by Charie Winburn

Created on: May 13, 2009   Last Updated: May 27, 2009

Movie makers and theater owners worldwide use subliminal messages to get a desired result. Showing popcorn on the screen for a few seconds followed by a Coke can have the desired affect and concession sales rise. However, when examining the purported subliminal messages in Disney films it seems ludicrous to think that Walt Disney secretly wanted all children to "take off [their] clothes" or see a priest inappropriately stimulated.

It is easy to find internet sites that claim there are inappropriate pictures and messages interspersed throughout the animated feature films. It is a safe bet that most small children have no idea that these messages exist while teens and adults have heard about them and therefore seek them out. Whether the messages are now heard because people are programmed to hear them or if they are really there is in dispute. Here are some examples you can investigate yourself.

First, the overtly sexual messages:

In "Aladdin" there is a part where Aladdin sneaks onto the balcony and is trying to meet up with Jasmine. The claim is that while Genie is asking how Aladdin is doing you can hear Aladdin's voice in the background saying "take off your clothes". If you are curious you can find the clip on YouTube and decide for yourself. Disney and members of the media deny the validity of this claim.

In one scene of "The Rescuers" there is an image in the background which appears to be a naked woman in the window. The image is rather blurry and would probably not be seen by anyone who wasn't running it in slow motion looking for just such things but that is the point of subliminal messages. Disney actually agreed that the image was questionable retired the movie to their archives until they could release it with the offending frames cut out.

The priest performing the wedding in "The Little Mermaid" appears to be a little too excited. When examining the clip closely it is obvious why people think that is the case. Disney, however, claims that if you really look at how the character is drawn you can see that it is the priest's knee, not anything inappropriate.

Second, completely harmless messages put in on purpose:

In the beginning of the Disney empire Walt Disney refused to give creative credit to anyone but himself. Story men, therefore, would add their own images and messages as their way of fighting back. Here are a few things that made it past Walt's watchful eye and that of other editors to end up

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>