Disney Detox

It all started when I began singing the theme song to the Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven during newspaper. Ms. Komar commented, “It would be really interesting to see what you would be like without Disney for two weeks. Could you even survive?”

I am easily the biggest Disney freak I know. It has been in my life for as long as I can remember, and I dream of one day working for the Walt Disney Company. Clutching my Mickey Mouse water bottle, I hesitantly agreed to participate in this experiment.

For two weeks, I was not allowed talk about Disney, sing or listen to Disney songs, watch Disney movies, use Disney products, or watch programs on Disney affiliate networks like ABC.

Day 1 (9/21):

After switching out many of my Disney products, I walked into school today with a non-Disney pencil case and water bottle in tow. I had to hold myself back several times from singing Disney songs when I overheard things that reminded me of the movies.

The only thing that really frustrated me today was not being able to talk about one of my favorite shows, Castle. My friend Ashley was quite frustrated with me for not discussing the tension between the two main characters.

Because I am trying so hard not to think about Disney, I find myself thinking about it even more. I’m interested to see if this experiment might actually increase my obsession…

Day 2 (9/22):

I couldn’t watch Modern Family last night. Ugh.

Day 6 (9/26):

Peer Ministry Retreat and college apps kept me busy this weekend, so I didn’t feel too deprived.

I realized today just how much my friends talk about Disney. I had to ask them to stop singing at least five times within one hour. It took so much will power not to just join in singing with them.

During class today, a teacher insulted Cinderella just to bother me, because she knew I wasn’t allowed to respond in the princess’s defense.

I can’t watch Castle tonight. At least I have plenty of homework to distract me…

Day 7 (9/27)

I stayed home sick from school today. A friend called to fill me in on what I missed in class. She told me about the speaker we had today. Apparently, Disney was discussed quite a bit. I don’t know if I’m glad I missed it or not. I’m happy that I didn’t have to listen to someone criticize my favorite thing, but I’m sad that I didn’t get the opportunity to hear what she said for myself so I could judge it more accurately.

Day 12 (10/2)

Rapunzel became an official Disney Princess today! I wanted to watch the ceremony, but I’m unfortunately not allowed to. Hmph.

Day 14 (10/4)

My last day without Disney has come to a close. Going without it for two weeks has certainly been a challenge.

It wasn’t difficult at all to avoid using physical Disney products. It took a great deal of effort not to listen to Disney songs, as I always listen to inspirational ballads like “Go the Distance” from Hercules to give myself confidence before what I know will be a stressful day. However, I was able to fill the void with songs from some of my favorite musicals.

By far, the most difficult part of this experiment was not being able to talk about Disney with my friends. I realized just how much we reference Disney, and it felt strange having to hold back all the comments I wanted to make.

I’m not ashamed to say that I am now and always will be passionate about the Walt Disney Company.

Critics of Disney argue that the princesses aren’t good role models. I understand that everything about Disney isn’t magic and fun. However, I feel that, compared to the other media that young people are exposed to, Disney does a fantastic job of creating role models.

The films taught me so much about life: Beauty and the Beast taught me that it’s okay to be different. Hercules taught me to be confident in who I am. Mulan taught me to fight for what I believe in, and that girls can be just as tough as boys.

It’s hard to describe the feeling I get when I watch a Disney movie or visit a Disney theme park. Disney just makes me happy. It inspires me to believe that anything is possible. Disney constantly reminds me to always follow my dreams and to have faith that, one day, I will find my happy ending.

Do You Believe in Magic?

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” Walt Disney’s message continues to impact the development of Disney parks and resorts around the world today.
Since the opening of Disneyland in 1955, Disney’s Parks and Resorts division has grown to include six theme parks spanning three continents.
Lately, Disney has undertaken numerous expansion projects, including a massive development in California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort. The project has a budget of over $1 billion, which funds both new attractions and the re-theming of many existing attractions.
Much of the expansion has already begun. California Adventure recently introduced Toy Story Midway Mania, a 4-D shooting attraction featuring characters from the Toy Story franchise. Another addition to the park was World of Color, a nighttime spectacular incorporating advanced water and lighting effects to display scenes and music from classic Disney films.
One of the largest additions to California Adventure is Cars Land, set to open in 2012. This area will feature multiple attractions based on the movie Cars, including Radiator Springs Racers, a ride with an estimated $200 million price tag featuring top-of-the-line vehicle technology.
The next addition to California Adventure will be The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, a dark ride depicting the escapades of The Little Mermaid’s protagonist, Ariel. The attraction will officially open on June 3, 2011. It will also be installed in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 2014 as part of a sizable expansion to Fantasyland.
Walt Disney World’s Fantasyland extension replaces what was once Mickey’s Toontown Fair with a much larger area for princesses at play. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a tame roller coaster the whole family can enjoy, takes the place of Snow White’s Scary Adventures. In addition, Dumbo the Flying Elephant will gain a second ride mechanism and a re-themed waiting area, doubling the ride’s capacity and improving the guest experience while waiting in line.
Also new to Fantasyland is the Beast’s Castle, a recreation of Belle and the Beast’s home from Beauty and the Beast. Inside the castle will be a full-service restaurant and a meet-and-greet with Belle. An additional meet-and-greet location will be created near the Beast’s Castle for all the other princesses.
Among all the new developments for Disney Parks and Resorts, by far the most ambitious is the plan for an entirely new park in Shanghai, China. The Shanghai Disney Resort, scheduled for a 2016 opening, will be quite different from other theme parks in the Disney franchise. Unlike all the other Magic Kingdom-style parks, it will not contain a Main Street area. Instead, there will be an 11-acre park-style area at the entrance for parades and activities.
Another departure from traditional Disney is the insertion of Chinese culture into the attractions, by request of the Chinese government. While only one theme park is currently in development on the Shanghai property, there will eventually be three different parks.
Disney has not yet disclosed which classic attractions will be in the park, but will release more information as the park’s opening date approaches. What lies in the future for the Shanghai Disney Resort is not known, but we can be sure of one thing: Disney won’t be slowing down anytime soon. In the words of Walt Disney, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Superfluous Suing

The term lawsuit has become a household word even to the point that in some cases it almost seems like a term used to define an unsubstantiated threat bound to some type of ineptness whether it is in terms of money, time, effort, or all of the above. This has led to the outbreak of a plethora of frivolous lawsuits. Lawsuits are meant to seek justice from a person through the legal process. However, has filing frivolous lawsuits become just a new trend in our money-hungry American society? Are some lawsuits tainting the pure intentions of seeking justice?

There is a distinct structure to the legal system and its connections to the filing of lawsuits. When you sue someone and take him to court for a civil trial, it is usually based on a tort, when someone did not necessarily break a criminal law but might have acted negligently, causing harm physically, emotionally or financially. When someone breaks a criminal law, then the public prosecutor takes him to court for a criminal trial. The purpose of tort law was to compensate victims for their losses and also to help prevent future losses by punishing the defendant. These compensatory damages are lost as a result of the defendant’s negligence, as well as money to make up for pain and suffering.

In shorthand, that means that in America we’ve learned that if someone does us wrong, we want to get paid for it. This mentality has fostered the idea that you can sue someone just as easily as you can “Google” them.

California alone has filed 1.4 million lawsuits in the last year and the number of Silicon Valley lawsuits is on the rise. Last year a toddler was killed after a neighbor’s rotting tree fell on top of their car. The parents were safely pulled out; however, the baby did not make it. The parents recently filed a lawsuit against the city of San Jose and their neighbor.

Another local lawsuit was recently filed in San Jose over the killing of a mentally ill man by police forces. Are these wrongful lawsuits fulfilling righteous causes and ideals?

At the national level, someone recently sued Taco Bell about the company’s beef. The claim stated that the beef was less than a 1/3 beef while Taco Bell refuted that it was in actuality 88% beef and the rest were seasoning ingredients. Taco Bell won this lawsuit and awareness was raised for consumers by this lawsuit. Taco Bell in fact issued a statement saying, “Thank you for suing us” because of the positive effects and clearing of confusion resulting after the lawsuit.

To be sure, many lawsuits are rightfully filed; however, American culture has given rise to an outbreak of idiotic lawsuits that waste more money and time than necessary. Some of these include the following: a lawsuit filed by a traveler who believed a cruise ship travelling  too fast, a Mom filing a suit against an exclusive preschool denying her child admission and how destroyed her child’s college prospects, a man filing a suit because he believed he became gay after a rear-end collision, and an inmate who sued himself for letting himself get arrested and demanded the state pay him because he had no income.

And it’s not just individuals suing–corporations are getting into the game, too. Caterpillar sued Walt Disney because it claimed the company portrayed bulldozers badly because in the movie “George and the Jungle 2” the bulldozers were used to attack the jungle.

There is also huge amount of lawsuit abuse that harms many innocent lives. “It kind of puts a damper on the American Dream, thinking that everybody is honest and fair, and it doesn’t always work out that way unfortunately,” says Danny Myers, owner of Vintage Pools and Spas, who lost thousands in a lawsuit against his company. This company was sued $20,000 because they built a customer’s pool with the depth of 5 feet instead of 6 feet. They tried to contact the customer after they noticed the mistake because they knew if the customer agreed it would be an easy fix. However, after a few email responses, the customer’s lawyer sent a notice saying that the communication between the customer and the company should be restricted. The customer and his lawyer demanded to get cash to settle the deal and didn’t want to consider just getting it fixed. This has been one of Vintage Pools and Spas biggest financial threats in its 30 years of business.

There also is the story of the Chungs who owned a few chains in dry cleaning businesses in Washington D.C. They were hard-working honest people just trying to support their up-and-coming cleaning business. This all changed the day they had misplaced customer, Roy Pearson’s pants. They tried to help the customer by replacing his pants and offering him $12,000 to avoid the entire lawsuit process. This was not enough for Mr. Pearson. He wanted to bring this to court at the cost of $54 million. Mr. Pearson lost the lawsuit after the first two years, but Mr. Pearson demanded to bring the case up again. The Chungs wanted to plead out because they didn’t have the legal fees to cover further appeals but the case is currently being looked at in District of Columbia Court. The Chungs lost all three of their dry-cleaning chains, time and not to mention lots of money and no this was not over a life or a limb but a pair of pants, which is a replaceable material item that must have cost about most $50.  ”They’re out a lot of money, but more importantly, they’re incredibly disenchanted with the system,” said Chris Manning, their attorney. ”This has destroyed their lives.”

Lawsuits have come in many different varieties in the past years and have transformed into something larger in the last couple of years. Lawsuits have become an integral part of American lifestyle. Some lawsuits waste exorbitant amounts of money, time, and energy; however, there still needs to be a method to achieve justice especially for great causes. Until the time of great judicial reform, the general public will live by the saying, “Where this is a will there is a lawsuit.”

Disney Stars are Only Human

 

An internet video of Miley Cyrus smoking a legal drug from a bong. Numerous press releases of Lindsay Lohan being released and readmitted multiple times into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. An explicit picture of Vanessa Hudgens that got spread across the world wide web. All Disney Channel stars, and all role models to millions of kids around the world – or, they were. With technology making it easier to see exactly what celebrities do in their personal daily lives, it needs to be clear to kids that these celebrities are not the best role models.

Although many actors and actresses may lead wholesome personal lives, parents must resist the impulse to allow their children to look to performers as role models. They lead busy, unpredictable lives just as any person off the street does.

The temptation to idolize Disney Channel stars is even greater because children see them so frequently on their TVs. Yet kids should not develop their role models based on the factors of appearance, celebrity status, or personality of the “character” they play. Parents should instill in their kids the idea that characters and the actors who play them are two very different things.

The many viewers who watch Disney channel shows such as Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Sonny with a Chance, are most likely fans of the main characters as well as the actors that play them. When kids then see their “role models,” such as Miley Cyrus, dancing provocatively or abusing a drug while having a good time, their ideas of appropriate behavior may be changed.

Kids should develop role models that are defined by the values, morals, and beliefs that people hold and act accordingly by. Ideally, that would be family members or friends who hold down jobs, raise their families, and behave responsibly.

Making actors behave as role models is also difficult for the actors themselves, particularly young ones. While it’s understandable that Disney would have a morals clause in its contract, it’s unrealistic to expect young people to behave perfectly all the time. Disney channel stars have a right to make their own decisions that show and define what kind of person they’re going to be.

There is a substantial difference in age between the actors on Disney channel and their young viewers. There is also a fine line between fantasy and reality among many pre-teen television viewers, who are often unable to understand that a character and an actor are separate entities. Ultimately, it is up to the parents to decipher to their kids the difference between the two.

The most important thing is to acknowledge is the fact that movie stars are not all that “special.” They make mistakes, just as any common person does. Although they do have responsibilities of being role models to their fans to a certain extent, they also have a personal responsibility of growing into their own and making individual choices that will inevitably lead them into adulthood.

Princess and the Frog Hops Into Theaters

A handsome prince, endless riches, and a huge castle. What more could a young girl hope for? In the past, many Disney princesses have given the impression that the answer is nothing. But with their first animated heroine since Mulan, The Princess and the Frog defies many Disney stereotypes and gives young girls a proper role model.

Set in New Orleans before World War I, the movie’s heroine is a young woman named Tiana. Hard-working and kind to all, Tiana, voiced by actress Anika Noni Rose. has grown up with the ambition of opening her own restaurant. With the memory of her father to guide her, Tiana works hard all day to save up for a building in which to set up shop. Meanwhile, the spoiled Prince Naveen of Maldonia, cleverly voiced by Bruno Campos, comes to New Orleans in search of a rich bride to support his expensive tastes. During his visit, Prince Naveen runs into the sorcerer Dr. Facilier, voiced by Keith David, who turns him into a frog and puts royal assistant Lawrence in his place.

In an attempt to return to his human state, Prince Naveen convinces Tiana, who is dressed up as a princess for a party, to kiss him. She is turned into a frog herself, and the two new acquaintances are forced to head into the bayou for shelter. There they come across the usual challenges of Disney heroes, but they also meet some new friends. The trumpet-playing alligator Louis, voiced by Michael-Leon Wooley and Ray, a firefly who is in love with a star, voiced in a unique Cajun accent by Jim Cummings make spectacular additions to the cast. The four then set off in search of Mama Odie, priestess of the bayou, hilariously voiced by Jenifer Lewis.

The Princess and the Frog takes its audience on a magical journey. With vibrant color and music that would make even the stiffest want to dance, it doesn’t matter that you’re watching an animated movie. You’ll get pulled into the entrancing story no matter what. The cast of characters is diverse and entertaining, further enhancing the flick. Despite his selfish tendencies, Prince Naveen provides comic relief throughout the movie. Louis and Ray are the type of friends anyone would want, and Mama Odie gives the rest sound advice that eventually leads Tiana and Naveen back to humanity.

Unlike some Disney princesses who sit around waiting for someone to give them what they want, Tiana goes after what she wants. Through all her hard work she manages to keep a smile on her face and a song in her heart. It is women like this that young girls should look up to. She teaches us to be strong and to work for what we believe in, which is truly the best lesson any little girl could learn.

Another important lesson this movie teaches us is that money is not what is most important in life. In the end, Prince Naveen forsakes his dreams of marrying a rich girl because of his love for Tiana. The happy couple then works hard and eventually opens a great restaurant. If we could all follow this example, we could all lead happier lives. And if Disney comes out with more films like this, girls everywhere can grow to their full potential.

The Happiest Place on Earth? Disney Point/Counterpoint

Mary Clare’s Pros of Disney

Vision, innovation, imagination, and magic: The Walt Disney Company has provided all this and more to millions of people for decades.  Try to imagine a world without Disney, a world without Mickey Mouse and a world without the dreams and hopes that we all were inspired to follow while watching our favorite Disney movies.  It’s almost impossible.  There’s a reason why Disneyland is “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

From the first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1934, to the first fully computer-animated feature film, Toy Story in 1995, Disney’s innovation has been apparent from the start.  Disney movies have been treasured for generations as classics, ever since Walt Disney created a mouse named Mickey, who starred in “Steamboat Willie.”  With family-friendly entertainment, people from all around the world love a good Disney movie.

Some of the most beloved characters of all time have been brought to life by Disney.  Mickey Mouse is a given, not to mention the Disney Princesses and Winnie the Pooh.  Disney has taken classic tales and has made them accessible to the world.

Contrary to some people’s belief, Disney does not encourage weak female damsels in distress.  Just look at Belle, from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, a smart, independent young woman who sees more than outward appearances and taught everyone to see the beauty that comes from within.  What about Mulan, a girl who brings honor to her family through her courage, self-sacrifice and determination?  Disney has not only respected women, but has empowered them to believe in their dreams and their abilities.

Disney has also made children aware of their impact on shaping our world and our future.  Disney Pixar’s Wall-E is a heartwarming film that brought the environment to the attention of children and adults alike.   In May, Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green was launched, an environmental initiative on Disney Channel that encourages kids to pledge to take part in projects to help the earth.  Disney Channel icons like the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus, among 29 other stars, have inspired kids to make a real change in their impact on resources and the environment by focusing on climate, water, waste and habitats.  Disney will donate $1 million to environmental causes throughout the year.

Disney is also supportive of helping the community.  In 2010, Disney’s “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program will encourage people to volunteer by providing a complimentary one-day pass to Disneyland or Walt Disney World to anyone who volunteers at one of the participating organizations through HandsOn Network.  This offer is also available for children ages six to 17 who volunteer with an adult, inspiring people of all ages to make a difference.

Some people are concerned that Disney as a corporation is too large and dominant.  The United States prides itself as a capitalistic society in which anyone can follow his or her dreams for business and success.  If Disney has become such a prosperous company, it is because we the consumers have created a demand for Disney products, so don’t worry—Disney is as large as we make it.  Apparently, we must really like Disney.  The company’s impact on the economy is probably more than we realize.  With theme parks, merchandizing and television, Disney has provided jobs for thousands of people.

A common argument against Disney revolves around the idea that children are not being exposed to reality but are instead being brought up in what they believe is a perfect world.  But what is wrong with preserving the innocence of children as long as we can?  Yes, we live in a world with war, violence and suffering.  Why do we want children to be exposed to all of that at a young age?  Instead, we should be encouraging children to believe in their dreams and potential.  Laura Perrone, senior, said, “I think that Disney brings magic into people’s lives.  So much of our world is focused on what’s realistic.  Children need an opportunity to have dreams and to use their imaginations.”  An exposure to imagination and creativity is essential for today’s youth.  Because if we want the future to improve, we need a generation of compassionate, creative and confident people who will find solutions to the issues with which our world is faced.

Walt Disney said, “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things – because we’re curious.  And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.  We’re always exploring and experimenting.”  Disney continues to explore new options and solutions, and our world would not be the same without it.

So this spring when all you seniors graduate, what are you going to do?  “I’m going to Disneyland!”

Teresa’s Cons of Disney

I wish I could say that when I was little, I wanted to be a ninja. But according to my mother and incriminating photographic evidence, I, like most young girls, wanted to be a princess. Why? Because to my fellow five-year-olds then (and even some high schoolers now), being a princess seems to make all your worries go away and guarantee you a “happily ever after.”

Disney has long been promoted as the one company that really makes dreams come true. But what kinds of dreams, and at what cost? The ideals that Disney projects onto the young, impressionable minds of its viewers may not necessarily be ideal for the kind of strong and independent women we want to take after and grow into. All the typical Disney Princess have startlingly similar storylines. They start off as subservient and oppressed in some manner, suffer bits of cruelty ranging from being fed poisoned apples (remember, kids, never accept apples from creepy old ladies wandering around in the middle of the woods) to losing their voices. The princesses then cry bitterly before getting rescued and living happily ever after.

 If you think that this reflects reality in any way, shape or form, then I have evidently been living under the wrong rock for the past 16 years. Besides proving that they can keep an excellent house and can be kind to singing animals, what are the redeeming qualities that the princesses of our youth possess? True, the Disney tales are typically meant for young girls and promote values like being kind to everyone and following your heart. But equally important as we grow up are values that will instill in us independence and strength, morals that don’t make us wait around until someone else takes it upon himself to ride up on a white stallion and make the bad things go away. Unlike Sleeping Beauty, we should not need a man to awaken—we need to wake up our own potential and slay the dragons ourselves.  Poisoned apples, wicked stepmothers, and evil half-octopi women are metaphorical demons in our own lives, stumbling blocks that we need to learn we are capable of dealing with on our own.

The argument has been made that Disney is only a fantasy world and not to be taken seriously. Yet Disney itself often tries to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. And why? Not because it particularly cares about us living in a candy-coated world, but because the more we believe, the more Disney profits. An example of this is the city of Celebration, Florida; a town that was supposed to re-create Walt Disney’s version of a utopian community. Celebration sought to showcase all that was best from an age gone by—an age that never actually existed. By trying to simulate the magic of its animated kingdom in the material world, Disney overstepped the boundaries from movies and theme parks, where people expect fantasy, and into a blurry haze where no real distinctions are set between what is real and what is manufactured perfection.

 Disney is one of the richest and definitely the largest entertainment organization in the world. Yet for all its money and fame, Disney does not always try its hardest to make everyone’s dreams come true. There has been considerable outrage over Nike’s use of sweatshops, but people usually do not try to probe beneath Disney’s shiny and distracting surface, perhaps afraid that they will become too disillusioned by what they see there. According to the National Labor Committee, workers for Disney in China are paid 33 to 41 cents an hour—lower even than China’s minimum wage of 42 cents. The workers are often cheated of their overtime pay and have no health insurance or pension. In Bangladesh, Disney’s workers are paid 5 cents an hour to assemble Winnie the Pooh shirts that Disney then sell for $17.99. Workers are beaten if they do not meet quotas while being forced to work 14-hour days seven days a week. And Disney doesn’t just promote female subservience in its films. According to The Atlanta Journal, Disney’s female workers in Haiti are often forced to either become mistresses of their overbearing supervisors or quit their jobs. I certainly hope none of these workers have been watching any of the films of the company that employs them, because they will certainly receive the wrong message. Unless people decide to pull their heads out of the sand and look at little more closely at their blind hero-worship of Disney, nothing is going to change. The underpaid and underprivileged workers will discover all too quickly that happily ever after is nothing more than a sugar-coated phrase for “Reality is too harsh and does not sell, so we’re going to just end the storyline here.”

The line between what we would like to believe and what we actually do can often be a bit too fine for my tastes. When we start to take a few too many trips to Disneyland, when we expose our children to Disney princesses and nothing else, and when we buy Disney merchandise with no thought other than that it must have been made by the “happiest people on earth,” we are simply fooling ourselves. It’s one thing to believe in dreams, but it is another thing completely to lose sight of reality.