Zipes' thesis is that Disney took the traditional fairy tale and subverted it using state of the art technology to be used as a tool to promote himself and his patriarchal ideals. In doing this Disney took away the "magic" and the community aspect of the fairy tales, and they became pale imitations of what they once were. The fairy tale became a way to keep the masses from thinking about change and instead long for the good old days of Disney.
I don't agree with Zipes' thesis. I think the fact the fact that children worldwide are taken to see Disney movies today with their parents makes it clear that community and family is still a large part of the fairy tale. It seems to me that Disney was simply following the Grimms' model of using fairy tales to teach children lessons. While Disney might have made the movies more patriarchal that was simply the way it was in America during that time.
Audra Crosby
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
While society definitely influenced Disney's interpretations of the fairy tales, making them the sole reason for the patriarchal aspect of the films ignores the personality of Mr. Disney. In the industry, the filmmaker's personality always has a major influence on the films he or she makes.
ReplyDelete^Not necessarily. Take Michael Haneke. He's a peaceful, intelligent guy, and he made "Funny Games," which is one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen. Plenty of kids films have been made by drunks and drug addicts, but that doesn't always influence the film.
ReplyDelete