My parents questionable parenting skills aside, I think there is a trend of violence in most Disney movies that seems to be overlooked or unrealized. I know that when I was a kid, I didnt think of death the same way I do now. Besides learning of my own mortality, I didnt comprehend the magnitude of death. This might be an example of object permanence or a lack there of but once a character no longer showed up on the screen, I guess I just forgot about them.
Lets look at the first movie that comes to mind. The Lion King. Not sure if I really need to put a spoiler alert but *Spoiler Alert* OK, so everyone knows Mufasa, Simba's dad, dies. He falls probably three stories and then proceeds to get trampled by a hoard of wildebeest. This is a pretty gruesome way to die when you say it like that. Yet when Simba finds his dad, hes just lying there, as if asleep. I guess what Im trying to say is that Disney movies take adult concepts and dumb them down for kids. They take death and turn it into something that is no longer feared. Death doesnt look so bad when all it does it make you "go to sleep". Of course getting trampled is much bloodier and gruesome, but I guess this is why I should leave the movie making to the pros.
Now that I think about it, a LOT of Disney movies deal with death. It is a very natural thing but should we expose our kids to it so early in life? Who knows? My parents sure didnt mind showing me all those Disney movies, plus some PG-13 movies that I should not have watched. *Spoiler Alert*
Lets see, the mom dies in Finding Nemo, Bambi is a given, Gaston dies in Beauty and the Beast, I could go on and on. Some deaths are used to inspire the protagonist while others are used as a catharsis for the story and I understand that death is a very useful tool in storytelling but is it appropriate for the children? I dont really care and dont really have a stance on this issue, just some food for thought.
Funny thing about Disney movies, is that they're already super controversial. Yet, parents continue to feed their kids the same crap. For example, all the women in Disney movies are overly sexualized and given very feminine roles and images (Mulan being the exception, but even then, she goes home and gets married). Most of the characters are white, all the Disney princesses were, except for the Frog Princess, which to me seemed like a half-hearted attempt to make up for all the racist trash they had been spitting out. For God's sake, she wasn't even a real princess!
ReplyDeleteBut, let me play devil's advocate. How much are these movies truly impacting us? When we're young, I don't think we even really conceptualize serious themes. It's almost like arguing video games causes violence. It's a never-ending debate.
I was just about to comment on what Kevin just said about Disney movies-- the sexualization of women in Disney films. Last semester in my Media class I was shown a document that basically broke down every single female Disney character of all time. It simply said they are a) beautiful and b) get out of the majority of trouble because of their beauty or their ability to communicate with animals. Obviously, this doesn't pertain to all Disney females but Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Belle, they all show these characteristics.
ReplyDeleteOverall, this idea that violence is tied to an over-sexualization of women (in music, movies, everyday life) is even shown in the more basic, rudimentary videos shown to our children.