Saturday, February 22, 2020

Critique #2: Kid Stuff

It is hard to deny the amount of emphasis Disney films puts on masculinity such as characters like Gaston, Hercules, and many more. Some could make the argument that Disney films have characters of all body types. However, these characters don't usually play the lead role and are just background characters. In the video it says "Men with any other body type than masculinity are seen as outcasts or weak." They use the film Beauty and the Beast to help prove this point. In the film Bell's farther is seen as an outcast and his body type is short and fat, while LeFou has a similar body type, but is seen as weak. I agree with the video completely, that masculinity was a big focus in older Disney films, but as time goes on, Disney has started to move away from these themes such as the movie Frozen and a newer Disney show called Doc McStuffins. Unlike the video, the article "She's a Boss" looks at the positive aspects of what Disney is doing for their younger audience instead of the negatives. For example in the new kids show called Doc McStuffins, it features a black lead female character which is very uncommon when it comes to Disney productions. Not only that, but it teach kids important life skills like brushing your teeth everyday, wearing a bicycle helmet, and teaching kids how to communicate. I agree with the article as well, that what Disney is doing with this show is great for the younger audience, but it's disappointing to see that it is only in couple of productions. Despite how important it is for children to have good role models.

A major negative that the video discusses is how "Masculinity in violence and dominance is very clear in Disney films, were an unwillingness to fight a prove dominance is show as pitiful." This is bad because it might make the children watching the movies violent or harm other kids. Disney tries to add suspense to their movies by adding fight scenes, such as the end scene in The Lion King, but this could leave negative impacts on the younger viewers. However, he gives Disney a positive critique at the end of the video by saying that it is possible for Disney to step away from these stereotypes in order to avoid boys from becoming violent or detached from their emotions. The is means that Disney still has a chance to change their ways.  A major positive from the article, is that it doesn't use stereotypes like other Disney productions do, such as stay a home dad, a mom who is an actual doctor, and a same sex couple. However, a negative could be that even though Disney shows are starting to be less stereotypical, there are still issues with Disney films.

There is a huge difference between the characters Gaston and Doc McStuffins. In my opinion, Gaston is more directed towards boys and he is designed as this tall, muscular man who believes he can have any girl he desires. This is a bad characteristic because it teaches boys that "Men should view women as objects of pleasure or servants to please them." However, Doc McStuffins is completely the opposite, she is meant for all gender and is a black lead female character. She encourages kids to be safe and tries to get kids to be more comfortable to speak up for themselves and not to be afraid to get help when they need it.

One of my favorite cartoons as a kid was The Fairly Oddparents, which was about a boy named Timmy Turner who had two fairy god parents named Cosmo(green) and Wanda(pink).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wS5QXPGOTQ&feature=youtu.be
I think this show taught kids how to use their imagination and think creatively. Which as a child it is important to express yourself and think outside of the box. However, it does have a couple stereotypes such as the nerdy boy with bad teeth like the perfect popular girl, but she doesn’t like him back back because he isn’t popular. Another negative is how the main character talks to his friends and family which could have a negative impact on its younger viewers.

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