Why Disney cartoons are accused of racism and what other sins are attributed to them

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The events that took place against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement made many look differently at the world, culture and all those things that are part of our life. For example, in cinema, where not only racism, but also other very strange and negative moments are often encountered. However, films are films, but did you know that in the cartoons of the Disney company you can find explicit as well as hidden racism and not only?

1. Peter Pan

Disney does not even try to deny the presence of racism in this cartoon. When the Disney + service was just launched, it was on this cartoon, as well as on several other films, that a warning was contained that read:. However, Disney itself is not the culprit for the emergence of racism, because the cartoon is based on the original play by J. Barry, who portrayed an Indian tribe in a very offensive manner. According to Smithsonian Magazine, in 1953 Disney doubled down on this stereotype by adding a soundtrack called "What Made the Red Man Red." According to the idea, the essence of the song was to tell about how the tribe of Indians appeared, but everything turned out not at all as planned by Disney.

2. Dumbo

Like the previous tape, "Dumbo" is a cartoon with exactly the same warning on the Disney + service. The most controversial and controversial moment comes when an elephant meets a flock of crows. The Washington Post notes:. It is noteworthy that all the other crows were voiced by African Americans, and therefore, whether this is really racism or not, is argued to this day.

3. Aladdin

This cartoon does not contain any warnings about racism, but in the past it has received a flurry of criticism because of it. Shortly after the cartoon was released in 1992, it was criticized for its derogatory portrayal of Arab culture. Disney was forced to change two main storylines in its work in order to release it to a wider distribution, unable to cope with pressure from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. In addition, it is noted that at the very beginning of the cartoon, the song was originally presented, but it was cut out due to anti-Arab sentiment.

4. Song of the South

This cartoon is difficult to find today on the Disney Channel or anywhere else. This is because he has an infamous history that has hit the company's reputation hard. The racism in the picture was displayed so brightly and colorfully that now Disney is trying to pretend that such a cartoon did not exist at all, with the exception of a popular song from it called "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". And in light of recent protests over the Black Lives Matter movement, a petition site has petitioned fans asking Disney to get rid of the racist cartoon forever and make a new one inspired by their better-hitting The Frog Princess, for example.

5. The Jungle Book

Another picture with a characteristic warning on Disney + is everyone's favorite cartoon about Mowgli. The history of racism in it goes back directly to the novel by Rudyard Kipling. The main problem in this story is the portrayal of King Louis, in which there is a very blatant racism. Many have noticed that the monkey king and his image are significantly different from other anthropomorphic animals. Literary magazine The Atlantic noted:.

6. Cats-aristocrats

This cartoon also contains a warning on the Disney + Channel. And all because of the Siamese cat, who speaks with a very strange East Asian accent, as well as the stereotypical and cartoonish cat that talks about Chinese food in his song. The main character, a white cat named Duchess, and her kittens, meet a whole group of jazz cat artists, each of whom, perhaps, can be accused of racism. In addition to the typical Asian cats, there is also a Russian cat, which is somewhat remotely similar to Stalin, as well as a cat from Italy, dressed and talking in a very stereotypical way.

7. Lady and the Tramp

Just like in Aristocratic Cats, this cartoon depicts Siamese cats with characteristic stereotypical statements that are a direct embodiment of racism. However, unlike the previous cartoon, they received a whole soundtrack called "The Song of Siamese Cats." Xi and Am, who had a very specific appearance with slanted eyes, also had a very specific Chinese accent. In the original cartoon, this version is still present, but the picture shown on the Disney + Channel was in fact a better adaptation of it, which got rid of such a stereotypically racist song.

8. Pocahontas

Not everyone thinks that this cartoon is racist, if only because the culture of Native American Indians is depicted here incomparably better than in the painting "Peter Pan". However, this cartoon overly transforms and romanticizes a much more complex and darker story that happened between Pocahontas and John Smith. And while her title track, "Savages," exists to shatter Native American stereotypes, it still contains harsh, offensive images and expressions that cast a shadow over this cartoon.

9. Fantasy

At the very beginning of its creation, "Fantasy" offered perhaps the most notorious and racist image of all Disney cartoons. We are talking, of course, about a dark-skinned centaur who took care of their light-skinned relatives. A little girl named Sunflower was depicted with huge lips and African hair, while her mistress was white, thin and incredibly beautiful. However, despite the warning on Disney +, this character, as well as many other racist references, were edited and cut from the cartoon decades after its first showing, and after 2010 these scenes ceased to exist.

10. The Little Mermaid

Despite the fact that this cartoon does not have a warning on the Disney + Channel, many in the past have found it very controversial and sometimes even racist. Some people genuinely hated the character named Sebastian for his distinctive Jamaican accent, while others found the appearance of the black fish singer and her helper very strange, as did her song, which was titled "Under the Sea." They both have an African-American accent and also look much worse and poorer than the main characters.

11. Lion Queen

Racial stereotypes in this film are not as strong as in any other Disney film, but they also have a place to be. We are talking, of course, about a group of hyenas - Shenzi, Banzai and Edda. They are a classic gang that speaks urban, African American slang. In addition to racism, hyenas are discussed in the context of anti-immigration sentiment. Hyenas, who have been spotted incarnating blacks and Hispanics, live in the Elephant Cemetery, and also cannot visit the lion's territory, where all the delicious food is located. And as soon as they cross the border, they are persecuted and driven back.

However, in addition to racism, other interesting details and problems were also noticed in Disney cartoons, which the company is carefully trying to get rid of in modern times.

Kiss without consent

Perhaps the theme of the kiss of true love is a cult theme for many Disney cartoons. For example, this happens in the cartoon "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", as well as in "Sleeping Beauty". In the first case, the prince's love interest in Snow White, in fact, forces him to kiss the girl, who at that moment cannot reciprocate. This kiss, as well as the kiss with Sleeping Beauty, is found by many to be offensive and inherently violent.

Alcoholism

It is difficult to imagine that such a topic would be covered in children's films, but the original cartoon "Dumbo" contained just such a scene. While the other elephants are dancing on stage, Dumbo stumbles upon a barrel and drinks it all. He does this after his friend Timothy claims that it actually contains only water. In the Dumbo remake, this moment was already cut, like any other scenes that would approve of drinking alcohol.

Child trafficking

The original cartoon "Pinocchio", which was filmed in the distant 40s, contains several disturbing and very dark moments. For example, on the morning after Pinocchio came to life, strangers offer him to skip school, after which they sell him to a puppet master, which threatens the boy to send him to the wood if he does not obey him. A little later, after his escape, Pinocchio finds himself on the Island of Pleasures, where naughty children with addictions live, which soon turn into donkeys, and who are then sold as labor to the salt mines.

Abusive relationship

The main question of the cartoon "Beauty and the Beast" is:. And, of course, such a person turns out to be Belle, an ordinary girl who teaches the tough, abusive Beast to be kinder and more attentive. Unfortunately, many have noticed that such a plot can put in the heads of young girls not entirely correct messages. So, watching this on the screen, many begin to think that they have a chance to correct men, even if they demonstrate violent and boorish behavior towards them. Psychologists also noted that Belle is showing the first signs of Stockholm Syndrome, which is manifested in her declaration of love, which does not seem to be a decision made of her own free will.

Stereotypes about LGBT people

The authors of many cartoons from this studio, perhaps, often include some stereotypical characteristics that, from the point of view of many, are inherent in LGBT people, while portraying the main antagonists. For example, bad male characters tend to look effeminate and repulsive, while women at the same time look cocky and more masculine. For example, this can be seen in characters such as Scar (The Lion King), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Jafar (Aladdin) and Hades (Hercules). According to the media and scientists, such portrayal of characters can negatively affect the sound and reasonable perception of LGBT people by children and adolescents.

And in continuation of the topic, read also about what the world remembers the legendary Walter Elias Disneyas well as other prominent personalities.