Challenging Media

I thought the video Mickey Mouse: Disney, Childhood and Corporate Power was very interesting, however, I found it slightly overly analytical. I will admit that Disney has an enormous obligation to fulfill as story tellers and movie makers for children of all generations all over the world. Every child at some point will watch and unconsciously interpret a Disney film and it is the job of the creators at Disney to make sure that the messages sent out are ones that are appropriate for children to learn. Disney truly shapes our children’s imaginations. I was very taken by the comment made by Dr. Henry Giroux who states “it has a certain romance about it that allows us, in some way, to treat Disney as the ultimate form of fantasy, a fantasy that never needs to be questioned.” I could not have said that better myself and agree with this statement wholeheartedly. I believe that it is this exuberance of fantasy that keeps children watching, and re-watching, Disney movies throughout the years.

It is clear that Disney has tremendous influence over the youth of this generation and past generations and I understand that some people argue against Disney as teaching dangerous lessons to these children. One women in the video stated that the message of Beauty and the Beast was that girls should stay with a “beast” that harms you because all you have to do is find the “prince” within. Another women stated that Chinese people were put down in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp because of the, clearly Chinese, evil Siamese cats. I think that these views are too overly critical and overly analytical. I believe that the message for Beauty and the Beast is completely different from what this lady makes it out to be as Belle was a well-read, intelligent women who didn’t put up with characters like Gaston. I also think that Mulan is a great movie for children to watch to appreciate and learn about Chinese culture. That movie was very respectful to Chinese traditions. There are many more types of media that send worse messages to children these days, such as the lyrics to modern rap and hip-hop music. I believe the music industry is infinitely worse than Disney in the values and morals it teaches. All you have to do is turn on G105 on the radio to understand my conclusion.

Even though I defend Disney’s ethics, I was very disturbed toward the end of this video when I heard that the view of Disney was as follows: “we have no obligation to make history, we have no obligation to make art, and we have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective.” I find this statement hard to believe as each and every Disney movie has defied the test of time and made history, the animation is considered to be art, and each storyline told will make a statement. Based off of these conclusions it is clear that Disney has a much greater obligation than the selfish objective to make money.