Needed: Disney films relevant to race/racism???

F

Fluffy Hamster

New member
I've decided to focus on how Disney's record on race and racism has improved for my Film Studies coursework and I need a third focus film. I've already decided on The Princess and the Frog and Song of the South. Can anyone recommend a third film, made by Disney, that has connotations of racism, deals with race-related issues or attacks/endorses racism full-on? It would be nice for the film to deal with African-Americans, as the other two do, but this is not a necessity. Thanks in advance :)
 
How about the 1993 film Cool Runnings abour the Jamaican Bob sleigh team?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106611/

Plenty of portrayals of Jamaicains in that one using stereotypes.
I haven't seen the film, but this was on the message boraRAB at IMDB about it...

I'm not sure why no one has posted this yet, but there were two things which struck me as blatantly obvious and I was not able to ignore them, so they ended up helping to ruin the movie for me. Both of them involved stereotypes of Jamaicans which I keep seeing in movies; and they annoy the hell out of me and a couple other Jamaicans.

The first one is the fake accents, which are driving me CRAZY. Now this takes a small amount of time to get to you since the first couple of times it comes off as amusing, and then afterward, when you begin to notice that Jamaicans who are portrayed in every movie acts like this, it borders on INSULTING. For example, after being on the earth for nearly 20 years I'm yet to hear an actual Jamaican saying "mon" after every sentence, unless they're mocking Hollywood's interpretation of Jamaican patois. Why does Hollywood never use Jamaican actors since American actors obviously can't imitate Jamaican patois well??? Hell, forget about the patois! They can't even get the accent itself right. So, this enRAB up where whenever I travel to the United States people keep asking me why I don't talk like they do in movies, and then telling me that I'm not Jamaican...

The second most annoying thing is how the Jamaican way of life, people and culture are portrayed on screen and thus, in this movie. We're portrayed as dirt poor and dirty Rastafarians even though our country is majority Christian, and we keep ourselves clean. We always live on the beach in shacks, even though most people don't live near the coast. I've even had people in the United States ask me if I live in a tree...Too many people, and not one of them were joking... Our women are always overweight and on their way to the market in long skirts...We have no sources of technology and everything is backward even though a large percentage of the population own cell phones for example...

Oh these are only a few, but what I'm really trying to say is that I hated this movie because of the stereotypes reinforced. Admit it. You'd feel like this too if your country kept being portrayed like this, and it seems a number of people from certain countries believe nothing else but what they see on television.

I'm sure you could send him a messgae for more informtion about how he and other Jamaicans feel about the film.

Hope that one helps. Good luck with your course work. :)
 
What's the betting that nobody, including the OP, mentions that most Disney baddies are English accented.

The queen in Snow White, the step mother in Cinderella, the coach driver in Pinnochio (one of the scariest), Malificent, Shere Khan, Captain Hook, Scar, the captain in Pocahontas (they couldn't bring themselves to us an English actor for John Smith the hero) and lets not forget their latest offering, Princess and the Frog (got a black baddie but the only English accent is reserved for the manservant who is greedy and betrays the hero).

Does it bother me, not really, but it would be refreshing for somebody to point out the less obvious yet more insidious examples of stereotyping.
 
+111111111111111111111

Look at George Clooney's Oscar acceptance, his clearly brainwashed by Hollywood.

Basically his saying "Black people" should be greatful and look at how far Hollywood has gone and has accepted you in the industry.

This is just a slap int he face, one day his an A$$hole the next day he pretenRAB to be the president of UN for Dafus.

Some people will do anything for recognition and Clooney is a prime example. Apart from working with Damon and Pitt can this guy actually make a decent solo film like other great actors like Leo or Bale?
 
I'm not bothered that British, or English people are often used as bad guys. It's just a film, let it go. :p

However saying that I did think about Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins and how British people are percieved in the Disney films in general. Everyone is either a cockney or upper class.
This isin't racism it's just stereotyping. Disney has a habit of doing that. Another film I was going to suggest is "One of our Dinosaurs is Missing." This invoves lots of Chinese people. They're bad guys and all seem to be coolies(work in the laundry service). The leader played by British actor Peter Ustinov in Chinese looking make up is inscruitable and devious like an Fu Manchu figure. Again lots of stereotyping rather than out and out meainging to be racist.
Ths film could have been useful to see that Disney was no better with Chinese people.

Below is a 30 second TV spot trailer for the film on Youtube When you see Peter Usitinov and a few of the other Chinese characters you'll see how offensive it could be seen as being in todays world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ1uH3BS74M&feature=related
 
When I went to WDW instead of having someone who actually looked like Pocahontas they just gave a white girl some fake tan and a jet black wig.

In fact, out of all the characters that were non white in the films I think the only one that was obviously given to someone from that ethnic background was Mulan (Chinese).

Mulan might be a good idea for a film to look at. It's been criticised for being far too westernised in how she looks, acts and sounRAB.

Oh and with the Princess and the frog make sure you make a note of the buck toothed dim witted fire fly. Apparently the Council for the French in Louisiana were not happy about how Cajuns are portrayed, at least he didn't try eating her. Just google "CODOFIL DISNEY" for more info.
 
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