The Mouse That Roared Essay

“The mouse that roared: Disney and the end of innocence” by Henry Giroux and Grace Pollock, discusses the Disney corporation and its measures to address not just children but also adults. Disney has grown profusely over the years and continues to shape features of peoples lives. It had drawn in children with entertainment, adults with nostalgia and other conglomerates with business. This book illustrates Disney as a corporation, showing aspects of politics and globalization. It also depicts the affects of Disney of families and children. It discusses the innocence of children and ways of education, along with children’s culture. This paper analyzes “The mouse that roared…” and discusses some of the important elements in the book. Disney’s

These people are among so many that all encompass their own culture, and some shared among others. Culture is beliefs and behaviors set among a group of people, which have been passed down to others through social learning and observation (Ward & Edelstein, 2014, p. 3). With that, Disney itself can be seen as portraying its own culture, its own beliefs upon others, most of which are children. These children look to Disney as a way of an escape and enjoyment far from their own reality. This conveyance of a utopian world filled with fun characters, games and rides, is all shared amidst a large group of children. Along with that, it has and continues to descend through generations of families, thus establishing Disney as a culture. The culture represented through Disney’s media roots the defining of ones national identity, childhood and the means of beauty and truth (Giroux & Pollock, 2010, p. 2). This depiction seen through the abundant Disney characters and stories can play a part in refining the development of children in today’s society. As Giroux and Pollock state, Disney uses media culture to “express their commitment to middle-class family values, the welfare of children, and …public schooling” (2010, p. 25). Disney bases its principles on engaging consumers through connecting and taking interest in families, and this has become global. Disney has impacted not just North America but