Lion King Stereotypes

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Over the past 70 years, Walt Disney Productions has produced animated feature films that have captured the heart and imagination of audiences of all ages through the magic of storytelling and imagery. Radical social shifts have occurred throughout these years and the social norm has not always been of the utmost benefit to all genders or racial creeds. To refute that these ups and downs have not been captured within some Disney animated classics, as in all others forms of literature and art, would be a misconception. In the essay “All’s Not Well in Land of The Lion King,” Margaret Lazarus is of the opinion that Disney’s latest incarnation continues to reinforce stereotypes present in its past animated features. Simply because Lazarus associates…show more content…
Not only is the logic of this assertion faulty; the telling of the story disproves it. For instance, does not Scar himself bring about change with the death of Mufasa? Scar was not born to power yet, once Mufasa is dead, he assumes power over the Pride Lands. The story may not have ended with Scar or the hyenas still in power but they certainly facilitated change through the transformation of the once regal land to barren ruins reminiscent of the elephant graveyard (The Lion King). It almost seems as if Lazarus has it in for the genre of animated children’s stories! The idea that such a negative theme must be brought into the story tells volumes about Lazarus in that she resents her inability to bring about change herself. Alas, we all have issues but that doesn’t make it right for us to impose our opinions and beliefs upon what we can only assume to understand. Lazarus should not judge lest she be judged. If change only occurred through Simba’s ascension to the throne, her argument may have had merit but that is obviously not the case. Had Lazarus refined her semantics of the word change, it may have been possible to for her present a logical argument along the lines only those born to privilege can bring about positive change but she presented no such argument and such an…show more content…
I feel that Lazarus has transposed her concerns and worries regarding society upon the film in an attempt to feel justified and somehow explain the cause for problems in our society. While I agree that major social issues need to be addressed in the world today, animated feature films like The Lion King are not the cause of these injustices. Lazarus’s concerns that the imagery contained within the film is detrimental to children and their future social and personal relations are not valid. Despite assumed negative social connotations, I do not feel that The Lion King will negatively affect future
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