Giroux is highly crtical of Disney animated adaptations of tales as an institution. 'As one of the primary institutions constructing childhood culture, it warrants healthy suspicion and critical debate' (106). Disney shapes identities, through its prominent position in modern popular culture, and introduction to children at a young and impressionable age. It is imperative to analyse how Disney's films influence how children imagine their world. Giroux argues that to analyze the films with a critical eye, we as consumers can remain engaged and challenged. There is a tendancy for people and theorists to ignore Disney as mere entertainment. He contests that these 'do not exist in some ideologically free comfort zone' (111), and hence should be not be treated as such. In this chapter, Giroux idenitifies problematic elements of the famous Disney animated films, categorizing them as 'repetitive stereotypes that are characteristic of Disney's view of the childhood culture' (111) Disney production must be seen as a policy making enterprise, and as such held accountable for its short-fallings.
'Disney's themes function as part of a broader public discourse, privileging some definitions or interpretations over others.' (112) This attitude, especially one which is unquestioningly accepted by the public and fed to impressionable children, is of course problematic and needs challenging and discussing.
Representation of gender (particularly the female) in Disney films is one of the most controversial issues, both as identified by Giroux and also by feminist theorists in general. He lists many textual examples of events or characters which he feels to be questionable. Jack Zipes believes Disney films reproduce 'a type of gender stereotyping that has an adverse effect on children' (118). Its view of female agency is 'limited'.
Females in The Little Mermaid are 'subordinate to males' (114). I personally do take a bit of an issue with this 'definitive' reading of the matter, and would argue that based on a class reading, Ariel is the superior of Sebastian (a male character, even an elder of hers) and decides to ignore his instruction and authority often. Ursula, a female villain, is arguably (one of) the most powerful characters, and controls those around her including Eric, and her two male eel servants. Though I do understand where a general view of the the opression of women as a reading could come from.
All the rulers in the Lion King are male, females are subordinate, Giroux states. This reinforces 'Patriarchal entitlement' (117) and normalizes the presence of males in ruling positions.
A problematic aspect of Disney films, is that 'in both animal and human form, Disney portrays young girls as highly sexualized' (115). This comes from a patriarchal position of the male writer and the male gaze he bestows: of women as objects to be looked at with desire. Even Nala in The Lion King has fluttering, 'come-hither' eyes. It is of note that most of these women are indeed 'young,' and Disney makes use of their child-like naivety to construct a lolita-esque female figure. Older women are de-sexualised/ asexual in presentation, and rendered undesireable under the male gaze.
Also playing in to problematic representations of females and their agency, is the normalized occurence of a case of Stockholm Syndrome in Beauty and the Beast, where a woman is imprisoned by a male and learns to forgive and fall in love with him. Belle acts as a 'prop' to solve the Beast's dilemma. Beasts behaviour is 'horifically abusive.' In fact, looking at previous literary versions of this Beauty and the Beast tale, it becomes apparent that the treatment of Beeauty was originally a lot less sinister and cruel, and it was infact Disney that added this. See the following, from wikipedia, as one of the {original} versions, and note how it contains none of the violence towards and disregard to women that the Disney version holds:
'The Beast receives her graciously and informs her that she is now mistress of the castle, and he is her servant. He gives her lavish clothing and food and carries on lengthy conversations with her. Every night, the Beast asks Belle to marry him, only to be refused each time. After each refusal, Belle dreams of a handsome prince who pleads with her to answer why she keeps refusing him, to which she replies that she cannot marry the Beast because she loves him only as a friend.'
For several months, Belle lives a life of luxury at the Beast's palace, having every whim catered to by servants, with no end of riches to amuse her and an endless supply of exquisite finery to wear. Eventually she becomes homesick and begs the Beast to allow her to go see her family. He allows it on the condition that she return exactly a week later.Though one positive of the Disney film's narrative on gender is that it 'can be read as a rejection of hypermasculinity and a struggle between macho sensibilities of Gaston and the reformed sexist, the beast' (116)
In the instance of Pocahontas, the problematic elements of female objectification and racial stereotyping are combined, incredibly. Unlike other adolescent Disney heroines, Pocahontas is not adolescent, instead a shapely women. The interesting thing about this is that the original person on whom the character is based was 13 years old. Disney has purposefully tried to distance their charatcer from 13 year old original, perhaps because her extreme youth would be seem as distateful to even suggest at sexualizing. Though the film manages to still portray women suspectly, and she is 'drawn primarily in relation to the men that surround her' (116). As regards the priviledged, white western re-writing of this tale, it 'bleaches colonialism of its genocidal history' (117).
In late 1609, an injury from a gunpowder explosion forced Smith to return to England for medical care. Historical records do not suggest that Smith and Pocahontas were lovers, or even that she was a suitable age for such a relationship. The first romance was written about them in the early 19th century, suggesting the story's mythic appeal.In Mulan, the heroine 'challenges traditional stereotypes of young women' (117). One can see this as a feminine-positive reading at first, though intrinsically it still conforms to the same old devides, and 'ultimate payoff of [Mulan's] own bravery comes in the form of catching the handsome son of a general' (117). By becoming a soldier - disguising herself as a man - she becomes one of the boys; 'rather than defining herself against the patriarchal celebration of war' (118). Mulan is an 'exoticized version' of an American girl, writes Giroux; holding true to patriotic, war-mongering ideals.
Racial stereotyping is another 'major issue' alongside mis-representation of women. There is a known 'legacy of racism' in Disney (119). This comes to play most visibly in the 'racist stereotyping in Aladdin.' It gives a depiction of Arab culture with a decidedly racist tone, through supporting characters who are portrayed as 'grotesque, violent, and cruel' (119). The grotesqueness comes in the form of hulking figures, hook noses and squinting eyes. Lyrics of songs sung by supporting characters contain words like 'barbaric'. Mispronunciation of names and racial coding of accents, which occur many times in Disney films, shows not necessairly negativity but instead ignorance.
In the Lion King, Scar (the villain) is depicted as darker than the other lions. The hyenas take on the discourse of a decidedly 'urban, black and Hispanic youth' (121) and employ people of colour for the voice acting.
'Whiteness is universalized thriough the privileged representation of middle-class social relations, values, and linguistic practices' (121).
Reference:
Giroux, H. (2002). Breaking In to the Movies. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, pp.100 - 122.
