![]() She deplores the fact that the people whose culture is appropriated by Disney cannot defend themselves because they "are typically the most marginalized people in the world, the most colonized." Cultural appropriation for profit It's the merchandise and the perpetual remakes of these films," Kelly tells DW. "They won't willingly give up their cash cows like 'Peter Pan,' because it isn't just the movie that brings the billions in profit. "With those warning signs Disney gives itself a free pass to refresh and maintain the racist depictions from their past," she says. The disclaimer adds that the company acknowledges the harmful impact of such depictions and wants to learn from them, aiming to "spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together."īut is a notice at the beginning of a film enough? No, says filmmaker Keala Kelly, who lives in Hawaii and is Kanaka Maoli, which is the traditional name for Native Hawaiians. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now." In "Peter Pan" (1953), for example, the native peoples of America speak an incomprehensible language and are repeatedly referred to as "red skins."ĭisney has since added content advisory notices to several of its classics, including "Dumbo," "Peter Pan" and "The Aristocats." It reads: "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. 'Wrong then and wrong now'īut "Dumbo" is not the only Disney film with questionable scenes. A classic with a content advisory notice: 'Dumbo' Image: picture-alliance/Mary Evans Picture Libraryĭisney has since added a content advisory notice for racism at the beginning of the film from 1941, which was also criticized for its "Song of the Roustabouts" scene, in which faceless Black workers set up a big top while singing, "We work all day, we work all night / We never learned to read or write … We slave until we're almost dead / We're happy-hearted roustabouts" - a cynical portrayal of Black people in the United States and a trivialization of the history of slavery. The lead singer is called Jim Crow, a reference to the infamous Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States, as well as the name of a theater character who dressed in tattered clothes and applied blackface make-up for entertainment - a racist depiction of African-American slaves. They laugh, dance and sing while making fun of Dumbo, the little elephant with big ears, who sadly sits there listening. The 'Dumbo' caseĪ group of crows sit on a branch, and one of them is smoking a cigar. In the past, Disney has often been accused of cultural appropriation and serving racist narratives. With the exception of one child, every family member has a unique magical power.įor this movie, the filmmakers worked together with representatives of the Indigenous Zenu population - but things used to be quite different. The Madrigals live in an enchanted city in the mountains of Colombia. ![]() ![]() But the story retains the magic that makes it truly a fairy tale, so it is not important to create historical accuracy.The new Disney animation "Encanto" offers a magical adventure of an extended Indigenous family. The clothes are also reminiscent of that historical time period. This assumption is based on the presence of a royal family and the class structures that are in place, such as live-in servants and social status that is fully dependent on a man. It appears to be set when France was ruled by a monarchy, most likely in the 1700s. While not grounding itself in a specific historical time or place, think Ever After, the movie is set in a fantastical version of France. But it is heavily influenced by the traditional French version of the fairy tale. There are all the classic hallmarks of a Cinderella story - enslaved orphan girl, cruel stepmother and stepsisters, animal friends, fairy godmother, glass slippers, ball at the palace, handsome prince, if the shoe fits, happily ever after. On the surface, 2015's Cinderella appears to be a stereotypical version of the most well-known tale in the world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |