YESTERDAY, The Cavalier Daily ran an article titled "The Lion King: Hakuna matata?" which I had written in response to the questions, conflicts and controversies raised by Disney's persistent re-release of animated films, both in home-viewing formats and in theaters. Throughout that article, I intended not only to open up a more widespread discourse concerning the values and principles on display in these films, but also to draw attention to the controversies that surround some of them. Unfortunately, my sweeping survey through the movies and issues at hand came under attack for its brevity and its apparent lack of concrete examples. In response to these concerns, I will endeavor to flesh out my examination and hopefully to spur more thought and dialogue on the issues at hand.
In the article, I mentioned that a host of controversies always have surrounded Disney films, but I failed to give thorough examples because of space limitations. Sadly, stereotypes and problematic portrayals of different cultures have plagued Disney movies for decades. For example, "Dumbo," which was released in 1941, features a cluster of black crows that behave in the manner of Jim Crow performers at a minstrel show. Like the sinister, slanted-eyed Siamese cats of 1955's "The Lady and the Tramp" and the so-called "red men" of 1953's "Peter Pan," Dumbo's black crows arguably perpetuate harsh and unwarranted racial stereotypes.
In some instances, the controversies wrought by such charged racial presentations have resulted in the removal of films from the shelves, as in the case of the 1946 film "Song of the South." In others, it has resulted in the expurgation of offensive footage, as in the case of "Fantasia," which was released in 1940. Most of the contentious and stereotypical Disney characters and scenes remain intact, however, in their films' perpetual re-releases.
Nevertheless, Disney controversies go beyond the realm of race, ethnicity and underage drinking (see 1940's "Pinocchio"). As I noted in yesterday's piece, some Disney protagonists present problematic role models for today's children. The eponymous protagonist of "Snow White," for example, shows no agency or ambition throughout the course the 1937 film. She responds to virtually every situation with intense fear, shock or dismay, and she idly awaits salvation by a prince. In fact, her only decisively active moment arrives when she foolishly eats the apple offered to her by a total stranger. Snow White's example of dainty passivity and na
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