The Dark Truth Behind Disney

Disney: the happiest place on Earth….or is it? Okay, Disney has been a strong part of our childhoods and many people have fond memories of their movies. But did you know that there’s more to this company than you think? Sure, Disney now owns Family Guy and the Simpsons, which is already quite unnerving. But here are some more disturbing facts that reveal the dark truth behind this innocent company:

Disney’s “Song of the South”: In 1946, Disney had attempted to release a movie entitled “Song of the South”, which involved the racism of African Americans after the Civil War when slavery had ended. The film features disturbing imagery of the American Negros being tortured (in a kid friendly way) and the victory of whites over blacks. What is worse is that there is no implication that the film took place in the 1870s as the date was never established in the film. This idea sparked much controversy among the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) who stated, “Song of the South unfortunately gives the impression of an idealistic master-slave relationship which is a distortion of the facts.” The movie was thankfully never released, but the fact that Disney would endorse such a movie in the 1940s is quite chilling

The Secret behind the Scent: If you have ever walked around Disneyland in California, you may have been entranced by the vanilla whiff that lingers around the area. These scents, however, are completely artificial. There are vents around the Main Street in Disneyland that release their artificial scents. Through aromatherapy, however, these fool people into thinking that Disney is truly “The happiest place on earth.” During winter, the scent is switched to peppermint, but it is all artificial, which is nothing you will hear from the Walt Disney staff.

Walt Disney himself is a sexist: Did you know that Disney films such as “The Lion King”, “Mulan”, and “Beauty and the Beast” were all produced by men? This is because Walt Disney had not wanted women to animate any movies. In fact, Disney had quoted that “women do not do creative work”. “Frozen” was the first Disney movie to be directed by women and, to this day, remains the second most successful Disney movie at over $1.5 billion (behind The Lion King at $1.6 billion). If that doesn’t show girl power, it should.

Disney’s use of alcoholism: In the 1940s, Disney’s themes and concepts were far more dark. Not only did the movies involve racism, but alcoholism as well. For example, in the 1941 film “Dumbo”, Dumbo the elephant is seen drinking alcohol. This event led to a trippy, but incredibly animated song called “Pink Elephants on Parade”. Yes, it creeped us out as kids because we had no idea what was going on and what the lyrics meant. But, as adults, we understand that Disney had referenced alcohol, and that alone is quite squirming for a kid’s company.

Disney is responsible for the sickness of over 50 young children: In 1986, Disney released “The Princess and the Frog” in which one moment involves Princess Tiana kissing a frog to turn into a prince. This scene had prompted many children to kiss frogs in real life, which led not to warts, but to salmonella poisoning. This had affected well over 50 children, and the movie was never even barred from theaters. Sure, the salmonella poisoning was unintentional, but still quite disturbing, especially since Disney did not take action.

Disney’s Reference to Nazism: In 1943, Disney had won an Oscar for a very dark and even offensive movie entitled “Der Fueher’s Face”. The film involved Donald Duck disguising himself as a Nazi to combat the Axis powers. There is even a scene where Donald Duck heils to Der Fueher (presumably Hitler). There are allusions to propaganda messages and German supremacy throughout World War II. This movie had won an Oscar and that is definitely not something we would expect to hear out of Disney

Because Disney is labelled as a children’s company, these facts must be hidden from the public. Still, you may want to keep these facts in mind on your next vacation to Walt Disneyworld or Disneyland. It may not be as happy and innocent as you think!