10 Disney characters with an ambiguous history
It is believed that digging Disney is an infallible reputation. All films and cartoons of the studio can be watched by both adults and children. Simply put, Disney masterpieces are perfectly “licked”, and they have no place for violence, catching sexuality, racism. However, is it really so?
If you carefully look at some characters and details of the famous cartoons, a hidden meaning opens up. Is the animators really “sewn up” indecent hints in cartoons? Our selection will help you figure out whether Walt Disney hid something in his works and if so-what he hinted at the audience?
Jessica Rabbit: Sexy character from Disney cartoons
Let’s start with a simple one, since Jessica Rabbit is one of the brightest and most conflicting Disney characters. Long -legged beauty in a red dress, which barely covered her chest, was married to a hare. By the standards of Disney, Jessica Rabbit is a hypersexual and extremely defiant character. Already its appearance in the cartoon looks like a provocative gesture. However, Jessica is famous not only for this. In the first versions of the cartoon, the animators quite peculiarly approached the drawing of scenes, where a dress fluttered in a drawn beauty. For example, when Jessica flies out of the car, the floors of the dress open, exposing underwear. So, there is a version that linen appeared in later versions. Initially, the animators showed the character, so to speak, anatomically accurately.
Cartoon raven Dambo: Disney’s racial stereotypes
If you remember, there were such characters in the Dambo cartoon – hooligan village crows. Behave the characters of themselves specifically. But this is not interesting. The main Zadir was called Jim Crowe. Any American who is familiar with the history of the country, such a coincidence will shock. The fact is that at the beginning of the 20th century, laws on racial segregation acted in the United States. Simply put, “colored” citizens were inequal in rights with white people. What do you think, as these rules were called? The laws of Jim Crowe! They called them so in honor of the comic character. In the cartoon, Jim Crowe is a impudent black crown, dressed in causing village clothes. All crows behaved accordingly: cheekily, not observing the norms of decency. However, these same crows were the only creatures who were kind to the elephant. Really coincidence?
Siamese from the cartoon “Lady and the tramp”: racist propaganda or not?
These cats are another example of hidden racism in Disney cartoons. The studio, in principle, did not like to portray cats in the image of cats. Constantly these animals gained human features. So, Siamese cats from the cartoon “Lady and the tramp” were not only humanized, but also received certain racial signs. Remember, they had narrow slanting eyes and small crooked teeth. They were also like two drops of water. In addition, the Siamese had a nasty and rather evil character and very strangely distorted the words. Their speech really resembles Chinese English. At the same time, all the characters of the cartoon consider Siamese to be insidious and rather unpleasant personalities.
Siamese cat from the cartoon “Cats Aristocrats”: Racism again?
In the cartoon “Cats Aristocrats” Disney continues the theme of Siamese cats. They still have slanting eyes, painfully reminiscent of an Asian incision. Their wool still has a light brown tint, which also for some reason resembles the skin color of the Chinese. But here the animators went on. In one of the episodes, the cat suddenly begins to knock on drums and uses Chinese sticks for this! She even holds them accordingly. This passage is only a small episode of a big scene where everyone is dancing and singing. However, the flashed character leaves a persistent feeling that the director clearly had something in mind. In addition, in the song performed by Siamese cats, the words “Shanghai”, “Hong Kong”, “cookies are always mistaken” periodically slip.
Siamese cats from the cartoon “Chip and Dale”: the third of the propaganda cartoons about Asians
Completes the trilogy of Asian racist images from Disney Siamese couple of a cartoon about two bold chipmunks. Here cats no longer dance and do not sing. Instead, they own the underground gambling business. By the way, the characters are dressed in costumes that are very reminiscent of Chinese robes. Recall that the cartoon was released much later than the first two works with the Siamese – in the nineties. And it seems that racial moods had to have already drank. However, Disney demonstrates that for an ordinary American still continues to exist, for example, stereotypes about Asians. They are still the same cunning, insidious and evil.
Red-haired woman-pirate: Sexism of Disneyland
Photo: Inside the Magic
Disneyland is also part of the rich heritage of the Empire. And even here there are ambiguous characters. About 50 years ago, a pirate attraction appeared in the park. Then he enjoyed great success. Right before the audience, the actors in colorful costumes committed ordinary pirate affairs. For example, they sold previously stolen women. Especially among them stood out a red -haired lady in a raspberry dress. What they wanted to say in Disney, adding to the attraction such a bright symbol of the female principle and turning it into a product? In 2018, American social activists did not understand this. They just removed the character. And replaced it with the first pirate in the history of the attraction, all with the same red hair. The audience perceived the innovation in 2. Some agreed that the original character borders on sexism. Others were indignant that public mood distort the authenticity of the events of those times.
Indigenous Americans in the cartoon “Peter Pan”: and again racist propaganda?
In almost all Disney cartoons depicts Indians with barbarians and savages. For example, in the animated work “Peter Pan”, indigenous Americans appear to the audience as rude and primitive people, especially when they are accidentally compared with white children. We must pay tribute that in the play “Peter Pan”, which served as the basis for the cartoon, the Indians were depicted in the same way. Indigenous Americans are represented as people with red skin whose bodies shine with oil. In their hands they carry tomahaws and knives, and their belts are decorated with scalpas. Thus, Disney simply strengthened the stereotype, which has already developed in society at that time.
Donald Duck: Disney against the Nazis
You think that the famous Donald Duck certainly has a transparent story? Yes, everyone already knows about the ambiguous case with the chicken on the festive table, at which ducks sat. There were more strange stories with Donald. For example, in one of the episodes he dreamed that he was working at the Nazi factory. On the frames clearly shows how Donald Duck is read out by the book “Mine Campf”. The cartoon even won Oscar. The studio later admitted that the series with the Nazis was released in order to support the US government during World War II with the help of ridicule of the Nazis.
Orange bird: a victim of homophobia
Photo: Diz Avenue
Orange bird is a unique character that adorned the theme park for the first ten years of his work. A rather strange story happened with this hero, which is preferred not to disclose. The character was drawn to order and was a bird with an orange instead of a head. It is easy to guess that the hero was used to advertise juice. The orange bird became incredibly popular, and they began to write songs about it. Including Anita Bryant. When the singer began to perform with songs in Florida, there was an unpleasant embarrassment. Bryant was, as they would say now, homophobe. And Florida, on the contrary, fought discrimination. As a result, the singer applied a taboo to the entire repertoire. And on the orange bird, too, as it was associated with an inelerant brown.
Uncle Remus: Humor Disney on the topic of slavery
Most likely, you do not even suspect the existence of this character. Uncle Remus is really an old hero. In 1946, the film “Song of the South” was released on the screens. By the way, in this work, for the first time, animation was combined with the game of living actors. One of the main characters was a dark-skinned old man with a gray beard who sang the famous song “Zip-A-dee-Doo-Dah”. The whole film the old man told a white boy what to live and work on plantations. However, the inconsistency of the character is not in this. In the song itself, sings about a carefree life. Now imagine all the absurdity of the situation: a song about freedom and happiness performs a black slave. A very strange sense of humor was in Disney.
Translation of an article by listverse specifically for texture