Disney and World Religions

REL-115 World ReligionsEmma Petersen

Disney movies provide children with stories of how to behave in society and what qualities are valuable. What children see in Disney movies stays with them through adulthood.

For lots of kids cartoons and television shows are the only place they see other religions. The accuracy of children’s movies on other cultures and religions is extremely important to the views they will have of others in their future.

There is Animism in Pocahontas, Shamanism in Brother Bear, and Roman Catholicism in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Religion can be seen in many Disney movies.

Confucianism in MulanConfucianism is clearly present in this movie

with prayers to ancestors and displays

of filial piety throughout the movie.

Honor To Us AllLyrics

This is what you give me to work with?Well, honey, I've seen worse.We're gonna turn this sow's earInto a silk purse.

We'll have you washed and driedPrimped and polished till you glow with prideTrust my recipe for instant brideYou'll bring honor to us all.

Wait and see, when we're throughBoys will gladly go to war for you.With good fortune (and a great hair-do)You'll bring honor to us all.

A girl can bring her family Great honor in one way.By striking a good matchAnd this could be the day.

Men want girls with good taste, calm, obedient. Who work fast-paced.With good breeding and a tiny waste,You'll bring honor to us all.

We all must serve our emperorWho gaurds us from the huns.The men by bearing arms,A girl by bearing sons.

When we're through, you can't failLike a lotus blossom soft and paleHow could any fellow say no sale?You'll bring honor to us all.

[grandma]An apple for serenity, a pendant for balance.Beads of jade for beauty,You must proudly show it.Now, add a cricket just for luckAnd even you can't blow it!

[mulan]Ancestors, hear my pleaHelp me not to make a fool of meAnd to not uproot my family treeKeep my father standing tall.Scarier than the undertakerWe are meeting our matchmaker!

[townspeople]Destiny, guard our girlsAnd our future as it fast unfurlsPlease look kindly on these cultured pearlsEach a perfect porcelian doll.

[girls]Please bring honor to us,Please bring honor to us,Please bring honor to us,Please bring honor to us,Please bring honor to us all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkmsyhSEaWc

Honor/Respect Towards Family

• Family honor is a main theme throughout this movie. The song honor to us all shows that to make her family proud, Mulan must become the perfect bride to show that her family raised her well. Showing respect to your family, or filial piety, is one of the core teachings of Confucius. However, in this song it gives the impression that honor can only be achieved by becoming the perfect bride and finding a good husband. It shows disrespect towards these young women that their only worth is through how they find a husband. The song itself is a mockery of honor, saying having a great hairdo will provide your family with honor. True honor according to the Confucian religion comes from respect and obedience to your mother and father.

Ancestor Worship• In the beginning scene where the

father is praying to the ancestors, it showed respect towards them. When the ancestors “come alive” they each want to do their best to help Mulan. This teaches that if you show respect towards ancestors they are willing to help you. Respect is an important part of the Confucian religion. Also paying tribute to ancestors by giving them offerings shows that you still care about them and respect them even in the afterlife. Many Chinese people believe giving offerings to ancestors will help them succeed in the afterlife where possessions are still needed.

Emperor• Respect and allegiance

to the Emperor is shown throughout this movie. Confucianism stresses the importance of following government leaders and those in charge. A constant theme is “to know your place”. From the very beginning Mulan’s journey is to find where she belongs.

Islam in Aladdin

Though Islam is not a central part of the movie

Allah’s name is mentioned several times and examples

of the pillars can be seen by some of the characters.

Western vs. ArabGood Guys Bad Guys

• In Aladdin, the “good guys”, or Aladdin and Jasmine, are portrayed with lighter skin and less of an accent. However the “bad guys”, or the police, have heavy Arab accents and are characterized with darker skin tones. This leads to a message that lighter skin is good and darker skin is bad. To any normal adult we could obviously see that there is no truth in that, but for a child watching these movies it’s easy to believe that all Arabs are bad guys.

Pillars of Islam: Giving Alms

• In the scene right after the song “One Jump Ahead”, after Aladdin and Abu have evaded the police after stealing a loaf of bread, they sit down to enjoy it only to see 2 hungry street children looking for food. Aladdin and a grudgingly Abu give up their bread that they’d gone through so much to get to the children. This clip showed a very positive portrayal of one of the pillars of Islam. Giving alms, or charity, is an important part of the Muslim faith. When Aladdin and a reluctant Abu give up their food to the hungry children they show a positive image for the Muslim faith and paint a positive picture of Islam.

Women in Islam/Arab Society

Burkas and Hijabs have always been a controversial part of the Muslim faith. Throughout this movie there are many different portrayals of how women dress from Jasmine’s belly showing outfit to the women in the streets that are almost fully covered. Even Jasmine puts on a scarf when she leaves the castle so that she will fit in with everyone else. Though wearing the hijab is not a requirement for Muslim women being modest is. Like the accents and skin coloring it seems that Jasmine has become slightly “westernized” by her clothing, not necessarily fitting in with the rest of Arabian culture. Though her clothing is also offset by the fact that she is in fact a princess. This again shows a difference between Jasmine’s Americanized image and the Arab Muslim image of the women in the streets.

Hinduism in The Lion

KingReferences to Samsara in the Circle of Life and the

idea of Brahmin living within each of us can be seen in many of the songs in The

Lion King as well as The Lion King 2.

The Circle of LifeLyrics

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba [Here comes a lion, Father] Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion] Nants ingonyama bagithi baba Sithi uhhmm ingonyama Ingonyama Siyo Nqoba [We're going to conquer] Ingonyama Ingonyama nengw' enamabala [A lion and a leopard come to this open place] [Chant repeats] From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk

The Circle of Life (aka Samsara)

• The idea that there is no beginning or end is central to Hinduism. Reincarnation ideas can be seen even in the title of the song, “The Circle of Life”. Hindu’s believe that every being has a soul and that soul goes through the cycle of samsara over and over again travelling from one body to another. This song makes this cycle easier to understand for children. In reference to despair and hope it could be referring to the cycle between the hell beings and the gods. One day you may be a god living the high life, but your next life you could wind up as a hell being. No matter what the circle goes on, the circle of life. By using this song and the images that go with it, it is easier to explain to a child the complexity of reincarnation.

He Lives in YouLyrics

Ingonyama nengw' enamabala [Here is a lion and a tiger]

NightAnd the spirit of lifeCalling

Oh, oh, iyoMamela [Listen]Oh, oh, iyo

And a voiceWith the fear of a childAnswers

Oh, oh, iyoOh, mamela [Listen]Oh, oh, iyo

Ubukhosi bo khokho [Throne of the ancestors]We ndodana ye sizwe sonke [Oh, son of the nation)]

WaitThere's no mountain too greatOh, oh, iyoHear the words and have faithOh, oh, iyoHave faith

Hela hey mamela [Hey, listen]

(Chorus)He lives in youHe lives in meHe watches overEverything we seeInto the waterInto the truthIn your reflectionHe lives in you

Ingonyama nengw' enamabala [Here is a lion and a tiger](repeat)

(repeat third verse)

(repeat chorus)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBX-nTBoV78

Atman and Brahmin as One• By saying the words “he lives in you” refers to the Hindu

idea of non-dualism. The idea that Brahmin and the self are not separate entities, but one. However, Brahmin doesn’t just live in one person, he is a part of everything, residing in every soul, watching over everything. Brahmin however is not a god. Neither is Brahmin a he. The western ideal of a monotheistic male god shows through in this movie even by saying “he”. It makes it difficult for children to understand that for some people the idea of God isn’t always some big guy up in the sky (the image of Mufasa in the sun) but can be viewed in many different ways. Though I believe that this song does a good job of incorporating the idea of Brahmin within each of us I think it provides a stereotypic view of the western perception of God.

In these three movies I have found that though many of the teachings of these three world religions are in fact present, a powerful western influence is also there. Because of this western influence aspects of these three religions are not always portrayed correctly. Though I think Disney movies should concentrate more on getting their facts straight I still believe they are a good learning tool for children to understand different world religions.

Fair Portrayal of Religion in Disney Movies?

SourcesPictures

• http://mimg.ugo.com/201103/0/0/6/177600/cuts/aladdin_480_poster.jpg

• http://www.jlbworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/walt-disney-pictures-logo.gif

• http://i43.tower.com/images/mm110818469/pocahontas-irene-bedard-vhs-cover-art.jpg

• http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61LoOHu0mzL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

• http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/253/hunchdn5.jpg/sr=1• http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513PCT8QM5L._SL500_

AA300_.jpg• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXlyOhlzheA/TtovLT5Ak9I/AAAAAAAAA

hM/1Ih-59vLgNw/s400/mulan+ancestors.jpg• http://images.wikia.com/disney/images/0/01/Mulan_027.jpg• http://sc46.tripod.com/mulan/mushu.jpg• http://www.cartoondollemporium.com/disney/mulan7.jpg• http://www.animationsource.org/sites_content/mulan/upload/fan

chars/pic_detail4cb88d8e8f46b.png• http://www.freewebs.com/jinnjinneegenie/aladdin-cover.jpg• http://canamgirl.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/aladdin2.gif• http://www.puffpieces.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Abu_

the_monkey_by_Blue_J23.jpg• http://media.photobucket.com/image/Women%20in%20aladdin/k

azanoff/aladdinwoman3.png• http://revoltoftheplebs.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/alladin10.jp

g• http://images.wikia.com/aladdin/images/b/ba/Jasmine.jpg• http://

humarashid.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/go-aladdin-aladdin-2462319-400-490.jpg

• http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/s/simba_the_lion_king-5069.jpg

• http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/the-lion-king-tops-charts.jpg

• http://www.movieposterdb.com/posters/05_06/1994/0110357/l_20044_0110357_a53ef500.jpg

Video Clips• Rikufanboy, “Mulan-Honor to Us

All,” Youtube, 12/15/08 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkmsyhSEaWc)

• Essexboi1993, “The Lion King – Circle of Life,” YouTube, 06/22/07 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk)

• Iamatissue, “Lion King – He Lives In You (English),” YouTube, 08/02/08 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBX-nTBoV78)