Walt Disney Child Development Essay

Walt Disney was a man of many talents. He “was the first to be imaginative, not only with story ideas, but with the adaptation of new technology” (Brody 351). He created many beloved characters that children were able to connect with through his story books and animated films. Along with his success in the literature and the animated world, Disney created a land for all dreams to come true for any youngster; Disney Land. This magical place is made up of “Disney’s nature films and live action adventures” (Brody 351). But with all this excitement, can Disney’s creations be related to positive outcomes in a child’s development? Disney’s stories and films are viewed as harmless on the surface, but when studied, there has been a suggestion of alternate meanings for his stories. In the early stages of life, children are eager to encounter new things and learn from them. This does not advocate that everything a young child, going through the crucial developmental stages of life, is exposed to will be enlightening. There are few positive developmental outcomes a child will gain from watching and interacting with Disney’s beloved character’s; whether it be in a story book, animated film, or a real life event. The negative developments seem to greatly outweigh the proposed positive ones.

Children are questioned with whether or not they possess the capacity for moral understanding and development. Monique Wonderly explains, children do have the capacity for moral understanding and illustrates this reasoning through the conclusions made by Jean Piaget and Lawerence Kohlberg. Wonderly states that Piaget’s theory of children’s “moral reasoning is largely determined by [their] fear of punishment and respect for authority” (2). Furthermore, in ...

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...nnovative, grounds for the education of the young and upcoming generation. It is also understood “the negative representations of female gender in popular culture have been seen as a harmful influence on young children” (Lee 11). It is understood that children have the capacity to understand the situations and morals embedded within the Disney movies and this power of education should not be wasted through damaging the young viewers. But, the power of new methods of education must be implemented with great care. The means of capturing the attention of young viewers is already present, with the ability to bring about the “Disney princess line”. The Disney film industry should be providing the young minds of the future generation with entertainment that does not consist of traditional gender socialization roles and the proper storyline for educational and development.