The Wonderful World of Disney

I grew up watching Disney shows. Yes, I have my favorites. In the past few months, I have thought and talked about media A LOT. I took a class that looked at Children and the Mass Media, I have an internship this summer with an advocacy organization that seeks to minimize the impact of our commercialized world on children (and yes, that most definitely includes the Disney Empire). Let me share a few thoughts and a conversation I recently had on the subject.

There were several “Disney bashing” days in my Children and the Mass Media class. I read multiple articles that critiqued Disney and while some of the things they said rang true, I also found myself scoffing at the thought that Disney was pure evil. Sitting in class, I was faced with many people expressing their opinions against Disney. There are no mothers. Girls are relegated to being princesses in need of defending. Disney’s excessive marketing of licensed products, especially to little girls. Many of the perspectives I was able to handle, or at least hadn’t been pushed far enough to respond. Then started the long list of what was wrong with Mulan. I readily acknowledge that much of what was talked about was true – however I felt that another side of the situation needed to be acknowledged and considered. So, I raised my hand and took a big risk. To this room full of my peer who I knew had an opposing view to mine, I expressed my dissenting option.

Mulan is one of my favorites. I love my Dad. He and I have been through a lot together and I am so grateful for his support for me. I am grateful that he has always pointed me toward the path of becoming a better person and has always loved and supported me, the person I am now, as I strive to become better. (I have to interject – this parallels the way that our Father in Heaven feels and acts towards all His children – which is all of us – with love and understanding.) People in my class pointed to the closing scene in Mulan as one of the ultimate reasons the movie did not really break free from the stereotype – the girl still gets the guy in the end. My thought was that it depends on how you look at things. One can focus on the fact that the boy comes back into the picture, and we can discuss and analyze whether it fits or breaks the classic Disney mold. OR we can focus on my favorite part of the end of the movie. Mulan comes back to her father bearing gifts from the Emperor of China meant to bring honor to the family. Mulan’s father pushes these worldly things aside and hugs his little girl and tells her that she is the best gift and honor he could ever have. That to me is beautiful – an expression of true love from a father to a daughter. A reminder that things only have so much value, they pale in comparison to relationships with people. We choose the lens through which we look at the world. I do my best to choose to see things in a positive light. Sometimes I have to sift through a lot of sand, but usually there is some gold in there, even if it’s just flecks.

My personal experience aligns with the conclusion of a friend of mine – Disney has done more good than harm.