G-rated Films Lead to G-rated History

 

Many Disney critics have pointed out that Disney films and other entertainment products that are based on true stories contain many historical inaccuracies.  For example, in his article "The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race," Ajay Gehlawat notes that the film portrays much less racial segregation than was actually present during the 1920s, the time period in which the film is set.  The article "10 Historically Inaccurate Movies" by Jane McGrath mentions many disparities between the true story of Pocahontas and the Disney film.  In the article "Mickey Mouse History: Portraying the Past at Disney World," Mike Wallace criticizes the Disney park Epcot, a park supposedly built to educate the public, for failing to teach about many significant events in U.S. history and portraying others with an inaccurate positive spin.  

While I agree that these Disney products are not historically accurate, I don't agree that it makes them flawed.  Due to the age range of Disney's primary audience, many historical details must be omitted from Disney films because they are not appropriate for young children, as mentioned briefly by Gehlawat.  On the other hand, McGrath claims that the audience of young children is the very reason that it is a flaw, because the film "misleads children and interferes with the events they'll later learn about."  However, as McGrath points out, children do learn about these historical events later in their schooling and from other sources.  If Disney was the only mode through which children learned about history, then the inaccuracies would certainly be a problem.  But this is not the case.  Instead, Disney provides a great way for children to learn about some parts of history early on, and learn about it in a fun and enjoyable way.  Disney's portray of history, although not completely accurate, is a positive way to teach children a little about history while providing enjoyable entertainment at the same time.

Disney's Not-So-Creative Character Names

Is there a method to naming Disney characters?

After reading many articles that analyze Disney movies, it has become apparent to me that there is a method behind the naming of Disney's characters.  For example, in his article "The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race," Ajay Gehlawat writes that "Naveen," the name of the prince from Maldonia, means "new" in Hindi (Gehlawat 423).  While to me this seems like just a coincidence, Gehlawat believes that this double meaning "would technically make him Disney's "new prince" (Gehlawat 423).  However, there are many other characters whose names sport double meanings.  The article "Disney Character Names with Meaning" from the official Disney blog gives a list of some Disney characters along with the double meaning of their name.  This list includes Simba, whose name means lion in Swahili; Lumiere, whose name means light in French; Rafiki, whose name means friend in Swahili; Belle, whose name means beautiful in French; LeFou, which means fool in French; Flotsam and Jetsam (the eels from The Little Mermaid), which is an English phrase referring to the "floating wreckage of a ship."

While the double meanings of these names are very logical in that they reflect the character, they are very uncreative.  For a company that is a hub of imagination, I would hope for a little more fun and originality.  Perhaps they don't spend much time brainstorming creative names because many people don't time looking into them, but I don't think this is any excuse for a company that prides itself on creativity and ingenuity.  I would like to see Disney try a little harder and have more fun in naming the characters of their future movies.  

Tiana's Work Ethic: A Positive or Negative Quality?

Does Disney's The Princess and the Frog portray Tiana's work ethic as a negative quality?

In her article "Blackness, Bayous, and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World," Sarah Turner points out that rather than focusing on Tiana's physical appearance, The Princess and the Frog references "her work ethic, often as a negative attribute" (Turner 88).  To support this, Turner offers the following evidence: "her friends complain that 'all you ever do is work;' her mother says it is a 'shame you're working so hard;' Tiana herself acknowledges she 'doesn't have time for dancing;' and, Naveen refers to her as a 'stick in the mud'" (Turner 88-89).  

This argument struck a cord with me because, as a Duke student, I relate a lot to Tiana's character, and specifically her work ethic.  I consider myself to have a very high work eithic, and I feel that I am subject some of the same criticism that Tiana gets from her friends.  Also, like Tiana, I don't often have time for leisurely activities like 'dancing.'  When I first consider all of these scenes from the movie together, it is clear that Tiana gets a lot of grief for working hard to achieve her goal, which is unfortunate, yet something that would happen in the real world, according to my experience.  I don't think these comments portray Tiana's work ethic as a negative thing, but they do imply that her life is not as enjoyable as it could be if she didn't work as much.  And who would say otherwise?  Tiana's life is not as enjoyable during those years when she's working multiple jobs, but she ends up achieving her goal of owning a restaurant and being extremely happy with her life, making her sacrifice completely worth it.  

However, Disney could have definitely portrayed Tiana's work ethic as a more respectable quality.  The comments mentioned above could have been altered to respect Tiana rather than criticize her, and that would be a positive change.  But overall, I think Tiana's work ethic serves as a positive role model, and shows that with hard work you can achieve your dreams.