Disney Movies

Growing up, my family owned a collection of Disney VHS tapes. I remember my favorites were Bambi, The Lion King, and Oliver & Company. I also owned most of the classic princess and prince movies too. Reflecting on my childhood as an adult, I do feel that Disney played a major role in my life when I was a young. My favorite toys were my Woody and Buzz action figures. I remember starting school with my Hunchback of Notre Dame lunchbox with my Barbie backpack. I recall going to the YMCA as a kid weekly in my 101 Dalmatians swimsuit. I even remember dressing as Snow White and Peter Pan for a couple of my first Halloweens. It is fair to say that Disney and animated movies were a major part of my childhood as well most children who were born in the early 1990s.

While reading, “Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us,” I found myself agreeing with Christensen’s view on animated films and cartoons. I thought it was wonderful that she used films as a way to teach students critical consciousness, which leads to action. As an adult, I understood her critique of childhood media. However, when I was consuming this media as a child, I did not approach these films with a critical lens, nor do any young children for that matter. Christensen explains that young children already have a set of stereotypes and norms in place because of media influences, “As Tatum’s research suggests, the stereotypes and worldview embedded in the stories become accepted knowledge” (176). While reading this paragraph, I started reminiscing on how stereotypes in the media influenced me as a young girl. When I was only five, I told my mom I was only going to wear dresses or skirts. Specifically, I said that pants were for boys and I was not going to wear them. My mom found it very cute and followed my request. This attitude of mine prevailed for several years. Looking back, this was never modeled from my mom’s wardrobe; therefore I must have been influenced by an outside source. I now believe that this is a result of watching so many princess animated films.

Obviously, I was an adult when the movie Frozen was released. Therefore, it is hard for me to say how this may have affected me personally as a child. However, through a critical lens, I notice in the movie that empowers women compared to traditional princess movies. For example, Ana and Elsa are physically and mentally strong. I also liked how the “true love” in the film involved Ana sacrificing herself for her sister, rather than being kissed by a man. However, I did notice that extreme beauty standards were still present for male and female characters. Also, Ana does seem that she needs a man to be happy in her life, like traditional films.