walt Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966)
Walt Disney himself was rumoured to be xenophobic. Neal Gabler, the first writer for Disney that gained unrestricted access to the whole of the Disney archives, wrote in Walt Disney: The Biography (2007) that Disney would occasionally make racist remarks. Although certain early era films of Disney had very stereotypical representations such as Mickey wearing black face in Mickey's Mellerdrammer (Jackson,1933) it can be argued that in this particular era white Americans would frequently make racially insensitive remarks with no consequences. However as time and society has progressed so have the views about race and ethnicity. Robert Clampett, the director of Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (Clampett, 1943), claimed that "Everybody, including blacks had a good time when these cartoons first came out. All the controversy developed in later years merely because of the changing attitudes toward black civil rights that have happened since then" (Hall, 2012) therefore it can be argued that these racial remarks can not be taken literally in todays society and we must leave room for adjustment of the era. Furthermore, despite the claims that Disney was xenophobic there was no evidence that he showed any discrimination towards any specific ethnicities, and he hired a diverse accumulation of races within the Disney corporation.
Before Walt Disney
Disneys early feature films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Cottrell, 1937) were made in such a way that there did not seem to be a country that the film was set in, no iconic giveaways or hints, they appeared to be a make believe universal world that any can relate too. On the other hand all of the early protagonists were white, which could be due to the time which the films were made when even black characters in films were played by white people in black face. Although this could be argued to be a part of Disney's xenophobia and making the films a national asset, a lot of Disney's films are actually taken from other countries fairytales/stories:
· Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Based on Snow White (Schneewiitchen) written by the Brothers Grimm in Germany in 1812
· Pinocchio (Ferguson, 1940) : Based on The Adventures of Pinocchio ("The Adventures of Pinocchio", 1833) written by Carlo Collodi in Italy in1833
· Cinderella (Geronimi, 1950): Based on Cinderella (Cendrillon) ("Cinderella", 1697) written by Charles Perrault in France in 1697
· Sleeping Beauty (Geronimi, 1959): Based on Sleeping Beauty (La Belle au bois Dormant) ("The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood", 1697) written by Charles Perrault in France in 1697
Disneys early feature films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Cottrell, 1937) were made in such a way that there did not seem to be a country that the film was set in, no iconic giveaways or hints, they appeared to be a make believe universal world that any can relate too. On the other hand all of the early protagonists were white, which could be due to the time which the films were made when even black characters in films were played by white people in black face. Although this could be argued to be a part of Disney's xenophobia and making the films a national asset, a lot of Disney's films are actually taken from other countries fairytales/stories:
· Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Based on Snow White (Schneewiitchen) written by the Brothers Grimm in Germany in 1812
· Pinocchio (Ferguson, 1940) : Based on The Adventures of Pinocchio ("The Adventures of Pinocchio", 1833) written by Carlo Collodi in Italy in1833
· Cinderella (Geronimi, 1950): Based on Cinderella (Cendrillon) ("Cinderella", 1697) written by Charles Perrault in France in 1697
· Sleeping Beauty (Geronimi, 1959): Based on Sleeping Beauty (La Belle au bois Dormant) ("The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood", 1697) written by Charles Perrault in France in 1697
Because of the diversity of the countries from which Disney took his ideas, it allows Disney and his films to be transnational because they originate from different countries and ultimately reach different countries, which therefore shows a decline in national sovereignty and ultimately an increase in trans-nationality.