Without a doubt, all of us have grown up on Disney films, toys, and other related consumables. At first glance, it would most definitely seem as though Disney is out to do nothing but good, delivering messages to children to be strong, never give up, and so on. However, upon examination, it is clear to see that there are many dark, discriminate, and racist underlying themes in almost all of Disney’s classics. In this article, we will examine Disney’s Peter Pan, and Tarzan.
Peter Pan has racist, discriminatory messages within the film regarding indigenous/First Nations individuals. The children come across a group of First Nations, and immediately the racism and stereotyping begins. They are quickly addressed as “Indians”, a racist, politically incorrect term in regards to these groups of people. When the children find the footprints these folks left behind, they began to track them like animals, portraying them as sub-human, and inferior. This is not all however, as when the group of kids find the Indigenous people, countless stereotypes are shown. First, the skin off all of these individuals is red, and mindless dancing, drumming, and singing ensue for minutes upon minutes. These discriminatory and stereotypical aspects of First Nations peoples are portrayed throughout the movie, which is a concern. Raising children and youth on these movies is a risk, given the fact that in some cases, the first time seeing groups of certain individuals through a discriminatory, racist lens.
Another classic Disney film with notions such as these in it is Disney’s Tarzan. In this case, rather than First Nations peoples, the target group is African-Americans. In the jungle, a group of gorillas is found, and there are countless stereotypes that occur throughout the entirety of the film. First of all, the group of gorillas are portrayed as low-class, African-American children. They all speak with a stereotypical accent for this group of individuals, and are shown as less intelligent, and inferior to the white characters in the movie. In addition, most viewers could make the obvious link, making the assumption that Disney is making a comparison between African-Americans and monkeys, a racist, unacceptable message that should not be fed to children at a young age who are influenced very easily.
Not only are some of the messages in Disney’s movies outdated and discriminate, but they are also a threat to the young minds of new generations. It is imperative that more people are made aware of these notions, and that they are prepared to teach their children otherwise. The main reason this is posing a threat is because nowadays, the majority of the population does not think with mindsets such as these, and generally have a more liberal, accepting lens when observing the world. At the end of the day, everyone has grown up on Disney movies, but a group effort still must be made to ensure that racist/stereotypical views and opinions are not revived. We must work towards a better, more equal world.
Sources:
https://screenrant.com/disney-movies-too-dark-for-kids-inappropriate/
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