I want to use this week's blog post to comment on a point that has been brought up multiple times already this semester in order to hopefully allow me to atone for my sins. Up until sophomore year here at Vanderbilt, I was under the impression that Disney was the originator for stories like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, etc. Like most kids of my generation (and past generations I'm sure), I grew up to these stories as told by Disney. There really was never any reason for me to question whether or not they were authentically Disney. I lived under this veil of unquestioned Disney loyalty until ENGL 118W sophomore year when I read the Grimms' version of "Cinderella" and my childhood was shattered before my very eyes (not really, but I'm just trying to liven this post up a little bit).
Anyway, this brings me to the apparent grudge Zipes has against Walt Disney for his supposed monopoly on these classic fairy tales in America (and perhaps worldwide). Politically, I can understand where this is coming from given Zipes's Marxist beliefs and Walt Disney's domestic conservative beliefs; the two clearly can't coexist and I won't argue whether or not one is right. What I do want to comment on is that Zipes is taking the whole issue WAY too far. Saying that Disney has a "stranglehold" on these fairy tales and that he is imposing his domestic values is really trying to force an issue more than anything else. Disney's versions are so popular because they are entertaining for all viewers (and yes he was a successful businessman, but that's beside the point). Yes Disney altered previous versions of these stories to fit what he deemed to be both entertaining and appropriate; there really is no denying that after reading these earlier versions. However, both of these primary issues that Zipes has with what Disney has done to these classic tales can be applied to the Grimms' versions. They also altered previous versions of the stories to be both entertaining and appropriate for their audience. Disney may have censored more by our standards, but he did so with the same intentions as the Brothers Grimm. Because of the positive influence Disney movies had on my childhood and because of over-analytical people like Zipes who were apparently deprived of a fun childhood, I am not ashamed to admit that I am one of those people that naturally associates Disney with a lot of these fairy tales.
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To quote rapper 50 Cent, "If they hate, let em hate and watch the money pile up."
ReplyDeleteI think the main reason Zipes dislikes Disney and his style is the very successful formula behind it. Disney developed a full proof way to make a succesful animated fairy tale. He found a way to use the tale-type classifications to his advantage. Was he aware that Cinderella was a 34.55 (just totally made that number up)? Probably not. But Disney was able to see the threads that connect princess stories such as Cinderella, Snow White and the Little Mermaid. You can talk about the merits of great artistry all you want but I believe that Disney thought of himself as an entrepreneur and in that light, it is impossible to see him as anything but a success.
The anti-Disney rhetoric about how it spoils the mind of our youth reminds me of the backlash after the Columbine shootings. Violence on TV, in movies and in computer games came under siege. It's faulty reasoning. Morals come from all over. One stimuli does not supply them all. So yes, Disney movies have misognistic messages. But why don't you just make up for it by reading some feminist lit as a bed time story? The possibilities are endless!
Ha - I've felt exactly like you throughout a lot of the semester in this class. I think throughout my life I felt that Disney's fairy tales were kind of like Santa in that they're all too good to be true (how can you have that many hits??) and I felt like I knew they were old and historic, but maybe I only thought that because they were all set in once upon a time land.
ReplyDeleteI've found Zipes to be a bit overreactive, too. Really, if not for Disney, would anyone even know these stories? Entire childhoods and life-long dreams are shaped around the stories Disney shared with us. Yes, it's a business, but yes, it's the lives of BILLIONS of people who he's touched. I think he's just bitter and jealous he didn't think of it first. It's Disney's right to do whatever he wants to with the stories, and clearly the changes he made (the happy endings and such) were the absolutely best changes he could have made. A fraction of a percentage of people who know "Cinderella" now would know the story without Disney. There's a lot of worldwide hope that wouldn't be here, even if it was silly, unrealistic hope for fairy godmothers and handsome princes.
Totally agree--I addressed the same issue, more or less, in my blog post. Zipes definitely is "overreacting" in his assessment of Disney's widespread success. Yes, Disney managed to achieve a "stranglehold," as Zipes calls it, on the fairy tale business, but, like you point out, this success is well-deserved--after all, Disney produced something entertaining and magical for all ages. I doubt Zipes, with his cynical, pessimistic air, could have done the same.
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