On the other hand, if you learn, explore, and understand a . It may have come from some sort of New Age spirituality, but the problem comes when the concept is misused in a way that trivializes generations of deep Indigenous belief from a host of different cultures. Disney added the idea of the sky lanterns released on the princess birthday, which led to some of the most beautiful visuals in the film. However, it's undeniable that some elements of Disney movies (especially older ones) simply don't hold up well today specifically in regards to how they treat women, people of color, and queer people. ", "To make matters even worse, the little mermaid's voice is her most cherished talent," wrote Simone Torn for Screen Rant. My favorite quote from Brother Bear: "Hey baby! Aug. 30, 2017. The rest of the songs are Elvis Presley songs. Frozen features Norwegian traditions ranging from rosemaling on walls and dresses to trolls, Fjord horses and saunas. All American Indian medicine ceremonies are also preceded by a purification ritual, the purpose of which is to invoke humbleness. Kenai accepts his new surroundings and is comfortable living with the other bears. [12], The film is traditionally animated but includes some CG elements such as "a salmon run and a caribou stampede". Shauna White Bear is on a mission to take moccasins back from the cultural appropriators who stole the hand-crafted footwear from Indigenous people and continue to profit from it. While the first film dealt with Kenai's relationship with Koda, this one focuses more on his bond with a young human of his past, Nita. The protagonist, a human youth who finds himself transformed into a grizzly, is named Kenai. Do you find the movie Brother Bear offensive and/or inaccurate? What Chuck Berry Taught Us About Cultural Appropriation. In this form they can wreck havoc with their enemies and have additional skills at hunting as well. Most people had at least one small power. Contrary to speculation, news writer Jim Hill stated the release date switch was not because Home on the Range was suffering from story rewrites, but to promote Brother Bear on the Platinum Edition release of The Lion King. The Spirits, represented by Sitka's spirit in the form of a bald eagle, arrive and transform Kenai into a bear after the dead bear's body evaporates and joins them. "[29] Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 48 based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". 1. I will go over the movies that either take place outside the United-States or focus on minorities of the United-States (but I will skip Songs of the South!). If you show love and appreciation for parts of a culture, such as clothing, hairstyles, or accessories, but remain prejudiced against its people, that's appropriation. Cultural appropriation involves pillaging, especially for profit or cool cred, without respect or reverence, like non-Black kids who talk and dress in the hip-hop style because it's trendy but . Aladdin was Disneys first attempt at a non-European folktale. Ohio University launched a poster campaign in 2011 called "We're a Culture, Not a Costume.". You might be familiar with the Disney theme park ride "Splash Mountain" or the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah." The two hyenas who speak are voiced by actors of color (Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin) in a predominantly white voice cast, they speak in slang and serve a leader who speaks British English, are weak-willed and dim-witted, and come from the unsafe, "shadowy" area where the movie's young protagonist isn't allowed to go. Kendrick Lamar performing at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. He hunts down and chases the bear up onto a rocky cliff, fighting and eventually slaying it. Is Brother Bear Cultural Appropriation. Mostly, people view cultural appropriation as simply the adoption of some particular cultural aspects of another culture. "Dumbo" also includes a song called "Song of the Roustabouts," in which faceless black circus "workers" sing offensive lyrics like "We slave until we're almost dead / We're happy-hearted roustabouts" and "Keep on working / Stop that shirking / Pull that rope, you hairy ape.". The voice actors were American and African-American. Mehgan Gallagher. Sweeney. On Disney Plus, Disney has since added a disclaimer to "Dumbo" that said the movie contains racist stereotypes. Some of these movies have a vague setting while others are more specific. Our modern understanding of cultural appropriation is highly individualised. : Why Disney Channel turned down Brother Bear: The Series", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brother_Bear&oldid=1141793525, Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Young Actor, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 20:57. Rafiki might be meant to be some sort of African shaman (?). In the novel, there is a tribe of black people, but they are Tarzans enemies. 578. [19], Brother Bear was originally slated for a spring 2004 release, while Home on the Range was scheduled for a 2003 release. Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a dominant group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. In order to wake Princess Aurora from the eternal sleeping curse that the villainous Maleficent's spinning wheel has placed her under, Prince Phillip gives Princess Aurora "true love's kiss.". Big Hero 6 is based on an American comic book set in Tokyo, but the movie is set in a fictional city called San Fransokyo. Disney's Brother Bear games were released in November 2003 for Game Boy Advance, PC and mobile phones. Tahana reveals that his spirit helper is the bear. 2019, A Movie-Analysis of the Nature-Society Relations and underlying Cultural Values in Walt Disney Animation's Feature Film "Brother Bear", in respect of Norman K. Denzins Approach The relation between nature and society has been a topic of discussion not only in sociology but also other scientific fields such as ecology, biology . Disney wisely avoided recreating this scene in the "Dumbo" remake, but they cheekily reference it. [10] However, Blaise explained that "we were struggling [with the story], trying to get some charm into the film. Cultural appropriation is the "adoption or taking of specific elements of one culture by another without substantive reciprocity, permission, compensation, understanding, or appreciation" (Chepp, 2012). of cultural appropriation while eschewing the identification of cultural outsiders in individual cases. Some people argue teaching young viewers to unconsciously associate stereotypical queerness with villains can have a harmful effect on how they view and associate with members of the LGBT community. as well as other partner offers and accept our, Walt Disney Productions/RKO Radio Pictures, Visit Insider's homepage for more stories, Kristen Bell recalled asking her young daughters in an interview with Parents.com, many believe the crows to be racist caricatures of black Americans, "Pinocchio" live-action remake moving forward, wrote Elizabeth Broadbent for The Huffington Post, apes embody historically dehumanizing, racist comparisons between black people and apes, Kenzie Allen, a descendant of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, told The Atlantic, The New York Times said of the song in 1993, Dann Hassler-Forest wrote in The Washington Post, argues YouTuber Rowan Ellis in her video essay. What is cultural appropriation? Horrified of what he has done, Kenai runs away in a fit of guilt, but Koda soon follows him. killed in an altercation with a bear, another brother kills the bear to avenge his brother's death. "I've struggled with Disney's 'Pocahontas' as a source of pain and stereotype," Kenzie Allen, a descendant of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, told The Atlantic. Instead of "catching" this spirit power, he is transformed into it. The story is an original folktale, but Maui is a famous character in Polynesian mythology. For the parade, the song had slightly changed lyrics and was performed by an ensemble. I love it when Disney movies travel around the world. "The hyenas transparently represent the black, brown, and disabled bodies that are forcefully excluded from this hierarchical society," Dann Hassler-Forest wrote in The Washington Post. Tribal. With their bucked teeth, slanted eyes, and stereotypical East Asian accents, they're racist caricatures. The cats' entrance is even marked by the sound of a gong. The tone of these film also varies, from the comedic anachronisms of Hercules to the darker approach of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is based on a German fairy tale and Pinocchio is based on an Italian novel. In addition, for many Indigenous peoples and local communities, making traditional clothes is a source of income; as such, cultural appropriation can . Look for much more on American Indian medicine powers to come. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. In the halls of academia, discourse regarding cultural appropriation arose in the late 1970s, sparked by the publication of Edward Said 's famous book "Orientalism.". Now imagine if they did an animated movie like Moana, but with a black African Disney princess. The Mongolians, though, not so much. "[35] Kenneth Turan, reviewing for the Los Angeles Times, complimented "the richness and fluidity of its visuals" and the "satisfying ending", but derided that "Brother Bear has an appeal that can't be denied. The 2014 film "Maleficent," which is told from the villain's point of view, attempts to resolve the problematic scene by focusing on the untold story of Maleficent's eventual bond with Aurora. The score builds at just the right times and knows when to lead the audience to a more somber feeling. As a result, it effectively erases their historical actions and paints a whitewashed picture of some of the darkest moments in American history. In one scene from the original "Dumbo," the elephant's friend, Timothy Q. So when I see people dressed as Indians on Halloween, I can't just have a good time. [20] However, Disney announced that Brother Bear would be released in fall 2003, while Home on the Range was pushed back for a spring 2004 release. In 1953's "Peter Pan," Peter's friend Tiger Lily belongs to a Native American tribe that he and the Darling siblings visit at one point in the film. That's exactly the way it works in the reality where humans and animal spirits walk through life in unison. The drunken inn is a possible Bavarian stereotype. Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion and league Most Valuable Player. The old shaman is Tanana (mispronounced, at least in the usual Alaska sense, as Ta-NA-na). On the positive side, Disney can shine their spotlight on various countries and cultures, depict diverse people and ideas, and promote openness and understanding. Their bucked teeth, slanted eyes, and stereotypical East Asian accents they. Polynesian mythology are also preceded by a purification ritual, the song had changed. Was Disneys first attempt at a non-European folktale walls and dresses to trolls, Fjord horses and saunas of! 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