Stereotypes In Pixar Films

Disney movies have been the leading outlets for child education and social learning. Due to such power of influence controversies have been raised which include the following, but not limited to, gender roles and stereotypes, issues of independence, and misrepresentation. Many people argue that despite the morals and messages that occur within such films there are still underlying messages that deal with beauty standards and norms. However, others may argue that Disney is evolutionary and evolved the imagery of male/female standards. The controversy then becomes: are Disney films doing more harm than they are good? Due to certain themes brought on by such movies, it has left younger audiences with both positive and

Now that I’ve addressed the main points that the article covers, I have to say that I disagree with Babich on many of his main points. I don’t think Pixar has a problem differentiating between “heroism” and “Sexiness”(Babich 238), In Fact I think that in many of their films they do a excellent job differentiating the two. He also asks the question “Is there any reason the rat in Ratatouille Couldn’t have been a lady?”(Babich 236) and “Is there any reason Wall-E couldn't have been the story of a female-voiced robot who encountered a male-voiced loved interest named ADAM?”(Babich 236) In this response i'll be talking about both of these questions, but also mentioning strong female protagonists that are in Pixar

The Mickey Mouse Monopoly documentary reveals the obscure social messages behind the animated films created by the Disney Company. Although we are conditioned to believe that these movies are pure forms of entertainment, further examination has proved that there are hidden messages concerning gender, race and class that Disney is instilling in the minds of children. The speakers in the documentary argue that Disney is extremely political and hides its ideas behind innocence, magic and fun. When masked by features that are appealing to a younger audience, it is difficult to realize these ideas without taking a closer look.

What images come to mind as you reflect on your childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the warmest of memories. Yet for many mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept of their feet, and lions roar to their loyal place in the animal kingdom. There is no doubt that today’s entertainment has most of its touch using classical influences. Walt Disney has produced animated films that have captured the heart and imagination of audiences of all ages around the world through the magic of storytelling and imagery. Many of us appreciate the imagination and magic that Disney puts into its animations with out knowing they are based off of classical and traditional storylines

In their essay, Gillam and Wooden express their revelation that Disney/Pixar is trying to teach their young viewers a new perspective regarding the characteristics of a male. The authors focus on denoting certain points in Pixar movie plots when the male protagonists underwent character growth and hence became the “ideal” character the audience learned to love. Gillam

The author of Animating Revolt and Revolting Animation, Judith Halberstam, uses rhetorical strategies to speak to her point that animated movies can be used to reach a wide ranging audience to convey deep underlying messages in a way that is entertaining for all. The author points out how Pixar movies brings non-traditional characters to life and faces them against real life struggles but does so in a happy ending manor that captivates audiences. This is accomplished by the author introducing a plot line from a Pixar movie that illustrates a struggle or classic battle and then describes the characters that are in the struggle and how they live through it. The author then describes an actual real life struggle and relates it back to the animated movie.

In 1942, Walt Disney and his crew created the animated film, Bambi. Although the movie was not a success at first the popularity of picture has certainly grown over time. In all of Disney’s works he was not only able to attract the eye of the children, but also attract the compassion of adults. Essentially, he used animation, featuring appealing characters and clever events, to symbolize the issues that were around the world. In essence, while children were in awe of the story that they believed was cute and fun to watch, adults could relate to the symbolism and stereotypes throughout the film.

A large audience of two hundred million children and adults watch Disney movies and videos every year (Gilliam, Wooden 7). When one thinks about Disney animated feature films he or she probably immediately have the image of beautiful princesses in mind, while when thinking about Pixar one may think of a narrative, which centers on a male character. According to The Pixar Story, The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios have been collaborating together in many films since 2006; as one can see in many films the two companies draw distinctive gender dynamics, Disney adapts to old narratives while Pixar creates new ones. In Tangled (2010), a Disney movie, the masculine character Flynn Rider is a secondary character, an arrogant and crude thief. In The Incredibles, a movie born from the collaboration between Disney and Pixar, Bob Parr is depicted as the strongest, independent and the protagonist of the narrative.

Many young children grow up watching Disney films. Many parents do not think that these movies could have a negative impact on their children. Henry Giroux, who wrote the book, “The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence” is a firm believer that Disney films have a negative impact on the children that watch them. For several generations Disney films have been a huge part of children’s lives, but many parents do not realize how these films can negatively impact their children. Disney films can teach young children stereotypes, how to deal with life events such as death and they can learn negative ideas and values from these films.

He described a term that he referred to as “Disneyfication”, which he defined as “an idea of taking an environment and creating a fantasy world out of it by sanitizing it and making it devoid of any sort of impurity, Disney as a corporation tries to do that, and it affects children” (Stereotypes, 2013). While their parents are off running errands, or working their children rush home from school and turn on the T.V. to their favorite Disney channel movies, and get lost in the fantasy world of Walt Disney where all things can happen, characters are shown ideally and therefore unrealistically and there is always a happy ending.

Pixar, a film production company, has been making animated movies since 1988. It began with small, short films; to then be full professionally made animated films. This research paper will explain The Pixar company’s impact in the movie industry as a whole. Pixar has started making these animated movies since February of 1988. Before their movement to computer animation, they’ve been making traditionally animated films.

Traditionally, animated films have been made for and consumed by children, with the plotlines and themes being relatively basic and forthright. However, recent years have seen the release of animated films that’s explore significantly more adult themes and thought provoking ideas. Perhaps the most confronting example of adult themes in an animated film is in 2016’s ‘Zootopia’. The film forces viewers to think about concepts such as racial segregation, nature vs. nurture and the debilitating effect of stereotyping. Although Zootopia features anthropomorphic animals, it is easy to draw a connection between the films prey vs. predator narrative and racial divide in our own society.

We grow up following the steps of the cartoon characters we see on TV. Thanks to these characters, we get the sense of who we want to be in life, and how we want to make a change. History of animation dates back to 1906, when the first animated cartoon was created. The title was Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, and it was a sensation at that time. And then, the first “Mickey Mouse” cartoon appeared in 1928, and with it came the Walt Disney Company. After years of history of animation, people are now able to look back in history, and pay attention to the small details, such as gender role in cartoons. At the beginning, cartoons were short films, supposed to make people laugh; but when Disney’s first animated movie came out, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” (1937), the meaning of animation changed. The movie tells the story of fourteen years old Snow White, who has to run away from home because her stepmother wants to kills her, so that she can be the most beautiful woman that exists. When she’s running away, she goes into the deep forest, finding a tiny house where she found refuge. Not realizing that the house had an owner already, she started cleaning and organizing the house. She then finds out that the house is own by not one, or two, but by seven dwarves. She starts a friendship with the seven dwarfs, and exchanges doing the shores, for living in the house with them. When the evil queen (Snow White’s

Traditionally, animated films have been made for and consumed by children, with the plotlines and themes being relatively basic and forthright. However, recent years have seen the release of animated films that explore significantly more adult themes and thought provoking ideas. Perhaps the most confronting example of adult themes in an animated film is in 2016’s ‘Zootopia’. The film forces viewers to think about concepts such as racial segregation, nature vs. nurture and the debilitating effect of stereotyping. Although Zootopia features anthropomorphic animals, it is easy to draw a connection between the film’s prey vs. predator narrative and racial divide in our own society.

Humans throughout history have always used storytelling to pass on stories and morals to the next generation of society. Although it was always common to use verbal narration to tell these tales, within the last 100 years, remarkable achievements in technology have helped progress storytelling to a new level. As a species humans are now capable of creating images and sounds to display our fables and anecdotes to anyone with the ability to watch. Movies and television have begun to have ability to shape the way a person thinks. Animation is typically the most appropriate genre of movies. Companies such as Disney take their G-Ratings and mold the minds of the young children excited to watch. Typically Disney movies have been filled with undertones that are conservative and non-controversial until recently. Judith Halberstam, a Gender Studies professor at University of Southern California, is the author of an essay that points out elements in the newest movie additions to the Disney family of movies, i.e. Pixar movies, which are progressive. Halberstam calls upon readers to look into animated movies such as Pixar’s and to try and find how the creators of such movies tried to voice controversial opinions in subtle ways. The movie Frozen by Disney is not mentioned in the essay, but very easily fits into Halberstam’s description of new-age animation.