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The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters

By Ben Joseph November 16, 2007 1,002,521 views
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These old Disney movies are a little bit like your aging Uncle Frank. Honestly, he means well when he points out that Will Smith is "well-spoken." It's just that he, like the assemblage of clips below, dates from a time when people were unfairly characterized by their ethnic background (the acceptable methods are, of course, religion, geography, sexual preference and income).

#9.
The Merchant from Aladdin

The opening musical sequence from the hugely popular 1992 animated film had to be edited due to protest from Arab-American groups for saying about the Middle East what most of us were merely thinking.

Lesson Learned:
The Middle East is a barren wasteland where the justice system runs on a clear and simple limb-removal policy.

Best (Worst?) Moment:
"Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face" is the offending line, which was changed on the DVD to the much less provocative "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense." Whatever. Our question: In a city full of Arabic men and women, where the hell does a midwestern-accented, white piece of cornbread like Aladdin come from? Here he is next to the more, um, ethnic looking villain, Jafar.

#8.
Sebastian from The Little Mermaid

In this 1989 film, a Jamaican-sounding crab teaches Ariel that life is better "Under the Sea," because underwater you don't have to get a job.

Lesson Learned:

Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea!

Are we reading too much into it? Do you see anything wrong with how they've drawn "the duke of soul" at 1:57?

Still too subtle? How about at 2:01 when the "blackfish" appears?

Best (Worst?) Moment:
As far as Disney movies go, you've got two choices: unforgivably offensive and just slightly racially insensitive. Sebastian definitely falls into the latter category. So while making Sebastian a charming, party-loving stereotype is a baby step forward for Disney, it's still a stumble backwards for civil rights.

#7.
The Crows from Dumbo

In this 1941 classic, Dumbo the flying elephant runs into a band of jive-talking black crows who sing, "I'd be done see'n about everything/when I see an elephant fly!"

Lesson Learned:
Come on, blackbirds acting in a manner stereotypically assigned to African-Americans isn't that offensive. At least they didn't just get some white guy to do his best "black voice." Oh, really? They did? And, they called the lead character "Jim Crow?" Um, hey, look over there! It's a convincing, logical end to this argument!

Best (Worst?) Moment:
So many too choose from. The crows are very specifically depicted as poor and uneducated. They're constantly smoking; they wear pimptastic hats; and they're experts on all things "fly," so it's really a team effort contributing to the general minstrel-show feel to the whole number. You could pretty much pause this video at any second and use it as evidence in your hate-crime lawsuit against Disney.

For its time, though, the portrayal of the crows was almost progressive. The crows band together and help Dumbo learn to fly, so they're counted among the heroes of the film. Remember, this was just a couple of years after somebody introduced a bill to outlaw lynching and congress voted it down. So, you know, you take what you can get.

#6.
King Louie from The Jungle Book

Having outgrown the crude portrayal of African-Americans as black crows, in 1967 Disney decides to portray them as monkeys instead.

Lesson Learned:
All animals in the jungle speak in proper British accents. Except, of course, for the jive-talking, gibberish-spouting monkeys. Did we mention they desperately want to become "real people?"

Best (Worst?) Moment:
Fine, so an ape singing, "I wanna be like you" might be a little subtle, in a "we own multiple copies of Catcher in the Rye" conspiracy theory kind of way. Still, considering the author of the The Jungle Book also thought up "the white man's burden", we don't think it's too much of a stretch.

#5.
The Siamese Twin Gang from Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers

Overt racism against African-Americans was obviously intolerable by the time this Chip n' Dale series began in 1989. Overt racism against Asians, luckily, was still on the table.

Lesson Learned:
Even as criminals, Asian-Americans immigrants, represented here by a gang of cats, have become integral parts of American culture. Kidding! They own a laundromat, run an illegal, basement gambling operation and speak in horribly mangled "Engrish." It's like a designer of World War II propaganda posters accidentally quantum leaped into the body of a late '80s cartoon writer.

The video becomes cringe-worthy about six minutes in:

Best (Worst?) Moment:
The Siamese Cats sell their karate expert Juice Lee, a Japanese fighting fish, for a suitcase full of dead fish. If you can't find something offensive in that sentence, congratulations. You're a cyborg.

#4.
Sunflower the Centaur from Fantasia

Of all the items on this list, this is the one Disney has tried the hardest to make us forget.

Lesson Learned:
Even in Fantasia's beautiful, magical landscape, African centaurs are hoof-polishing handmaidens for prettier, Aryan centaurs. Also, 1940 was a great year to be a centaur fetishist and/or Don Imus.

Best (Worst?) Moment:
It was insulting enough for Disney to include the smiling servant stereotype to begin with, but, to make matters worse, they started categorically denying Sunflower's existence with the Fantasia re-release in 1960. How does that possibly make things better? "No, you misunderstand. In our perfect, Fantasia world, Africans aren't servants. They don't fucking exist."

#3.
The Indians from Peter Pan

In this charming musical number, the "Red Man" explains his people's history and culture.

Lesson Learned:
Why do Native Americans ask you "how?" According to the song, it's because the Native American always thirsts for knowledge. OK, that's not so bad, we guess. What gives the Native Americans their distinctive coloring? The song says a long time ago, a Native American blushed red when he kissed a girl, and, as science dictates, it's been part of their race's genetic make up since. You see, there had to be some kind of event to change their skin from the normal, human color of "white."

Best (Worst?) Moment:
It's a tie between Tiger Lilly's traditional Native American hussy dance, and the number of times Native American's misogynistic tendencies are played for laughs (hint: It's more than three!)

#2.
Uncle Remus from Song of the South

The tales of Br'er Rabbit are relayed by kindly old Uncle Remus, a black man happily working on a plantation in the post-Civil War South. Disney has never released this one on home video, for some reason.

Lesson Learned:
The late 1800s were a great time to be African-American and possibly on acid.

Best (Worst?) Moment:
Less eerie than any imaginary singing birds is what's not in the film. It's as if someone made a children's musical about Jews in post-World War II Germany that had a number titled "Hey! Nothing Bad Has Happened to Us, Ever." Also failing to reach the screen: When the movie had its world premiere in 1946 in Atlanta, James Baskett, the actor who played Remus, was not allowed to attend. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

#1.
Thursday from Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday (Book)

In this forgotten Mickey Mouse book from 1948, Mickey gets a crate full of West African bananas, and finds an African inside instead! Ha!" The savage soon is confused by Mickey's human lifestyle and commits acts of random violence.

Lesson Learned:
"What's the deal with Africans? If they're not trying to eat it or throw a spear at it, they're worshiping it as a some sort of tribal deity, am I right?"

Best (Worst?) Moment:
Where to begin? The book compiles almost every offensive preconception of Africa lurking in the American subconscious.

Some choice quotes:

"Well, well." Mickey laughed ... "So I'm supposed to be your governess and nursemaid, and you can't even talk!"

"Let me see. A genuine African native," Mickey murmured. "Perhaps I should start showing him off."

Perhaps the most depressing part is that this was somebody's idea of tolerance, back in the ideallic '40s:

"Poor little guy! He just makes mistakes. He doesn't know any better. I'll just have to be patient and teach him the right way to do things," said Mickey.

You may also enjoy Ben Joseph's 10 Most Ridiculous Overseas Rip-Offs of American Films.



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973 Comments

Forgot to mention that "squaw" Means vagina. honestly, disney makes me angry. but some of these ARE far off. but its hurtful.

11/15/2009 2:37:33 PM
sh00dotz

I'm just going to keep it simple...basically if you look, you find and for Ben the person who posted this, if everytime you watch a movie/TV show/Cartoon you're looking for these kinds of things...trust me, you're going to get find it. Stereotypes are everywhere like from Speedy Gonzalez to Apu from the Simpsons everywhere you look you're going to see it but I'll let you know one thing white people are also being stereotyped...I've seen 'Pixar' movies where they depict North Americans as Fat, tourist with hawaiian flower shirts...So you see you're really taking this way too personal maybe? let it go? =S
(I know its an old post but wanted to continue the thread :P)

11/10/2009 3:16:42 AM
Uri

About King Louie:
Check out Louis Prima. His performances were much like his thing Louie bit in the Jungle Book. The ape even bears a slight resemblance.

The only idea this really illustrates is how art reflects how society thinks. Popular artists become popular by catering to what their paying customer likes to see. The Disney franchise, much like most entertainment companies has become successful by giving people what they want. It just so happens that people paying for Disney art were comfortable with stereotypes that make most people today uncomfortable.

Seriously, since these are old films, you have to take them in the historical context and social context surrounding them.

Imagine what will be said 20 years from now about their latest animated film (Frog Price) if people aren't complaining already.

11/9/2009 9:06:30 PM
RuSerious

Oh please... most of these are just like the other articles on "racism" here on Cracked -- vague attempts to grasp at extremely loose straws... I agree with Milfmaid... if you're specifically looking for something, you're going to find it no matter what.

Peter Pan -- how about the fact that the lost boys are fat, useless, and genetically stupid? That is clearly meant as a representation of homeless people (they live in home-made tree dwellings), and it's all Disney's fault because in the book, the lost boys were a strong, self-sufficient group of --... NO, are you retarded? It's just the way they drew them, jesus... If they draw or portray any character as being of a race other than caucasian, you flip out because it must be racist, but if they made a movie with ONLY white characters, you'd flip out because they're excluding other races...

Honestly, the majority of the stuff you guys post on these "racism" articles is total BS and should be taken with a grain of salt... Stop trying so damn hard to be 100% PC... it's stupid.

11/3/2009 11:17:49 AM
Tuki

The Siamese Twins are Chinese - I'm a Chinese and I well know the differences between Japanese and Chinese.

10/21/2009 2:19:30 AM
tarqass

i just laughed pretty hard at jaysays. haha what the f**k man

10/18/2009 10:57:58 PM
bilabluecap

@ hisquietchild...I'm pretty sure the voices of a lot of these characters are white...so what...that's what makes it even more wrong is having a white guy do an asian voice or speak in "black talk" It's called acting dude and I totally agree that King Louie was probably meant to be modeled after a black person. Also, King Louie did jive-talk, what Italians do you know talk like that?

10/16/2009 10:37:02 AM
obxsurferbabe

I hope that jaysays is joking or else his only chance may be someone coming up with a medication which cures intolerable stupidity.

10/16/2009 12:11:03 AM
Crede777

to hisquietchild -- Just because the actor/singer was not black, does not mean that the character doesn't portray a black person, or more accurately in this case a black stereotype.

10/15/2009 11:53:36 AM
sillyjobug

I seem to remember that in one scene in Fantasia, there were beautiful african centaurs, only instead of horse bodies they had zebra bodies. I remember thinking that they were prettier than the others.

10/15/2009 7:28:34 AM
theSnark

I don't agree or disagree with this article, but would like to point out that the singer/voice of King Louie was a fantastic Italian-American jazz LEGEND, Louie Prima....ssoooo, NOT a "black" character. Maybe look up all the facts. I am not a fan of Disney, and I TOTALLY think that there are PLENTY of subliminal ideas that are portrayed in all kinds of movies, ESPECIALLY movies designed for children.

10/6/2009 6:59:38 PM
hisquietchild

It's 2009,I' am a 50 yr old woman,both my parents are products of mixed race.
"Halfricans" and they've had problems coming,and going because of race,from both white and black people.Disney just created it's first Afro-American character,after all the green ones and blue ones,and having Mr.Obama,in the White House,I guess they just could'nt wait to help little black kids have a
character they can identify with.After all we are not blue,or greem,but we are
people,and the fact that you voted for Mr.Obama, dose not mean you arn't racist,so stop using that to prove you are not!

9/10/2009 1:37:17 PM
ecdysiast

Are you people serious? These are MOVIES, CARTOONS!!! MOST OF THEM WERE BASED ON BOOKS, AND THERE ARE NOT ANY SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES TO MAKE KIDS RACIST!!! I watched Disney all my life and I'm not racist! Get a life! if you want to battle racism, go to protests or do something constructive other than this, it's ridiculous! And no, I'm not ignorant to the so called "obviousness" of these ideas. Yes, from an extremist point of view they can come off as racist, but extremists find EVERYTHING racist!Like Sebastian...It's a crab FROM THE CARRIBEAN! The whole movie takes place there! that's where the original story takes place! Would it be better if he had a french accent? NO! BECAUSE IT'S THE CARRIBEAN!!! This is insane. I'm going to bed. You people are CRAZY

8/30/2009 11:24:49 PM
milfmaid

I can't believe you didn't include the Siamese cats from 'Lady and the Tramp.' "Are you seeing that sing srimming in there?"

8/29/2009 11:00:29 PM
Bjkatcher

Nothing has really "changed" over the years to imply that racism has itself diminished. Racist has just gotten more sophisticated, more "sneaky" if one will. Of course, some white people allow their anger and true selves get the best of them, and you get very blatant incidents such as with Dom Imus or Michael Richards. Everything that's done in racist taste is more carefully thought out, played into a deeper level of subliminally racist messages, and that's where the real sickness comes into play. It's a very sad thing indeed. Racism itself should definitely qualify as a disease, and maybe, with a little honesty and self-admittance, we can come of with a medication to treat it.

8/28/2009 11:43:00 PM
jaysays

oh and its not racism its truism. i guess the truth hurts.

8/14/2009 3:40:58 PM
jcman33

way to call aladdin a white piece of cornbread. backwards minded racitst bastards.

8/14/2009 3:34:10 PM
jcman33

look at all the explanation points in Carrots comment.... Holy f*****g Jesus (you see offense in that, a*****e?)

8/6/2009 4:10:00 AM
kaage123

Wow this whole debate remindes me of the debate surrounding a very racist collection of cartoon called Kembells Coons. This little comedy gem was in most peoples houses at the turn of century becuase they were quite entertaining like the disney movies. They contained some of the MOST racist images of African Americans ever put to paper, and funny enough look a lot like what Disney put out later in there cartoons. But becuase they were so rascist by the 60's many people had come around and were embarassed to own copies and distroyed them. Now today few copies survive, and most would say good right? Well now people say that they never existed ot that they couldnt have been that bad. This is why removing the racism from Disney would be just as pointless, becuase then it's like pretending they wern't intollerant A-Holes. And for those of you whole like to pretend it's not racist, you have no clue how wrong you are. These pictures are pretty much a modern day version of Kembells horrible images.

7/29/2009 5:37:45 PM
sly_feline

Wow, talk about ignorance! Has anyone sat back and thought that most of Disney's movies are based on a story written by someone else? For example the Uncle Remus character.Uncle Remus' stories were to make observations about post-Civil War black culture, and Southern society in general. What's the big deal? Here is another thought too. It's not ok to use a minority race but it's perfectly ok to use a white race for all things evil? That would be racist too, so get over it!! If you can't enjoy Disney movies for the stories themselves, then you have serious problems and are one of the main reason racism still exist today and will always exist.

7/29/2009 4:23:42 PM
monkiesrkewl

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