How My Perception of Disney Changed

Growing up, Disney was a focal point of my childhood. From watching almost all of the films, to going to the parks with my family, I only have fond memories of Disney. Decoding Disney opened my eyes to the subtler, more undesirable aspects of Disney. Although the course focused on the villainy and overall negativity of the Disney corporation, it was not overbearing, nor did it convince me to turn against my Disney ‘roots’. Rather, it just made me more aware of what I am viewing when I watch the Disney films.

My view of Disney has changed since August. Now I see Disney as more of a corporation rather than a company focused on learning. I do not blame Disney for its lack of progressive content as it is a money making company and their goal is to appeal to whomever will consume their products. They avoid straying from the norm to protect their company. From what I have learned and researched over the course, the racism and sexism used to characterize villains has been decreasing since the earlier films. Disney is moving towards films like Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph which stray far from the original Snow White and Sleeping Beauty stereotypical princess storylines. In these new films, Villainy is changed by perspective, and gender roles have been diminished.

My understanding of evil has been altered since taking this course. I have come to the realization that my views of evil are subconsciously skewed in the way Disney (and many other children’s programs) portray their villains. They characterize them as darker, as ugly, as non-Americans (often with accents); Seeing the way in which Disney subtly markets these characteristics to children is unsettling; However, with all of these studies and articles written about the stereotyping Disney uses, adults still allow their children to watch these films. The main thing I have come to believe since taking this course is: yes, Disney does use racism and sexism and genderism in some of their films, but ultimately, it is the parent’s responsibility to understand what they are showing their children. If they allow their kids to consume this type of content, they are the ones responsible for teaching them that the stereotypes portrayed are inaccurate and unjust.
Disney (as a company) has honestly astonished me. Learning about some of Disney’s more scandalous endeavors like suing a preschool and the death of a teenager on Reedy Creek property, they never reap the repercussions like other companies would. Their ability to recover from situations that seem like they would damage them is remarkable. I completely respect this company for their power over consumers (although it is scary since I am one of the consumers). My idea of Disney, as a company, has changed from this course, but my love for Disney and its films is still strong, if not stronger since I was exposed to more films that I now call some of my favorites (Wreck-It Ralph!!!)!

Thanksgiving chat...

Because there are 14 relatives in my house right now and touchy subjects have already been brought up but its only 11AM...

Hong Kong Disney addition worth 1.4 Billion

This article says Disney is trying to expand their Hong Kong Disney World with a 1.4 billion dollar addition! They are adding Frozen, Moana and some Marvel superheroes; However, it has not been approved yet!

The Disney story versus the REAL story

The 'real' Hercules is very upsetting... I knew Disney had to modify many of the original stories/plays, but some of these are terrifying. Read this Buzzfeed article at your own risk!

Wreck-It Ralph

This was my first time watching (and hearing about) Wreck–It Ralph; I had no idea it was even a Disney film. The film challenges the perception of villainy. Ralph wants to be regarded as a ‘nice’ guy; However, he is stuck as a villain because of his role in the game. Despite him just following directions and doing what he is programed to do, the other characters in the game resent him because he is a villain. I drew several parallels while watching the film: Ralph to minorities and Fix-It Felix to the “white, upper-class male”. Regardless of what Ralph does, the people perceive him as bad and judge him without knowing him. He even gets ‘randomly’ searched two times in Game Central Station; It is obvious that the officer singled him out because he is a villain. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many minorities. Felix, on the other hand, is a genuinely nice person who does not understand what Ralph is going through because he has an inborn privilege of being the ‘good guy’. That is the reality for many Caucasian people. The contrast between the hero and villain depicts the struggle of those not privileged to the audience.

My favorite part of Wreck-It Ralph is when Ralph helps Vanellope learn how to operate her car. The upbeat background music (Rihanna’s ‘Shut up and drive’) made the scene relatable and enjoyable. Also, Ralph’s disposition after she learns how to drive reminded me of a father watching his daughter learn to ride a bike; it was so sweet! 

Although I believe children would benefit from watching this film, there were many small things that kids probably did not pick up on in Wreck-It Ralph. The sign in the back of the villain meeting, “Bad-Anon : One game at a Time” is one of the many subtle things that adults pick up more on than children. Additionally, they modeled their “Game Central Station” (the place where all of the characters from the games can intermingle) after Grand Central Station. The little details like these enhanced the film from an ‘adult’ perspective.

The real villain in the film is King Candy. When we finally see that King Candy is actually evil, he begins to fit the basic villain type that Disney usually uses. He is portrayed as strange, unappealing and flamboyant. He dresses in traditionally non-masculine clothing and says things that can be construed as feminine. For example, Ralph comments that Kind Candy must like the color pink because his castle was almost all pink. King Candy replies with, “That’s obviously salmon”. Usually, masculine character not know the difference between pink and salmon.

Out of all of the films we had to analyze, this one is my favorite. It can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders. We can all appreciate and learn from the messages that the animators portrayed through Ralph's story. It encompasses everything I love in a movie: action, romance and a ‘happily- ever-after’.