To many, Disney is synonymous with innocent morality stories and fluffy rodents singing songs of hope and joy. This is an image Disney has worked hard to perpetuate in their films, but many of the supposedly innocent messages, on closer examination, can be revealed as otherwise. There is no doubt that Disney movies have brought happiness to millions, if not billions of children around the world. In this list, however, I have examined some of the more harrowing themes present in Disney movies, which may have affected you and your children more than you know.
10.Historical Inaccuracies
Perhaps one of the most obvious points critics have grilled Disney over are historical inaccuracies in their few films which are actually based on real events. "Pocahontas" has been dubbed a travesty on the history of the Native American genocide. The title character is portrayed as a native woman who falls in love with settler John Smith, but in reality Pocahontas was only 10 at the time. Smith did befriend the girl but there was no romance. An even worse travesty is the film's end. The settlers become friends with the natives and everyone lives happily ever after. Really Disney? In fact, 90% of the indigenous people in America were wiped out by a combination of disease and genocide of crazed religious settlers, believing their actions justified by the idea of "manifest destiny". Those who survived were subjected to poor living conditions and servitude to the land-grabbing Europeans, who subsequently became Americans.
9.Extreme Thinness
The size-zero look is replicated by every single Disney princess in cinema, with the exception of Snow White, perhaps because in the 1930s ideals of beauty were different from now. It's not just that women are portrayed as slender to increase their attractiveness; the level of exaggeration (for example in the impossibly lean waist of Megara from "Hercules") is staggering to the point absurdity. Many critics, particularly feminists, have blasted Disney over this portrayal of women, claiming that the images have inspired anorexia and eating disorders in young women.
8.Subliminal Messaging
Disney has a track record of slipping bizarre messages into their films, mostly in the form of hidden images, but also sometimes through sound. For those who don't know, subliminal messaging refers to images or sounds that pass by so fast that only your subconscious picks them up. The most notable case was announced by Disney itself on a home video copy of "The Rescuers"; as two mice ride in a sardine tin, a photograph of a topless woman can be seen in a window for several frames. Disney were quick to lay the blame on editors for planting the image as a joke (of course), and recalled all copies of the film.
7.Sexual Harassment is Acceptable
A recurring theme for Disney princess films involves a beautiful woman being awakened by an unapproved kiss on the lips (though I guess this is slightly better than the rape found in the original Sleeping Beauty). Although it is arguable that some people wouldn't mind being woken by the kiss of an impossibly handsome and wealthy prince, most women tend to reject this idea. In both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, however, the women tend not to take the harassment too badly; in fact both characters marry these potential rapists after their respective rude awakenings.
6.Importance of Social Status
Disney heroes and villains are almost always high in the social hierarchy when compared to others. The plot structure of "Cinderella" revolves around a woman who manages to escape her terrible living conditions simply by marrying a wealthy man. Her success is down to her attractiveness in comparison to her hideous stepsisters. This sense of entitlement amongst central characters is consistent in almost every Disney film. So-called "Prince Charming" characters are so valued for their wealth and power that they can get away with basically anything. Imagine a reversal of the roles: replace Prince Phillip from "Sleeping Beauty" with Philoctetes, a minor socially-inferior character from "Hercules". I wager most women would wake up to a kiss from Philoctetes screaming "Rape!" at the top of their voices, rather than "Let's get married!"
翻译:高陈影 编辑:陈艳冲 来源:前十网