The Lion King

                                                                   

Walt Disney

The Lion King

                                                                            1994

The Lion King has always been one of my favorite movies but now watching it with a new perceptive it's a whole new movie to me. This movie has racism and stereotyping all through out it. No wonder little kids think the dark hair doll is bad all of their movies tell them they are. After today I don't know I could call The Lion King one of my favorite movies.

Scar who is darker and has dark hair is known as the bad guy in this movie. He lives in the dark land ( ghetto ) with the hyenas.In the dark lands there are no rules. The hyenas live there and are known as dumb and evil animals; they are not aloud in the green lands. The actor that play scar and the hyenas are darker as well. The scar on Scar's evil is almost gang like. Scar is sneaky and a liar; doesn't show up to family gatherings and then kills his own family. Making children fear darker skin and think lower of them.

Mufasa the king of the green lands has lighter skin and light hair. Also played by a white actor as well as Simba. Someday everything will all be handed down to Simba. Teaching Simba not to have to work a day in his life and that the male in powers all. Kings can do anything they want and don't need advise. It plays off of the light skin and dark skin against each other treating children that it is the right thing to do.

Scar forms a army of hyenas to kills Mufasa and Simba ( acting almost Hitler like ). He make promises he can't keep and is not concerned about his own kind at all. He wants them to listen and do what he demands. Teaching children that is how darker skin handle their problems and get things done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGj1FHiXOzw

He treats Simba into believing he killed his own father and he needs to run away. Portraying children as naive and treating them it is okay to run away from your problems.

Woman in this movie are stereotype all through out it as well. When the light lion is king the woman are there to take care of the children. Then when the dark lion takes over they make their woman do all the work. They are lost without their male leader. Teaching children woman are hopeless without a light man their to guide them.

In the end Scar has the land and it's turned to dark dry land ( ghetto ) but as soon as Simba takes over everything returns to the greens. So just in case children didn't realize that light skin is better they get one last chance.

I searched the Internet to see if others felt the same way as I do and I found many site that backed up my new findings in this movie. As a child I'm not sure if I put two and two together but how could you not. Disney puts racism and stereotyping in our children's head but yet we still take them to see these movies. I hope to read in others blogs that they found a safe movie for our children to watch.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/flionkingcolumn.htm

http://www.newint.org/easier-english/Disney/diswomen.html

      http://www.intervarsitylafe.org/barrioprophets/blog/?p=49

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-lion-king/748

Analysis of the picture book

A Cool Kid -Like Me!, Hans Wilhelm, 1990

This is a story about a boy who everyone thought was a "cool kid" and didn't let many children see the real him except by his grandma. Only to her will he tell the awful truth, his coolness is merely a facade, and he's actually terrified without the night-light on. When his grandma goes on vacation, she gives the boy a teddy bear to keep him company and he loves it so much. Although his parents think he's too old for a stuffed animal and his friends think it is a weird present for a cool kid to get. In his grandma's absence the bear becomes a confidant, listening patiently as the boy tells of his inner fears until the day grandma returns.

I would have to say the characters are pretty stereotypical,  just one white happy "cool" family. This book states if your cool then you don't have fears. All the power in this story go with being "cool". His parents and friends expect that from him but if he states how he really feels he wont be "cool" anymore. I believe the grandma has the wisdom since she assures him it is okay to be scared and to like teddy bears still which is how it should be. She lets him know it's still "cool" to be yourself.

His consequences are having to live with two different lives and only be himself when he is alone. His mom doesn't know he doesn't like the dark so she turns off the lights or that he wants his teddy so she puts it away up high. Now he has to wait until she is gone for the light and to grab his teddy instead of just telling his mom and friends and not having to deal with this everyday. His traits feel rewarded when he acts "cool" and his family and friends want to be around him.

Hans Wilhelm wrote and illustrated this story and many others. He want children to relate with other children who have fears themselves. I guess I would say he is inside the groups he is presenting since he is white but he has moved around most of his life. He wants to share is life affirming concepts he has learned along the way to others.

I would say in this story there are 3 voices heard the boys, his grandma, and then everyone else together. The boys voice is conflicted on who he should listen to and what type of boy should he be. The grandma has the right voice letting children know its okay to be a child and to be yourself. The other voices are the voices we shouldn't listen to, that your only "cool" if you are like everyone else and don't have fears. I believe the voice that is missing is the voice of the parents and other children letting him know its okay to be himself and everyone has fears.

I don't think this would be a book I would recommend to anyone. I think there are better books out there that let you know its okay to be yourself. Also maybe the word "cool" shouldn't be used since children already have a problem with "cool kids" and "nerds".