trying2learn
Junior Member
Most of us have at one point in our lives have watched a Disney movie. The music and animation would transform us into a land of wonderment as if by magic, leaving us entranced. The moral of the story and happy ending like Caribbean sunshine, would wrap us in a warm blanket of assurance that good will always triumph over evil. Seldom do we stop and look at the undertones of the movies. Disney movies contain abuse, dysfunctional relationships, tobacco, alcohol and prejudice. Disney generates and markets their movies for and to children. However, Disney movies hold adult themes and social norms that are no longer tolerated. Adults should prohibit young children from having any interaction with Disney fairy tales.
In Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the comedy and catchy songs pull the wool over the adults’ eyes, leaving them blind to the darker side of Disney. Upon closer inspection of the film, what at first seems to be a beautiful love story that teaches children to look past a person’s outer beauty and to look within is actually a twisted tale of abuse. “The Beast imprisons Belle, separates her from her father, rages at her repeatedly, and refuses to feed her unless she eats with him. Yet, eventually Belle’s love transforms the Beast into a prince” (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, Tanner, 2003). Domestic violence is a serious problem that should not be romanticized within a fantasy land intended for children. “From Beauty (and the Beast) children learn that it is acceptable for men to abuse women” (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, Tanner, 2003). Teaching girls that their love can change an abusive partner is inappropriate and unrealistic.
Along with an abusive relationship Disney’s Beauty and the Beast also contains prejudice. “For example…the townspeople frequently refer to the intellectuals Belle and her father, Maurice as mentally ill. Mental illness words are used to set apart and denigrate these characters, implying that to be mentally ill is to be different in a negative and inferior way” (Lawson & Fouts, 2004). The message that intelligence is a weakness but beauty should be celebrated is an unrealistic image that is contributing to the downward spiral of what society considers important. It is more appropriate to teach children that a person’s intelligence far outlasts a person’s beauty.
The heartwarming story of the underdog triumphing over their oppressors in the Disney movie Cinderella is actually a story of child abuse. “Tales such as Cinderella brainwash young female readers into believing that if they mimic the heroine’s tolerant, submissive behavior, they, too, will win their prince” (Robbins, 1998). Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters emotionally abuse her by calling her names and they physically abuse her by forcing her to wait on them hand and foot. Disney’s Cinderella is teaching children that if they are being abused at home, but they keep a positive attitude, they will be rewarded and/or rescued.
Disney’s Lion King teaches children that mental illness is funny or fearful. “In The Lion King, 3 characters (the hyenas) are depicted as being mentally, as evidenced by their rolling eyes, their high-pitched hysterical laughter, and the antics of Ed (the “craziest” of them all), who mistakenly gnaws on his own leg” (Lawson & Fouts, 2004). In reality mental illness is not a laughing matter and should not be feared. If mental illness must be depicted to explain the story in a more in depth way it should be depicted more appropriately, such as showing the character with the mental illness seeking treatment with a medical doctor. It would be more appropriate to teach children that a person suffering a mental illness can lead a full and normal life, without displaying the comically created symptoms referenced in The Lion King.
Many Disney feature-length films such as Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid all expose children to alcohol. “It is particularly disturbing to realize that many of the instances of tobacco and alcohol use are unnecessary to the advancement of the plots or to the development of the characters” (Ryan & Hoerrner, 2004). According to Ryan and Hoerrner, the following Disney movies contain tobacco and/or alcohol exposures:
No. of tobacco exposures No. of alcohol exposures
Snow White 0 1
Pinocchio 17 16
Dumbo 5 24
Alice in Wonderland 16 0
Peter Pan 8 4
Lady and the Tramp 1 0
Sleeping Beauty 0 15
101 Dalmatians 21 9
The Sword in the Stone 3 7
The Aristocats 1 3
The Rescuers 1 6
Oliver and Company 11 3
The Little Mermaid 6 3
Beauty and the Beast 0 116
Aladdin 2 5
Pocahontas 2 6
Hunchback of Notre Dame 5 36
Hercules 1 8
Tarzan 3 2
The Emperor’s New Groove 1 11
In reality the legal age to smoke is eighteen and the legal drinking age is twenty-one. When Disney depicts these scenarios in animation, it shows children that drinking and smoking is entertaining, fun, comical and acceptable behavior.
It could be argued that children do not see or understand the adult themes that Disney movies contain. Children are more focused on the visual appeal and concentrated on the songs rather than on the alcohol or tobacco usage. If you take a child to a theatre to view a Disney film you are only exposing the child to the unwanted stimuli once. However, if the child particularly enjoyed the film the adult is more likely to purchase the film on DVD for the child. Once a DVD is purchased the child has unlimited access to the movie and unwanted scenarios. “Such frequency of substance use in film without antiuse messages promotes the belief that the use of both tobacco and alcohol is common, acceptable, bears little risk, and is expected and embraced” (Ryan & Hoerrner, 2004). Repetitive viewings of the adults’ scenarios enter a child’s subconscious, which may cause the child to have issues later in their life.
It could also be argued that children could ask questions about scenarios they do not understand. If that particular situation would arise the adult could use the child’s question as a springboard into an awkward parent-child conversation. Some adults have a difficult time initiating conversations with their child when they must speak about a taboo topic such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco or sex. Using a Disney movie that both the parent and child are both already comfortable with could help ease them into the difficult conversation.
The Disney movies that contain disturbing adult situations might upset an adult who is sheltering their child from viewing adult situations. An adult who does not allow tobacco or alcohol into their home (whether by personal choice or religious belief) might find the tobacco and alcohol usage in the movies offensive. It would be a tremendous task to explain tobacco or alcohol to a child that has never been exposed to it.
It could also be said that the wholesome moral of the story is what is taken away from the movie by the child. Children are purely focused on the story telling of good overcoming evil, and memorizing the songs and character personalities. “Disney animated films often retell stories to fit into the dominant paradigm of our society, regardless of the story’s original moral” (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, Tanner, 2003).
There is only a short amount of time for us to be young and innocent, our minds not yet corrupted by the evils of the world. Every day it seems that younger and younger children know about and are doing what is considered to be adult behavior. “Parents need to study and become educated about the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol in child-oriented programming (Ryan & Hoerrner, 2004).” As adults it is our job to protect children from situations or knowledge that is beyond their comprehension. Forcing or unknowingly exposing a child to adult themes in Disney movies can cause irreparable damage to a child’s psyche. Adults should prohibit young children from having any interaction with Disney fairy tales.
References
Lawson, A. & Fouts, L. (2004). Mental Illness in Disney Animated Films. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry/ La Revue Canadienne de Psychatrie, 49(5), 310-314, Retrieved from PsycINFO database.
Robbins, A. (1998). The fairy tale façade: Cinderella’s anti-grotesque dream.Journal of Popular Culture. 32(3), 101. Retrieved from PsycINFO database.
Ryan, E. & Hoernner, K. (2004). Let your conscious be your guide: Smoking and drinking in Disney’s Animated classics. Mass Communication & Society. 7(3), 2, Retrieved from SOCINDEX database.
Towbin, M., Haddock, S., Zimmerman, T., Lund, L., Tanner, L. (2003). Images of gender, race, age, sexual orientation in Disney feature-length animated films. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 15(4). Retrieved from PsycINFO database.
In Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the comedy and catchy songs pull the wool over the adults’ eyes, leaving them blind to the darker side of Disney. Upon closer inspection of the film, what at first seems to be a beautiful love story that teaches children to look past a person’s outer beauty and to look within is actually a twisted tale of abuse. “The Beast imprisons Belle, separates her from her father, rages at her repeatedly, and refuses to feed her unless she eats with him. Yet, eventually Belle’s love transforms the Beast into a prince” (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, Tanner, 2003). Domestic violence is a serious problem that should not be romanticized within a fantasy land intended for children. “From Beauty (and the Beast) children learn that it is acceptable for men to abuse women” (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, Tanner, 2003). Teaching girls that their love can change an abusive partner is inappropriate and unrealistic.
Along with an abusive relationship Disney’s Beauty and the Beast also contains prejudice. “For example…the townspeople frequently refer to the intellectuals Belle and her father, Maurice as mentally ill. Mental illness words are used to set apart and denigrate these characters, implying that to be mentally ill is to be different in a negative and inferior way” (Lawson & Fouts, 2004). The message that intelligence is a weakness but beauty should be celebrated is an unrealistic image that is contributing to the downward spiral of what society considers important. It is more appropriate to teach children that a person’s intelligence far outlasts a person’s beauty.
The heartwarming story of the underdog triumphing over their oppressors in the Disney movie Cinderella is actually a story of child abuse. “Tales such as Cinderella brainwash young female readers into believing that if they mimic the heroine’s tolerant, submissive behavior, they, too, will win their prince” (Robbins, 1998). Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters emotionally abuse her by calling her names and they physically abuse her by forcing her to wait on them hand and foot. Disney’s Cinderella is teaching children that if they are being abused at home, but they keep a positive attitude, they will be rewarded and/or rescued.
Disney’s Lion King teaches children that mental illness is funny or fearful. “In The Lion King, 3 characters (the hyenas) are depicted as being mentally, as evidenced by their rolling eyes, their high-pitched hysterical laughter, and the antics of Ed (the “craziest” of them all), who mistakenly gnaws on his own leg” (Lawson & Fouts, 2004). In reality mental illness is not a laughing matter and should not be feared. If mental illness must be depicted to explain the story in a more in depth way it should be depicted more appropriately, such as showing the character with the mental illness seeking treatment with a medical doctor. It would be more appropriate to teach children that a person suffering a mental illness can lead a full and normal life, without displaying the comically created symptoms referenced in The Lion King.
Many Disney feature-length films such as Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid all expose children to alcohol. “It is particularly disturbing to realize that many of the instances of tobacco and alcohol use are unnecessary to the advancement of the plots or to the development of the characters” (Ryan & Hoerrner, 2004). According to Ryan and Hoerrner, the following Disney movies contain tobacco and/or alcohol exposures:
No. of tobacco exposures No. of alcohol exposures
Snow White 0 1
Pinocchio 17 16
Dumbo 5 24
Alice in Wonderland 16 0
Peter Pan 8 4
Lady and the Tramp 1 0
Sleeping Beauty 0 15
101 Dalmatians 21 9
The Sword in the Stone 3 7
The Aristocats 1 3
The Rescuers 1 6
Oliver and Company 11 3
The Little Mermaid 6 3
Beauty and the Beast 0 116
Aladdin 2 5
Pocahontas 2 6
Hunchback of Notre Dame 5 36
Hercules 1 8
Tarzan 3 2
The Emperor’s New Groove 1 11
In reality the legal age to smoke is eighteen and the legal drinking age is twenty-one. When Disney depicts these scenarios in animation, it shows children that drinking and smoking is entertaining, fun, comical and acceptable behavior.
It could be argued that children do not see or understand the adult themes that Disney movies contain. Children are more focused on the visual appeal and concentrated on the songs rather than on the alcohol or tobacco usage. If you take a child to a theatre to view a Disney film you are only exposing the child to the unwanted stimuli once. However, if the child particularly enjoyed the film the adult is more likely to purchase the film on DVD for the child. Once a DVD is purchased the child has unlimited access to the movie and unwanted scenarios. “Such frequency of substance use in film without antiuse messages promotes the belief that the use of both tobacco and alcohol is common, acceptable, bears little risk, and is expected and embraced” (Ryan & Hoerrner, 2004). Repetitive viewings of the adults’ scenarios enter a child’s subconscious, which may cause the child to have issues later in their life.
It could also be argued that children could ask questions about scenarios they do not understand. If that particular situation would arise the adult could use the child’s question as a springboard into an awkward parent-child conversation. Some adults have a difficult time initiating conversations with their child when they must speak about a taboo topic such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco or sex. Using a Disney movie that both the parent and child are both already comfortable with could help ease them into the difficult conversation.
The Disney movies that contain disturbing adult situations might upset an adult who is sheltering their child from viewing adult situations. An adult who does not allow tobacco or alcohol into their home (whether by personal choice or religious belief) might find the tobacco and alcohol usage in the movies offensive. It would be a tremendous task to explain tobacco or alcohol to a child that has never been exposed to it.
It could also be said that the wholesome moral of the story is what is taken away from the movie by the child. Children are purely focused on the story telling of good overcoming evil, and memorizing the songs and character personalities. “Disney animated films often retell stories to fit into the dominant paradigm of our society, regardless of the story’s original moral” (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, Tanner, 2003).
There is only a short amount of time for us to be young and innocent, our minds not yet corrupted by the evils of the world. Every day it seems that younger and younger children know about and are doing what is considered to be adult behavior. “Parents need to study and become educated about the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol in child-oriented programming (Ryan & Hoerrner, 2004).” As adults it is our job to protect children from situations or knowledge that is beyond their comprehension. Forcing or unknowingly exposing a child to adult themes in Disney movies can cause irreparable damage to a child’s psyche. Adults should prohibit young children from having any interaction with Disney fairy tales.
References
Lawson, A. & Fouts, L. (2004). Mental Illness in Disney Animated Films. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry/ La Revue Canadienne de Psychatrie, 49(5), 310-314, Retrieved from PsycINFO database.
Robbins, A. (1998). The fairy tale façade: Cinderella’s anti-grotesque dream.Journal of Popular Culture. 32(3), 101. Retrieved from PsycINFO database.
Ryan, E. & Hoernner, K. (2004). Let your conscious be your guide: Smoking and drinking in Disney’s Animated classics. Mass Communication & Society. 7(3), 2, Retrieved from SOCINDEX database.
Towbin, M., Haddock, S., Zimmerman, T., Lund, L., Tanner, L. (2003). Images of gender, race, age, sexual orientation in Disney feature-length animated films. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 15(4). Retrieved from PsycINFO database.