A Legacy of Storytelling and Controversy
Walt Disney Animation Studios is one of the most influential and profound animation studios in the world. It’s headquarters are located in Burbank, California. The company has been the leader in animation storytelling for over a century, being an extreme impact in our childhood, and is purely global entertainment. As a subdivision of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Studios Content is the company that operates it and is responsible for the most beloved animated films of all time.
The company was founded by Walt and Roy O. Disney in 1923 and began as the Disney Brothers Studio. As time passed by, the company later rebranded itself as Walt Disney Production and then eventually led to Walt Disney Animation Studios. The studio was what set the standard of the animation industry, producing the first animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.
Mission, objectives, and goals
The mission of Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS) is to create compelling and innovative stories that resonate with audiences all over the world. Their objectives include excelling at animation technology, establishing diverse stories, and upholding Disney’s reputation of being the leader of the entertainment industry. Walt Disney Animation Studios aim to create a balance of nostalgia and modern storytelling in order to appeal to new and old audiences.
Even though WDAS is praised for the artistic achievements in the industry, they have also been criticised over cultural representations in many of their films.
Misrepresentation of Arabs in Aladdin
One of the most controversial aspects of Disney’s portray of Arabs and Middle Eastern culture was in the infamous film of Aladdin released in 1992. Even though the film resulted in a massive market of success it has also been critiqued for stereotyping Middle Easterners as well as Arabs.
The opening song in the film, Arabian Nights, consisted of lyrics that describe a fictional setting as an environment “where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face.” This lyric specifically was later changed due to the amount of backlash from the Arab-American advocacy groups. Even though the film still portrayed the setting as a violent, and disorderly desert land reinforced harmful stereotypes of their culture.
Another example within the both the animated and live remake of the film portrayed harmful stereotypes through the characters. Main characters had westernised features, while villains such as Jafar were exaggerated with darker features reinforcing the long lasting Hollywood motif with associating non-western characters into evil villains. This contrast in characters proves a racial hierarchy within the film.
Walt Disney Animation Studios remains the leader in the world of animation, with a legacy of innovative and intricate storytelling, However, within it’s history also includes times in which they were heavily driven by cultural appropriation and stereotypes. As WDAS, continues to produce films, they have improved in that regards fulfilling their objectives as a company.
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