Challenging Disney Myths

I was intrigued by the premise of challenging Disney Myths, but I was a little disappointed by the way in which Wasko tackled them; specifically I felt that she was biased and did not properly address her "naysayers". In Giroux's article about "The Disneyfication of of Children's Culture" he says , "it is important to address Disney's animated films without either condemning Disney as an ideological reactionary corporation deceptively promoting a conservative worldview...". I believe that this is exactly what Wasko does. Although she was attempting to debunk several myth's about Disney's magical image, I don't feel that she gave credit to Disney when it was deserved. For one, Wasko harshly criticized Walt Disney the individual as a conservative extremist who did not possess the virtues he associated with his company. Disney is all about the imagination and fantasy so it should come as no surprise that its creator is a regular person like the rest of us. Maybe Walt did not have the perfect family or virtues but that shouldn't tarnish the magical world he was able to create. Wasko further accuses Walt of not doing "everything" for the company. Disney came from humble beginnings and started out as an animator. Disney's true talent however lay in his ability to organize and create the far reaching empire that it is today. It is impractical for Wasko to expect Walt to do the animation and physical creation himself and she shouldn't criticize him for being ambitious.

The article did however prompt me to consider certain truths about the Disney empire which I had not previously thought about. I was aware that there was a lot more to the Disney company than Mickey Mouse and the theme parks, but I was unaware of how far its reach has extended. Wasko pointed out that Disney is a profit driven corporation and she convinced me that this was true. However, although Disney may be motivated by profits, they are still creating the magic that is Disney. Maybe Disney is not charitable, but for the company to succeed, they have to entertain the public. Regardless of their motives they are not just like every other company.

http://www.latimes.com/includes/projects/hollywood/portraits/walt_disney.jpg