Disney Essay
We all love Disney. This essay is a breakdown of lessons Disney movies contain, regardless of whether or not we are aware of the subliminal messaging.
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Not surprisingly, many Disney movies follow a tradition of supernatural entities, wishes, and dreams or a combination of all three. After Walt Disney’s first movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney moved from the original conformity of witchcraft equates to evil and twisted that concept into something, unknown to him, legendary, symbolic, a logo, and precedent of Disney movies to come. Residing in this essay, the movies are split into three categories: First Generation Disney (1939-1966) refers to the movies that came out in Disney’s time; Second Generation (1966-2008) refers to the Disney Corporation; and Third Generation (2008-present) are the Pixar and Disney collaborations. Despite the eighty-year gap of animated Disney movies, all the animations encompass society’s worst points and are used as examples of how to surpass the factors that stifle childhood imagination and creativity.
Why Disney has Children for His Audience:
A survey of people had been asked this question and the most common answer is due to children being more drawn to animation than adults. However, as Walt Disney worked in journalism, the second most common answer was of his inability to handle critiques of his work. To be fair, many artistic hands cannot work in ordinary jobs as they cannot work within suppressive guidelines. Whatever may be the case, Disney’s audience may be for this one reason: children are subjective.
First Generation Disney – The Beginning of Dreams, Wishes, and Symbols
Stated earlier in this essay, Disney incorporates the evils of society into all his work. For simplicity of this essay, Bambi and Alice in Wonderland have been omitted, as there are many factors in Bambi to take into consideration and Alice in Wonderland tends towards controversial interpretations that scholars have been trying to determine for years.
Much of the time, the villains of Disney’s retellings are the societal expectations belonging to a third party. These include: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo, 101 Dalmatians, Sword in the Stone, Lady and the Tramp, and Pinocchio.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a basic black and white movie with no shades of grey. The Queen is evil and everyone else is good. However, Snow White wished to marry a prince. The Queen is society who sees her as just a servant who cannot do such a thing. What society didn’t take into consideration is that, to Snow White, a prince might not be a physical prince — just someone who treats her like a princess. It is society’s own vanity that destroys the Queen — which she viewed herself in a vain light and, when someone else mentioned that Snow White was beautiful, she took it upon herself to try to destroy Snow. This is still evident in society. It brainwashes its individuals into believing that they are not pretty if their appearances, behaviors and even their personality is distorted from society’s expectations. Fortunately for Snow White, it is this determination to kill her that ultimately kills the Queen. Society, on the other hand, is not so easily vanquished.
Dumbo is also black and white in terms of good and evil. The differences between Snow White and this movie is that it is a society upon itself, not just an individual, which has made the baby elephant an outcast. To make it less realistic, Disney learned a trick when dealing with these sorts of topics: have the protagonist as an animal instead of a human. When Dumbo is born with his “deformity,” the other members of his kind are repulsed — excluding his mother. However, it is not just them. The rest of the circus is just the same as the elephants are, though the clowns do not speak of such. In this case, Dumbo outed society by turning his deformity into an asset by making it part of his unique character. This shows that society undermines its individuals.
Cruella De Ville is the shallowest side of society Disney has shed light on. 101 Dalmatians, though beloved, is also a movie regarding an individual instead of a whole society. Roger and Anita probably cannot afford Pongo, Perdita, and their litter of puppies. De Ville is society trying to control their life by buying off what they ill can afford. By stealing the puppies who are well looked after, it is society pressing matters and controlling what they have no right to. Happily, Roger and Anita have the puppies returned by Pongo and Perdita. Sadly, outside of the movies, the two owners would have never set eyes on them again.
Disney’s rendition of the legend of Arthur is that Arthur (referred to as "Wart") is in the care of Sir Ector, and his son, Cane. They are symbolic of society’s oppressive tendencies toward childhood dreams and imagination. Though Merlin was implemented as Arthur’s tutor, it is questionable that he wasn’t also a figment of Arthur’s imagination as they would go on journeys where Arthur was continuously transforming into other animals. As imagination conquering society is Disney’s thesis, Arthur became King of England.
Lady and the Tramp is the first instance in which two clashing social classes fall in love. However, Aunt Sarah represents the worst expectations society has of an individual. Lady is unfairly treated and eventually kicked out of the house due to unsavory companions and, again, a behavior distrusted by society. Because she chose a street dog by the name of Tramp, she is forced onto the street. Thankfully, Lady’s owners return.
Pinocchio is filled with examples of societies’ worst expectations of the gullible and childish: fools and children. As Geppetto is the first adult to make a wish on a star, he is the first implement that the movies are not only meant for children. However, Pinocchio has the awareness of a naïve boy. Society leads him away from his path of going to school, portrayed by a tricky fox and his companion. It is also a play on the word "puppet," as Pinocchio was once a puppet and he allows society to string him along according to their worst ideals. When Pinocchio starts to follow his conscience, he becomes a real boy which could be construed as following his heart or mind.
However, not all Disney movies are focused on a third-party villain. Movies such as Peter Pan, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Jungle Book are all focused on a closely related villain as opposed to a distant one.
Wendy Darling, the main character in Peter Pan, is forced into the transition of becoming a grown up by her father before she is ready. Upon meeting Captain James Hook, who resembles her father’s attitude before she left, Wendy discovers the same imposition her father put into her mind. Captain Hook is defeated by Peter Pan, another reoccurring motif of childhood imagination conquering societal pressures. When Wendy returns, her father has changed. It is also probable that he is also pressured by society with his fears of “what the neighbors will think.”
Cinderella, on the other hand, was raised to become a servant in her own home by this movies’ societal symbol, Lady Tremaine. Lady Tremaine is symbolic via her cruel nature and tendency to show leniency towards her two, societal brain-washed daughters, Anastasia and Drizzella. Anastasia and Drizzella are not cruel by nature but, with their symbolic mother, are led to believe they must follow in her footsteps to become cruel. The second movie suggests that Anastasia, the red-headed girl, questions society’s expectations of her when she chooses to marry for love instead of marrying someone in her own station.
In Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Prince Philip is the main character, though the story circles around Aurora. When he meets Aurora in their teenage years, she is called Briar Rose. Prince Philip’s father pressures him to marry Aurora, as it is expected that he shall marry a princess. Sadly, Prince Philip cannot go against his father and, in the end, it is the same girl he met in the forest which, of course, is luck.
The Jungle Book is of a boy named Mowgli who grew up in an adoption system. Without the aspect of animals, it could be just a different society miles away from Mowgli’s original birth place. Though it is expected that the monkeys would wish for a weapon of sorts and Khan, the tiger, dislikes his type, it is Bagheera, Mowgli’s oldest friend, who wishes for him to return to his original town. This wish of what is best for Mowgli incorporates that sometimes, even if it means that Bagheera will never see Mowgli again, it is better to let go.
Second Generation Disney – Following the Precedents of Walt Disney
Much of the Second-Generation Disney focused more on societal views and parental infiltration rather than how their characters are misled by their society. Remaining true to Disney’s precedents, they view society as an evil to impress upon their viewers. For this section, only Robin Hood has been omitted as it is a retelling of a retelling of a legend.
As before, Disney has created an atmosphere in which a third party is shone in negative light. Aristocats, Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron, Great Mouse Detective, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, A Bugs’ Life, Tarzan, Emperor’s New Groove, Atlantis, Incredibles, Ratatouille, and The Princess and the Frog are all examples of how society views those that do not fit into a standard.
Edgar is a perfect depiction of society’s greed, which makes him the perfect adversary in The Aristocats. Upon overhearing where his wealthy employer is willing her money, Butler Edgar is more than happy to dispose of the cats. Consumed with rage upon their return, Edgar tries to ship them off only for a karmatic ending, for he is the one to be disposed of.
The beloved story where friendship takes place, Tod and Copper are the unlikeliest of friends as he’s a fox and Copper’s a hunt dog. Copper’s owner, Amos Slade, and Chief, his companion and an elder hunting dog, are the adversaries, for they inflict their own ideologies onto Copper – specifically where he must attack his best friend. Regardless of the standards set onto him by these two, Copper protects Tod and Slade must give up his vengeful quest.
In the Great Mouse Detective, it is Basils’ land lady and Dawson who are society’s critics rather than the villain. Based off the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Basil is as eccentric as Mr. Holmes, whereas Dawson and the land lady are the "normal" standards. Each of Basil’s strange tests gives Dawson reason to lift an eyebrow. Both follow in Basils’ mysteries without truly conforming to him and do not try changing him, which creates a subliminal message for society to stop.
Another timeless classic, Beauty and the Beast returns to the villain being in control of society. But, they forget that the Beast was once as shallow as Gaston. Gaston only considers himself in love with Belle because she is beautiful and appropriately named so. The Beast once turned an old woman away because she was truly hideous. However, the Beast was given a second chance, whereas Gaston’s cruelty towards the outcasts such as Belle’s father, the Beast, and Belle herself, leaves the feeling that Gaston will never be able to redeem himself as the Beast had done.
Jafar from Aladdin conveys the idea that society uses the good-hearted for its purposes. Aladdin and Jasmine are both oppressed within their societies. Jasmine is naïve and is always protected within the palace walls – a prisoner of her home. Aladdin knows the streets and is willing to take a whipping for kids who ran in front of a prince’s horse. However, Jafar uses Aladdin to get into the Cave of Wonders with the intent to kill him once the job is finished. Likewise, he concocts a plan to marry Princess Jasmine for his ambition. It is due to his ambition that leads to his inevitable defeat.
Pocahontas is Disney’s way of collaborating history of America without guilt-tripping children. The English came with the idea of gold lodged in their brains. As they both realized they cannot live with each other, one of the captains, John Smith, and one of the tribe members, Pocahontas, became friends with the implication of something more. To the English, this was Smith’s betrayal as her tribe viewed the English as greed-driven men. John Smith was to be executed by the tribe, giving the English reason to go to war. It was Pocahontas who stood between the two and stopped the “drums of war.” This sacrifice was her way to control society’s decisions.
Disney’s retelling of Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame is of society’s warped idea of which is beast and which is man. As this is a child’s movie, the thesis is stated in the first song and again at the ending in simplistic terms. Frollo, a clergy man who has repented the love of flesh, falls into obsession with Esmerelda, a gypsy. He is more than willing to burn her at the stake if she does not marry him. This can only reflect man’s greed and pride. Despite Frollo’s kindness to him, Quasimodo chooses to follow what is right to him rather than what Frollo wants – despite that these are the people who laughed at his deformity.
Hercules was born on Mount Olympus. He, too, is deformed by his strength in human society. Despite being regarded as a freak, he trained with Philotetes, more commonly known as Phil, to become one of the greatest warriors of Greece. Again, this is an example to surpass societal expectations.
During a time of war, it is not the Mongolians who oppress the female hero of China, but rather her society. Mulan is forced into the regular female standards, only she does not make a suitable wife. She becomes a cross-dresser under the pretense of saving her father. It isn’t until later in the movie that we discover it’s so she can feel worthwhile. The laws of her society at that time are that women are upheld by Chi-foo, the King’s advisor. He constantly reminds Mulan that women are worth nothing but at home and that they should learn to hold their tongue. He is also the one who tries to convince Shang Li to carry out the punishment involving death. Even when she destroys the Emperor’s palace, he acknowledges that she has saved China. To have Chi-foo desist in his arguments, the Emperor informs Mulan she can have his job, thus creating an adversarial dislike towards Mulan.
A Bug's Life, the third of Pixar’s early collaborations with Disney, is the story of a young, miscreant ant named Flint who loved to invent things. His fellow ants viewed this as an unorthodox and unproductive hobby. As it had knocked over the food to be given to the grasshoppers, his hobby is considered life endangering to the other ants. Again, it is his own society, not the grasshoppers, who cast him out. As he redeems himself, their once raised eyebrow towards his inventions are then set aside for the good of the people.
Another example of social endangerment is Tarzan. The lead ape, Kurchak, after his child’s death, closes his heart to all other children in his group. After being raised by these apes, Tarzan tries to continuously prove himself to Kurchak. He does so by killing Sybor, the spotted leopard. In doing so, he gains Kurchak’s trust. Upon meeting Jane, her father, and Clayton, that trust is dissolved. None of the apes’ trust Jane and her father; therefore, they are unsure of their relationship to Tarzan. It is resolved when Jane and her father are proved to be trustworthy and Clayton is not. This portrays society’s thin veil of trust to those who are not the similar in the group and their need to stereotype.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire, much like Pocahontas, is the study of a linguist explorer meeting a supposedly abandoned civilization. Milo, the main character, wishes for the survival of the newly returned Atlantis. His companions, especially Commander Rourke, are easily motivated by money. It is via society’s greed and influence that Commander Rourke almost succeeded in the genocide of Atlantians.
In another collaboration of Pixar and Disney, The Incredibles shares the same moral as Hercules in which they are found useless in modern day society. Through villainy of Mr. Parks ex-biggest fan, they are brought into the idea that they are needed as heroes and are worthwhile. It focuses on Mr. Park’s midlife crisis and his deformity.
In yet another collaboration of Pixar and Disney, Ratatouille is through the defiance of a rat and incompetence of a young man. Through their friendship, they defy society’s standard of disgust rather than become consumed by it.
In keeping with tradition, the Disney Corporation has allowed for a few films to be via parental expectations rather than social. The examples are as follows: The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.
Ariel’s father, King Tritan, has a shallow perspective of humanity. Though not explained until the third movie, it is only guessed that something happened to Tritan that gave him the tainted view of humanity. Symbolic of social expectations where people stay where they are instead of venturing off, King Tritan rules with cruelty. Through Ursula, she gains her wish to explore the surface and, eventually, Tritan wavers to allow his daughter to marry the human boy she loved.
Adapted from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Lion King, too, has the biased ideologies of parental expectations. After Simba had lost his father, he became desperate for a father figure. His uncle used this to his advantage to have Simba out of his way of the throne. For a time, Simba followed his uncle’s advice. It is Scar’s ambition and pride that destroys him.
Third Generation Collaboration Disney – The Future of Disney
As Disney had started doing collaborations with Pixar, the future of Disney movies rests with both corporations. Compared to the previous topics, Pixar has only done a few movies with Disney as they have just begun the animation of this era. Becoming less black and white and adding more shades of grey, Pixar has begun a confusing journey for the past conformities.
Tiana from The Princess and the Frog has a dream of owning a famous restaurant. However, society tries to oppress her, as she is of color. Compared to her friend, Charlotte, she is expected to be boy crazy. Instead of doing either or, Tiana manages to do both.
In Rapunzel’s case, she has a sole dream of seeing the lanterns. Mother Gothel is the oppressor, in this case, as she refuses to lose her daughter to the society she stole her from. By defeating Mother Gothel, Rapunzel is free to go where she pleases thus society’s control over her diminishes.
However, being royally born takes a lot more words than just an idea of defiance. Merida from Brave refuses to marry. The construction of her society’s expectations needs her to marry to avoid a war. It is through her mother’s understanding — her mother who was the symbol of society — which changes and allows Merida to marry if she chooses to do so, creating a rift through which society can change with the help of powerful people.
Another example of society’s changes is portrayed in Wreck-it Ralph. Assumed to have “gone turbo” — a definition that refers to being displaced enough that an individual ruined an entire game — Ralph could destroy a common enemy and help another animated character achieve her dream as well as grasp a better understanding of his identity and role. In other words, this is society following its normalities and assuming the worst of people when, in fact, it’s an identity crisis.
However, in Elsa’s case, it is her society that has a problem with her abilities. She, herself, becomes the adversary that her sister, Anna, must overcome. Her parents are the reason she views her power as a flaw instead of teaching her how to control it. Only through the love of her sister is Elsa able to manage her abilities rather than having to hide them until they get out of control.
In Conclusion:
In conclusion, a good portion of Disney movies convey the message that society’s worst faults stifle children's imagination. Even now, eighty years later, that one message Walt Disney had conveyed in his movies continues. Regardless of conformity, supernatural entities, character wishes, and dreams that most Disney movies encompass, there is still the magic of Disney that the Second-Generation viewers and forward have fallen in love with.
About the Creator
Faith Young
I like my black lipstick, dark shirts and even darker genre. Most of what I have written are thoughts I had when I was fourteen and edited nearly a decade later.
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