Racial Stereotyping in Disney

If you watch Disney animated films in scrutiny, the racial stereotyping that they create are pretty evident. Don’t believe me? In the Jungle Book, the portrayal of African Americans as monkeys, stereotypically linked through language and jive dance, outgrows their prior crude representation as crows. Similarly, in Aladdin, it’s interesting how the protagonist Aladdin is illustrated with obvious Western features while the villain Jafar and the palace guards are illustrated as having ethnic features with humungous bell pepper shaped noses. Perhaps more intriguing is the Aladdin theme song “Arabian Nights.” In my Childrens Media class, I overheard the rumor that there were originally two versions of that song, and Disney chose the more stereotypical and “racist” version. And I wouldn’t doubt it. Just look at the lyrics: “And the heat is intense. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” So now, young children watching who don’t know any better have a stereotype implemented into their young minds: that Arabs tend to have distinctly different features and are a barbaric people from an undesirable place. In addition, in Peter Pan, Native Americans are stereotyped to all have incredibly red skin and live in teepee tents.
The racial stereotyping in Disney films are not only coded through imagery and the physical features of the characters, but also through language and accents. In Lady and the Tramp, for example, Asian people are represented through the Siamese cats and portrayed as all speaking with the same distinct oriental accent. Through the various means of stereotyping, Disney uses the cultural differences expressed through a naturalized racial hierarchy to show the hegemonic White patriarchal American family as the most standard, normal and privileged.