Underlying Rationale and Targeted Audience
Value formation is a long-term process that takes its beginning in early childhood. There is a wide range of factors that have an influence on this process, including the home environment, social circles, and mass media. In addition, psychologists state that the ideals, children adopt, are often dictated by the fairy tales and cartoons their parents choose for them (King, Lugo-Lugo and Bloodsworth-Lugo 20). From this perspective, it is reasonable to assume that Disney products play a significant role in shaping values for the new generation as the company has been holding the leading position in the relevant market for almost a century. In the meantime, the question arises concerning the factors that shape Disney’s images. In other words, there seems to be a triple agent connection, where the society, first, impacts the characters that appear in cartoons, which, in their turn, influence the viewers.
Recent research has shown that the characters of Disney cartoons have a strong impact on the gender role portrayals that little viewers accept as ideals, and girls are particularly susceptible to adopting the values shared by the main cartoon characters – princesses (England, Lara Descartes and Collier-Meek 550). As a result, it is assumed to be rational to carry out research that would examine the ideas proposed by Disney cartoons at different time periods and evaluate the character of the impact they have. It is also critical to examine the social tendencies that determined the appearance of particular images of princesses in these cartoons. It is expected that the findings might represent a useful guideline for parents. Due to the study, the latter will receive an opportunity to benefit from Disney cartoons turning them into a tool for consistent value formation.
Thesis
The study of the relevant literature allows working out a general thesis for the proposed research. Thus, the majority of researchers agree on the point that the characters of princesses in Disney cartoons reflect the key social trends and play a significant role in girls’ evolution participating in the formation of their values and ideas as well as the behavior patterns. This idea should constitute the base of the study, although some minor hypotheses can be, likewise, put forward.
Thus, for example, there is an opinion that the images of princesses have changed dramatically throughout the time, and the current characters have a more positive influence on girls’ psychology as they meet the modern social demand for gender equality and tolerance (England, Descartes and Collier-Meek 562). The relevant assumption can be adopted as a supplementary thesis.
In addition, the preliminary analysis shows that there is a contradictory opinion on the racial implications that Disney cartoons offer. Hence, some researchers believe that the princesses’ characters encourage the development of racial tolerance and show the appeal for race equality (Condis and Austin 4). The opposite point of view suggests that some of the characters offered by the Disney industry, might be, on the contrary, racially intolerant, and, thus, have a negative influence on the immature psychology (England, Descartes and Collier-Meek 557). Therefore, the next supplementary thesis might suggest that Disney cartoons have a role in shaping children’s attitudes in terms of race and ethnicity.
Finally, there is a large scope of theoretic material devoted to the examination of the feminist implications existing in Disney cartoons. As a result, it might also be supposed that the images of princesses provide some guidelines for gender behavior.
Background and Related Areas
A brief preliminary research has shown that the examination of the proposed problem has been carried out by numerous scientists. Thus, the question of the impact that Disney cartoons have on evaluation and value shaping has been studied from different perspectives: feminism, race, morality. Therefore, it is suggested that the proposed research covers all the aspects in order to define the character of influence in different terms. Moreover, there is a wide variety of scientific literature describing the transformation of cartoons’ images throughout the time inspired by the relevant social context. It is, likewise, essential to note that the study of this problem will require addressing some related areas such as psychology and sociology.
Objectives and Research Questions
The principal objective of the proposed research resides in, first and foremost, indicating the interconnection between three elements: the social trends, the ideas offered by Disney cartoons and the value formation in girls that watch them. As long as the relevant connection is defined, it is critical to examine its validity and character. Moreover, the research should also work out a consistent guideline for parents so that it is not solely theoretical but has some practical applications as well. Thus, for example, the recommendations might include a list of princesses’ characters that prove to have the most favorable impact on children’s evaluation, etc.
The research questions can be posted in accordance with the advanced theses. Thus, the proposed research might be aimed at answering the following questions:
- Do the characters of Disney cartoons have any impact on value formation in little viewers? If yes, how strong is this impact? Is it generally negative or positive?
- Do social trends and values influence the shaping of the cartoons’ images? If yes, how strong is this impact? How has it changed throughout time?
- What kind of ideas can girls adopt from Disney’s princesses in terms of race/gender?
- How has the nature of impact changed throughout time? Which cartoons are more likely to offer a positive guide: the old or the modern ones?
It is essential to note that the first two questions are the key focus of the research, whereas the other two are aimed at proving or rebutting supplementary hypotheses.
Literature Overview
At the proposal stage, four relevant sources are employed, although, in the course of the potential study, their number will, evidently, extend. All of the sources currently used are scholarly articles retrieved from scientific journals. It is critical to point out that the proposed problem receives a different interpretation in every source. Thus, for instance, Condis and Austin share their vision of the impact each Disney princess might have on children’s psychology. A particular focus is put on the problems of race and ethnicity. The principal value of this source resides in the fact that it provides a large scope of relevant examples.
Craven’s article, in its turn, is devoted to the examination of the discussed problem in the framework of one cartoon. Hence, the analysis is carried out on the example of Princess Beauty. In this article, the author mainly focuses on the feminist implications that the cartoon has.
One of the most many-sided analysis is provided by England, Descartes, and Collier-Meek. The researchers have carried out impressive work examining the impact of Disney cartoons and their characters and their alterations throughout the years. The research provides a large scope of statistical data and, most importantly, contains some useful recommendations for further investigation.
Finally, the book of King, Lugo-Lugo, and Bloodsworth-Lugo studies the proposed problem in general. One of the key benefits of the relevant source is that it provides the psychological reasoning of the examined impact as well as some explanations in terms of sociology. Moreover, the authors also examine the social impact on the appearance of particular characters in cartoons.
Works Cited
Condis, Megan, and Stephen Austin. “She Was a Beautiful Girl and All of the Animals Loved Her: Race, the Disney Princesses, and their Animal Friends” An Internet Journal for Gender Studies. 55.1 (2015): 1-6. Web.
Craven, Allison. “Beauty and the Belles. Discourses of Feminism and Femininity in Disneyland.” The European Journal of Women’s Studies 9.2 (2002): 123-142. Print.
England, Dawn Elizabeth, Lara Descartes, and Melissa Collier-Meek. “Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses.” Sex Roles 64.1 (2011): 555-567. Print.
King, Richard, Carmen Lugo-Lugo, and Mary Bloodsworth-Lugo. Animating Difference: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Contemporary Films for Children, Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. Print.