Daisy, Dorfman and Mattelart

I have been a Disney fan my entire life. I have seen all the movies, visited the Disney parks, and purchased a large amount of Disney memorabilia. As children we are brought up around Disney, I mean how could you not love the magic it creates! I can remember one year for Halloween I was Minnie Mouse and another I was Cinderella (she was my idol at the time ☺). Although I have my own preconceived notions about Disney, I was still able to set that aside and agree with the truth that Dorfman and Mattelart presented in his article, “Introduction: Instructions on How to Become a General in the Disneyland Club.” I believe I am one of those kids like Dorfman talked about in his book who has been conditioned to love the magical world that Disney presents. Although I do agree with many of the things that Disney does for children I can also recognize the fairy tales it put into children’s heads. I agree with Dorman and Mattelart that “even to whisper anything against Walt is to undermine the happy an innocent palace of childhood…” (123). Disney is a place that even makes adults feel like a kid again; there is something for everyone at Disney. Reading this article made me think about the fact that adults created Disney so they are the ones writing the stories and giving off the aura that surrounds it. The Disney movies teach children lessons and values, almost “conditioning” them to follow the “right” path. But of course the situations in the movies do not portray “reality” they portray a magical world. The adults are the ones deciding what is important to teach the children, like Dorfman and Mattelart said, their “work is determined and justified by their idea of what a child is or should be” (125). It is interesting to think that Disney has been such a teacher is almost every child’s life.
Another quote from Dorfman and Mattelart that made me think was “Disney is the great supranational bridge across which all human beings may communicate with each other” (123). When I went abroad this summer I noticed people wearing Disney shirts and selling Disney merchandise. Also, my friend is abroad in Paris and went to visit the Disneyland there. This just shows that Disney is a popular commodity not just in the United States, but in other parts of the world as well.