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From Peter Pan to The Aristocats, much of Disney’s back catalogue features potentially offensive stereotypes
When is a kiss not just a kiss, but something more sinister? Most would agree that consent – and certainly the involvement of Donald Trump – should play a major role in such a discussion, but few of us would have spotted the scene in which Prince Charming wakes up the title character with a smooch in 1937’s Disney classic Snow White as a problematic moment, even in 2021. After all, the concept of kissing as a way to break magical spells and curses has been a fairytale staple for centuries in stories such as The Frog Prince.
Theme park reviewers Katie Dowd and Julie Tremaine of SFGate saw things differently. In a review of Disneyland Anaheim’s recently revamped Snow White ride, which features a fresh denouement based on the “true love’s kiss” scene, they described the kiss as one “he gives to her without her consent, while she’s asleep, which cannot possibly be true love if only one person knows it’s happening,” adding: “Haven’t we already agreed that consent in early Disney movies is a major issue? That teaching kids that kissing, when it hasn’t been established if both parties are willing to engage, is not OK?” Continue reading...