The Celluloid Alamo claims that "[m]ovies provide a looking glass through which historians can observe the popular mood of the audience." Moreover, the Celluloid Alamo explains that films are often leveraged by "[p]roducers, directors, writers, and censors" to advance their political and social interests (Hutton, 5). An understanding of the cultural atmosphere during which Dumbo and The Lion King were released will help bring to light deep seated racial insensitivities. .
The crows in Dumbo (1941) are characters whose appearance and behavior demonstrates a stereotype closely associated with African Americans. The crows are black in color, simpleminded, and speak with a heavy Southern African American dialect. The leader of these crows is named Jim Crow, a popular racial epithet for African Americans. In keeping with the popular portrayals of Jim Crow at the time, this crow wears tattered clothing. A climactic moment of Dumbo is when these crows sing, "When I see an Elephant Fly." This musical number embraces scat stylizations and trumpet playing, both of which were characterizations used to degrade African Americans in 1941(Schickel). According to Disney biographer Neal Gabler, Walt Disney's racial insensitivity was "similar to most white Americans of his generation" (Gabler).
Twenty-eight animated feature films later, The Lion King (1994) was released. The film experienced immediate critical acclaim and was the highest-grossing animated film for nine years (Wikimedia Foundation). Despite its popularity, critics of The Lion King charged the film with presenting racist, sexist and homophobic content. The evil hyenas in The Lion King share a number of characteristics with the negative African American stereotypes that had become popularized by 1994. As film was directed at children, The Lion King reinforced these stereotypes in minds of rising generations.
