Insensitive Portrayal of Society and Cultuer in Disney Films

The Not So Wonderful World of Disney

The “Wonderful World of Disney” has been a part of America for as long as I can

remember. With its movies, television shows, songs, theme parks, toys, and fictional characters,

Disney is the epitome of children’s entertainment. Disney serves as one of the largest sources of

entertainment to Americans, which is why it reigns as a commercial success and influence in our

country. According to Henry Giroux, a popular critic of the Walt Disney Company, Disney’s

immense success also represents “the power of the culture industries to mediate and influence

almost every aspect of our lives” (19). However, does Disney stand for pure and innocent

entertainment, or does it carry alternative motives that seem to be well-hidden from the public

eye? Many critics argue that Disney productions have the ability to affect American children and

families through their insensitive portrayal of certain aspects of society and culture.

Critics mark the idea of negative social influences as one of Disney’s most ubiquitous

problems. In a study done on the role of the Walt Disney Company, Vincent Faherty explains

that Disney displays certain aspects of “social vulnerability which need to be raised to a level of

public consciousness, given they do affect so many children and families “(17). For example,

Disney emphasizes social vulnerability through the overwhelming male dominance displayed in

their animated films. Faherty argues that even though there have been recent movies such as

Mulan and Pocahontas, which portray strong female roles, “the quantitative disproportion of

male characters in Disney animated films needs to be addressed if we expect children to be able

to relate to appropriate role mo...

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