Regardless of whether or not you grew up as a Disney kid, I can guarantee that a majority of kids have some sort of picture that pops into their heads when they hear the words “Disney princess.” The Disney franchise—the products, the movies, the characters, the parks—has been inescapable since its creation over a century ago. This popularity is not all bad, regardless of what image you might have of Disney adults, the Plus Sized Park Hoppers, or maybe some of Disney’s controversial mistakes that they’ve been working overtime to correct; at the end of the day, Disney has produced wildly popular and moving stories that are undeniably cultural icons.
With that said, anything that has this significant a role in popular culture is bound to have an impact on its audience, especially when its audience is largely children. Therefore, we must ask the critical question of what kind of role and prevalence this influence has on a child’s development and what we need to be wary of in the future if this impact proves to be negative.
Why do people like Disney SO much?
While many people are simply enthralled by Disney’s emphasis on fairy tales and happy endings or its unique theme parks and roller coasters, there is also a psychological appeal to the magical world of Disney. When it comes to the parks themselves, everything is intentional. I was shocked when I found out how much visual deception they use to make buildings seem larger, castles seem grander, and the park feel completely isolated from the outside world, all to transport you into what feels like an entirely unique space. The rest of the world stops existing, and time moves differently.
On top of that, the roller coaster and theme park rides are emotional experiences tied to the movies themselves. While Six Flags is fun because you get to go on a huge, fast roller coaster, Disney is unique in that you become a part of the stories that you love so much. I’ll admit, I will never forget the first time I rode Rise of The Resistance and stepped into the stormtrooper room for the first time, since the nostalgia and connection to the Star Wars series that I felt was incredible. Disney uses your loyalty to their moving stories to make even the lines for the rides experiences in and of themselves.
There is also never a shortage of things to do in Disney World, or any of their theme parks, for that matter. As author Michael Brody puts it, “There is little question of what one will do next. Your existence is structured. Attention is diverted by a parade, fireworks or Pluto coming your way.” In other words, when it comes to the parks, people love Disney so much because it creates an illusion of fantasy. The movies have a similar effect, using fairy tales and emotional appeal to create a loyal audience.
More than entertainment?
If Disney can draw people in using simple psychological tricks so easily, is it more than just entertainment? What kind of influence does Disney really have? According to Madeleine Binkley, when kids are repeatedly exposed to Disney media, their growth, play, and definition of self are all uniquely impacted. Children are the perfect consumers, and while you can argue Disney’s intentions are pure, they know their audience. They research and adapt heavily, which is why “Disney has become one of the most prevalent educators of its time, educating children how to express cultural notions of race, gender, sexuality, and ultimately, a discourse of the self.”
In terms of play, children learn what they believe to be creativity and imagination from what they consume. When their role models on the screen are girls playing with princess dolls or boys acting as heroes, they subconsciously absorb that that is what they are meant to do. Additionally, many children use movies like those that Disney produces to learn how to “operate within the socio-cultural and historical framework in America,” which can be beneficial to have an example to look towards but also incredibly dangerous if these examples promote racist, sexist, or otherwise harmful ideologies. Therefore, it is impossible to say that Disney does not present some sort of danger, purely because of how malleable a children’s mind is.
If Disney is known to psychologically affect a child’s development, instilling in people their views on gender, beauty, class, language, stereotypes, and more, parents who cannot see past the facade of magic indubitably need to take a step back and assess what these movies are teaching their children. While Disney has been making strides recently to fix their former wrongdoings, a lot of their old movies promote incredibly harmful stereotypes. Take the original Aladdin film as an example—while it was later changed, the song Arabian Nights initially included the lyric “where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face” to describe the fictional middle eastern city.
Is Disney doing this on purpose? Some argue that Disney’s goal has always been to entrap innocent audiences and instill their ideologies in them, while others argue the contrary. Regardless of intention, kids learn from example, and Disney needs to be wary of the fact that the role models they create must set strong examples.
The “Disney Complex” and its impact on society
As I mentioned earlier, Disney is notorious for reinforcing gender roles and cultural norms that can be incredibly restrictive and harmful. The “Disney Complex” is defined by Raven Quander as the “intricate interplay between Disney’s idealized portrayals of life—such as happily ever after endings, gender roles, and archetypal heroes—and the unrealistic expectations they can foster in young audiences.” With that in mind, Disney’s often overly simplistic and stereotypical stories teach children that conflicts are easier to solve than they are in reality, some major wrongdoings don’t have long term repercussions, love is always fantastical and romantic, and that beauty plays a significant role in opportunity and society. These are all things that we wish to be true, but it is dangerous to feed kids expectations that contrast reality.
The most harmful part of these stories is that they fail to prepare kids for the real world. Once again, Disney has improved significantly in their more recent stories, working to fight against stereotypes and integrate storylines that are not always focused on two opposite gender characters falling in love and using their love to save the day. However, so many children continue to consume the tried-and-true Disney classics, myself and my family included. Once again, as Quander wrote, “Prioritizing only happy endings in media could hinder young audiences from developing the necessary emotional tools to process and manage life’s disappointments, failures, and losses.”
Infinite ends to this story
Ultimately, there are so many directions this discussion could go in. We could talk about how the changes in Disney over time signify changes in social values, the disclaimers they’ve added to offensive movies like Aladdin and Song of the South, why Disney adults exist, and much more. What I think is most important to take away from this is the fact that any large franchise or cultural pillar with this vast of a reach is going to have both positive and negative impacts purely because influence is power. It is critical that Disney remains aware of this influence and works to use this power for good.
More than that, I think as a society we need to agree to stop worshipping franchises. Instead, we can appreciate the brand of Disney while also being conscious of the potential negative impacts of the messages Disney has spread on a child’s development, keeping us aware of the fact that Disney is ultimately a business. I recently got to visit Disney World for a trip through our school’s music department, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the magic, but you can appreciate it for what it is without worshipping it.
With all of this in mind, we can discern that, while Disney remains near and dear to many of our hearts and is not inherently unhealthy if it is taken with a grain of salt, anything that has the power to have such a substantial influence on a child’s development needs to be carefully managed. Disney is just one example of how we need to keep a close eye on what kids are consuming; this is true for all content, especially in the digital age. At the end of the day, Disney serves as a lesson of balance.
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