by Courtney Alexis Packard

Created on: May 26, 2009

I've been a die-hard fan of Disney cartoons since I was a very young sprout. I can vividly remember grasping my mother's hand in blissful anticipation as we waited in line to purchase our brand-new VHS copy of Beauty and the Beast.

Disney video releases were a miniature holiday for my sister and I. We would spend hours guessing how the glossy movie box would look and what previews would play before the film began. I remember literally crying when I saw that The Lion King would soon be released on video ... I actually CRIED.

My whole childhood world was spun around these Disney fantasies. My sister and I would disapear into our backyard for hours, happily choosing what Disney character we wanted to be for the day and acting him or her out until we were ready to pretend we were someone else. (I was almost always Robin Hood) Practically every toy in our basement in someway reflected a Disney film, our favorites being the coveted Lion King action figures. And many humid summer afternoons at the beach were spent arguing over which mermaid we were.

It's only recently been brought to my attention that the dough-eyed Disney cartoons of yore may have actually poisoned my poor, suseptible brain. Funny, none of this every crossed my mind until I entered college and sat in a women's study course.

Disney sexist? Racist?

No. I refused to believe it. My professors were just overly imaginiative and had taken one too many liberal arts courses. There's no way that Disney would purposely set out to sabbatoge social norms and creative subliminal chaos. Afterall, most of the Disney classics were created at a very different time in our society. They were harmless...right?

While I still cannot answer that question for sure, I can offer a few examples that may encourage others to form their own conclusions. I can personally say that, for myself, I do not feel that Disney had enforced negative lessons on their young viewers. I do not see consequences in my behavior that could be linked to the gazillion times I sat through Snow White or Cinderella. Nor do I cast Disney in a neccesarily bad light. However, after reading research on the subject and revaluating my movie Disney collection, I can absolutely understand how Disney may have unintentionally hurt themselves.

My first example: Why is virtually every Disney heroine without a mother? Belle, Ariel, Cinderella, Pochahantas ... all without mothers. All without a strong maternal figure in their lives, but

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