Required Post #3

-
Disney is one of the most powerful and influential companies in the world, if not the most. The Walt Disney company was founded October 16, 1923, and has grown its brand significantly over the years. Disney is responsible for owning Lucasfilm, A&E Networks, ABC Entertainment, ABC Family Worldwide, Marvel Studios and many more.  Disney has obtained the power to control many of the biggest sources of entertainment and news all over the world. And this power has not gone unnoticed. Disney has strategically created an institution that has grown so much that it would be very difficult to bring it down. Disney is aware of their power and has used it to protect their brand and image. When is a lot of power going to become too much power? When will people start to feel uneasy with how much control Disney has over the visual media in the world? When will we start to question what goes on behind the scenes and what it takes to maintain this level of supremacy? The answer is now. Many people have come out and have begun to ask these questions. They have begun to question the morals and ideas that Disney has been feeding our society. 
Henry A. Giroux is one on the many people who have commented and bashed on Disney. In his writing, “The Disneyfication of Children’s Culture,” he discusses many ideas about Disney’s downfalls. One of his main arguments is that Disney is all about consumerism. From a young age children are taught consumerism through Disney films. Disney may be responsible for creating the desire to have all the popular stuff. In our society there is always something new that comes into style and becomes a symbol for being the cool kid. Consider the trends right now: Kylie Jenner’s makeup line, Gucci belts, clout sunglasses, and Adidas shoes. Most people in our society, especially older children-younger adults, are obsessed with these items. This obsession stems from the models, famous athletes, and celebrities that make them so famous and popular. Back when we were just kids, these desire would stem from the characters we watched in movies. Not just any kind of movies, they were all typically Disney movies. Girls became obsessed with sparkly dresses and crowns because of the Disney princesses they wanted to be. Kids had this burning desire to own all of the stuffed animals and action figures of Disney characters. They didn’t want just any cup or plate, they wanted the cup and plate that had the face of their favorite Disney character on it. 

Disney very intelligently and strategically grew their company from just an entertainment institution to a marketing power house. They did this by teaching consumerism to children, making it impossible for parents to turn them down. Disney not only controls what we see on tv but maybe even the way we think and view the world. Is this a power we are comfortable with? Or will we chose to do something about it?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moana Reflection

-
Image
Moana is the best Disney movie hands down. As I watch I will point out all the many reasons why! Moana is the cutest little kid of all time  The animation is fantastic It is about the sea  Moana will be the first female leader of their tribe Moana’s grandmother is unbothered by the fact that she is the “island's crazy woman” and she stays true to herself and loves what she loves despite what others think  Moana is a huge improvement from the original Disney princesses. She has a much more realistic body image. She is not perfectly shaped as an hourglass with curves and breasts. She is still very beautiful but what makes her truly beautiful is her internal attributes. She is very active and charismatic and passionate and intelligent. She has many talents that go beyond just singing and looking pretty  Moana could fix the leak in the house but the man could not Every single song in this movie is amazing Their tribe is so friendly and relies on each other to survive
Read more

Beauty and the Beast (2017) Reflection

-
Image
The 2017 version of the Beauty and the Beast is most definitely both new and improved. First of all, any movie with Emma Watson in it is going to be a great movie. I think that she played the role of Belle beautifully. She was a perfect fit to be the lead of this movie for many reason. Disney has been working very diligently to bring light to its name. Many people have been bashing on Disney over the years for portraying negative feminine stereotypes, as well as many other things. I know that Disney made a conscious effort to improve many of the flaws in the original Beauty and the Beast. By choosing Emma Watson they were choosing a woman that is known for standing for women’s rights. Emma is a feminist and has spoken out several times about the importance of equal rights as well as the importance of education for girls. Disney did not choose her to be their lead on accident.  Emma gave Belle a bigger personality than she had in the original film. She is much more independent a
Read more

Jeffords Response

-
Susan Jeffords’ presents many interesting ideas about how Disney films portray masculinity. In my opinion, parts of her article were difficult to understand or stay engaged with. In the beginning of her article, she talked about Ronald Reagan and George Bush and that did not resinate with me. I understand what she was trying to bring forward outside factors aside form Disney, but I think her arguments would have been more powerful if she just got to the point sooner. I thought that her use of Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Kindergarten Cop was more effective. I like that this type of film  was compared to Disney films. I think her claim that, Kindergarten Cop sends the message that “tough, hard-driving, violent, and individualistic” men are not like that by choice, is very interesting. And I honestly think this is a valid claim. In our society, men are expected to be the tough ones. They should not be emotional, vulnerable, weak, or dependent. While women are sexualized and made to feel l
Read more