Disney Disney Films: Stereotyping In Disney Films

818 Words2 Pages

Casey Silva
Mr.Crosson
College Composition
March 2104
Stereotyping in Disney Films

Disney is a company that almost everybody has either seen, heard about, or been to. Throughout the years that Disney has been making movies, some people have been saying that Disney shows stereotyping through their movies. Even though some people do not notice these stereotyping images, some people do notice them and do get very offended. Disney has been around since the early 1920`s when “Walt signed a contract with M. J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies — this date is considered the start of the Disney company first known as The Disney Brothers Studio”(Wikipedia 3). In the past, Disney has had many different claims about stereotyping, but nothing was really done about the issues. Despite claims that Disney invents perfect role models for children, Disney actually creates their characters based upon stereotypes.
Walt Disney, the founder of Disney, was born on December 5, 1901. He founded Disney in January 1920. As a young child he had moved around a lot with his family due to work. Disney’s most famous cartoon was mickey mouse and the mickey mouse collection was created in the late 1920`s and Walt did the voice of mickey mouse until 1947. Some would say that this is the most successful portion of the Disney franchise. (Wikipedia 2)
Some of you might be asking what stereotyping is. According to dictionary.com stereotyping is “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group” (dictionary 1). Stereotyping gives certain people false expectations. These expectations create anger between groups and even though Disney does not take blame for this they are part of t...

... middle of paper ...

...e claims that Disney invents perfect role models for children, Disney actually creates their characters based upon stereotypes. To conclude this is some of the ways that Disney can put slight biased roles and characters into their movies without the general population catching on to it.

Works Cited

Snow Whitey. Gail Robertson, n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.< http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=huds29590&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA21239759&&docId=GALE|A21239759&docType=GALE&role=OVIC>.

"Stereotyping." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014
.
"Walt Disney." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Gendered And Racial Stereotypes In Robin Hood And Toy Story 3

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two Disney films that I decided to watch and research are Robin Hood from 1973 and Toy Story 3 from 2010. I decided to choose these movies because they both have a good amount of action and adventure in them, which is what I like best in movies. Stereotypes are very common in todays’s society according to Robert Sapolsky who states, “Face it, we all do it—we all believe in stereotypes about minorities. These stereotypes are typically pejorative and false, but every now and then they have a core of truth.”(Sapolsky,1997) The Disney animated films Robin Hood and Toy Story 3 portray many issues and gendered and racial stereotypes that are still present in society today.

    Read More

  • Stereotyping In Happy Dan, The Lady And The Tramp

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Almost 100 years ago Walt Disney created what would later become one of the biggest multimedia empires in the nation. Since then, Disney has become a common household name around the world. Some of the company’s earlier animated films include Snow White, Cinderella, and Lady and the Tramp. When you think of Lady and the Tramp you most likely picture two lover dogs eating a bowl of spaghetti when they both just so happen to choose the same noodle and kiss as if they were humans. Looking past this cute yet somewhat unsettling scene, the viewer can see Disney’s attempt at stereotyping not one, but at least four different ethnicities depicted throughout the film through the form of animals. The stereotypes range from social class types, feminine

    Read More

  • Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood & Corporate Power

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Walt Disney : Disney The Most Influential People

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Disney Argumentative Essay

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Disney promotes sexisim by forcing young girls to live in a patriarchal world. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The little mermaid, Aladdin, and Snow White are all examples of popular Disney movies that encourage young viewers that they need a man to save the day. Yes, it’s true that there are recent movies such as Moana and Frozen that prove otherwise, but how long will it take to completely get over the fact that women are mainly viewed as secondary citizens compared to the men? There are countless examples of how Disney movies influence this theme, and how much the female characters’ actions, ideas and thoughts are not included in a Disney movie.

    Read More

  • Disney and Traditional Stereotypes

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite the tremendous steps that have been taken towards reaching gender equality, mainstream media contradicts these accomplishments with stereotypes of women present in Walt Disney movies. These unrealistic stereotypes may be detrimental to children because they grow up with a distorted view of how men and women interact. Disney animated films assign gender roles to characters, and young children should not be exposed to inequality between genders because its effect on their view of what is right and wrong in society is harmful to their future. According to Disney films, it is important for women to achieve the stereotypical characteristics of a woman, such as maintaining their beauty to capture a man, and being weak and less educated than male characters. The women in Disney movies are always beautiful, which helps them to find a man.

    Read More

  • Gender, Race and Disney Princesses

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Disney princesses are fun for all ages, but their target audience is young children and “as children grow and develop, they can be easily influenced by what they see and hear”. Therefore, what they see and hear in Disney movies leaves an impression on them. The first princess, Snow White, was created in a time where each gender and race had a specific role in society. Recently, many believe that Disney has come a long way in regards to gender and race since Snow White, as several multi-cultural protagonists have been introduced subsequently, and gender roles do not appear to be as stereotypical as they once were. However, many of the apparent innocent messages about race and gender in these movies, can be exposed as otherwise. Despite their mask of progression, Disney princesses still have the potential to corrupt the minds of young children through sexism and racism.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Disney

    2315 Words  | 5 Pages

    Media is a powerful agent in entertaining children. It also influences and teaches the youth of society the suitable and appropriate gender roles that they inevitably try to make sense of. The power of media is very influential especially in the minds of the youth. Disney movies target the youth and plant certain ideas and concepts about social culture into the vulnerable minds of children. Media uses gender to its advantage, just like Disney productions. Humorous caricatures reveal some harsh realities about the portrayal of Disney Princesses in many movies made by the Walt Disney Company. Disney mixes innocence with the ultimate form of fantasy to capture an audience. Predominantly, Disney helps highlight the gender roles by showing the audience simply what they want to see. In the attempt to stick to the norm and portray stereotypical female characters, Disney created Princesses. Presented as damsels in distress and inferior beings to men, Disney Princesses give children an inaccurate portrayal of gender roles at a young age. Through Disney’s social success and intriguing films, such as The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast, Disney Princess movies portray stereotypical representation of gender roles through the denigration of the female image, targeting and ruining the perception of youth today.

    Read More

  • Stereotyping in Media

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stereotypes are generalizations or assumptions about people in a group, based on a perceived image or idea. There are many ways in which people stereotype, including racial, gender-based, ethnicity, and even occupation. Stereotyping can take place anywhere; school, work, newspaper, and even television. The television show “The Big Bang Theory” is a perfect example of a show that portrays a lot of stereotyping.

    Read More

  • The Good and Bad Aspects of Disney Movies

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    The debate over the good and bad aspects of Disney movies has been going on for years. It has become a part of pop culture in a way never expected through things such as YouTube videos and meme’s. While looking at multiple Disney movies may give a wider range of example of both the good and the bad in Disney movies, to help depict the effects the movies actually have on kids it is most beneficial to study just one movie. Zia’s essay argues that Disney movies have a good influence on children by teaching them good life morals. However, one of her examples, Mulan, is not an example of achievement through hard work like Zia explains, but rather a change made through magic, and example of the horrible historical inaccuracies made in Disney movies and the lack of parental respect that they teach children.

    Read More

  • Disney and Gender Identity

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    Society cements certain roles for children based on gender, and these roles, recognized during infancy with the assistance of consumerism, rarely allow for openness of definition. A study conducted by Witt (1997) observed that parents often expect certain behaviors based on gender as soon as twenty-four hours after the birth of a child. The gender socialization of infants appears most noticeably by the age of eighteen months, when children display sex-stereotyped toy preferences (Caldera, Huston, & O’Brian 1989). This socialization proves extremely influential on later notions and conceptions of gender. Children understand gender in very simple ways, one way being the notion of gender permanence—if one is born a girl or a boy, they will stay that way for life (Kohlberg 1966). “According to theories of gender constancy, until they’re about 6 or 7, children don’t realize that the sex they were born with is immutable” (Orenstein 2006). The Walt Disney Corporation creates childhood for children worldwide. “Because Disney are such a large media corporation and their products are so ubiquitous and wide spread globally, Disney’s stories, the stories that Disney tell, will be the stories that will form and help form a child’s imaginary world, all over the world, and that’s an incredible amount of power, enormous amount of power” (Sun). Because of the portrayal of women in Disney films, specifically the Disney Princess films, associations of homemaker, innocence, and dependence are emphasized as feminine qualities for young children. Thus, children begin to consider such qualities normal and proceed to form conceptions of gender identity based off of the movies that portray the very specific and limiting views of women (...

    Read More

  • Racial Representations Of Racism In Disney Film

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    For many years, the dispute concerning racism in Disney movies has been ongoing. Many people argue that Walt Disney himself was a racist; therefore the movies he created were filled with racial remarks. Ever since though Disney has evolved, racism is still present in its films to this day. Most of the animated cartoons deal with the idea that people of color are inferior, and also face problems that they do not really overcome in the end of the

    Read More

  • Disney Princesses' Influence on Young Children

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    Critics have warned the public audience about Disney programming’s affect on the “invasion and control of children’s imagination” (Ross 5). These movies express the typical gender roles “such as males being physically strong, assertive, and athletic, and females being prone to overt emotion, inc...

    Read More

  • Documentary Analysis: The Mask You Live In

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since I was little, I recall my parents buying me a lot of Disney movies and toys and it resulted me becoming a Disney fanatic. However, when Jaclyn would provide examples of how racism, sex, and gender were portrayed through Disney characters, it changed my perspective of Disney. For example, I reminisce when I would watch the movie "Aladdin", it never occurred to me how Disney princesses are being displayed in the movies. But Jaclyn explained how in "Aladdin", princess Jasmine is portrayed as an exotic and seductive young girl especially in the scene where she is trying to distract Jafar with her very revealing outfit. It is astonishing to think how many parents including my own parents permitted and are still allowing their kids to watch movies without realizing the context behind it.

    Read More

  • Walter Elias: Animator And Founder Of The Walt Disney Company

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    Walter Elias "Walt" Disney is best known for being an animator and founder of the Walt Disney Company. He was born on December 5, 1901 to parents Elias Charles Disney and Flora Call Disney in Chicago. Disney started his career in animation when he drew pictures for one of his neighbors at the age of four. When Disney was 10 years old he attended Saturday courses at the Kansas City Art Institute. At the age of 16 he started high school, where he became the school newsletter cartoonist, and took night classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

    Read More

More about Disney Disney Films: Stereotyping In Disney Films

Open Document