Kuloco, Dourfman & Mattelart

“Even to whisper anything against Walt is to undermine the happy and innocent palace of childhood, for which he is both the guardian and guide” (M 123).

I thought it was interesting how the text from Dourfman and Mattelart describes the creation of the childhood “reality” through the comics and cartoons, especially those of the Disney company. They go into depth the relationship between the present and future represented by the “father” adult and the child. The father is the creator of the fantasy world for the children and imposes their thoughts of how a child should act in order to become a member of society. What I think that the article strays from is Walt Disney’s role as the leading father of these children’s comics. Through his use of characters, he speaks directly to children and, also, to people of other generations. The children that are exposed to Disney’s cartoons learn from them the ways of social and political behaviors that will benefit them later in life.
Every one of us has been exposed to Disney at some point in our life. It has become a household name and has spread around the world and affected almost every culture. No matter the level of exposure one has had to Disney comics and cartoons, they have learned something from them. Whether they tend to believe the life lessons portrayed in the texts, there are morals present in every aspect of Disney creations. From movies to theme parks and other forms of products, each person is affected by the “Disneyfication” of reality.
When I took the Disney and the City intersession class and read the Disney article for CMC 200, we went more in depth into the commodification and influence that Disney has on our society. With Walt’s vision came an entire company through which it was relayed to the public audience. The Company has admitted to the falsified realities that they instill in their movies and theme parks. However, one must realize that they are in the business of entertainment and profit-making. The life lessons and view of life that Disney presents are skewed to the innocence of purity of a child’s life. Their business, and therefore the influence, of the Disney products would be highly affected if they presented the world from the adult point of view.
The article by Dourfman and Mattelart highlights the differences in the realities of children and adults. Through the comics and cartoons and characters, the father uses his ideas of how children should live their lives. This is a step in preparation for life, to instill the ideology of a happy world for children to grow up in. Walt Disney has been a seriously influential voice in the creation of this world and his ideals will continue to resonate through each generation cross-culturally.