Summary Of Mental Illness In Disney Films

The critical literature on disability in Disney films and the changes of representation throughout the years is a major aspect of this dissertation. This section will be brief as I will be employing the critical sources I name here in the subsequent chapters. The results of research done by Lawson & Fouts (2004, p. 312) show that 85% of animated Disney films include references to characters who have mental illnesses. This research has also shown that 21% of the major characters were referred to as being mentally ill, such as, Jafar from Aladdin, Maurice from Beauty and the Beast and Mrs Jumbo from Dumbo. Their findings have shown that children who watch films from The Walt Disney Company are exposed to a much greater frequency of mental illness than is typically shown on television and perhaps they are exposed to a greater frequency of mental illness than they will ever experience in their lives. …show more content…
In Disney films mental illness words such as ‘crazy’, ‘mad’ or ‘nutty’ were often used to signify and alienate the inferior status of others. During the climax of the film, Maurice is cuffed and thrown into a ‘lunacy wagon’. Lawson & Fouts (2004, pp. 312,313) argue that this scene could cause children to believe that mentally ill people are hazardous and frightening, and that they must be locked up for the safety of society. However, it is clear that this is a gross injustice. In Beauty and the Beast (1991) Gaston’s sidekick Le Fou, sings the lyrics, ‘no one persecutes harmless crackpots like Gaston’, which reinforces this injustice. The ‘harmless’ would indicate that both the villains and the audience would know that this is