Preview

Walt Disney and Fairy Tales

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1759 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Walt Disney and Fairy Tales
Are the Disney tales having a good or bad effect on children?

Fairy tales are very old; many of them had been orally passed on through the centuries, and evolved a lot. This kind of story, initially intended for children, often involved some fanciful creatures or extraordinary adventures. Fairy tales might include a moralistic stance or warning against dangers but always have an ethical undercurrent to the story, a "lesson" to be learned. In this paper, we are going to discuss the good and the bad effects of Disney fairy tales on children. Walter “Walt” Elias Disney was an American producer, very popular for recycling old fairy tales by turning them into famous cartoons. He adapted those stories for children. Fairy tales have both negative and positive effects on children but positive effects outweigh the bad ones.
Walt Disney has often been criticized for the movies that he made. People have found some dialogues racist or sexist. Despite that, nobody can deny that Disney movies have been parts of everyone’s childhoods, and that children have learned a lot by watching them.
In these following lines, we will try to demonstrate whatever Disney fairy tales teach children to be tolerant, teach children to be safe, and the importance of listening to their parents or guardians, or if Disney fairy tales have bad effects on children, teaching them some bad way of living.
Even if racism and discrimination are still important problems in our actual society, fairy tales can teach children to become more tolerant. In our society, acts of brutality and hateful speech are common, and often “engendered by increasingly young children.” According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), children between 2 and 5 years of age start to become aware of race, ethnicity, gender and disabilities. (They can accurately identify “Black” and “White” when labeling pictures, dolls and people.) Children learn stereotypes and attitudes about race from their



Cited: Page Campbell Grant, Walt Disney’s “Cinderella, Writing Across the Curriculum, L Behrens, L.J. Rosen John M. Grohol, Disney and the power of Love June 25, 2009. <http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/06/25/disney-and-the-power-of-heterosexual-love/6750.html>. Grauerholz, Liz. "Experts Say Fairy Tales Not so Happy Ever after." Purdue.edu. 11 Nov. 2003. Web. <http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html4ever/031111.Grauerholz.tales.html>. Pettinato, Minot. "Disney 's Positive Effects on Children." Weblog post. Www.ehow.com. Apr. 2011. Web. <http://www.ehow.com/info_8191660_disneys-positive-effects-children.html>. "The Psychological Effects of Children 's Movies." Association for Natural Psychology. Update Nov. 2011. Web. <http://www.winmentalhealth.com/childrens_movies_media_effects.php>. Raleigh, Kung. "What Are Kids Learning From Disney Movies?" Ehow.com. Update 26 Feb. 2011. Web. <http://www.ehow.com/info_7984224_kids-learning-disney-movies.html>. Susina, Jan. "Children 's Literature." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. Web. 2008. <http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Ch-Co/Children-s-Literature.html>.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    2.12 english

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages

    We usually think of fairy tales as pleasant stories for children; however, "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Snow White" use frightening encounters with unfamiliar people to teach children not to trust strangers.…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Disney is said to be “the happiest place on earth,” but taking a closer look at the real message of Disney’s animated films make writers as well as parents hesitate. In chapter three of The Mouse That Roared by Henry A. Giroux, Giroux writes about the huge industry of Disney and how the animated movies send out messages to kids that might not be the best. In this chapter Giroux talks about how most of Disney’s 1990 movies portray sexist, racism, and evil vs. good; and in writing this Giroux is trying to bring to attention that Disney is not as innocent as everyone sees it to be. When reading this chapter I thought that most of these controversies…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bettelheim Paper

    • 1073 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Bruno Bettelheim’s “The Uses of Enchantment”, Bruno describes how fairy tales are adapted to realistic, everyday problems to guide children’s development to proper decision making as they grow up. As children transition from adolescence to adulthood, they are generally given advice and morals about how to handle the hardships that the world delivers to grown up adults. Bettelheim claims that fairy tales offer solutions to challenging situations, at a level that a child can comprehend and understand. Fairy tales deliberately state a dilemma briefly so the child can fully understand the problem in the tale. Bettelheim also believes that there are no gray areas for people who are good or bad, meaning you are rather a good person or you are evil. This, according to Bettelheim, makes it less difficult for a child to understand the difference between the two. I don’t agree with Bettelheim’s ideas about the value of fairy tales because the outcomes usually are not realistic. Although Bettelheim makes valid claims when he talks about how these stories are to teach young children good morals, there’s some uncertainty that support his claim where misinterpretations of the text in some fairytales clouds Bettelheim’s statements.…

    • 1073 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    upcoming projects such as “The Frog Princess,” where, for the first time, Disney will depict a…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fairytales: when someone says that word, the first thing that might come up in your mind is probably kid’s reading Cinderella. Fairytales’ simplicity and accuracy in delivering a moral to young kids and adults is wonderful. We’d give an adult a eerie look if we caught them reading a kids book on the train to themselves. The reason behind our thought is cause it’s a kids book why would an adult read it but behind all this is the difference of interpreting stories for adults and children. Stories like Juniper Tree, Snow White, and Little Red Cap include hidden messages through violence and imagery and dialogue. Fairy tales teach children how to grasp the meaning and power behind storytelling. In this paper I will discuss the vast ways in which a child and adult interpret fairytales. Its…

    • 1983 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racism is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race” (“Racism”). This century old problem remains prevalent in our current day society as minority groups have continuously fought to gain equality. One main factor preventing minority groups from achieving equality is their negative portrayal in the media, more specifically in Disney fairy tales. Fairy tales today are instrumental to children’s childhood development, however the lack of diversity and the inaccurate representation of minority groups in these tales allow for mass media companies like Disney to perpetuate white supremacy, racial stereotype, and cause internalized racism.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fairy tales are seemingly apart of any “successful” childhood. They attempt to show our 5-year-old selves right from wrong - that you shouldn’t leave the ball on your curfew, to not trust strangers with apples, and to never forget a prince charming will come and save you. Although every infamous tale that I was once told has been manipulated since formation, their deeper ideologies such as criticism and hierarchical dominance are recurrent, yet transformative with modern times.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Disney Stereotypes

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages

    At a very young age, many children are exposed to movies, whether at the theater or on videos at home. One major producer of children’s movies is the Disney corporation. These animated films are often perceived as innocent and wholesome. Given the influence the Disney ideology has on children, it is imperative for parents, teachers and other adults to understand how such films attract the attention and shape the values of the children who view and buy them.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hunchback of Notre Dame

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages

    While growing up I would always watch Disney movies, but until recently I never analyzed their true meaning. Disney movies are ways to control and occupy children; they are fun, whimsical forms of entertainment that captivate children for hours on end. I always believed that Disney movies improved children 's imaginations. However, after taking off my rose colored glasses and leaving them in Neverland, I have realized that Disney movies have a lot of power to control children 's views on the confusing world that surrounds them. One of the biggest factors that Disney movies are notorious for portraying, are frayed relations between different races. As anyone knows, children, by nature, are very impressionable and are constantly learning about the world on a daily basis. As a result of that undeniable truth, the very fact that Disney movies have such an ample platform to subliminally inflict negative race relationship views on children is more than unfortunate. One movie that exemplifies this is the movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Through racist personifications and repeated instances of inferiority due to skin color, the Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) is an excellent example of how Disney movies can negatively impact children 's views on racial relations in their own lives.…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story chosen is Snow White that has become the most popular princess among young girls. Snow White and similar fairy tales are playing bad with young minds by showing male characters stronger and powerful, which is also causing gender discrimination. Whether the fairy tales have significant impact on folks’ lives has been the most discussed phenomenon of the time. Many people agree to the notion that fairy tales and their myths do have an impact in young children’ life while the other rejects this. Scientifically and psychologically, it has been proven that children tend to adopt the habits they see around and that they play a vital role in shaping a child's mind and controlling his/her thoughts. “Two close readings of this version, one psychoanalytic and the other feminist, suggest that because Snow White is part of a literally as well as folkloric tradition, it may be studied as a cultural artifact and text valid in itself” (Shuli Barzilai, 515).…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Clearly, despite their lavish dresses and dazzling smiles, Disney princesses are the real villains. Not only do princesses like Cinderella enforce stereotypes and teach harmful lessons: the stories they’re in are essentially old fables stripped of their meaning. Parents should wisely limit chidren’s exposure to such films, and acknowledge the fault in many of Disney’s moreals. Otherwise, they might unwittingly reinforce Disney’s harmful messages (Washington…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Magic

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A child’s imagination is the start of their learning. Creativity is the key for the child there are lessons to be learned in some of these fairytales. For example, the boy who cried wolf lesson was, its not good to lie because in the end if you lie to much no one will believe you when you’re actually telling the truth. Goldilocks and the three bears lesson was don’t break into people houses and touch they’re belongs without permission. And little red riding hood lesson was don’t talk to strangers. Every fairytale has a lesson that we don’t know about as a child but when it comes to parents, they should understand that it’s a great tool to use. In a way fairytales talk to children giving them a sense of understanding. Fairytales also gives an understanding of life. The cruelties and struggles and even deaths that children aren’t able to fully understand. By keeping that magic apart of the child’s life, they will be able to cope with the things in his or her life.…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Fairy tales have a way of luring a person in, big and tall, but especially the ones who are the most naïve of us all, children. The most rewarding part of a fairy tale is what draws an audience in; it is created to promote instant gratification. Although most fairy tales have an awe striking negative impact on children, they suck in many people because of the time era we live in. We live in such a fast paced world, and if our needs are not instantly satisfied with a specific outcome than lives are dramatically altered. And these fairy tales are just a reflection of why our world is this way. Fairy tales are a misrepresentation of the miscommunicated, skewed values that create an unrealistic, unreachable, unsatisfying…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fairy tales picture a world filled with magic, love and the triumph of the good over the evil. Fairy tales are a window to other worlds where the wildest dreams can come true and the hero always lives happily ever after preferably paired with his loved one. Although some people argue that fairy tales are full of stereotypes, filled with frightening monsters and promote racism and sexism I believe that they are wrong because fairy tales provide valuable moral lessons to children, teach them other countries' cultures promote the imagination and the cognitive development and therefore they should be read to young children.…

    • 2132 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cinderella Stereotypes

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When you think of a fairytale you initially might think of a damsel in distress and a great knight ready to battle the wicked witch to save her. However, there is more to each story than pure amusement. Each in their own way I waiting to mold young minds by teaching simple morals in a way that they can understand. Yet, by reading a politically correct version of Cinderella, it removes the simple educational values that the original portrays. For being a politically correct story it portrays humans is nothing but animals unable to control their actions. We will address couple of stereotypes that this story reinforces.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays