Disney in the Classroom
Page 4 of 5
Ray Bradbury said Disneyland "liberates men to their better
selves". The adult who passed through Disneyland's gates experienced what was
best about childhood. "Lucky indeed is the grownup who manages to retain the
eagerness to learn and a child's strong sense of excitement". Walt created
Disneyland to celebrate a child's belief that the world is a wonderful place
and to allow families to experience that belief together.
We watch clips from The Disneyland Story and
Dateline: Disneyland to see how Disneyland was created. We discuss
how Disneyland fulfilled many Americans' ideas of what their country stood for
and what it could become in the future. I end the discussion by having
students write about whether they believe Disneyland still fulfills this
purpose for Americans today.
A student's view of Disneyland
(c) Disney
"This is my family, it's little and broken, but still good.
Yeah, still good"
-Stitch
As we finish the school year I'm going to review
the values and aspirations of American culture that Disney reflected in the
1950's and early 1960's. After discussing the rebellion against most of what
was considered mainstream American culture and values; (from the late
1960's on) I will use clips from modern Disney films and television series to
discuss whether the values Disney reflected before that rebellion are still
valid today.
A hero?
(c) Touchstone
We will start with a comparison
of Davy Crockett to what appears to be a completely different
character. Jack Skellington, in A Nightmare before Christmas, at
first appears to be a completely self centered and twisted creature who is
determined to do something that is obviously wrong. However,
when everything falls apart he undergoes a transformation. Filled with
remorse he determines to make things right at great personal risk to
himself. Appearances aside he has become, like Mr. Crockett, a
traditional American hero.
The same dream
(c) Disney
(c) Disney
Next we will compare the 1961 and 1998 versions of
The Parent Trap. While changes have been made it is amazing how similar
the updated story is. I think this shows the continued yearning in our
culture for a stable family life. Divorce may be necessary, but we still
don't believe that its a good thing, and we still want to avoid it if we can.
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Posted: 3/17/10