Disney and Disability

In my Spanish class the other day, we were discussing how disabilities are portrayed in our culture. We concluded that generally there is a stigma about people with disabilities and many people with disabilities are discriminated against. Whether through obvious means, such as directly telling someone with disabilities that they cannot do something, or less obvious means, such as the structure of a building, those with disabilities are often treated as outsiders.

We looked at artwork by Frida Kahlo and examined the symbolism behind them and how they related to disability.

Since then, I have been wondering about other cultural products that discuss disability, like Disney movies. Some animated Disney characters with disabilities that came to my mind are Quasimodo and Nemo.

Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, has an obvious physical disability. Frollo, who almost kills Quasimodo as a baby, never allows him to leave the bell tower. If you were to watch only the first half of the movie, you could conclude that people with disabilities can never be socially accepted. Frollo is so cruel to Quasimodo and tells him that he is “ugly and a monster”.

   

At the end of the movie, Quasimodo is celebrated as the hero and finally accepted by the townspeople. This is a positive and socially progressive message to send to children. However, Quasimodo is still not good enough to have the traditional Disney ending. He does not end up with Esmeralda. Instead, the white, tall, blond hair, blue-eyed Phoebus and Esmeralda appear to have a happily ever after. This seems to send the message to children that although those with disabilities may be socially accepted, they will never find love. This is not only discriminatory but also just false.

Another Disney animated character with a disability is Nemo from Finding Nemo. Nemo has a “lucky fin” that is smaller than the other fin. His father, Marlin, believes that because of his smaller fin, Nemo can’t go to school at the normal time or swim very well. When Nemo was playing with his friends at the drop off, Marlin stopped him and said, "You think you can do these things but you just can't Nemo!".Although Nemo does not believe the fin affects his abilities, his father is skeptical and paranoid. This shows the effect family members can have on a person with a disability.

When Nemo gets taken by the divers, Marlin and Dory cross the ocean to find him. Through this journey, Marlin learns that in order for his son to succeed he had to believe in Nemo and let him do things on his own. This movie sends a positive message about those with disabilities. It says that those with disabilities like Nemo are capable of accomplishing their goals.

Although Finding Nemo and the Hunchback of Notre Dame have positive messages at the end of each film, I don’t believe they are progressive enough. I think Disney should make an animated film where the protagonist has a disability and also has the classic Disney happily ever after ending. A princess in a wheel chair or an animated animal that is different from the others would go a long way in promoting equality and acceptance.