Examples Of Racism In Disney Animated Movies

The Evolution of Racism within Disney The Walt Disney Animated Classics series is a series of animated movies produced by Walt Disney Studios compiling of short classics, this series currently consists of fifty-four films ranging from 1937 to present day. Racism is prejudice directed towards someone of a different race based on the idea that one race is superior. Within the films of the Walt Disney Animated Classics series there is a notable trend of racism varying from stereotyping of cultural aspects, profiling facial characteristics, racial romantic relationships, exclusion of particular races from places and historical events, and selecting people of specific races for roles within the films. There is a very gradual evolution of racism

An example, many may not be aware of, is Disney’s 1992 children’s cartoon Aladdin. Aladdin is an Arabic-styled folktale about a young, petty thief, Aladdin, who possesses a magical lamp that contains a genie. Jafar, an evil sorcerer, wishes to possess the genie with the lamp for power. All the while, the princess, Jasmine, whose unsatisfied with her place in the palace breaks out and runs into Aladdin at the market, where they begin their relationship. Everyone gets tricked by Jafar, but in the end it all ends happily ever after with Jafar defeated, the genie safe, the kingdom restored, and Aladdin and Jasmine together. However, when Disney first released Aladdin, they were charged for the evident racism in the opening song, “Arabian Night,” for profiling Arabic culture. “Arabian Night,” use to read, “Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam, where they cut off your ear, if they don’t like your face, it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” Disney ended up altering the lyrics to read, “Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam, where it’s flat and immense, and the heat is intense, it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” Also in Aladdin it is notable that Jafar, the villain of the movie, is portrayed with some emphasized Arabic-like features such as the large hooked nose, while Aladdin, the hero of the

Prince Naveen and his driver, Lawrence, encounter a voodoo witch doctor, Dr. Facilier, who takes advantage of Naveen and Lawrence’s naiveté and turns Naveen into a frog and Lawrence into Naveen, so that Lawrence marries the wrong girl and Dr. Facilier can kill the girl’s father for his fortune. Tiana desperate for money agrees to kiss frog Naveen, but becomes a frog. On their journey to find someone to break the curse Naveen and Tiana develop feelings. In a twist of events Dr. Facilier makes a deal with the spirits for his own gain prompting him to hunt down Naveen. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Charlotte almost marry, and Naveen and Tiana find out the only way to reverse the curse is for Naveen to kiss a princess at midnight, but all went awry. The spirits are angered and claim Dr. Facilier as his debt to them; therefore, Naveen and Tiana remain frogs since Lawrence returns to himself, and Charlotte doesn’t marry a prince. The happily ever after begins when Tiana and Naveen reveal their feelings for one and other, and marry as frogs, but because of Tiana’s now princess status from the marriage they both return to human form. They then return to New Orleans and open Tiana’s dream restaurant. Unlike the other Disney