Blog 9: Race and Gender in Disney Films

 

Race and Gender in Disney Films

I think Disney did a great job at using other diverse cultures to create a "magical feeling" to the theme and morals of their films. Aladdin was set in a famous Arabian city called Agrabah and utilized elements like the genie stuck inside the magic lamp and the secret treasure that can be found inside the Cave of Wonders. Mulan was set in China during the Han dynasty, where Fa Mulan, daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father's place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion. Mulan is also a film where they address the gender role stereotypes claiming that only men can fight in war and women are inferior to them.

Now those were for the classic Disney movies. Also, I think Zootopia was trying to convey a hidden theme throughout the movie. In Zootopia, the plot was for the two main characters, Nick and Judy, to crack a case involving a drug that is being used to turn animals, specifically predators, into malicious savages. They were doing this so they can make the predators look bad. I think this ties into the real-life issues that we face with police brutality and minorities. There have been instances where cops would place drugs inside something or somewhere in order for them to arrest the person. Some people in society portray minorities as the "predators" due to the corruption of law enforcement.