The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence

This book was quite interesting, but I found it hard to keep up as it was written in such dense, academic text. (I am far better suited to reading science-type books of this nature, and not much else. It reads too much like work.)

The author covers how Disney, as a giant, multi-faceted, multi-national corporation, exerts great control over what children (and adults) not only consume, but also how and what they learn. The author first shows how Disney World and Disneyland's images of innocence and nostalgia (which is why many people, including myself, have enjoyed visiting the parks, and millions travel there every year) are tarnished, if you look a bit deeper, by their totalitarian hiring and employment practices, anti-labor standpoint, show more and whitewashing of American history throughout the parks. I found this to be quite fascinating and would be interesting in reading another book on the topic.

The author then goes on to critique Celebration, Disney's own "city," and the interesting way that the pubic has been privatized so that Disney can exert maximum control over every aspect of public life, from the public school, to what sort of topiaries residents can display, to the terms and conditions residents have to follow when/if they decide to leave.

Finally, the author goes over two of Disney's films, Good Morning, Vietnam and Pretty Woman, to show how Disney movies (which are viewed by a vast majority of people at least in the US) teach racism, sexism, colonialism, and pro-capitalism messages. show less