Major Project
eng 170 draft research paper (3)
Aixa Kou
Professor Hach
Eng170
2/25/21
Does Disney Really Care?: Exploring Racial Stereotypes in Disney Films
I remember watching Disney movies as a kid like The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, and many other movies. Tale as old as time, right? It’s crazy as a child that when you’re watching a Disney film, you don’t really pay attention to certain things simply for the fact that you’re probably six years old and haven’t really fully understood life yet. Yet there are many racial stereotypes within certain scenes in Disney films, which is disturbing but may not be noticeable to a child. These scenes can teach children to discriminate and have incorrect assumptions about people’s race and culture.
Disney has been around for about 100 years because it has appealed to many families, especially the children. Everyone has enjoyed the films from the animation to the songs. Disney has crafted these storylines year after year making them into classics for all generations to enjoy. While these films have connected to the emotions of a wide audience, the problem is when Disney starts to discriminate against certain races, which can get messy. If Disney wants to illustrate a race and include diversity in their films, they should aim for accurate and realistic features towards the people’s ethnicity. The question now is how has Disney in the past shown racial stereotypes in films?
Disney has racially discriminated over the years in films making it entertaining for children through songs or humor so as to not make it obvious. In the film Aladdin, the opening song includes a line, “It’s barbaric, but hey it’s home.” This part of the song offended many people who identify as Middle Eastern or are of an Arabic background because they felt they were stereotyping people of that culture saying they are like animals and don’t know how to act properly. This shows that Disney has tried to get away with racially discriminating people based on stereotyping them incorrectly. There are other examples of this provided in the BBC article, “Disney Updates Content Warning for Racism in Classic Films,” including the movies The Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, and Jungle Book. In the movie The Aristocats, they are singing the song “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” and there is a scene with a Siamese cat called Shun Gon, where he starts to speak in chopped English and starts to play piano with chopsticks (“Disney Updates”). This scene stereotypes and disrespects Asian people. It also illustrates that this was not the first time Disney has included racial discrimination through a song and tried to dilute the reality that they have sterotyped people’s nationalities. This can affect children because it is in a cartoon; therefore, they will think it is okay to sing or follow along with what they learned from these Disney films. Another example is found in The Lady and the Tramp, where there is a scene that features two troublemaking Siamese cats that sing a song in a voice that mocks Asians. Additionally, when Si converses with Am about Lady’s owner’s baby, the way they communicate makes it seem like they cannot speak English properly.
Disney has made it seem like joking about certain nationalities is funny, but making racist jokes is actually quite hurtful. In the BBC article, “Disney Updates Content Warning,” it references how the native people are referred to as “redskins” in the movie Peter Pan, which is “a racist slur” toward Native Americans. There is also a scene where “Peter and the Lost Boys dance in headdresses,” mocking traditional Native culture (“Disney Updates”). This scene angered a lot of Native Americans because they felt their culture was being discriminated against and made fun of. In Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment, it talks about how thet chef is represented as a sterotypical “Native American” instead of displaying accurately the Native American culture. “self-important father of the Darling family provided a target for Disney’s satire. What Disney pokes fun at, then, is not an Indian per se but the patriarchal male.” This was stating basically that, Disney was trying to crack a joke about Indians which was kind of rude especially towards the race of being a Native American, people would feel offended because they were not represented correctly. This can cause children to think it is okay to make fun of a race because it was displayed in Disney films. Another example is found in the film The Jungle Book, in which there is a character named King Louie who has poor speaking skills and is seen as lazy in the movie. This has caused many people to feel it was racist towards African-American descendants because they made it seem that African Americans cannot hold a simple conversation or do anything for themselves as human beings, which was disturbing to see in a Disney film that is meant for children to watch. This yet again demonstrates how Disney has racially profiled many cultures within their films.
The media, in general, has a big influence on children, especially considering how much of it they consume. Nancy Wang Yuen of Biola University, in her article “How Racial Stereotypes in Popular Media Affect People,” provides data about the effects of children’s media habits: “In [2015], eight- to twelve-year-old children consumed an average of six hours of media a day . . . . Researchers have found that prolonged television exposure predicts a decrease in self-esteem for all girls and for black boys, but an increase in self-esteem for white boys.” While Disney is only one of the media options available to children, it’s a big company that has a lot of influence on past, present, and future generations, and they should take that role seriously. Yuen speaks to the importance of accurate racial representation:
Beyond specific effects on particular groups of viewers, racial images packaged as entertainment can skew the way all viewers understand and categorize people. Popular media can have a negative impact on whites’ perceptions of people of color and racial stereotypes in film and television can exacerbate preexisting racist fears.
This explains that whites can have the wrong idea of a race based on what is shown on television; therefore, a realistic representation of a race can help people have a better understanding of others.
Disney’s portrayal of race extends beyond stereotyping and profiling and actually depicts other races as animals. In Ajay Gehlawat’s article in the Journal of African American Studies, “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race,” it talks about how Tiana is supposed to represent a black princess in the film, yet when she is ready to buy off the space for her restaurant, one of the brothers responds to her by saying that if she doesn’t have a better offer, then: “Perhaps a little woman of your . . . background, is better off where you are.” This is yet another stereotype of a black woman, making it seem that black Americans cannot be successful and do well financially; instead, they are depicted as lower class or not taken seriously. Even though Disney has tried to become more diverse by including a black princess as the main character in The Princess and the Frog, she was an animal throughout much of the movie: “To make the first African American princess a frog, then, seems to literally conflate her with animality but also, as Tiana, her dreams of success with a lack of intelligence and reason, a black girl who must hop around like a frog in the way early twentieth century black actors had to don blackface and hop around like dogs” (Gehlawat). It’s difficult to see humanity in a race of people if they are not depicted as actual people. This also does not teach white children about how to see other races and does not allow people of color to see themselves accurately reflected as people. This explains, How Disney has misinterpreted another race in not the correct way.
As a counterpoint, some might say people are critics and nitpick at every movie that comes out, which is true, but if people of an oppressed culture are offended because of misrepresentation, we should listen to them. When a major company like Disney jokes about the way certain cultures talk or makes assumptions about their race, those groups of people would have a right to speak out against it because they are being discriminated against. It’s clear that Disney is not respectfully or accurately representing their culture or their race.
Some may also say that continuing to watch these Disney films could provide a learning opportunity for new generations who haven’t lived through the same sort of oppression as some of the marginalized groups in these films. This could allow younger groups to understand that oppression and grow into more thoughtful, considerate people who contribute to society in positive, productive ways. However, there must be a conversation between the parent / guardian and child while watching these movies. This would include having the parent / guardian point out instances of racial stereotypes to their child, letting them know why those depictions are unacceptable and explained to them in a way they would understand. If the parent / guardian does not do this, the child may not learn the difference on their own and continue to accept or even mimic what they see on the screen.
Disney has racially discriminated in their films over time. Recently, Disney has put a warning on the content of their streaming entertaining app. Before watching older Disney films like Aladdin, The Jungle Book, and Peter Pan, there is a warning saying that these films do have racial stereotypes, which is a small step towards change but more still needs to be done. In Yen-Rong Wong’s article, “Engaging Thoughtfully with Racist Disney,” she agrees, explaining that Disney seems to be doing the bare minimum: “Such an acknowledgement is a step in the right direction, but doesn’t go quite far enough. The statement seems generic and vague, as if to make viewers skim over it to get to the movie itself.” Disney has tried to make amends for their prior depictions of certain races, but it’s as if they’re trying to brush it to the side. These “warnings” do not help children better understand how wrong these stereotypes are and ideally would also involve a conversation with their parent or guardian about America’s history. In comparison, a more accurate example of illustrating a race was found in the Disney film Soul, which was amazing because they represent Black American characters with realistic features and speech. This was a big improvement toward Disney being more diverse and inclusive and provides hope for future films.
I feel that, this is important because Disney in the past has discriminated against race since the beginning of time and for Disney to bring more awareness of their actions espically since their films is targeted towards child and this can make a child feel a way because it is showing discrimination in their films and Disney should be responsible for their actions.
Works Cited
Brode, Douglas. Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney
Entertainment, University of Texas Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/lib/newpaltz-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3443017.
“Disney Updates Content Warning For Racism In Classic Films.” BBC, 16 Oct. 2020,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54566087. Accessed 23 Feb. 2021.
Gehlawat, Ajay. “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the
Elision of Race.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 14, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp. 417–431. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12111-010-9126-1. Accessed 23 Feb. 2021.
Wong, Yen-Rong. “Engaging Thoughtfully with Racist Disney.” Eureka Street, vol. 29,
- 23, Nov. 2019, pp. 3–5. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=140202413&site=ehost-live. Accessed 23 Feb. 2021.
Yuen, Nancy Wang. “How Racial Stereotypes in Popular Media Affect People–and
What Hollywood Can Do to Become More Inclusive.” Scholars Strategy Network, 4 June 2019, https://scholars.org/contribution/how-racial-stereotypes-popular-media-affect-people-and-what-hollywood-can-do-become. Accessed 26 Feb. 2021.
Words Cited Page
Brode, Douglas. Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney
Entertainment, University of Texas Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/lib/newpaltz-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3443017.
“Disney Updates Content Warning For Racism In Classic Films.” BBC, 16 Oct. 2020,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54566087.
Gehlawat, Ajay. “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the
Elision of Race.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 14, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp. 417–431. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12111-010-9126-1.
Sandlin, Jennifer, and Nathan Snaza. “‘It’s Called a Hustle, Sweetheart’: Black Lives
Matter, the Police State, and the Politics of Colonizing Anger in Zootopia.” Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 51, no. 5, Oct. 2018, pp. 1190–1213. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/jpcu.12714.
Sperb, Jason. Disney’s Most Notorious Film: Race, Convergence, and the Hidden
Histories of Song of the South, University of Texas Press, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/lib/newpaltz-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3443625.
Wong, Yen-Rong. “Engaging Thoughtfully with Racist Disney.” Eureka Street, vol. 29,
- 23, Nov. 2019, pp. 3–5. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=140202413&site=ehost-live.
Yuen, Nancy Wang. “How Racial Stereotypes in Popular Media Affect People – and What Hollywood Can Do to Become More Inclusive.” Scholars Strategy Network, scholars.org/contribution/how-racial-stereotypes-popular-media-affect-people-and-what-hollywood-can-do-become.
“Disney Updates Content Warning For Racism In Classic Films.” BBC, 16 Oct. 2020,
This article talks about different classic disney movies that had racial stereotypes throughout the film over the years and how they were racially profiling races throughout these films.
There seems to be no author but the source is pretty reliable because it is coming from BBC News which is a known company to inform people about. It addresses the certain stereotypes introduced in these disney films.
I found this article interesting because it points out offending racial stereotypes and racist jokes or meanings throughout certain scenes in Disney films. This connects to my paper because it supports my thesis statement.
Gehlawat, Ajay. “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the
Elision of Race.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 14, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp. 417–431. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12111-010-9126-1.
This article talks about the film, The Princess and the Frog and how the main character Tiana is not represented properly as a black character.This is because certain scenes in the flim display racial stereotypes.
The author who wrote this seems highly educated; he graduated from Sonoma State University. This was a journal article written to talk about the racial issues and stereotypes in Disney films.
I found this article interesting because over the years when I have watched The Princess and the Frog I didn’t really find a problem with the movie in fact I kind of enjoyed it. This made me realize that in the film, they were making an assumption that all people in New Orleans do voodoo, which is not always the case. This source can be used to show how Disney has used racial stereotypes to represent black people, and will connect to my point about how the company uses racism as a joke.
Wong, Yen-Rong. “Engaging Thoughtfully with Racist Disney.” Eureka Street, vol. 29,
- 23, Nov. 2019, pp. 3–5. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=140202413&site=ehost-live.
This article talks about a couple disney films had displayed racial stereotypes over the years. Like Dumbo, Mulan and The Lady and The Tramp. All of these movies represented racial stereotypes towards certain races.
The author who wrote this article Yen-Rong Wong, she is writer, essayist, reader, occasional reviewer, knitter, musician, and scientist she was talking about the issues within some classic disney movies illustrating racial jokes with certain scenes in movies which offend a lot of people based on these films.
I believe I can use this article because it relates to how disney films have tried to input racism as a joke in disney films. Like in the films, I can expand and explain my points with the crows representing black people in Dumbo because one of the birds was named Jim crow. As well as lady and tramp with the siamese cats with their asian accents this displays how disney has tried to make fun of racial groups.
Brode, Douglas. Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney
Entertainment, University of Texas Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central,
In the books it talks about how disney films over the years have had gender and race stereotypes over the years and basically explaining how it that disney film has.
This source has an author named Douglas Brode; he was a screenwriter, playwright, novelist, film historian, and multi-award winning journalist. He seems pretty reliable because he has a lot of experience in the theater world as well as literature. I can use this source in paper to show how in the film The Light in the Forest has racially Discriminated Indian Americans, because they are made to seem as savages within the film.
This relates to my paper because it wasn’t the first time disney has racially discriminated against race like as well as in Peter Pan with the indians from their complexion to the way they talk and act.
Sperb, Jason. Disney’s Most Notorious Film: Race, Convergence, and the Hidden
Histories of Song of the South, University of Texas Press, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central,
In this book it talks about a certain movie and has a song called the song of the south which is a very controversial subject because a lot of people of color felt offended by the song because of its scenes in the film.
The author who wrote this was Jason Sperb and what he did was lecturer of film and media studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He was breaking down the stereotypes with the scenes in the film.
This relates to my paper because Disney made films with blacks and white but the black were servants to the whites and made a song about it which was very disturbing to blacks and their history.