I got an email today that triggered an unusually lengthy response from me, and I thought it turned out to be something worth sharing and/or talking about.

Here was the email:

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> My name is Helen Shaw and I am a freelance journalist just starting out. I
> am writing an article about Disney movies and the way in which they do not
> give a real out look of life. I would be very grateful if you could help in
> any way.
>
> 1) What do you think it is about Disney films that makes them magical?
>
> 2)Do you think that they give children a realistic view of real life?
>
> 3)Is the creation of another world in which children can be taken on almost
> any adventure such as a journey on a magic carpet or under the sea is a
> positive thing?
>
> 4) Do you belive that maybe Disney films should be more realistic and deal
> with more issues such as death?

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And here was my reply:

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It seems odd to me that you chose your position on the issue *before* completing the research for the article. I'm not sure how much I should read into a single paragraph and four questions, but I was tempted not to answer this email at all, just because it seems to me like you're witch-hunting. Disney, Harry Potter, Barney, etc, are easy targets. Claims that they are causing all manner of ills in our children gets people's attention like urban legends do. The suggestion that the safest-seeming components of society are in fact harmful and/or subversive plays to our innate fears and parenting instincts.

Which makes it pretty irresponsible for people to attempt to cause an uproar by exaggering the true hazards or outright fabricating them. I hope that's not what you're doing, and if it is not, forgive my suspicions. In any case, my reservations haven't affected how I've answered your questions below:

> 1) What do you think it is about Disney films that makes them magical?

Most of them are based either directly or thematically on ancient fairy tales that have the kind of innate resonance in the human psyche that cause them to be remembered and retold and cherished over tens or hundreds of years. That's part of it. The other part is that Disney has, for decades and until only very recently, been the only film studio willing and able to invest in the
creation of animated fairy tale films. The creative talents and the funding for the products of those talents came together in the right way and stuck. So Disney made a name and a brand for itself in a market where there wasn't any competition until only the last few years. Even competing animation franchises -- Warner Bros' Looney Tunes, for example -- weren't really doing the same kinds of things Disney was.

> 2)Do you think that they give children a realistic view of real life?

Sure. Kids, for the most part, know full well what parts of fairy tales are fantasy and what parts aren't. Once in a while there's an exception which will usually result in them asking questions of their parents, who can straighten it out right then. But I think they *do* learn from the real parts, and there's more of that than it may first seem. The iconic fairy tales of our age -- Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc -- resonate and survive not because they're fantastical but because at some deeper level there is truth to them. Snow White really isn't about an evil sorceress, a poisoned apple, and seven dwarves. It's about vanity and jealousy, and what bad things these emotions can do to the people that hold them. It's about how we can fight against evil by banding together with kindness and love. Sleeping Beauty is about good old fashioned chivalry and romantic love. Pinocchio is about the hazards of giving in to temptation and the importance of responsibilities, to ourselves and each other.

That said...

> 3)Is the creation of another world in which children can be taken on almost
> any adventure such as a journey on a magic carpet or under the sea is a
> positive thing?
>
> 4) Do you belive that maybe Disney films should be more realistic and deal
> with more issues such as death?

...I don't really feel that it's the job of entertainment to teach these things. It's great if they do; I don't really have any objections. But parents are supposed to teach children, not movies. If parents were more involved with the teaching of their children, of instilling them with moral and ethical values, instead of using television to babysit, then any question about what entertainment "should" and "shouldn't" be doing, lest it corrupt our youth would be moot. In the absence of parental involvement, it's a lost cause anyway.

So I believe very firmly that entertainment, whether directed at children or adults or both, should basically be about entertainment. That said, I think one of the best forms of entertainment is the kind that challenges our minds and shows us new ideas and perspectives -- teaching, in effect. The human spirit was built to seek growth and wisdom. I think stories like Pinocchio are so engaging *because* they teach, *because* they are fundamentally truthful at their core. We experience stories like Pinocchio, and they resonate with us because, consciously or not, we recognize the value of the truth of them. That goes for kids as well, although of course the potential for understanding is greater as we mature.

Good luck with your article.

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Then I realized I forgot something and sent a quick second letter:

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> 4) Do you belive that maybe Disney films should be more realistic and deal
> with more issues such as death?

Incidentally, several Disney films *do* deal with death, most notably The Lion King, which had Simba witnessing the murder of his father. Following that, Simba had to learn to cope with not only the sadness of the loss but feelings of guilt as well, both pretty universal. This scene of The Lion King triggered a lot of controversy from many, who were saying that this was too intense for children. Meanwhile, others complain that Disney films aren't grounded *enough* in reality. Can't please all the people all the time.