This week's blog comes to us from Bonnie Mills! After having read Margaret Lazarus' analysis of The Lion King, do you agree or disagree with her critique of the stereotypes commonly found in Disney movies? Why or why not? Use examples from Lazarus' essay. Think of some Disney movies that you know. Are these types of stereotypes harmful or not? What do you think?
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16 comments:
I thought this was a great essay, and somewhat true I think Margaret makes some good points about the movie and the characters. I honestly do not think children would watch this movie and see what she analyzes though. As adults, we look at a bigger pitcure what watching a movie or reading a book, but children just like it because of the animation. I do feel that her analysis was very good and percise, but I guess I didn't think of the hyenas being black, as a race, but black as in evil. I don't know how else the producers of the movie could make good and evil without the contrast of dark colors and bright cheery colors. In conclusion, I would say that it is how the viewer interprets the movie. In a way it could be an opinion thing.
~Samantha Duryee
I completely agree with what she said. All through out history Disney has had racial stereotypes. Let's make a list shall we?
The Crows from Dumbo. Go back and watch Dumbo again. There are three "jive-talking" crows that are a terrible African American stereo type. All they do is smoke, act dumb, and wear pimp hats.
King Louie from the Jungle Book. Every other animal in the jungle speaks with a British accent except for the monkey. A monkey that sings about wanting to be a white man.
The Siamese Twin Gang from Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers. They own a laundromat, run an illegal, basement gambling operation and speak in horribly mangled "Engrish."
The Indians from Peter Pan. They sing a song about why their skin is red. That means that Walt wanted people to know that there is a reason they aren't white.
So yeah, the Lion King is just another link in the Disney racist chain.
-Tyler Lurvey-
Works cited: http://www.cracked.com/article_15833_9-most-racist-disney-characters.html
I think that Lazarus takes the stereotyping concept too far. They hyenas are good examples from the animal kingdom to be the “bad guys” because they are known to be savage and they are also associated with “laughing” when indeed, they are not very humorous animals. In other words, the hyena is not to be trusted. It has nothing to do with the color of their fur. Scar doesn’t strike me as gay as much as he strikes me as jealous and hateful. When I think about the other villains in Disney’s movies, I cannot draw many race parallels. Cruella DeVille is a white woman. Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty’s step mothers are also white women. Ursella from the Little Mermaid is purple. Given that the movies are most obviously about being the best you can be, doing the right thing, and that good will prevail over evil I think it is a mistake to overlook the obvious message and work so hard to detract from that.
Andrea Harken
The kids don't know the difference of Scar being gay or not. I dont think the hyenas look black.
I do agree on the woman in this Lion King movie acting pathetic, and helpless. They are not as valuable as the men, and don't play main roles. The is a color stereotype here, that everything that is dark is bad, and everything that is light is good. It isn't a good thing for children to lean these stereotypes because then they will discriminate against other people when they get older.
I thought that this essay was extremely biased... obviously. I didn't agree with much that was said in the essay. When I was younger I didn't notice at all that Scar seemed a little homosexual, and even now I have a little trouble seeing it. Then Lazarus says that the voice of scar is done by Jeremy Irons in a "British style". What are the kids going to hate foreigners now too? Also, hyenas are lurking little carnivores, but in no way have a ever associated hyenas with black people. I do see what she is saying in all of this, but I think she is being far to critcal. I don't believe that there are any children that became racist after watching the Lion King, and if they did it came from some far more influential sources than Disney movie.
-Becca Peterson
As much as I don't want to I agree with Lazarus' analysis of The Lion King. She makes good conections between the elephant grave yard and the ghetto by drawing a picture of them both being dirty and unkept. I think The Lion King does create stereotypes against residents of ghettos and gays. Another Disney movie that creates stereotypes is the Little Mermaid. The girl is the one that has to give up her life and conform the the superior man.
I occationally watch the Disney channel and have noticed a push in the direction of non "picture perfect" situations. If they continue to go in this way, I think they will eventually make up for their mistakes in the early Disney movies.
-Bonnie Mills
I can agree and disagree with Lazarus' analysis of The Lion King, and her perception of Disney movies. I agree than many Disney films contain obvious stereotypes, and although most children wouldn't be aware, they are being subliminally transferred to their minds. Children wouldn't necessarily notice the similarities of The Lion King's goofy hyenas and stereotypes of different races, but they will probably subconsciously associate them with those stereotypes. Lazarus is kind of jumping to conclusions, though, because the hyenas are portrayed as goofy and stupid because they are meant to play the roles of antagonists. I never recall associating anything in Disney movies with stereotypes, and I have grown up to be a very open-minded person. Disney movies are far-fetched the way it is, with animals and inanimate objects singing and dancing, so why overanalyze them just based on what roles of discrimination they are playing? Lazarus thinks children will grow up to be 'scarred' by Disney's stereotypes, but if that is her notion, she should also believe children will grow up thinking their pets and furniture can talk to them.
--Candace Daiker--
I don’t completely agree with what she said because I grew up watching Disney movies, and will honestly have to say that they never affected me in any way. I never even thought about any of the racial stereotypes that she has mentioned. Now that I’m older I kind of see what she’s saying, but still I don’t think that scar is homosexual just because of his voice and the way he uses body language. That’s just what his character in the movie has to be like. I do know that in other Disney movies the stereotypes are pretty obvious, but still children don’t see that. Why should we ruin their childhood by telling them negative things about the movies they like? I think that children just watch Disney movies because they like the plot, and they enjoy the positive message that it’s showing. I don’t think that after watching the Lion King a child will realize all the hidden racial stereotypes that are being made in Disney movies.
Karla Baez
I do not completely agree to what was being said by Lazarus. When I was younger I did not see they things that she was saying. Most kids don’t see them either. When I watch Disney movies now, I can see some of the stereotypes. The part of the Lion King we watched with Scar, it shows him to be a little gay. And the hyenas to be like a typical black, but I do not think that children would pick up on these stereotypes. I do not think these are harmful to children, seeing as how many kids do not pick up on them.
Jenny Evans
I think her essay is great but I disagree with her opinion. Now I cna see some kind of stereotypes but when I was younger, I couldn't find anything about stereotypes. I just watched movie. I think almost young people can't see some kind of stereotypes. So I think this is not harmful for child. When young child watching movie, they don't care about stereotypes. I remember when I watched Lion King, I just enjoyed movie. So I think this is good essay but I disagree with this essay.
Ho soUNG
In my opinion I agree with Lazarus' analysis of the Lion King. Due to the fact that if you watch close enough you can see that Scar is a little fruity. I can also see how the ghetto is represented. Then again not many young kids would sit there and think to them self oh Scar is gay and he lives in the ghetto. But as an adalt you could more likely notice the things that she analysed. I don't think that these sterotypes are harmful becasue not many kids would think of those things.
~Alysen Sly
I think this was a bad essay! I dont agree with her when she talks about the hyenas being black and black as evil. I would agree that the place they live in is very dark and gloomy. I think the disney producers may be a slight racis in some movies. I guess for little kids they would never think of these things so it really doesnt matter. I didnt even think of these things until a couple years ago. As in some disney movies, I dont think I have ever seen a black character or females living to long. I dont know what mind set they have when they make the movie, but maybe to some viewers they might seem racis. Her way of think about it was a little off though. I also didnt think Scar acted gay, maybe metro but not gay! The way this society views things is just purly based on opinion and the way you were brought up. Their are very harsh people in this world, but why waste time worrying about the little things...???
Tasha
I thought that Lazarus was not totally correct in my opinion because when I was younger when I watched these Disney movies I didn't notice or realize all the stereotypes involved in all the movies. Even if I did notice them I wouldn't have understood them. For instance when it said that Scars character was supposed to be gay I wouldn't have realized it when I was younger. I think the older you get the more you notice all the stereotypes.
-Bob Harsin
I thought it was a good essay, but I do not really agree with all the stereotypes. I do not really think that that is what Disney was going for. Like when she said they had Whoopie Goldberg playing the hyena I think that was just a role they gave her. I someone agrees with what she said about scar. He was acting kind of gay playing with his hair, and making all kind of gay jesters. Disney is know for doing lots of bad things, but sometimes people play in to much to the wrong things.
Jovan Creighton
I agree somewhat with Margaret's analysis of The Lion King. I see where she thinks that Scar is gay, that the hyenas are black, and the reference to Nazis. Although I agree with Margaret on those parts, I don't believe that Disney has some type of hidden agenda. Most kids probably wouldn't concept those things because to them it's just another cartoon movie. I didn't make these stereotype connections until I read her analysis. I don't think these stereotypes are harmful to children. As for the sexist part, I don't agree with her because there was one female lion that tried to fight Scar.
~Shawn Martin
I thought Lazarus' anaylsis essay over the lion king was a thought provoking, never brought to my attention before article. I thought what she said about the gay lion brother, scar, was escpecialy interesting. Children who watch this movies and others like it may now think that all gay people act how scar does. On the other hand, I don't really understand why our society as came down to this. Analysing disney movies that have no intentions of discrimtating they are just ment to entertain.
--Caity Mills
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