Stereotypes and Power in Classic Disney Films

The problems with one of the biggest contributors to popular culture since the 1930s

Why Disney?

These films are often shown to young children; they help to shape early stereotypes and educate children on "their place" in the world based off of representation in character roles.

Movies and popular culture reflect and shape public opinion, affecting both children and their parents and contributing to America's ideas of both its own history and life in other areas of the world.

It's important to note that nearly every Disney movie contains some elements that could be analyzed as racist, sexist, classist, or otherwise problematic representations. For the purposes of this project, I have attempted to highlight some well-loved Disney movies and the messages that they likely send to children.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)

Snow White is a well-known Disney film adapted from the 19th-century German fairy tale; the story itself warrants feminist critique of its representation of women.

The stepmother's motives are representative of society's message to women that they are competitors for male attention. The queen is not power-hungry, as most male fairy tale villains are, but rather wants to be the most attractive. This enforces the idea of female competition that serves to distract from the male-female power dynamic.

Snow White, 1937

The comparison of Snow White and the queen's traits are also representative of Disney's views on women. Snow White is shown as passive, naive, innocent, kindhearted, and beautiful, the stereotypical "ideal" woman. The queen, in contrast, is smart, crafty, and, most importantly, active; her failure to conform to gender expectations contributes to her villainy.

Snow White's reliance on "true love's kiss" at the end of the film is sexist, posing Snow White as passive as possible—asleep—saved by the active man, who, it's important to note, is apparently in love with Snow White after seeing her once. He plays virtually no role in the story beyond thinking she is beautiful and "saving" the damsel in distress.

Dumbo (1941)

Beyond the clearly problematic representation of the circus industry, Dumbo contains blatantly racist content. The crows that teach Dumbo to fly, shown in the picture below, are voiced with exaggerated stereotypically black dialogue; worse, the lead crow introduces himself as "Jim Crow," as if the Disney writers felt the need to really hammer stereotypes home. Their actual role in the movie warrants some discussion; after making fun of Dumbo for his attempts to fly, Dumbo's friend, a mouse, tells them off; after this, they cry and attempt to reconcile by teaching Dumbo to fly. There is clearly a power dynamic present that leads the mouse to essentially preach at the group and that causes them to immediately attempt to repent.

Dumbo, 1941

Critics have, however, suggested that this representation is not inherently negative; the crows themselves are positive characters and they help to lift Dumbo out of his oppressed state by teaching him to fly. Perhaps this is at the heart of Disney's racism in this movie; suggesting that the crows were at the same or lower social level as Dumbo, who has been well-established as an outcast, along with casting them as stereotypically black, suggests a very negative view towards African-Americans.

Peter Pan (1953)

Of all movies mentioned throughout this project, Peter Pan is among the worst offenders. The depiction of Native Americans is shown in the song entitled "What Makes the Red Man Red?" The lyrics of this song are somehow even more offensive than the title, drawing on racial stereotypes by calling Native Americans offensive words and giving the characters literal red skin. Additionally, this song focuses largely on sexuality, contributing to the historical oversexualization of Native Americans that continues through Disney's later films. It is also important to note that the film clip features a young Native American girl dancing alone for Peter Pan and eventually she dances towards him and kisses him; this reflects the sexualization of Pocahontas in the 1995 Disney film.

Peter Pan, 1953

In addition to numerous racial stereotypes, Peter Pan features highly problematic depictions of female characters. The film features a scene in which Wendy Darling, the female lead, fights several jealous mermaids for Peter's affection while he watches and does nothing. This sends a message similar to that sent in Snow White: that women are competitors for male affection. The rivalry between Wendy and the fairy Tinker Bell, who quite literally begins to die if Peter does not give her affection, reflects the same idea: that females exist for competition over men. Such depictions are painful to watch, and Disney's attempts at more politically-correct remakes have still been largely criticized.

With the advent of Disney+, the company has released several statements warning of racist content; both Peter Pan and Dumbo are included in this list.

Aladdin (1992)

"It's barbaric, but hey, it's home!"

Like Snow White, Aladdin is based on a folk tale, this one from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. Before diving into its horrific representation of the Middle East, it should be noted that the original story actually took place in China. Disney's representation of the fictional city Agrabah is highly problematic, relying on and enforcing America's fear of the Middle East.

The princess Jasmine, a main character in the story is hyper sexualized throughout the film. Jasmine's dress, shown below, is representative no culture of the Middle East but instead reflects the fetishization of non-white women and reflects American culture's near ubiquitous sexualization of female characters. This trend, although not by any means solely existing in Disney movies, is reflective of society's focus on women as sex objects rather than individuals.

Aladdin, 1992

The clip above is one of the more troubling scenes in the movie, where it cannot be denied that the writers intended Jasmine to appear seductive in order to distract Jafar to the point that he calls her "Pussycat". Notably, when she stands up, the genie's jaw comically drops, suggesting that both are ogling her body. Jasmine is intended to be 15, so writers are sexualizing a mere teenager.

"... where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face!"

The original Aladdin is distinctly orientalist, exaggerating contrast to "European" society and painting the cultures of the Middle East in a negative light. Agrabah, according to a quote from Roy Disney, was named based on a jumbled anagram of Baghdad. However, many have noted similarities between the palace in the movie and the Taj Mahal, which is in India. The writers appear to be generalizing and stereotyping not just the region of the Middle East but Asia as well. Of course it is also important to note that all characters speak in distinctly American accents and reflect the dress of no Middle Eastern culture, all of which shows the disrespect that the creators of this film had for Middle Eastern cultures.

In the original version of Aladdin, the opening song, "Arabian Nights" contains highly racist lyrics, which placed throughout this section. The society is characterized as violent and brutal, reflecting anti-Arab sentiment and painting the Middle East as dangerous and less civilized.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, this is just a subset of the stereotypes that Disney reflects and perpetuates, working to maintain existing power structures by teaching children about history and power relations. As Disney turns to live-action remakes of many classic movies, filmmakers must look honestly at the original films to determine if they warrant remaking (that is, if they are salvageable) and, if so, how to rectify the stereotyping used in the original to better educate both children and adults about power relations and work towards reshaping and eradicating stereotypes.

Sources

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