Disney songs that are considered problematic · 11:46am Sep 18th, 2020
1. Song of the Roustabouts (Dumbo)
It includes lyrics that are discriminatory against the blacks, talking about working all day and night, never learning to read or write, slaving until they're almost dead, and throwing away their pay when they received it.
2. What Made the Red Man Red? (Peter Pan)
It is considered racist and offensive because of its exaggerated stereotypes of Native Americans and Indigenous people such as bold red skin, using the term Injuns, and doing the sound with their hands over their mouths.
3. The Siamese Cat Song (Lady and the Tramp)
It is a racist caricature of what white people thought of Asian people at the time. The names of the cats, the shape of their teeth, their stereotypical accent, and the music make it deemed inappropriate in today's climate.
4. Everybody Wants to Be a Cat (The Aristocats)
Similar to #3, it is discriminatory against Asians because of Shun Gon's lyrics that goes, "Shanghai, Hong Kong, Egg Fu Yong! Fortune cookie always wrong!".
5. Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid)
Some of the lyrics are deemed sexist where Ursula said that men don't like women with "a lot of blabber", they only have a preference "for ladies not to say a word", they are "not impressed with conversation" and "avoid it when they can", and they fall for "a lady who's withdrawn".
6. Arabian Nights (Aladdin)
The beginning contained the original lyrics, "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face. It's barbaric, but hey, it's home", which upset a lot of Arab-Americans and garnered complaints from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
7. Savages (Pocahontas)
Similar to #2, though it was purposely written to be offensive to highlight the theme of racial tensions and prejudice. Still, it received negative reviews from critics, which validates its status as a problematic Disney song.
5357744
Can you name any?
5357750
Well, the point of Mulan is to empower women in a patriarchal society. The songs that you named and the film as a whole are meant to expose sexism (treating women like dolls/objects) rather than promote it.
Hellfire could be considered problematic by religious people. I'm not deeply religious. It is intended to be dark because Frollo sings about Hell, sin, lust, and murder. He is meant to be hated because he is the villain.
I think they changed the lyric in Arabian knights but kept the barbaric part
5358552
They are completely changed for the 2019 remake.
5358553
Ah