It is impossible for a Disney film to be released without garnering attention, whether it be
from the massive ticket sales, the indelible mark on pop culture, or the continued dedication
by children and adults who become entranced by the characters and music featured in the
films.
Even with Disney’s most beloved films, controversy often looms.
Here are 10 Famous Disney Movies that Caused Serious Controversy.
Zootopia Zootopia is the 2016 film that endeared itself
to children and adults with its lovable characters and its meaningful tale of two unlikely animals
solving a case, forging a friendship, and reaching for what they want despite their
limitations.
Judy Hopps is the bunny with the determination to become a police officer for the big city
of Zootopia.
Zootopia raised controversy for its attempts to speak about sexism, racism and the war
on drugs through the lens of a family friendly film.
Judy is considered weak, the predator animals considered violent and prone to crime, and
the growing of plants that only aggravate an aggressive response, are all included in
Zootopia.
While some critics and viewers found the film desperate to comment on too many societal
issues, the box-office persevered.
Mulan 1998’s Mulan follows the story of real life
Chinese legend, Hua Mulan.
Mulan is a young woman who disguises herself as a man to take the place of her father in
battle.
Some critics found the gender roles to be troubling but the primary controversy revolved
around the way Asian culture was portrayed.
Some of the Asian stereotypes depicted in the film bothered viewers especially once
it was released in China.
Most recently a new controversy over the upcoming live action version of Mulan has sprouted.
An online petition has been conceived asking Disney to not “whitewash” the character
by casting a white actress when there are so many underrepresented minority actors who
would be better suited for the role.
101 Dalmatians In 1996 Disney gave their 1961 classic film,
101 Dalmatians a live action update.
It was a much different time with a whole new set of expectations and controversy that
came along with it.
While animal rights groups were troubled with the dog snatching Cruella De Vil, most were
already familiar with her villainous motivations in the decades since the original film’s
release.
The real problem came from the audience's perception of the adorable Dalmatian puppies
featured in the film.
After the release, Dalmatian puppies became the must-have Christmas gift for children.
However, the new dog owners failed to realize that those pups grow to be much bigger and
the breed of Dalmatians may not have the most ideal temperament for small children.
The Humane Society was overwhelmed with the breed months after the release of the film.
It became even more of an issue when the animated series debuted not long after.
Alice in Wonderland The 1951 animated film, Alice in Wonderland,
based on Lewis Carroll’s Alice Books, is one of the most surreal films and features
many instances of drug use by most of the characters in the film.
While there wasn’t much discussion of Alice’s use of Mushrooms, Caterpillars constant Hookah
usage, or the trippy images in the film after its initial release, controversy arose in
the late 60s when drug culture became common.
After 1968’s Yellow Submarine was released, there was a surge of interest in Alice in
Wonderland as it was considered ahead of its time.
Parents to an entire new generation of Wonderland watchers became concerned that the loopy imagery
and prevalent drug suggestions throughout the film were harmful to young viewers.
Toy Story 2 Sometimes there are controversies that arise
within the confines of Disney studios but through the power of the internet, become
public.
This was the case with Toy Story 2.
After the success of the first film, Disney and Pixar began working on a sequel.
The film was expected to be a straight-to-video but when executives were impressed with the
footage, they pushed for a theatrical release.
The animators were not fond of the footage that had been completed causing tension between
the creatives and executives.
Things became even more complicated when a Pixar employee accidentally erased the Toy
Story data.
Millions of dollars and years of work deleted in a moment.
What the studio didn’t know was that the film’s supervising technical director had
a copy with her as she had recently had a baby and was working from home.
With the relief of the saved footage, the continued arguments between the suits and
animators dissipated.
Tangled In the 20th century Disney films have been
filled with Princesses who need the help of a Prince to save them from whatever or whomever
they need to be saved from.
Ariel only desired to walk among the humans in exchange for her voice, Snow White tended
to seven small strangers until she was poisoned and had to be revived by the kiss of a prince.
The list goes on.
The 21st century appeared to be making strides toward feminism. 2010’s Tangled was expected
to turn things around but Disney still managed to miss the mark.
Female and Male viewers alike were dumbfounded by the perpetuation of the patriarchy as Rapunzel
still needed to be saved by the male lead, Flynn Rider.
He wasn’t a prince but just a capable man who seemed to be the only one who could save
the damsel in distress from her castle.
Even with the question of gender roles, many observers noted that Tangled was at least
a step in the right direction.
Pocahontas Disney has a history of using existing material
and giving it a lighthearted makeover that will appeal to a mass audience.
1995’s Pocahontas is a film guilty of taking a real person and completely overhauling her
story.
In the film, Pocahontas is shown as a young Native American woman who saves and then falls
in love with Colonist John Smith, but in real life she was only a ten year-old child when
Smith arrived and there was no romance between the two.
The real Pocahontas was abducted by colonists not long after and married off to a tobacco
magnate.
Disney dismissing the actual events of her life disappointed and angered historians who
found the film to be a way to tie a family-friendly and romantic bow on historical events that
did not end with a happily ever after.
Finding Dory Finding Dory, the sequel to 2003’s massively
successful Finding Nemo, was another hit for Disney with the story centering on the forgetful
fish who goes on her own adventure.
Prior to the film’s release, there was buzz that a same-sex couple would make an appearance,
a first for Disney.
There was controversy with the appearance alone, but once the film was released, there
was another reason the film raised a few eyebrows.
The so-called same sex couples characters were simply a brief moment in which two women
who may or may not be a couple, make a blink-and-you’ll miss-it appearance.
The Controversy of Finding Dory came from two opposing groups concerning the same issue
but with Disney’s lack of committing to either side, ended up angering both.
Aladdin 1992’s Aladdin has provided a wealth of
controversy due to its Arabian stereotypes and the questionable skin color and features
of its two leads.
The controversy that concluded with Disney making an alteration is the song “Arabian
Nights”.
The original release of film included the lyrics “Where they cut off your ear if they
don’t like your face”.
The American-Arab anti-Defamation league rightly took issue with this offensive line resulting
in Disney changing it for the home video release.
While the lyrics were changed to “Where it’s flat and immense and the heat is intense”
a scene in which Jasmine nearly gets her hand chopped off for stealing an apple and the
line “It’s barbaric, but, hey, it’s home” remain in the film.
Moana Disney is known for raking in money from not
only movie tickets but from the merchandise inspired by their popular movies.
Even before a film’s release, fans are able to purchase items at the company’s store
and other retailers.
The upcoming film Moana, about a teenage girl who goes on a daring adventure to save her
people, is the subject of Disney’s most recent controversy for a Halloween costume
based on the character Maui.
The costume features a brown bodysuit adorned with Polynesian tattoos to better resemble
the character who is a Polynesian Demigod, This angered many on social media, calling
it cultural appropriation.
Disney was quick to react to the complaints and immediately removed the costume from the
stores.
While issues of race insensitivity are not new for the house of mouse, it is less common
in recent years and the company has used social media as a way to fix their missteps.
There’s our list.
What do you think?
What Disney controversies did we forget?
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