What is your relationship to Disney culture?
How does Christiansen validate or challenge your views?
Cartoons have been a very special part of our lives since childhood, captivating us with their colors, imaginary characters, and entertaining storylines. Although as a kid you might not question beyond their entertainment value, as an adult I can now see that cartoons often mirror and reflect various aspects of society. From social dynamics to cultural influences, cartoons can give a unique lens through which we can explore and understand our own world. Cartoons and society can have a profound impact on one another.
When I was 9 years old my parents gave me the opportunity to go to Disney World where I met some of my favorite characters. As a kid I was amused by all the character I interacted with during my visit at the park. I do remember however questioning certain things such as why the man inside the costume did not look like the actual character? Maybe there was not a white man inside peterpan's costume. As a 9 year old there was just curiosity but nothing else to question this differences. Regardless my favorite character was peter pan.
As an adult I now see many relevant issues that have been portrayed in cartoons such as discrimination, inequality, and environmental concerns into their narratives. Through the use of metaphors, and allegories, cartoons present these real-world problems in a digestible format for viewers. I think since it is based on cartoons, the viewers seem to tolerate watching issues that if they were to happen in real life it would create a commotion.
Christiansen validates my points in the way in which I see cartoons represent society in real life. It is a risky situation to have children grow up seeing a cartoon world that depicts the domination of one sex, one race, one class, or one country over a waker counterpart. A lot of activist have contributed to a change in the way in which cartoons can influence this issues by changing their characters and promoting diversity but should continue to promote incorporating more identities.
Thank you, Jose, for opening up about your personal experiences with Disney and Peter Pan specifically. I appreciate the way that you characterized cartoon's ability to present real-world problems as "digestible." I agree! The makers can "get away" with portraying dominant ideologies while making us all chuckle and be mystified by the magic of it all.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog and it's true that as children we don't see the hidden messages in the Disney's movies. I also have a nephew and nieces that may have been affect by the myths from the movies. I am teaching them each day that they are the best because I want them to develop positive self-esteem.
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