Racism Depicted in Disney Films

Oliver and Company

Oliver and Company is the story of a kitten that is taken in by a gang of dogs that survive the streets by stealing and causing mischief. The main theme of Oliver and Company is the importance of friendship and loyalty, but through one character in particular another story is told. Tito is a Latino Chihuahua whose main role in the movie is comical. He says one-liners and is the center of many funny scenes, but some of his lines are supposed to be funny not because of what he says but because of how he says them. His Latino accent is overdramatized and used for humor, which suggests that a Latino accent is humorous and therefore beneath the dominant accent and race in New York City (where the story takes place), which are American and Caucasian. This belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits is racism.

Another way by which racism towards Latinos is conveyed in this film is in Tito’s actions and the reactions that others give him. His “job” within the gang is to steal cars. This suggests that because his character is Latino, this is the role he is expected to fill. His inequality in a white world (or ethnocentrism) is emphasized more when he meets Georgette, a snobby and presumably “white” poodle who lives with a wealthy family near Central Park. He introduces himself to her (and does so by saying all five of his Latino names, which only emphasizes his race) and she literally says, “Get away from me you little bug-eyed creep!”, as if he is the scum of the earth.

Dumbo
Racism continued to be a prominent feature of Disney films in Dumbo. In one of the opening scenes, faceless black men are setting up circus tents. The fact that they have no face completely strips them of their individual identities, thus portraying them as a group of laborers rather than real individuals. While they are working, they sing a song that is shockingly representative of the ethnocentrism shared by the Caucasian writers and producers of this film. In the song, the African American workers chant verses such as, “We work all day, we work all night, we never learned to read or write. We work all night, we work all day, and can’t wait to spend our pay away” and “We slave until we’re almost dead; we’re happy-hearted roustabouts.” This portrayal of African Americans as illiterate and accepting of their inferior social status is a dangerous message to send to young children of all ethnicities. These racist messages reinforce negative racial stereotypes and increase the possibility that the next generation of youth will grow up to be prejudiced and discriminatory like their predecessors. This potential for children to be influenced into racism by the media was explained by Robert Merton, who stated that this negative portrayal of different ethnicities can promote young children to become “active bigots,” “timid bigots,” “fair-weather liberal,” or “all-weather liberal” (Conley 344). All of these personas but the last are detrimental to society, in that they involve at least one of the two principles of racism, which are prejudice and discrimination.

Aladdin
Racism is subtly present throughout many Disney films. Most people do not even realize racism is present in these movies until it is brought to their attention. This mind set goes to show how the “majority of whites do not see the United States as a nation that has a problem of serious and widespread racial discrimination” (Feagin 349).  Racism is largely present in Aladdin, a very popular children’s movie.

One of the most controversial parts of Aladdin is the opening song, “Arabian Nights.” In the original song, the Arabian culture is portrayed as one of violence by describing it as a place “where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey it’s home.” This specific lyric caused controversy in the Arab population and was eventually changed. Another example where the film depicts Arabians as violent is in a particular scene where Princess Jasmine gives an apple to a poor child without paying for it. The merchant catches her, starts yelling at her, and threatens to cut off her hand for trying to steal the apple. According to Dr. Jack Shaheen, author of Reel Bad Arabs, out of the entire Middle Eastern area, Saudi Arabia is the only country that takes these drastic measures, but it is after an individual’s third violation. Therefore, since behavior like that is very rare, depicting Arabians as violent and barbaric is simply inaccurate and racist. 

The character plot of this movie is very basic. There is a “good” guy, Aladdin, a “bad” guy, Jafar, and a beautiful princess, Jasmine. All of these characters are Arabians.  However, upon closer examination, Aladdin and Jasmine have a lighter skin tone than all the other characters almost appearing to be Caucasian.  On the other hand, Jafar has very dark, Arabian skin along with a thick accent. The movie depicts “good” people as being American, and “bad” people as being Arabian.

According to Dalton Conley, author of You May Ask Yourself, “widespread misunderstandings about Middle Easterners derive, in part, from their negative stereotyping in the mainstream media” (328). Aladdin and other forms of media oftentimes inaccurately portray Arabians as violent, barbaric, and evil.  Therefore, many people in the United States view Arabians in that way which results in a division in our society.  As a nation, it is our responsibility to discern the truth about other races and treat each other equally.