Walt Disney and his "Fairy Tales"

I wanted to write my blog on the Zypes article "Breaking the Disney Spell." As a typical American girl, I loved Disney movies as a kid- all of them. I sang along with the songs and imagined what it would be like to be a Disney princess. I always knew the stories were imaginary and the damsel in distress who ends up marrying a prince plot probably would not happen- even though I am still holding out for Prince William. Being a Disney movie fan, I found Zypes' article very intriguing. I had always accepted what Disney put forth in his films as the "correct" version of the well- known tale. Perhaps that is why Zypes argues that Disney presents film in a way in which the viewer does not question what he or she is watching; it is a "one-dimensional portrayal." Zypes argues that Disney has "cast a spell" on most of the modern world with his animation of the fairy tale. Disney, according to Zypes, has censored the stories to appeal to a younger, more naive audience. Disney created his versions of the fairy tale with his past and life in mind. He struggled at a young age, as do most of the protagonists in the films. Tiana in "Princess and the Frog" has an incredible work ethic and works toward her dream of owning her own restaurant. Cinderella is oppressed by her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Snow White has a witch who is ready to poison her.

Perhaps Zypes is right. Disney may have taken the "classic" fairy tales and censored and warped them until they are virtually unrecognizable to those who originally told them. Would they be shocked to hear that Cinderella didnt voluntarily cut off parts of their foot in order to fit into the glass slipper? Maybe. However, it seems to me that Zypes is overly critical of Disney and his masterpieces of animation. They are timeless. He must have done something right. Zypes believes that Disney animated movies that made people falsely optimistic and have a Utopian view on life. I think Disney was a businessman and he was trying to be the most successful person in his field- which happened to be animation. He wanted to sell movie tickets. People would not have gone to the movies to watch girls get their head cut off or be pursued by their father. During the 1950's, when Disney had his first "hit" with Cinderella, the nuclear family was the most important aspect of most people's lives. The women were domestic and the men provided financial stability. Disney needed to create movies that parents would want to take their kids to, and those were not the Brothers Grimm stories. I think Zypes was reading too far into Disney's work.

Also, I dont completely understand why there seems to be such an issue with Disney creating movies with happy endings and love. Let's be honest, most people want to find someone they love to spend the rest of their life with- what is so wrong with that? Will it be a prince? Probably not. Even so, I dont see a problem in having an ending with the protagonist finding love. It is true some people wont find love or get married, but whats wrong with hoping? What's wrong with working towards a "happy ending." If the world was full of cynical people who don't believe they can achieve things they want to achieve, it would be a much worse place to live. Hope is a powerful thing and I think Disney movies help instill the hope and optimism kids need in order to persevere through obstacles and hopefully attain their goals (maybe not all but a few). I may be completely naive but I still think that the overall messages of Disney movies hold true.