It is nearly impossible to deny the fact that the Disney Company has come to embody the image of America and American culture and values as seen by other countries and cultures around the world. Brought to the reader’s attention within the first few pages of chapter five of The Mouse that Roared, this association of Disney and American values has gone beyond Disney representing America and has moved into the realm of America representing Disney. With the story about the small theme park in Baghdad, Iraq (a non-Disney park that is associated with Disney simply by its American roots), we can clearly see how the pushing of American ideals on other cultures has come to be a known tool of the Disney Company to expand and develop its audience. While the company has attempted in some ways to quell this possibly negative stereotype by creatively integrating typical Disney-style parks and entertainment outlets with the cultural aspects of the new areas of the world that Disney is expanding to, the ultimate goal of the Company is still to promote American-style consumerism in an attempt to make the greatest profit.
Something I found very interesting in chapter five was the comparision of the Disney company and of large corporations in general to the story of Pirates of the Caribbean, At World’s End , in which a wealthy businessman heading a large corporation attempts to eliminate the smaller entrepreneurs (the pirates). While the Disney Company attempts to liken itself to the pirates, focusing on the time-honored rags to riches story of Walt Disney’s success, the Company has actually grown to be more like the money-hungry antagonist of the film. The line “its just good business” reminds me of Disney’s corporate strategies that typically focus on the ultimate goal of making a profit despite the fact that the company may be making it difficult or almost impossible for smaller companies or individuals to enter the same marketplace. While Disney may be a “good business,” the company has been known to take advantage of people in a difficult situation in order to make a profit, and has seen its fair share of corrupt CEO’s as well.
Overall, The Mouse that Roared has provided me with a deeper understanding of how the Disney company operates in order to make a profit. The company focuses its energy on advertising to children who do not yet have the understanding of how corporations seek to influence and control them. When these children get older, they will not only continue to buy into the Disney empire, but will also pass the torch along to their own children someday, keeping the company’s message of consumerism going from generation to generation. Having conquered the United States, the company is branching out to find new audiences, and attempts to promote these same consumerism values around the world. While this is a good business strategy for the company, it also results in a negative view of the United States as the company tries to force its American values on other cultures in order to make a profit. Overall, the Disney company is a dangerous, yet still amazing entity that will continue to play a large role in both American and world entertainment for years to come.
tbdisney 