Disney's Impact on Children's Perception of Reality

Abigail K. Robideaux

Abstract / Artist's Statement

  1. The topic will be looking into how Disney programs have an impact on children’s perception of race and gender through the analyzation of the following questions. These questions will be answered through the films Luca and Dumbo.
    1. In what ways does Disney create stereotypes in children?
    2. In what ways could Disney be more inclusive?
  1. The purpose of this research is to understand how visual rhetoric plays a role in children’s perception of reality and if corporations should take greater accountability in the stories they are telling.
  2. In both films, there will be a focus on who the main characters are as well as the supporting characters with descriptions of both their mental and physical traits followed by an analysis of their predictability and whether they seem to be portrayed as one’s viewers out to admire or aspire to be like or not and why.
    1. There will also be an evaluation of the potential implications of the text and how realism and intimacy are used to make the stories believable and compelling as well as how they relate to cultural, historical, and social contexts through a narrative lens.
    2. There will be research conducted on peer reviewed articles to establish
  3. The Significance of this research is to understand the direct impacts television and films have on children, shaping their perceptions of reality. Children are already surrounded by advertisements at almost every second of the day, so the intention is to make sure that the shows parents allow their children to watch are not leading them to think a certain way without recognition of it. If parents continue to let their kids watch these shows, then the hope is that a discussion will follow about what is being seen and the lack of representation of certain individuals or how what is being watched leads children to think of certain people as superior. The data is still being collected but this is the significance of this research, gaining insight on how much television informs us of society without personal awareness of what is being addressed.

This paper has been withdrawn.
 
Apr 22nd, 2:00 PM Apr 22nd, 2:20 PM

Disney's Impact on Children's Perception of Reality

UC 330

  1. The topic will be looking into how Disney programs have an impact on children’s perception of race and gender through the analyzation of the following questions. These questions will be answered through the films Luca and Dumbo.
    1. In what ways does Disney create stereotypes in children?
    2. In what ways could Disney be more inclusive?
  1. The purpose of this research is to understand how visual rhetoric plays a role in children’s perception of reality and if corporations should take greater accountability in the stories they are telling.
  2. In both films, there will be a focus on who the main characters are as well as the supporting characters with descriptions of both their mental and physical traits followed by an analysis of their predictability and whether they seem to be portrayed as one’s viewers out to admire or aspire to be like or not and why.
    1. There will also be an evaluation of the potential implications of the text and how realism and intimacy are used to make the stories believable and compelling as well as how they relate to cultural, historical, and social contexts through a narrative lens.
    2. There will be research conducted on peer reviewed articles to establish
  3. The Significance of this research is to understand the direct impacts television and films have on children, shaping their perceptions of reality. Children are already surrounded by advertisements at almost every second of the day, so the intention is to make sure that the shows parents allow their children to watch are not leading them to think a certain way without recognition of it. If parents continue to let their kids watch these shows, then the hope is that a discussion will follow about what is being seen and the lack of representation of certain individuals or how what is being watched leads children to think of certain people as superior. The data is still being collected but this is the significance of this research, gaining insight on how much television informs us of society without personal awareness of what is being addressed.