Disney Films are not as Innocent as One May Think

In "Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us", Christensen's argument may be troubling to some. Christensen argues that children's books, movies, and TV shows seldom do not include stereotypes. This is particularly alarming because by reading and watching these, according to Christensen, children are receiving a "secret education". This "secret education" is teaching children untrue and harmful stereotypes at an age when they are most impressionable. 

I have chosen to focus on Disney films because there are so many examples of racism, sexism, and blatant gender stereotypes. When children watch a movie which negatively depicts a certain race, they will start to believe that this race is in fact inferior. When children watch movie after movie in which the beautiful princess is saved by her handsome prince, they are taught that looks are more important than anything else and that women need men to save them. As adults we can look at these messages and recognize that they are not true. However, children will believe that these stereotypes are true if they see, hear, and read them over and over again. 

The YouTube account "Screen Rant" has a video that gives ten examples of blatant racism in Disney films. As children, we probably did not pick up on the issues with these scenes. However, children are being indoctrinated with these messages without even knowing it. The video certainly parallels Christensen's argument that children's movies often portray negative stereotypes. 

Two years ago The Washington Post published an article which talks about male characters dominating Disney films. Even though the princess movies include a female as the main character, there are few other important characters in the film who are female. The statistics on the number of speaking roles female characters have in relation to male characters was shocking to me. On a more positive note, the article also discusses how some modern Disney films like Brave have been giving more significance to female characters. 

I have included one more link to an article which talks about the effects of princess movies on both boys and girls. Surprisingly, boys benefitted in some ways from watching princess movies. The article also states that when parents talk to their children about other great qualities the princesses have like how smart and independent they are, the children will also want to have these wonderful qualities. The little girls who are taught to think about princesses as smart rather than just beautiful will also want to be smart and strong. 

Do you think that Disney movies are making progress in terms of including less stereotypes? Or, do you feel that by eliminating certain stereotypes they are incorporating different stereotypes?