Are Disney Movies Bad for Children?

[Individuality-ness]

Well yeah. Im pointing out irrelevance of this topic and reaction of other people.

Except, amazingly, something not being relevant to you does not actually magically render it irrelevant to other people. You are perfectly allowed not to care about media criticism or Disney movies, but it looks very, very silly when you show up in a discussion solely to tell people, repeatedly, just how much you don't care about that discussion.

Also hypocritical, since there are better things you could do with your time then repeatedly telling people to shut up already.

[Individuality-ness]

You forgot how Belle had stockholm syndrome and how the beast was monstrously abusive.

Never thought about it like that. I still think that its okay though because in the end the beast learned how to behave properly and really the most enduring message of a movie comes at the end.

Not really. Its moral is questionable.

EDIT: BAD GRAMMAR FIX

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Whats bothering me is that people talk about this irrelevant topic as if its something important. Whats bothering me even more is that you all have created illusion, that its somehow ok to bi.tch about it. Well guess what- its not. Just get over it AND yourselves and use products which you like instead of bi.tchin about the ones you dont. Or wait, even better advice- go do something what really IS important.

1. You can swear on this forum. There's no word filter. Example: fuck bitch whore slut ass shit.

Some people here might have programs on their computers notifying them of these things. They get an email if those words are on the page.

plus words r icky

[Khadgar]

Never thought about it like that. I still think that its okay though because in the end the beast learned how to behave properly and really the most enduring message of a movie comes at the end.

Not really. It's moral is questionable.

If you break sacred hospitality you and your entire household will be cursed.

[Giovenith]

Violence Honestly I dont have a problem with, I would be more than happy to watch some old war movies with my elementary school age kids(the goo ones mind you like "Lawrence of Arabia", "Lion of the desert", etc) many of them are very well crafted. Lawrence especially, it shows a conflicted man who on the inside is breaking down completely. But overly sexualization, showing of terrible role models(Barbey, Disney princesses), and such things that Disney does I refuse to let those influence my child. I want my child to look up to this not this

My daughters will be warriors not princesses.

Why not both?

[Ethel mermania]

photos of her doing coke, seriously drunk, pantiless,and what not.

and i agree about amanda, though i tend to lean towards breakdown, i loved her in hairspray.

Okay, doing coke is pretty unfortunate, I'll definitely give you that. I hope she stays away from that shit.

(Also, having just watched the supposedly scandalous Miley Cyrus music video...it's a music video. It's pretty DUMB, and the song is god-awful, but I'm not exactly horrified by 20-year-old pop stars making music videos where they dance, wear skimpy clothing, writhe around sexily, and grope attractive dancers, because that's roughly every shitty pop video ever. )

the issue with the work video's were her being underage when she did the pole dancing one. we are a weird nation where a 17 year old humping a pole is indecent but its fine activity for an 18 year old. but that is where we are.

[Individuality-ness]

1. You can swear on this forum. There's no word filter. Example: fuck bitch whore slut ass shit.

Some people here might have programs on their computers notifying them of these things. They get an email if those words are on the page.

plus words r icky

GOOD. >:D

[Electroconvulsive Glee]

Can't we all just enjoy a good cartoon without searching for racial undertones?

I am a big fan of Disney Movies (at least the quality cartoons & classics). I would not go so far as to say they are bad for children and many have various positive messages, but one does not have to "search" very hard for more than "racial undertones" in many Disney classics.

Consider whether the following are valid examples of racism, prejudice, or stereotyping:

• Peter Pan not only includes the infamous "What makes the red man red?", but the Native characters speak a stereotypical, broken English. Further, Princess Tiger Lily’s father represents the negative stereotype of being uncivilized and savage as he holds Wendy’s brothers hostage.
• The crows in Dumbo appear and talk in a manner stereotypical and derogatory of African-Americans.
• The Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp appear to have stereotypical Asian features such as slanted eyes, buckteeth and very heavy accents and are depicted as sinister, cunning and manipulative.
• Aladdin portrays “bad” Arabs with thick foreign accents while Anglicized Jasmine and Aladdin speak in standard Americanized
  English. Some of the original lyrics in the movie include: “I come from a land…where they cut off your ears if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.”
• Tarzan, which was released in 1999, is set in Africa but does not feature any black people.
• In Oliver and Company, a Chihuahua named Alonzo appears is typecast as a Latino troublemaker with a Hispanic accent who talks about stealing cars.
• The seemingly African-American orangutans in The Jungle Book who sing they "wanna be like you" are controversial (although the use of African-American jazz characters may simply be misunderstood).
• In The Lion King, the hyenas appear to speak in a kind of street, inner city African-American and Hispanic dialects. They are portrayed as villains.
• Sunflower the Centaur from Fantasia

This list is not exhaustive. Although reasonable disagreement about the degree of racism in some Disney movies, blind denial of any racism in Disney cartoons is wrong.

Such racism may reflect societal norms at the time a movie was made and are probably unintentional. However, to quote (with some alteration of context) U.S. Supreme Court Justices Kennedy and O'Connor:

Prejudice, we are beginning to understand, rises not from malice or hostile animus alone. It may result as well from insensitivity caused by simple want of careful, rational reflection or from some instinctive mechanism to guard against people who appear to be different in some respects from ourselves. Quite apart from any historical documentation, knowledge of our own human instincts teaches that persons who [are different in apparent race, color, or ethnicity] might at first seem unsettling to us, unless we are guided by the better angels of our nature. There can be little doubt, then, that persons . . . are confronted with prejudice which can stem from indifference or insecurity as well as from malicious ill will. Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, 531 U.S. 356, 374-75 (2001) (Kennedy, J., concurring)

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Violence Honestly I dont have a problem with, I would be more than happy to watch some old war movies with my elementary school age kids(the goo ones mind you like "Lawrence of Arabia", "Lion of the desert", etc) many of them are very well crafted. Lawrence especially, it shows a conflicted man who on the inside is breaking down completely. But overly sexualization, showing of terrible role models(Barbey, Disney princesses), and such things that Disney does I refuse to let those influence my child. I want my child to look up to this not this

My daughters will be warriors not princesses.

Why not both?

For the record, the second one made out with her brother.

[Nailed to the Perch]

You forgot how Belle had stockholm syndrome and how the beast was monstrously abusive.

Never thought about it like that. I still think that its okay though because in the end the beast learned how to behave properly and really the most enduring message of a movie comes at the end.

That actually makes it much worse, since at that point the message becomes, "You can transform an abuser into a good guy with the POWER OF LOVE!"

I think it's a lot wiser to accept that the story is pretty deeply fucked up. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it - it just means you acknowledge and address the flaws while you enjoy it.

[Ainin]

Relevant.

[Individuality-ness]

Not really. Its moral is questionable.

If you break sacred hospitality you and your entire household will be cursed.

Also, you can fix bad boys if you love them JUST right.

[Genivaria]

Violence Honestly I dont have a problem with, I would be more than happy to watch some old war movies with my elementary school age kids(the goo ones mind you like "Lawrence of Arabia", "Lion of the desert", etc) many of them are very well crafted. Lawrence especially, it shows a conflicted man who on the inside is breaking down completely. But overly sexualization, showing of terrible role models(Barbey, Disney princesses), and such things that Disney does I refuse to let those influence my child. I want my child to look up to this not this

My daughters will be warriors not princesses.

Why not both?

Where the hell's her armor? That's a fucking metal bikini.

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Can't we all just enjoy a good cartoon without searching for racial undertones?

I am a big fan of Disney Movies (at least the quality cartoons & classics). I would not go so far as to say they are bad for children and many have various positive messages, but one does not have to "search" very hard for more than "racial undertones" in many Disney classics.

Consider whether the following are valid examples of racism, prejudice, or stereotyping:

• Peter Pan not only includes the infamous "What makes the red man red?", but the Native characters speak a stereotypical, broken English. Further, Princess Tiger Lily’s father represents the negative stereotype of being uncivilized and savage as he holds Wendy’s brothers hostage.
• The crows in Dumbo appear and talk in a manner stereotypical and derogatory of African-Americans.
• The Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp appear to have stereotypical Asian features such as slanted eyes, buckteeth and very heavy accents and are depicted as sinister, cunning and manipulative.
• Aladdin portrays “bad” Arabs with thick foreign accents while Anglicized Jasmine and Aladdin speak in standard Americanized
  English. Some of the original lyrics in the movie include: “I come from a land…where they cut off your ears if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.”
• Tarzan, which was released in 1999, is set in Africa but does not feature any black people.
• In Oliver and Company, a Chihuahua named Alonzo appears is typecast as a Latino troublemaker with a Hispanic accent who talks about stealing cars.
• The seemingly African-American orangutans in The Jungle Book who sing they "wanna be like you" are controversial (although the use of African-American jazz characters may simply be misunderstood).
• In The Lion King, the hyenas appear to speak in a kind of street, inner city African-American and Hispanic dialects. They are portrayed as villains.
• Sunflower the Centaur from Fantasia

This list is not exhaustive. Although reasonable disagreement about the degree of racism in some Disney movies, blind denial of any racism in Disney cartoons is wrong.

Such racism may reflect societal norms at the time a movie was made and are probably unintentional. However, to quote (with some alteration of context) U.S. Supreme Court Justices Kennedy and O'Connor:

Prejudice, we are beginning to understand, rises not from malice or hostile animus alone. It may result as well from insensitivity caused by simple want of careful, rational reflection or from some instinctive mechanism to guard against people who appear to be different in some respects from ourselves. Quite apart from any historical documentation, knowledge of our own human instincts teaches that persons who [are different in apparent race, color, or ethnicity] might at first seem unsettling to us, unless we are guided by the better angels of our nature. There can be little doubt, then, that persons . . . are confronted with prejudice which can stem from indifference or insecurity as well as from malicious ill will. Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, 531 U.S. 356, 374-75 (2001) (Kennedy, J., concurring)

You have a point with the first few - but let's remember when those movies were made, shall we?

And anyway, most of that is stereotyping, not racism.

[Individuality-ness]

Why not both?

Where the hell's her armor? That's a fucking metal bikini.

SWM audience, also she was a slave of Jabba the Hutt at the time.

[Katzistanza]

I am not 100% sure this belongs in General rather than Arts and Fiction but as the intent here is to focus the discussion on the influence of the films on society rather than the films themselves I'm putting it here.

I was watching a bunch of Disney movies with my sister yesterday and I do not think they are a good influence on children, especially girls. The movies are full of racist and sexist messages.
The classic Disney princesses are all dangerously underweight. Many are passive and helpless and even those who do have some control over their own lives are still ultimately reliant on the prince to save them. Most marry in their teens.
On top of this there is a pattern in the appearances of the characters. Protagonists of both genders are beautiful, supporting characters are strange looking and villains are ugly or monstrous. This clearly sends the wrong message about appearance. Villains are always darker in colour than the heroes as well. Even on the rare occasion heroes are not white they are always lighter skinned than the villains.
One exception I noted was Beauty and the Beast which had only the problem of the underweight princess. I also am overlooking the 21st century films as they do not have the same influence as the older ones in popular culture.
I would not take issue with any of this if these were movies for adults, but as Disney movies are not only aimed at young children but are usually the first movies children see it is important to be aware of the lessons they are teaching.

What does everybody else think? Are Disney movies a bad influence on children? Do the characters make good role models?

I think most of these charges could be leveled against the entertainment industry in general, not just Disney.

[Ethel mermania]

she was 16 when she did the nude photoshoot. so i think its ok folks flipped out

Well, except that it wasn't a "nude photoshoot." It was a "teenager wearing a halter top with a blanket over it" photoshoot. You can't see anything but her face, her shoulder, and part of her mid-to-upper back. The outrage over it as if she'd been abused by Annie Leibowitz was a bit much.

the implication was that she was nude, and the issue is sexualizing a minor. i get that 16 year olds are sex objects to other 16 year olds, and that is fine. vanity fair is not targeted at 16 year olds.

[Nailed to the Perch]

I am a big fan of Disney Movies (at least the quality cartoons & classics). I would not go so far as to say they are bad for children and many have various positive messages, but one does not have to "search" very hard for more than "racial undertones" in many Disney classics.

Consider whether the following are valid examples of racism, prejudice, or stereotyping:

• Peter Pan not only includes the infamous "What makes the red man red?", but the Native characters speak a stereotypical, broken English. Further, Princess Tiger Lily’s father represents the negative stereotype of being uncivilized and savage as he holds Wendy’s brothers hostage.
• The crows in Dumbo appear and talk in a manner stereotypical and derogatory of African-Americans.
• The Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp appear to have stereotypical Asian features such as slanted eyes, buckteeth and very heavy accents and are depicted as sinister, cunning and manipulative.
• Aladdin portrays “bad” Arabs with thick foreign accents while Anglicized Jasmine and Aladdin speak in standard Americanized
  English. Some of the original lyrics in the movie include: “I come from a land…where they cut off your ears if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.”
• Tarzan, which was released in 1999, is set in Africa but does not feature any black people.
• In Oliver and Company, a Chihuahua named Alonzo appears is typecast as a Latino troublemaker with a Hispanic accent who talks about stealing cars.
• The seemingly African-American orangutans in The Jungle Book who sing they "wanna be like you" are controversial (although the use of African-American jazz characters may simply be misunderstood).
• In The Lion King, the hyenas appear to speak in a kind of street, inner city African-American and Hispanic dialects. They are portrayed as villains.
• Sunflower the Centaur from Fantasia

This list is not exhaustive. Although reasonable disagreement about the degree of racism in some Disney movies, blind denial of any racism in Disney cartoons is wrong.

Such racism may reflect societal norms at the time a movie was made and are probably unintentional. However, to quote (with some alteration of context) U.S. Supreme Court Justices Kennedy and O'Connor:

Prejudice, we are beginning to understand, rises not from malice or hostile animus alone. It may result as well from insensitivity caused by simple want of careful, rational reflection or from some instinctive mechanism to guard against people who appear to be different in some respects from ourselves. Quite apart from any historical documentation, knowledge of our own human instincts teaches that persons who [are different in apparent race, color, or ethnicity] might at first seem unsettling to us, unless we are guided by the better angels of our nature. There can be little doubt, then, that persons . . . are confronted with prejudice which can stem from indifference or insecurity as well as from malicious ill will. Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, 531 U.S. 356, 374-75 (2001) (Kennedy, J., concurring)

You have a point with the first few - but let's remember when those movies were made, shall we?

And anyway, most of that is stereotyping, not racism.

It's always weird when someone responds to a post while completely ignoring things explicitly said in that post - as, in this case, the entire last paragraph.

[Electroconvulsive Glee]

Fact is simple. If I own a company, which makes any product (movies and animations included) I as director of this company have full rights to make my product anyway I want. Its my company, my product. It will be anyway I want. Dont like it? Dont use my product. End of story. No philosophy.

Well, with minor exceptions, this is entirely true. It is also entirely irrelevant to a discussion of whether or not one should or should not like your product or whether criticism of your product is warranted.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

You forgot how Belle had stockholm syndrome and how the beast was monstrously abusive.

Never thought about it like that. I still think that its okay though because in the end the beast learned how to behave properly and really the most enduring message of a movie comes at the end.

Yes.

That if you love a guy strongly enough, eventually he'll change from being monstrously abusive to being a shining prince.

Of course, if he doesn't change, it's because you didn't love him enough, but that's only implied, not made explicit.

[Charellia]

Never thought about it like that. I still think that its okay though because in the end the beast learned how to behave properly and really the most enduring message of a movie comes at the end.

Not really. Its moral is questionable.

EDIT: BAD GRAMMAR FIX

You may be right but the movie still has less harmful subtext than the others. Belle is by far the most intelligent and independent of the princesses, she succeeds in humanizing her captor and it is the Disney movie where beauty and goodness are the least closely related.

[Khadgar]

If you break sacred hospitality you and your entire household will be cursed.

Also, you can fix bad boys if you love them JUST right.

All the furniture in the Beast's house was animate. Remember the wing with the broken furniture? Did he kill a bunch of singing decor?

[The Serbian Empire]

Why not both?

For the record, the second one made out with her brother.

Wincest!

[Johto and Kanto]

They seemed fine to me.
Considering a lot of the movies are either based off of fairy tales, or use animal protagonists or characters, I don't think they're a bad influence.
Of course, one could probably pick out a scene that could be considered sexist or racist, but those scenes would almost surely sail over the heads of little kids.

[Ifreann]

Not really. It's moral is questionable.

If you break sacred hospitality you and your entire household will be cursed.

Until you capture and Stockholm some chick.