Insensitive Portrayal of Society and Cultuer in Disney Films Essay

The Not So Wonderful World of Disney The â€Å"Wonderful World of Disney† has been a part of America for as long as I can remember. With its movies, television shows, songs, theme parks, toys, and fictional characters, Disney is the epitome of children’s entertainment. Disney serves as one of the largest sources of entertainment to Americans, which is why it reigns as a commercial success and influence in our country. According to Henry Giroux, a popular critic of the Walt Disney Company, Disney’s immense success also represents â€Å"the power of the culture industries to mediate and influence almost every aspect of our lives† (19). However, does Disney stand for pure and innocent entertainment, or does it carry alternative motives that seem to be well-hidden from the public eye? Many critics argue that Disney productions have the ability to affect American children and families through their insensitive portrayal of certain aspects of society and culture. Critics mark the idea of negative social influences as one of Disney’s most ubiquitous problems. In a study done on the role of the Walt Disney Company, Vincent Faherty explains that Disney displays certain aspects of â€Å"social vulnerability which need to be raised to a level of public consciousness, given they do affect so many children and families â€Å"(17). For example, Disney emphasizes social vulnerability through the overwhelming male dominance displayed in their animated films. Faherty argues that even though there have been recent movies such as Mulan and Pocahontas, which portray strong female roles, â€Å"the quantitative disproportion of male characters in Disney animated films needs to be addressed if we expect children to be able to relate to appropriate role mo... ...Lives: Disney’s Cultivation, Co-Creation, and Control of America’s Cultural Objects.† Popular Communication. 12 Oct. 2004: 191-211. Byrne, Eleanor, and Martin McQuillan. Deconstructing Disney. London: Pluto Press, 1999. Faherty, Vincent E. â€Å"Is the Mouse Sensitive? A Study of Race, Gender, and Social Vulnerability in Disney Animated Films.† Similie: Studies in Media Information Literacy Education (2001): Academic Search Premier: MLA International Bibliography. EBSCOhost. U. Of Georgia Lib. GALILEO. 29 Oct. 2006 Giroux, Henry. The Mouse That Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1999. 17-55. Pettit, Robert. Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood, and Corporate Power: Study Guide. 28 Oct. 2006. tudyguide/html 4