Wasko's Disney Argument

Janet Wasko, in her article Challenging Disney Myths, presented some interesting findings and theories, some that I never knew about before, and some that seem very outrageous and far-fetched. The myths that I felt Wasko was spot on in challenging are that “Walt Disney was a creative genius who was responsible for the company’s success” and that “Disney’s products are harmless, safe, and unbiased” (Wasko 1).  We really do not hear a lot about Walt Disney’s life growing up; we as children rather focus on all the magical things that Disney has to offer and really forget that someone actually created this extensive company from scratch. To the public he was known as Uncle Walt, the kind-hearted man who was full-heartedly for family values. Walt Disney was really an elusive man who changed his life story to appeal to the American public in proving that the American Dream exists and can be attained. Many facts that Wasko presented in her article about Walt Disney’s life I never knew before, then again I really never gave a thought about the life that Walt Disney led. I also agree with Wasko in the fact that all of Walt Disney’s initial creations were mainly attributed to Disney himself. I have always heard that Walt Disney was responsible in creating Mickey Mouse and creating some of the major early characters in Disney movies. However, as a public we forget how much effort goes into making an animation. You have the animators, filmmakers, the actors, managers, artists, and technical crew all working together to put together these Disney movies, and yet it seems like initially that these talented people never got the credit that they deserve. Some other interesting facts about Walt that I never knew before that many individuals saw Walt Disney as authoritative, moody, and demanding, a far contrast in what the public really knows about Walt Disney’s life.

One of the major points that she makes about Walt Disney’s life which also ties into the point that “Disney’s products are harmless, safe, and unbiased” is about Walt Disney’s conservative ideology made its way into the Disney films. Many of these films have the similar set of values, which portray women as helpless individuals who need a “prince” or a man to protect them and save them from harm. Disney’s earlier films embrace the idea of the ideal American family where the mother stays at home to raise the children and take of the house and the father goes out to work and raise the money. Wasko brings up very great points with these two arguments.

However, the rest of her arguments tend to be far-fetched and quite outlandish that no one would think of these ideas as arguments. One of the ideas that Wasko argues against is the fact that “Disney is universally adored” (1). No one would argue with her that she was wrong because no one likes something universally. There are always some individuals who hate on something just to hate it, and Disney is no exception to the fact. I feel that Wasko has the workings of ideas that she wants to argue but does not fully explain why she is bringing up this point or why is it necessary. Take for example the argument that Walt Disney based his ideas for the Disney films and ideas based on a couple years of his life in a small town. Wasko brings this fact up in her argument but never explains why it is essential to her argument that Walt Disney was not a creative genius. There are also some outlandish ideas and arguments brought into this argument such as Disney’s body being laid on ice and will be resurrected one day. I feel that Wasko is trying to grasp at straws in her argument against Disney and does not focus on her real credible arguments enough to illustrate the ill-effects of Disney.