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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not understand what's so wrong with Disney??

104 replies

Anythingwithagiraffeonit · 02/06/2011 12:01

I keep reading on other threads about a great dislike of Disney.

On the 'expectations of myself as future mum' thread one of the points the OP makes is that she won't allow anything Disney, and this is just one of many times I've read this.

Am I missing something? I can't wait to show DD Disney films, take her to Florida and make her an amazing dressing up box including princess clothes.

AIBU to not get what's so wrong with it?

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 02/06/2011 12:43

So what if kids dream of being a princess or a prince... or any other disney character, they are only children for a short time, and I believe in letting them enjoy the magical time that is childhood. Why spoil it for them by letting them know from day one that your prince will rarely come, and you wont always live happily every after... they can learn all that as they get older.

I also grew up on disney films and (shock horror!!) Enid Blyton books, but I have coped quite well in the real world and not turned out to be a racist or been gutted that I havent married into royalty.

libbylobs · 02/06/2011 12:44

i totally agree well said,silverfrog.x

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 02/06/2011 12:44

god I love a bit of disney.
i was quite a sinister, gothic child and teen, and so pooh-poohed disney at the time. dd1 has just grown into it, and i love it all. of course dd1 won't grow up to be a princess - neither will she frolic in a secret garden, but I'm not going to ban Frances Hodgson Burnett for giving her unrealistic expectations.

anyway, despite my encouragement of Disney, she doesn't want to be a princess. she want to be a surgeon. but one who wears sparkly pink shoes.

silverfrog · 02/06/2011 12:46

one of the funniest things I saw at Disneyworld was my 2 girls interacting with the princesses.

the princesses were trying on all their usual "oh, it's such hard work being pretty" guff - dd1 talked ot them constantly about telling the time, and showed them her new (non-Disney) watch.

dd2 spent the hwole time interpreting for dd1 (dd1 has severe ASD) and making sure that the princesses were answering dd1's queires about the time etc. and then talke d alittle about herself - not a mention of beauty etc. and this form a girl who is awestruck in the presence of princesses - her world was complete, for that second (until she saw some flowers she wanted to look at, and then a boat she wanted to go on - her favourite ride, which she insiste don going on over and over was the car ride - not really been a petrol head before, but since she is clearly unlikely ot be a racing driver when she grows up, I shouldn't encourage that either....)

Haribojoe · 02/06/2011 12:49

I'm with silverfrog on this one.

I think it would be a sad world if children weren't encouraged to dream, regardless of what those dreams are, being a princess, going to the moon, waiting for Father Christmas to arrive, the list is endless.

NoobyNoob · 02/06/2011 12:50

There is no happily ever after in life

Chirst, what a happy soul you are overmydeadbody

I happen to love Disney, and I'm looking forward to taking my children when they're older.

I loved the fantasy when I was growing up, getting to dress as a princess and waiting for my prince charming. I wasn't let down or failed just because I realised that dreams don't come true, they have come true, just in a different way.

libbylobs · 02/06/2011 12:56

theres enough bad and unhappy things that children will have to face in this world,so let them be children while they can . i have done it once with ac so cant wait to do it all again with 6yr old dd and gsx2

missinglalaland · 02/06/2011 12:58

Disney is great! Yes it's commercial, yes it wants your money. I think they give you a pretty high quality experience for your money too. My husband and I do lots of low key "free" type stuff with the kids. Lots of museums, cycling in national forests, and National Trusts visits and the like. BUT, we have taken them to Disney, we do let them watch the movies, and we have had no problem with grannies and aunties buying princess costumes at Tescos. We have two daughters, and we are already seeing that they move on from "pink" and "princess" very quickly.

When your children watch a Disney movie or show, you don't have to worry about it being too complex, too dark, or sexual for them. If you are fortunate enough to afford a Disney vacation (the cost is eye-watering), you get a nice hotel, beautiful grounds, well thought out details and friendly staff. Everything is child friendly; you need never fear feeling frozen out of a decent restaurant because people won't tolerate children while on Disney property. At Disney, they tolerate even hellions!

Next, I really don't know what Walt and Roy Disney's political views were. There have been persistent rumours that they were anti-semites. It is, however, a fact that they produced anti-Nazi propaganda during WWII. It is also a fact that the CEO of Disney has been a Jewish man for the last 27 years! (First Eisner, then Iger) So, I seriously doubt that the Disney Corp has been pumping out anything anti-semtic during my adult lifetime.

Finally, the "classic" Disney princess movies did have women in passive, traditional female roles. The more recent ones have fiesty (Little Mermaid), intelligent (Belle), hard working (Tiana) females.

ScrotalPantomime · 02/06/2011 13:03

I already did a thread on this a few days back but I will read this all later. :)

DD mostly loves the animal type ones - things about princesses really don't capture her attention, even though she loves dressing up as snow white at preschool (while playing football and looking at bugs).

I do find the sexism in some films quite annoying, but as we don't have most of them, and we have so far managed to ignore the huge amount of princess crap in the shops, it hasn't made a big impact on my DCs - will be watching out for it, but I don't see the need to ban it or anything.

papermate · 02/06/2011 13:07

My 8 year olds doesn't want to be a princess anymore, she is now concentrating on how to get to Malory Towers!

bbird1 · 02/06/2011 13:11

overmydeadbody - please tell me you aint been serious??

Lorenz · 02/06/2011 13:13

Disney is a load of sweat sucking arse crack licking snot dribbling blob of mould. I took the kids to Florida Disney and it was terrible. CORNY CORNY CORNY sickly disgusting shit hole. Hated it.

Universal Studios is cool though Smile

soverylucky · 02/06/2011 13:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 02/06/2011 13:23

I don't like Disney because I think the majority of it is shit.

(Jungle book and similar are OK, but I can't watch anything newer than that really)

Ghibli on the other hand.. Wink

Justdontno · 02/06/2011 13:24

I love disney, still watch the films now. My girls have a disney princess decorated bedroom (their choice) though now they are getting older they want hello kitty. The horror!!! I think people are overthinking things a little...fairy tales have been around since long before walt disney.

I wanted to go to malory towers too. And have an adventure like the famous five. I particularly wanted to eat hard boiled eggs dipped in salt and say 'jolly good' a lot. Grin

picturerail · 02/06/2011 13:37

Those of you that don't do Disney, what do you do? Why is it any worse than anything else? Is it just the Princess stuff that riles people or it across the board? What about the boys stuff? Do you object to Toy Story, Cars, Wall-E? I don't get this. As for you people Lorenz that have been to Walt Disney World, why oh why did you go? Surely you knew what it was all about before you paid your money??

HaughtyChuckle · 02/06/2011 13:56

I don't think its bad

How many of us grew up on disney?

How many of us were stupid enough to take in everything in the cartoons? not many give children more credit they know its not real there not daft its entertainment.

If a child is that guilible they shouldn't really be watching it like anything else.

Lorenz · 02/06/2011 14:03

I went for the kid's sake and because their grandmother (who was with us) insisted. Everyone, including the grandmother hated it and the kids have asked if we "have to" do Disney when we go back!

JarethTheGoblinKing · 02/06/2011 14:08

picturerail Dreamworks or Ghibli (though even bloody Ghibli is distrubuted/affiliated with Disney these days.. )

I found a lot of Disney films quite traumatic as a child, probably why I don't want DS to watch them now.

bluebobbin · 02/06/2011 14:12

I love Disney. I buy the DVDs, some items from the Disney Store and I have taken the kids to Disneyland Paris (which we all really enjoyed). I want to take them to Disneyland in America but will have to save up for that...

Cars 2 is coming out in the cinema in July. DS is sooooo excited and actually DD is as well. I really cannot see the problem and I would go as far as to say that people who totally ban Disney are making their kids miss out on a really fun part of childhood.

fatlazymummy · 02/06/2011 14:42

No you're not being unreasonable at all OP.
This is something I have only come across on Mumsnet, in fact over the last few days. None of my children were obsessed with Disney but they did enjoy watching various films and I wouldn't have dreamed of banning it. That's because I wanted them to have fun and enjoy their childhood without overanalysing
I didn't know that Walt Disney was anti semetic which is not something I approve of, there again I don't what the personal beliefs and attitudes are of any other film producers are.

picturerail · 02/06/2011 14:48

Lorenz, sorry to go on at you but as i said before, surely you knew what it was all about before you went? What didn't you and the kids like about it? I only ask as you're response is very extreme - grandmas, parents and kids not liking it is very unusual! I've been to WDW and Universal Studios and they are a much of a muchness - the same sort of rides and marketing - why was Disney so much worse? How old are your DC? My DS are very young and we're yet to take them to Florida. They love Disneyland Paris even the girly pink bits of it. Should i expect them to roll their eyes and refuse to go in a couple of years time when they outgrow Buzz Lightyear and co?

And Jareth, what's the difference between Disney and Dreamworks? Aren't they both trying to sell us parents toy tie-ins and Happy Meals? Is it that their stories are better than Disney's or the quality of their film making or are their messages better?

Don't get me wrong I'm not a paid up Disney fan club member, I just don't know what the problem is and why people object to it so much.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 02/06/2011 14:51

It's shite, that's what's wrong with it. If dd gets into it then I'll grin and bear it but there is something very odd about adults who wet their knickers over it.

pointissima · 02/06/2011 14:52

Disney is mindless pulp.

izzybiz · 02/06/2011 14:54

I grew up on Disney and still love it now, I am waiting another couple of years untill DS2 is a little older then I want to take the DC to Florida.
I can't remember ever being dissapointed that I haven't grown up to be a princess or being rescued and living happily ever after.
I dreamed of lots of things as a child, horse rider, ballerina, lorry driver, I'm none of them!

I think people look to much into these things sometimes, children dream and make believe, its part of childhood along with Father Christmas and the tooth fairy!