Do Animated Disney Characters Portray and Promote the Beauty–Goodness Stereotype?

Abstract

The films of Walt Disney have served as icons of childhood over the last century. The Disney Corporation’s success is evidenced in its financial fortitude. In 1995, Walt Disney Company had the biggest market share, relative to the number of releases, at 19% (Smith & Thompson, 1996). In 1997, Disney had sales of nearly $24 billion. This made Disney the world’s second largest media firm behind Time Warner. As of mid-2007, Disney was a Dow 30 company, with annual revenues of nearly$34 billion in its previous fiscal year (“Disney Acquires Club Penguin,” 2007). Films for children contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to Disney annually (Robertson, 1998). One researcher suggested that Disney films inspire at least as much cultural authority and legitimacy for teaching specific roles, values, and ideals than more traditional sites of learning, such as public schools, religious institutions, and the family (Giroux, 1995). Their popularity among children and adults has led a handful of researchers to assess character portrayals within these films. For instance, Robinson, Callister, Magoffin, and Moore (2007) recently evaluated Disney’s portrayal of the elderly