Friday, February 11, 2005
Disney's Hindu Gambit
I heard a story on NPR this morning that seemed rather offensive to me... maybe. It seems Disney is having some success penetrating the India pay cable TV market. Disney is working to translate its cartoons into Hindi and Telugu. Mostly the channel will be showing Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc., but (and here's the part that perked my ears) Disney said it will be looking at creating new programming based on Hindu gods.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Anyone who watched 'Pocahontas' saw Disney's ability to portray strange faiths, but I wonder if Walt Disney himself would have approved of Hindu-god animation. Click here for a statement of Walt Disney's faith from 1961 (which doesn't seem particularly strong, to me). I don't recall a specifically Christian Disney movie. I woudn't really call "The Hunchback" a Christian movie... it just happened to take place around a church.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Anyone who watched 'Pocahontas' saw Disney's ability to portray strange faiths, but I wonder if Walt Disney himself would have approved of Hindu-god animation. Click here for a statement of Walt Disney's faith from 1961 (which doesn't seem particularly strong, to me). I don't recall a specifically Christian Disney movie. I woudn't really call "The Hunchback" a Christian movie... it just happened to take place around a church.
