With California reopening after a year of being closed down due to COVID-19, Disneyland welcomed back guests and while many were excited to return to the land of magic, others did not share the same joyous return.
Critics were quick to backlash Disneyland's revamped Snow White ride, now called 'Snow White's Enchanted Wish,' by calling for the removal of the true love's first kiss scene of one of Disney's most beloved fairy tales. As most Disney fans know, Prince Charming breaks the curse placed on Snow White by the evil Queen, with a kiss that brings her back to life.
For some, it looks like a harmless sweet gesture but for others such as SFGATE's Managing editor Katie Dowd and reporter Julie Tremaine, they argue that the grand finale of the ride raises issues by sending a message that this scene undermines lessons about consent. They also said that Prince Charming kissing Snow White while she's asleep and without her consent is not true love if only one person knows it's happening.
While this is a valid argument, it is also a debatable one. It's understandable to look at a person kissing another who is unconscious as inappropriate and wrong especially if a situation like this happens at a party but if that's the case, then it's almost like saying parents are in the wrong for giving their child or children a goodnight kiss while they are asleep.
Let's look at another situation of consent such as a date between two people who have just met and are taking the time to get to know each other.
Two people are out at the movies and decide to go for a bite to eat after. Then by the end of the date they say their goodbyes and possibly set another date. All of a sudden one person leans in and kisses the other. The person who was just kissed may get surprised because they didn't expect it. Did that person want to be kissed? The person who went in for a kiss did not ask for consent right?
Again while this may be a valid argument, it could also be a debatable one. For instance, someone can say, well the difference in this situation is that they are both conscious and if the person who was kissed did not want to be kissed they can easily say so or say that you did not ask if I wanted to be kissed. Then again how many people out there actually ask their date if they can give him or her a kiss?
Now let's say the person who is thinking of making the first move is just nervous, full of butterflies and really just wants to show their affection to their date. In the spur of the moment, they genuinely have pure intentions and mean no harm and so they proceed to make their move. The other person is thrown off by surprise but kisses him or her back. In this situation, we can see that because one initiated the kiss and the other person kissed back consent was given.
But wait, this could also be debatable. For instance even though one made the move and the other kissed back there was no consent because he or she did not exactly state that they were okay with it.
In my opinion and from movies I've seen most kisses happen by surprise but that also does not mean I have not seen movies where a person does ask if they can kiss the other person they show interest in. Yes, I agree under certain situations like college parties where a bunch of people are drinking and are most likely under the influence, consent should be given regardless because way too many people have faced horrible incidences.
Now that I feel I have built a series of situations about consent let's return to the constant backlash Disney continues to face.
While Snow White is the talk of the town so is Disney's Splash Mountain and Jungle Cruise ride.
Last year a petitioner made his point that although Splash Mountain, "has an innocuous-sounding name, the ride includes characters and plot lines (including a rabbit who outsmarts a fox and a bear after they torture him) from the Jim Crow-era film "Song of the South." Because this film is looked at as a controversial one that depicts racist stereotypes it is possible that Splash Mountain will transform to Disney's 'The Princess and the Frog,' in the near future.
Jungle Cruise is currently under revision because the company plans to remove the negative depictions of indigenous people as well which I feel is fair considering how cast members tell jokes throughout the ride about trying to understand what they're saying. Although to balance my first argument, Disneyland's rides are fun and I really do not see many guests complaining about what is wrong. Why is that? Because we all simply go to Disneyland to have fun!
But again, if we really want to discuss problematic scenes and change the vision of Disney to make it more enjoyable and appropriate for guests then 'Peter Pan,' should remove the cultural appropriation of Tiger Lily because not all indigenous people wear feathers, have painted faces or wear moccasins.
If we want to get technical and really delve deeper about what is inappropriate for children, then let's talk about Disney films like the scene in 'The Little Mermaid,' where Ursula is discussing the bargain of turning Ariel from a mermaid to human form. When Ursula says she'll make Ariel human only if she gives up her voice, Ariel responds with "But without my voice, how can I.." and before she can continue Ursula says, "You'll have your looks, your pretty face and don't underestimate the importance of body language," followed by the song 'Poor unfortunate souls.'
My questions to these naive, overly critical and pessimistic people who take it a little too far when they argue that Disney portrays misleading messages or teaches the wrong lessons is, it's okay to backlash a ride but you won't look at films that most people enjoy and ask yourself what kind of message is this sending to children, especially little girls? That it is okay to get a man's attention by selling your body and keeping your mouth shut? Or that it is okay to sell your body in order to get what you want from someone? In this case, is it okay for Ariel to use her body in order to get Eric to fall in love with her so that she can get what she wants which is to become human?
Even though I believe Disney to make films purely for enjoyment and to entertain audiences of all ages, I can also be over the top and cynical by saying this film teaches children that it's okay to be with someone who does not want to have a true meaningful healthy relationship with healthy communication and to just be silenced by his or her partner. Therefore, Disney should not stream any of these movies.
How about we get a little more critical and talk about 'Pinocchio.' Who looks at this film and feels a sense of compassion for Geppetto, a woodworker who lives alone with his cute cat Figaro and pet fish Cleo, who one night, wishes upon a shooting star for a real boy to father? But because people get pathetically silly and overlook the good parts, some will be quick to point out that Pinocchio gets abducted along with other boys and is taken to a place called 'Pleasure Island,' where they are lured with treats, toys, cigars and no rules. However it takes a twisted turn when the boys are turned into donkeys and placed in cages which shows a form of child trafficking. I admit that the scene where the boys are turned into donkeys and caged up is sad and horrible but we can also look at this as teaching children what is right and wrong.
How about the controversial theory behind Peter Pan who supposedly kidnaps kids and takes them to Neverland where they never grow up? Some people have said that he killed these boys which is why they never grow up to be adults. They are just stuck in a land in the sky or as Pan says, "Second star to the right and straight on till morning." My response to that kind of statement would be how do we know that these kids did not pass away and end up in an afterlife created for lost souls or in this film lost boys? We do not know and cannot exactly say what the film is meant to portray, so we are all left to interpret the stories in our own way.
Let's go over one last film, 'Beauty and the Beast' which I have to say is one of my favorite Disney films.
Belle takes her father's place as a prisoner in the Beast's castle so that he will not have to suffer being locked up alone. The Beast sends Belle's father away and Belle is left to pay the consequences but does so out of love, compassion and care of her father. Throughout the film the Beast eventually begins to show a little bit of kindness toward Belle and soon Belle begins to show affection towards Beast.
While it is a harmless Disney film, others will argue that this sends an unhealthy message to young girls by saying, "When a man shows you a small amount of decency, even after kidnapping you and holding you hostage, you must return the favor with your everlasting love."
Now of course I cannot speak on behalf of all parents, children and young adults, but what I say is, when I was a child I did not pick up any of these negative connotations. I only remember watching these films and going to Disneyland with my family and enjoying the Disney magic.
As I re-watch these films, I laugh because as a child I really had no idea or understanding of the things being said.
Something I feel worth mentioning in my opinion, is that children are pure and have no sense of what's right or wrong but will hopefully grow up to learn and develop a healthy lifestyle depending on the environment they are raised in, the healthy stable relationships they gain and good communication with those around them.
I believe that children are taught to look at certain things in a negative way and parents can be the blame for that. I understand that parents want to do their best to keep their children safe and away from harmful situations but you cannot control their environment completely especially when they go to school and meet friends. Children have to grow and will make mistakes but it is all a part of learning and growing.
Now that I am older, I do see how some messages can give the wrong impressions but I mostly look at these films as an introduction to a not so perfect world. We cannot suppress the ugliness of what goes on all around the world and cannot turn a blind eye to it either. Instead of making things a bigger deal than it actually is how about taking a different approach such as outweighing the pros and cons first. No one is perfect and yes in the film/entertainment industry many things are considered to be racist and inappropriate and I completely understand that especially since I myself voice my opinions when I come across something that I feel is a tad bit offensive. But at the end of the day it really is all for entertainment. You cannot tell me you are not one to have laughed at something that was said inappropriately.
Not to stray too far off topic but I can say it is wrong for actor Rob Schneider to portray a Hawaiian in the film '50 First Dates,' when he is not Hawaiian but I think he did really well playing the part.
There is a time and place to point out when something has gone too far but this chaos over Snow White has gone too far and is just plain silly. If people really have issues with what is being put out, all I have to say is think before making an argument and look at the opposing argument against the one you're making. If you are not willing to be open minded then I would say to cancel out any and all entertainment from your day to day life because you clearly think you live in a Utopian world where things have to be clean cut and pristine.
Despite the rumors of Walt Disney being an anti Semitic, racist, and believed to be the subject of many controversies, I'm sure he didn't mean much harm when it came to producing these films for joy and entertainment.
Let's just enjoy Disney and not dim its magic!
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