Walt Disney?

Question

Do you think Disney has strengthened the vegetarian/vegan movement by targeting young children with it's media?

Think about it, targeting young children with films of animals talking, playing, and having 'humanaly intelligent' conversations with each other. What kind of person would do that?

Was Walt Disney a vegetarian/vegan?

Do you think this is ethical?

(not trying to bash vegetarians/vegans as I am not saying vegetarians/vegans are wrong but rather am asking about 'advertising to children' ethics)

Answer 1

I will admit that your question has some merit to it and is intriguing, considering that in this day and age, we have subliminal messages as well as the rest of the underhanded ways that the advertising world has of targeting young people to use alcohol and tobacco, but I am pretty sure that there were no ulterior motives to Walt Disney's art or vision, except to preserve a world he saw slipping away.

His life were based on believing in the hopes, dreams and imagination of the youth in this world to better the future. His art had moral messages that were common to all creeds without offending and without intentionally trying to sway one's belief system. He removed the stigma common to his era whereas a child that fantasized and daydreamed were deemed of no account and had to be grounded in reality or else. Disney showed that fantasy served a very valid purpose to the world. The movie "Snow White" was released at a time where the world had just barely recovered from one World War, a depression and was on the verge of a 2nd World War, in which the horror of atomic bombs killed so many innocent lives. His movies allowed those that went to see them a way to escape, even for just a short few minutes, and know joy. The man put everything he owned on the line to finance "Snow White", including his home and the rights to Mickey Mouse, which at the time was his most valuable asset. The movie was called "Disney's Folly" by the financial and entertainment business who thought it was doomed to failure. Had it failed, he would have been ruined and nobody would ever finance him again. And he would be a quiet footnote in some encyclopedia. But he truly believed in his dream. He, his team of artists that shared his vision, his creations, including Micky Mouse, became a light to help the darkened world and are now known worldwide by young and old. And he believed that dreams never ended and he went on to continue to build on them.
Yes, the company is financially sucessful now, and the Disney family doesn't have as much of an input as to the way the company goes, but the core of the company still follows Walt's original mission statement for the company and it is always growing with the sole purpose to bring joy and dreams to the world.
Was he promoting a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle by making animals more "humanized"? I don't believe so, at least not any more than any other animated art does, though I'm sure it did influence some people inadvertently to make that choice. Rhetorically, does Japanese Anime promote spiritualism by having many of their shows based on demons walking the earth (both as good guys and bad guys) or public (gender neutral) bathing or big breasted women wearing skimpy outfits all the time? Also, long before Walt Disney came along, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, L.Frank Baum as well as many others had animal characters created in print that spoke and had "human" qualities.
Not to mention, he grew up a good ole country boy in Missouri and I'm sure he enjoyed his meat.

Walt Disney lived during time when the world was changing from one of innocence to one of violence. He tried to capture the innocence and preserve it for as long as he could through all his various ventures while at the same time, he had high hopes for the future and he helped us believe in it too.

Sorry if this didn't technically answer your question, but like I said, if Walt Disney was just now starting out with his work as a new artform, a legitimate argument could be made as to his motives. But, no, as it stands, he just wanted to spread dreams, not vegetarism.

Answer 2

So True Michael Has Done So Much And it Turned Out To Be:Guys That Want To **** Every Girl In The World Walt Wanted Children To Have A Dream It Turned Out To Be :Disney Stars Showing Vagina,Then Dancing In A Pole In Public Horrible How This World Turned Out To Be

Answer 3

He wasn't vegetarian & even if he had been I don't see anything unethicical about promoting compassion. The media certainly does attempt to tell ppl what to think as it is-- it's blatant in commercials but not too deeply disguised in movies, TV comedies, dramas & even "news." Personally I'd love to see more well-written films that show "food" animals as interesting, sensitive creatures & although it might cause some individuals to take a second look at their dietary habits I don't think it will make a difference to the majority of viewers. How many persons have become vegetarian or vegan as a result of seeing "Chicken Run," "Babe" or "Charlotte's Web?"

Answer 4

Okay, well if you look, you'll see (I know that sounded kind of catty, but I'm not trying to be.) that there were not cows and pigs, but deer and fish. While people don't usually eat deer, they do eat fish, but some consider it "vegan" to eat fish (though I do not.)

So in a sense, it may, because it increases the children's empathy for the animals, but it is ethical.
My view on this is that people are not the only creatures on this planet, and it is ethical to equalize other animals with humans. These movies don't necessarily disprove or not promote the idea of human superiority, but they just need creatures exempt from the human nature ways. Animals are more innocent (or would be if they could interact with us.)

I don't think children would connect their empathy for animals to eating a burger, so no, I do not think it is advertising to anyone.

Answer 5

Walt Disney was just trying to get kids to use their imagination for god sakes. Dont you realize that an animal dies in every movie or someone dies etc.... He was just teaching the circle of life. No he was not a vegetarian in that matter.

Answer 6

uh have you gone to disney world? check out the restaurants the vendor food...nothing vege about that bs vegan vegetarian movement.
the only movie that would progress it was the little mermaid...& that wasnt for the vegetarians who eat fish...vegans maybe

Answer 7

One thing I know about Walt Disney is that most of his movies have bible verses in them!

Answer 8

Yes, I do think so. Because many young people who become vegan have a misguided sense of what animals are really like.

When they say things like, "If everyone became vegan, everyone would be happy and never fight. And animals would be free and happy".

Answer 9

I don't think Walt Disney is edible anymore?

Answer 10

I never thought of him that way....I have always felt he did more for world peace than any politician,