Walt Disney, a man who has helped develop the generations of today, has helped to reinforce and explore the very values, prejudice and fears of our culture today by creating a strong dynamic in his use of storytelling and influencing the very existing culture that we live in today. Through the use of flowing animation and art, memorable music scores and the use of allegory, hidden messages behind his storytelling, Walt has influenced the existing and future generations through his use of storytelling that will stand the very test of times.
Throughout all his works, Walt Disney’s animation carries thesame classical message, the classic “happily ever after”. This theme has been carried through out each of his film, as the protagonist always wins the day, gets the soul mate of his/her dream and rides off into the sunset as the antagonist suffers a tragic ending or learns a lesson that changes affects his character. No matter what story, Walt always brings this theme into place.
His themes reflect the American popular culture in which, Walt Disney and his company production are originally from. It definitely does show the play on the same context as most American movies do though. The usual theme of hero struggles with inner self but at the end of the day, hero wins and gets the dream guy or girl. Hollywood loves their happy endings, and even with remakes of history and tales, they always play on this theme. It reflects the hero complex of what American television and audience love, a happily ever after.
Many of these themes are based on Joseph Campbell’s theory. As an expert of mythology, he is well know on his theory of the “Heroes journey”.
"...a mythology is a control system, on the one hand framing its community to accord with an intuited order of nature and, on the other hand, by means of its symbolic pedagogic rites, conducting individuals through the ineluctable psychophysiological stages of transformation of a human lifetime - birth, childhood and adolescence, age, old age, and the release of death - in unbroken accord simultaneously with the requirements of this world and the rapture of participation in a manner of being beyond time."
Joseph had a comparative approach to literature, religion and mythology than to the scholar’s emphases on cultural differences. He helped created the theory on how a hero’s storytelling was suppose to follow.
The Hero's Journey has been placed into 12 stages. They are:
1.Ordinary World – This was where the story begun.
2.Call to Adventure – A problem, conflict arises in which the hero must conqueor.
3.Refusal of the Call - The hero refuses the challenge or journey, usually because he's scared
4. Meeting with the Mentor - The hero meets a mentor to gain advice or training for the adventure
5. Crossing the First Threshold - The hero crosses leaves the ordinary world and goes into the special world
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies - The hero faces tests, meets allies, confronts enemies & learn the rules of the Special World.
7. Approach - The hero has hit setbacks during tests & may need to try a new idea
8. Ordeal - The biggest life or death crisis
9. Reward - The hero has survived death, overcomes his fear and now earns the reward
10. The Road Back - The hero must return to the Ordinary World.
11. Resurrection Hero - another test where the hero faces death – he has to use everything he's learned
12. Return with Elixir - The hero returns from the journey with the “elixir”, and uses it to help everyone in the Ordinary World.
(http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00800/journey.htm)
The physical and historical culture in which Disney film fits in would range all around. Not based on just stories and culture in America but themes and culture based internationally. This is why Walt Disney movies have been so successful around the world. People all over can relate and understand where the character is coming from. Mulan, a story that originally came from China, struggles with the pleasing of her father and the prejudice and sexist decision of how a girl cannot go to war or else shame would be brought upon family. Also the African American culture in The Princess and the Frog, displayed the slavery and racist history of the ethnic group at that time. How jazz, was the soundtrack of the movie, reflecting the historical context and themes of the movie.
As Walt Disney once said, “ Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” Though very true, Walt Disney has played a major role in affecting the way children and how many people may view life. It creates in issue of differentiating between reality and virtuality in key theme of “happily ever after.” It brings us to question how far it too far, when our generation of young children are affected with the sugar coated stories. Audience lose themselves in such a positive influence, where there is a world of such good moral value stands, beauty, faithfulness and “happily ever afters”, that it then begins to play upon the minds of young children as they soak it all in, helping them become naïve to the world around them. Children have such creative minds and still so innocent from the big world, that these plots and themes affect their view on reality and understanding. Unfortunately, the world today can be very conceited, as many people do not hold these same views and moral compasses. But then again, this is reality. Children are taught through these films that everything will be ok in the end and you will live in a perfect world in the end. We must rethink, how far is too far and are our children being taught the “right” values in life.
This brings up the next point of prejudice. The word prejudice means a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. What we are taught in Disney storytelling is based on the protagonist point of view, but what about the antagonist? Through this prejudice, we cannot discover how they came to be and examine the situation properly. What if the antagonist was in the right and the protagonist was not in the wrong but was not right either. Both sides are standing up for what they believe in, but through Disney, they enhance the side of the main character to make th
em appear the hero of the day. The audience will never know why the antagonist came to be and the reason behind. What if he had good morals and judgment beforehand but after such influence, trials and tribulations he/she changed he/her ways and thoughts. Disney brings prejudice that the villain always was and will be the villain in most cases.
Many of his animation storytelling are unoriginal story plots from previous storytellers, tales that have been created by Shakespeare, Hans Christian Anderson, the Grimm brothers and many more. For example, Lion Kings was based on the Shakespeare play Hamlet, while Cinderella was based on a more gruesome tale written by the Grimm brothers. Due to the theme of Disney’s “happily ever after”, the stories have been polished and alternated to suit the younger generations. This would imply that everything is possible and how each leading protagonists end up having the happy ending. What most kids and family don’t always realise is that Disney stories are based on other tales that are based on a more “realistic” and gruesome ending. Seven of Disney stories are based on R-rated stories, in which contain horrific killings. They have sugar coated the stories, creating younger generations and audience to become more naïve to the world. The Jungle book, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Fox and the Hound and Tarzan were all original R-rated tales. In the original tales, Mowgli from Jungle book and his friend Elephant destroy the whole village for revenge. In the Little Mermaid, the main mermaid never ends up with the prince as he found another wife. The mermaid ends killing herself. Hercules kills his own children. Many of the previous tales contain dark themes.
(http://www.cracked.com/article_18589_7-classic-disney-movies-based-r-rated-stories.html_)
What audiences don’t always see and understand, is the context and connotations behind the context as meanings behind are made very subtle and situations and context are told at a delicate manner or have a certain story behind and history behind its character. Contrary to all the theories on the illustration displaying a hidden message, like how in The Lion King, the gust of wind and leaves displayed a text that says “SFX” (commonly misconceived as “sex”) being the initials of someone the film was in silent salute to. Or whether how in The Little Mermaid, the priest had an erection displaying during the wedding, the focus behind the context and lyrics are what is intriguing and at times may be ironic. In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the original text is a lot darker and sinister, but in one song where the priest, Frollo is singing to the leading lady Esmeralda. Though the lyrics do not say directly, but is based on the original text, the song and illustrations subtly display the original context that he is after Esmeralda and wants to hurt her because she is a sinful temptation to him and his reputation as a priest. By the end of the song he sells his soul to the devil making a pact that Esmeralda will be his or she will die. Though Disney changes the original context of the tale, the original tale talks of Frollo wanting to kill her because he lusted after her, whereas Disney displays Frollo’s dislike of her because she was different and stood up for what she believed in, which was opposite to what he believed in.
The semiotics that have been shown and represented in the Disney movies, have helped to convey the message of the character and theme in the storytelling. One example that has helped convey the message would be the setting. The setting works with the “mood” of the story. Eg. In the Lion King, the sign is pride rock looking like a desolate wasteland implies that the very land itself misses its King and that Scar should not be in power. Pride rock is personified as the shadowland pride takes over. The rock then turns gloomy, and the place suffers drought and famine surrounds all. This just shows what the place is like when the true king is not there. In the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the cathedral towers over the clouds in some scenes making larger than it appears in other scenes, this gives the notion of importance and how religion plays a major role in the film.
Another use of semiotics is the use of facial expressions and body language: The animators at Disney studios have mastered the art of portraying facial expressions in their artwork whether the character is human or a piece of furniture. The characters don’t have to be talking to allow their opinion to be expressed through their facial expressions. Random objects and buildings: Give understanding to the world and context the film is set. Eg: Monsters Inc has fruit that isn’t seen in our world, it has “odourant” instead of “deodorant” and traffic lights that say “stalk” and “don’t stalk”. All this gives understanding and implication to the world they love in without having to be spoken about in the film. Toy Story has toys going limp whenever human are near, this implies that there is a barrier between the human and toy world where humans aren’t allowed to know that their toys are alive and real.
Walt Disney has helped changed the world and has played a significant role in many of individuals lives. Being an optimist he believed, in imagination his unique albility to see the whole picture. His extraordinary vision brought hope to many. Those who worked with Disney found that he influenced who they were, how they thought and how they worked. Disney goal was to enhance life, and through that and his large portfolio of works, he was able to play a big part in history and bring more optimism in life. To Walt , every invention was a valuable piece of puzzle and as a master of communication he presented the future in a way we could grasp without hestitation. Many would say that he was our bridge from the past to the future.
(http://www.scifistation.com/walt/walt_index.html)
