Walt Disney Influence On Society
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Walter Elias Disney was fascinated with the arts and it helped him through his very busy childhood. Disney was kept busy with chores and secretly sketched nature and animals all around him. From an early age Disney drew sketches whenever he could, but when his father fell ill he had to put away the sketchpad and become a man. After Disney’s schooling ended, he enlisted in the “American Ambulance Corps during World War I (Slayman, 2).” The Disney brothers used this fascination with art and turned it into something they could profit from. The pair founded Disney Brother Studios, which would later be known as Walt Disney Studios. Walt Disney was one of the most influential men of the 1900’s, using his animations to bring the American people
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The film was released in 1937, right in the midst of the Great Depression. Even though people were starved and poor, they still managed to attend movies. It was the only escape from the reality of their terrible lives. That is just what Snow White was for the American people: she was their escape. Snow White resembled the American people during the Great Depression, poor and scrounging for work. The Evil Queen represented the Great Depression itself, robbing Snow White of her wealth and trying to steal her beauty. In a way, the Prince that comes to save Snow White takes after President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who managed to save the American people from the Great Depression, just as the Prince saved Snow White from the Evil Queen. As Tracey Mollet states in “With a Smile and a Song…”, “ Through its transformed narrative, Snow White infuses hope and positivity into a society struggling with the Depression (Mollet, 111).” Disney’s first animation was a huge success, giving the American people the hope they needed to get through the …show more content…
The idea of a “happily ever after” was almost unheard of during the Depression, and this is what kept most Americans hoping for a better tomorrow. Disney took the story from the Grimm books and revamped it into a happy fairy-tale. As Mollet states in her paper, “ Disney transformed her into the leading role in the rags to riches story of the American Dream (Mollet, 114).” In other words, Snow White became relatable to the American people and that is what they loved about her. She became a head figure for hope during the Depression. According to Isnawati Wantasen, “The common gender stereotype in American popular culture is that of the traditional wife and mother. Explored in Disney animated movies such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs… (Wantasen, 5).” What Wantasen meant is that Disney had specific gender roles set in place, and Snow White depicted the kind and caring mother many people wanted. Through all the harm and mistreatment she had endured, Snow White never got angry or lashed out, and the American people were learning from this
The film was released in 1937, right in the midst of the Great Depression. Even though people were starved and poor, they still managed to attend movies. It was the only escape from the reality of their terrible lives. That is just what Snow White was for the American people: she was their escape. Snow White resembled the American people during the Great Depression, poor and scrounging for work. The Evil Queen represented the Great Depression itself, robbing Snow White of her wealth and trying to steal her beauty. In a way, the Prince that comes to save Snow White takes after President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who managed to save the American people from the Great Depression, just as the Prince saved Snow White from the Evil Queen. As Tracey Mollet states in “With a Smile and a Song…”, “ Through its transformed narrative, Snow White infuses hope and positivity into a society struggling with the Depression (Mollet, 111).” Disney’s first animation was a huge success, giving the American people the hope they needed to get through the …show more content…
The idea of a “happily ever after” was almost unheard of during the Depression, and this is what kept most Americans hoping for a better tomorrow. Disney took the story from the Grimm books and revamped it into a happy fairy-tale. As Mollet states in her paper, “ Disney transformed her into the leading role in the rags to riches story of the American Dream (Mollet, 114).” In other words, Snow White became relatable to the American people and that is what they loved about her. She became a head figure for hope during the Depression. According to Isnawati Wantasen, “The common gender stereotype in American popular culture is that of the traditional wife and mother. Explored in Disney animated movies such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs… (Wantasen, 5).” What Wantasen meant is that Disney had specific gender roles set in place, and Snow White depicted the kind and caring mother many people wanted. Through all the harm and mistreatment she had endured, Snow White never got angry or lashed out, and the American people were learning from this