makes these remarks about the movie. People will find out as much as possible about a movie before they let their children watch it, which would be a good idea for Mrs. Lazarus. She does not give us insight into her background or knowledge regarding racism, sexuality, gender roles, or the ghetto to back up the point of view she formulates about the movie. She should remember that she is not evaluating a documentary where the facts are important and just sit back and enjoy a Disney classic.
Works Cited
Lazarus, Margaret. "All's Not Well in Land of The Lion King." Power of Language;Language of Power. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 117-118. Print.
Although the movie The Lion King is often times viewed as nothing more than a child-based movie, in actuality, it contains a much deeper meaning. It is a movie that not only displays the hardships of maturation, and the perplexities associated with growing, but it is also a movie that deals with the search for one's identity and responsibility. As said by director Julie Taymor, "In addition to being a tale about a boy's personal growth, the `Lion King' dramatizes the ritual of the `Circle of Life'." Throughout The Lion King, Simba must endeavor through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth to take his place in the circle of life, as king of the pridelands.
Presently, Disney known for its mass media entertainment and amusement parks technically bring warm feelings to many children and some adults. Personally, Disney elicits magical fantasies that children enjoy and further encourages imagination and creativity. For decades Disney has exist as an unavoidable entity with its famous global sensation and reach. Furthermore, Disney is a multibillion dollar empire with an unlimited grasp on individuals and territories. An empire per se, since they own many media outlets, markets, shops, etc., you name it they got it. However, the film Mickey Mouse Monopoly presents an entirely new perspective on the presumed innocence projected in Disney films. This film exposes certain traits Disney employs and exclusively portrays through its media productions, specifically cartoons for directing and nurturing influence beginning with children. Mickey Mouse Monopoly points out camouflaged messages of class, race, and gender issues in Disney films that occur behind the scenes intended to sway viewers towards adopting Disney values.
Sixteen years after premiering as Disney’s thirty-third animated film, Pocahontas still incites excitement and wonder within those who wish for nothing more than to be a Disney princess. As Disney’s most notable attempt at political correctness, Pocahontas was created to entertain while attempting to maintain authenticity in regards to historical accuracy and in its fairness of depicting Native American culture. Jacquelyn Kilpatrick, the author of “Disney’s ‘Politically Correct’ Pocahontas”, feels the movie not only failed at being historically accurate but that it fell far short of being politically correct. The article, which appeared in the Fall, 1995 issue of Cineaste, contends the Disney production was duty bound in preserving the integrity of the Pocahontas legend and being both multiculturally and socially inoffensive. However, if being politically correct and constantly factual within any version of media made for entertainment were the standard, we would be left with documentaries and non-fiction. Artistic license allows for a literal account of events to become an engaging, accessible production.
I chose to view the movie Lion, a movie based on the book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley. This movie is about a five-year-old boy, Saroo, living in a poor, rural area in India. Saroo convinces his older brother Guddu, to let him tag along and find work in a nearby city. Saroo ends up trapped and alone in a decommissioned passenger train that takes him to Calcutta, over 1,000 miles away from his home.
Through dance and movement, the storyline were expanded with the assistance of choreographer, Garth Fagan. A well-renowned choreographer for his innovative choreography primarily for Garth Fagan dance, Fagan used his unique style of choreography to the Lion King by combining a variety of Ballet, Jazz, Modern Dance, African Dance and Balinese Dance to suggest representations of nature without making a replica itself and use dance to help tell the story (Exploring the Lion King, 2010). Taymor’s idea of expanding the film by adding in choreographic elements not only will set the overall concept, it would additionally guide the visual aesthetic by allowing dance as the main element that balances musical numbers in all categories: effects, music and so on into the choreography (Bluemental et al 210:1999). Both Fagan and Taymor gave major contributions to the different styles of dance and performance techniques from around the world creating the precision and versatility that is being portrayed in the musical. In order to create the ideal staging of the hunting lionesses, flying dancers in the aerial ballet to the takeover of the hyenas at Pridelands, the collaboration between Fagan and Taymor gave suggestions of how these movements being performed with grace and poise using different dance styles and are cultural based be the forefront of the production(Taymor 148:1997). By looking at three notable dances in the musical, this chapter will analyse the presence of dance and movement being portrayed in the musical and how are these dances create the drama, still giving the idea of moving in an African Savannah. Furthermore, this will give an insight to all challenges and pitfalls both Fagan and Taymor endured during the development of the...
Young girls sit in front of the television watching Disney movies portraying picture perfect girls who are rescued and swept off their feet by a handsome knight in shining armor. While some believe these movies are perfectly harmless, research proves differently. Disney culture has negatively affected society by causing self-esteem issues, establishing gender norms in movies like Sleeping Beauty, and by setting unrealistic expectations, such as those seen in the similar “fairy tale” endings of The Little Mermaid and the movie version of Pride and Prejudice. If one has a bit of background information on this topic, he or she can make up his or her mind on the issue.
When you first meet someone, what are the first things that you notice? Sex? Race? Or maybe the brands of clothing that indicate social status? Human beings as a society judge and categorize others, labeling those who stray from social norm as weird or strange. Who are we to make these judgments and where did these ideas of right and wrong come from? The Walt Disney Company plays an important role in depicting who and what people should and shouldn’t be. Every aspect of Disney, including movies, TV shows, and products, are supported by most of the world for entertainment and seemingly honest messages of innocence and magic. Beneath the image of innocence, Disney is also a media empire, a global conglomerate consisting of magazines, media production companies, television and radio networks, studios, cable TV systems, theme parks, and Internet sites – all of them motivated by the goal to maximize profits in an increasingly competitive business. Because this documentary is about Disney, its main audience is parents and people who are planning to have kids, but not only does it point out the issues with Disney to parents, but also to the Disney Corporation itself. Mickey Mouse Monopoly, a documentary released in 2002, examines Disney’s power to influence society and culture as it explores Disney’s depictions of race and gender in Disney movies, drawing on interviews with various individuals. Mickey Mouse Monopoly appeals to ethos and pathos to draw attention to Disney’s stronghold on public opinion, how Disney sensors negative publicity, and how Disney aids in the gender socialization of our youth and paints a vivid picture of our society’s concepts of race, class, and sexual orientation.
Everybody in theatre has their part to do in order for a play to be a smash-hit; If a certain department lacks or overlooks any important aspects the play will result in a flop. This means that everything from sound effects to costuming must be checked twice over. I want cover costuming because, it is single-handily the most stressful areas when orchestrating productions. For years, costumes were used in theatre, –masks being the first form of costume ever being dated- to show emotion or wore dresses and gowns to demonstrate who was the woman in the group, –in the earlier years only men were allowed to act- now (not only can every gender act) we carry costumes for every shape and size, enabled the “quick change” method, and a whole bunch of
The point of many films is to convey a message to its viewers, such as morals and ethics. Consequently, films intended for adults convey messages suitable for adults; while children’s films do likewise for their target age groups, as one might expect. These children’s films, directed towards particularly younger audiences, prove useful when they contain beneficial maxims. Although at times, these films elicit less than healthy social views. Disney’s Aladdin is a prime example of a children’s film that immerses the audience in unhealthy views towards women. This film is an irresponsible in its portrayal of women - it sexually objectifies the female protagonist and enforces sexist ideologies, which directly affects the female characters within the story’s patriarchal system. The idea of sexism towards women is rampant throughout the movie Aladdin by making the following three claims: a woman’s worth is defined by men, women are incapable of making their own choices, and that women are inadequate and thus require saving by a man.
The works of Karl Marx have had a great effect on the world. They influenced many people including Vladimir Lenin. The works of Vladimir Lenin have also been influential. Together they influenced the African Che Guevara who is named Thomas Sankara. Thomas Sankara was a revolutionary hero that enacted sweeping social and economic changes throughout Burkina Faso and inspired many people to believe that Africa could be autonomous and self reliant.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is set during World War II. There are four children who had to be sent to live with Professor Kirke because their mother wanted them to be safe. The children decide to play hide and seek in the house one day and the youngest girl Lucy found a wardrobe to hide in. When Lucy was in the wardrobe she found herself in a strange place. The wardrobe had led her to a land full of snow. When Lucy started walking around she met a fawn named Tumnus. He took her to his house. She became friends with him until he broke down and explained to her that he worked for the White Witch. He was supposed to capture humans, but she begged him to let her go, which he did.
...ed by its culture just as it affects its culture, but its underlying worldview contains patriarchal and racist dimensions. In addition, the portrayal of Scar and the hyenas as having a dark mane and dark coats in the Lion King seems to be a symbolic coding. Our society has associated it darkness and evil and it has become an issue that is very offensive to AfricanAmericans. In addition to sending conflict messages about valuing all races, Disney implies that in Pocahontas, certain personality types are not considered and valued. Similarly in Hercules, the one and only Muse who is not beautiful stereotypically is the one muse who is the comic. What this means is that only the extremely beautiful and fun loving people are valued in our society (Booker 38). The mixed message brought out is that all people are valued, but really only fun and lively people are valued.
As humans, we constantly find ourselves engaged in the act of story telling. We are story telling and story creating animals—we act by stories, teach by stories, and learn by stories. A narrative is best described as a representation of a particular situation, process, or idea, in such a way to reflect on or communicate a set of overarching ideas. In short, narratives can be used as mechanisms to domesticate the wild world around us, and have influential value. In the social sciences, narratives are useful as a means of interpretation and finding meaning in the context of a culture. Through a holistic study of how individuals apprehend the world by finding meaning, the concept of a narrative carries great significance, demonstrated through
Disney’s 1998 film, Mulan, attempts to tell the heroic tale of a Chinese woman fighting for her family and country while defying gender roles, but looking into details such as song lyrics enforcing both male and female gender stereotypes, and bland visualization of characters, one can see that this film in fact enforces gender role inequality.
Which is still a big issue in the world today. Just last week a customer was kicked out of a Starbucks because he was black. Which proves they is still discrimination going on today. This movie describes people being prejudice in a way even kids can understand.