Disnification

What is Disnification? In my past studies in children’s media, Disnification has become a term used to not only illuminate how society is increasingly similar to Disney theme parks but also raise awareness of Disney’s dominating cultural authority.
The Disney Corporation, for example, uses their characters (e.g. Aladdin, Buzz Lightyear, Snow White, etc.) as prototypes for marketing blitz. When children watch Disney films, they grow a special relationship with the characters. And when Disney starts to produce toy action figures of those characters or even food products like fruit snacks shaped like Disney characters, children cannot resist but to request those products. Parents have to suffer through the whining and ultimately have to spend the money to satisfy their children. Other children’s media like Nickelodeon are using similar strategies. In a documentary called Consuming Kids, a little girl was interviewed and asked why she wanted to buy the Spongebob Squarepants macaroni as opposed to regular EasyMac. She replied, “Because it tastes better” (even though she has never tried Spongebob macaroni before).
Even in non-animated Disney films, they are constantly trying to act as a figure of cultural authority; for example, they constantly project their own meanings of happiness and ideal social life. In the older films, we witness how the suburban white family seems to be the equation to happiness and wealth. As a result, this could have detrimental effects on minority children who are trying to fit their identity in with the rest of their social world. Disney blurs the boundaries between entertainment, education and commercialization through omnipotence of Disney’s reach into diverse spheres of everyday life. However, they inevitably produce negative effects. They are prescribing themes to everything, homogenizing mass consumption and production and providing imaginary and false realities. Yet their corporation is so huge they are nearly untouchable. We must find ways to illuminate the negative issues produced by Disnification. In the near future, I will discuss particular ways Disney influences children and their identity construction process through hegemonic ideologies.