Performance of Children's Literature Spring 2025

Animation Revisited

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Cartoons, Disney, and Minstrelsy

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The above videos are the equivalent of opinion pieces in a newspaper. Like many articles and videos around the internet they present a strong viewpoint (sometimes even sensationalist) where they pick and choose specific supporting evidence. Headlines are generally meant to grab your attention (clickbait!) and you should always consider where the information is coming from, the research that has gone into it, who has produced it and why. With any opinion piece, as a viewer or reader you should think critically about the ideas. You may agree with some and disagree with other points that are presented. You may want more information.

Opinion Articles

Aramide A. Tinubu. “Disney’s racist cartoons won’t just stay hidden in the vault. But they could be used as a teachable moment.” NBCNews THINK, April 25, 2019.

[Optional] Kat George. “The Disney Movies You Grew Up with Are Incredibly Racist.” VH1, January 9, 2015.

Teachable Moment Article
Explore more about Disney film (optional)

Generations of children have grown up with these animated materials. Thanks to Disney Plus, many of these films are readily available today by children. What do you think? Did any of these titles singled out surprise you?

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Go on to just a bit more Peter Pan

18 responses to “Animation Revisited”

  1. Danielle Avatar
    Danielle

    Many children have grown up watching these animated films, and Disney Plus makes them easy to access today. Some of the titles singled out might be surprising because they include older films with themes or messages that people see differently now. It makes me think about how stories change over time and how people today view them in new ways. It also shows how important it is to talk about what these films teach children.

    Reply
    1. Leslie Talavera Avatar
      Leslie Talavera

      i agree with you and not just that but in older movies and shows from disney it apologizes for the context that was made and how disney is better now an example of Aladdin at the beginning it explains how theres stereotypical topics and mentions throughout the video and that they apologize for how uncomfortable the viewers can feel

      Reply
  2. Denise Warren Avatar
    Denise Warren

    Wow! I thank God for education and critical race theory, and the people who actually do the work to make this type of education available to students, because while I have learned a lot, there is still so much more to learn. Again! I see how people find strategic ways to embed racism in children’s entertainment, which we tend to look at as innocent. Even if there is a possibility that some of it might be unintentional, because of stereotypes, it is sometimes hard to avoid, and may go unnoticed. I had no idea the history of cartoons are rooted in the minstrel tradition. It just goes to show that not everything should be taken at face value. We might be surprised by what we could learn from questioning things and looking beyond what is presented to us.

    Reply
  3. Aleksandra Grala Avatar
    Aleksandra Grala

    Yeah, some of the titles really surprised me, especially ones I grew up watching and didn’t think twice about. I didn’t realize how much racism was hidden in the jokes or songs until it was pointed out. It’s crazy how normal it all seemed back then. Now that these movies are on Disney Plus, I think it’s important to add context or warnings and use them to talk to kids about racism and stereotypes instead of just pretending it’s not there.

    Reply
    1. Kajol Victoria Singh Avatar
      Kajol Victoria Singh

      Aleksandra, I agree with what you said. I was especially surprised when one of the videos showed minstrelsy in old Mickey Mouse cartoons, and others. It’s like it was all so normalized, which is so discomforting to see. I think I have seen certain warnings in the beginnings of some Disney films on Disney Plus before.

      Reply
  4. Jada Williams Avatar
    Jada Williams

    This is definitely a shock to me after looking at the secret but not hidden elements of racism in Disney kids shows. I do view them differently now. At times I did think it was important and respectful to promote and spread cultural awareness but if it incorporates a lot of negative stereotypes then I do not support it. Seeing clips like “ The little mermaid”, “Aladdin” and “ The Lion King” singled out to me as they were my favorite movies to watch. Especially Aladdin and The Little Mermaid because of the Princesses and all the happy endings or the musical and colors. Especially since I was young and did not have any knowledge or true understanding to the exposure of racism, mainly with other cultures. The little mermaid just made me realize with the fish the usage of features and character traits of Black Americans and Soul music. I did not think about Sebastian being Jamaican and the song of “ under the sea” with no responsibilities living a free life. Jamaicans were perceived as lazy. I also did not hear the lyrics of the opening song with Aladdin and portraying the Arabic culture to be barbaric. With the Lion king, I thought that the Hyenas were just singled out due to how evil they looked and how they are mean opposed to the lions. I also see now that they are perceived as less educated and represents the ghetto where they live. This is a reflection of the U.S and inflation along with gentrification leaving Black Americans to move to ghetto poorer neighborhoods.

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  5. Calista Spezio Avatar
    Calista Spezio

    Its really is crazy to me that movies I used to watch as a child that I thought were just happy Disney movies have a much darker background. These movies have embedded racism in them and we never knew until now. Something that stood out to me were the hidden stereotypes in my little mermaid. It waste of my favorite movies and to see that there were so many hidden racist things its disappointing.

    Reply
  6. Isabel Belasoto Avatar
    Isabel Belasoto

    It does surprise me a lot of the different undertones of all of the children’s movies, as an adult it would not something that I would want to be promoted to a younger audiences. Disney does try to attempt to cover this up by changing some subtle racist ideations before putting onto sites such as Disney plus. This is not something that I am exactly fond of because Disney does not take appropriate accountability for promoting these ideas or even standing in solidarity to these groups. It does however prevent the spread of certain ideations which is something that I can give them credit for but it does not diminish how a lot of bad narratives were being imposed on a younger audience.

    Reply
  7. Synphanie Mojica Avatar
    Synphanie Mojica

    I think that a lot of the elements of racism that are embedded in Disney movies, and cartoons in general, influence children’s perception of race or stereotypes, but they tend not to be aware of the meanings when watching the stories, because they’re too involved in the action. I can see this a lot more clearly as an adult. One thing that singled out to me was the gun shot used in cartoons that turns the characters into representations to look like blackface versions of themselves, or the white gloves that many of them wear.

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  8. Aliviya Iskhakova Avatar
    Aliviya Iskhakova

    I was shocked to learn about the racist past of the white glove. I can think of so many cartoon characters that wear big white gloves and the history of it makes me shocked that Mickey Mouse, essentially Disney’s mascot, adorns these gloves. Additionally, I was so shocked that every major Disney movie I watched as a child had so many instances of racism. As a child I didn’t catch on to the stereotyping using voice acting but it is scary to think about how we’ve been exposed to this subliminally from an extremely young age through many means.

    Reply
  9. Layla Ettu Avatar
    Layla Ettu

    I was actually surprised to see a lot of the childhood movies that I grew up watching had “hidden” racial moments. I never really noticed it much because I was younger and my knowledge about it wasn’t as strong but now after watching the video and reading the articles I see that it’s a much deeper meaning. The title that stuck out to me the most was The Princess and the Frog, it’s actually one of my favorite Disney movies, because as an African-American it was nice to see someone like me as one of the lead princesses.

    Reply
  10. Sophia Awad Avatar
    Sophia Awad

    Looking at these movie titles at face value is definitely surprising when some of the titles that were called out were ones that I especially love and I never thought of them in this context. When you’re a kid, it is very hard to recognize and digest the racial stereotypes and to notice them being implemented in media you thought was only for entertainment and enjoyment. However, now that I am older and am able to think more deeply about how the characters are portrayed or the lyrics in the songs, it becomes shockingly obvious that the stereotypes are extremely present. As one of my peers already paid tribute to, Aladdin was one of my favorite movies growing up and even to this day. I used to feel connected to the movie, as I, myself, am Arab. However, when I am watching it now, I can clearly see how the film negatively portrays Arab culture and how detrimental the messages it portrays can be. Especially to young, impressionable minds.

    Reply
  11. Salma Avatar
    Salma

    I was shocked to learn that a lot of Disney movies I loved as a kid have hidden racist ideas. When I was younger, I didn’t notice how some characters and songs showed stereotypes.I can relate to this because, as an Arab, I also grew up watching movies like Aladdin without noticing the stereotypes. Now, I can see how they portray Arab culture in a negative way.

    Reply
  12. Shania Smith Avatar
    Shania Smith

    I think ill still allow my children to watch certain disney movies. The racist jokes are things an innocent mind will look over so they wont understand. I noticed some things when I was younger but I didn’t know what it meant so it didn’t bother me. For example, I have always wondered about The Princess and the Frog because it was my favorite Disney movie, and it still is. I did always wonder how the person who voiced Naveen wasn’t black but played a black person, but it wasn’t really anything to make me regret watching the movie.

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  13. Amy Merino Avatar
    Amy Merino

    Not many of these surprised me because I have watched them many times. The first time I caught on I was a bit surprised because I didnt realize how much racism was embedded into childrens movies. I think though, we still see it not as obviously but still a bit in movies that come out today because to the writers I think it would be easier for children to understand that theyre meant to be different races and now its hidden under the guise of being “culturally inclusive”.

    Reply
  14. D'Ella Brown Avatar
    D’Ella Brown

    I was definitely not shocked about Disney’s racist past. I’m pretty sure Walt Disney was a very bigoted person. My mom actually didn’t let me watch Disney for a while when I was younger. But I’m not sure how I feel about these films being readily available on Disney plus. Some could argue that it could be educational about history but at the same time these films are extremely offensive. The racist stereotypes still exist today and some people still believe. I think it can be more educational in a future where racism is gone completely.

    Reply
  15. Malissa Solon Avatar
    Malissa Solon

    I was in shocked but not really because that this is just the world we live in ,wether its intentional are not rasicism is everywhere.I really did like seeing that the princess in the Princess and the frog was a girl of color.

    Reply
  16. chadeary park Avatar
    chadeary park

    It surprised me how many Disney films have racist content that I never noticed growing up. I didn’t expect some of the older titles to include such harmful stereotypes. It made me realize how deeply these ideas were built into things meant for kids. Knowing this makes me want to watch these movies more critically and talk about them with others. It also shows why it’s important to learn the history behind what we watch.

    Reply

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