Zipes Response

Zipes argues that Disney created his fairytale films, as a meansd of self-betterment and for the pure entertainment of the American public. Zipes discusses how Disney gave little to no credit to the animators and others involved in the making of his films. He also changes the fairytales to fit his own life story and his own life struggles. He not only imposes himself into the traditional fairytales by introducing his films as “Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and by changing the plots to describe his life, but also by glorifying himself as characters or symbols within the fairytales (for example, the increased presence and influence of the prince in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs).

I have not done any extensive research on Walt Disney and his tendencies as a selfish artist and human being, but as far as I have ever heard, he did seem to be a miserable human being, so as far as I have been informed, I do agree with Zipes' thesis pertaining to Walt Disney. What I do not agree with, though, is Zipes' discrete criticism of American culture, in general, through his criticism of Walt Disney and the fairytale films he created. For instance, Zipes' introduces his arguments in the FIRST paragraph of his essay by writing, “…Disney employed the most up-to-date technological means and used his own “American “ grit and ingenuity to appropriate European fairytales.” Zipes also includes a quote by Richard Schickal which states that, “…It [Disney’s tendency of conquering versus serving] is a trait, as many have observed, that many Americans share when they venture into foreign lands…” Lastly, on page 352, Zipes describes Disney’s fairy tales as the “American” fairy tale. Although there is much truth to the argument that Disney defined what is, today, the “American” fairytale, Zipes infers that the American society created Disney, and thus created these inaccurate, one-dimensional versions of the traditional European fairytale, rather than suggesting that Disney’s versions of the traditional European fairytales helped to shape American culture. I, personally, believe they (Disney and American culture) are products of one another, since culture is a living thing. Zipes makes a lot of good points about Disney, and perhaps the American culture, but I think that generalizing the American culture based on just one American, Walt Disney is very unfair, and inaccurate.