Representations of Parents and Parenting in Disney Animated Films from 1937 to 2017
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Mass Communication and Society ISSN: 1520-5436 (Print) 1532-7825 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hmcs20 Parental Roles in “The Circle of Life” Representations of Parents and Parenting in Disney Animated Films from 1937 to 2017 Jessica D. Zurcher, Pamela Jo Brubaker, Sarah M. Webb & Tom Robinson To cite this article: Jessica D. Zurcher, Pamela Jo Brubaker, Sarah M. Webb & Tom Robinson (2020) Parental Roles in “The Circle of Life” Representations of Parents and Parenting in Disney Animated Films from 1937 to 2017, Mass Communication and Society, 23:1, 128-150, DOI: 10.1080/15205436.2019.1616763 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2019.1616763 Accepted author version posted online: 08 May 2019. Published online: 06 Jun 2019. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 539 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=hmcs20 Mass Communication and Society, 23:128–150 © 2019 Mass Communication & Society Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication ISSN: 1520-5436 print / 1532-7825 online DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2019.1616763 Parental Roles in “The Circle of Life” Representations of Parents and Parenting in Disney Animated Films from 1937 to 2017 Jessica D. Zurcher, Pamela Jo Brubaker, Sarah M. Webb, and Tom Robinson School of Communications Brigham Young University With such an expansive global reach, greater research is needed to evaluate messaging within Disney animated films as it relates to societal implications. The present analysis examined the portrayal of parents and parenting over time through a census content analysis of 85 Disney animated and computer-animated films that aired from 1937 to 2017. The constructs of parent demographics, parental configurations, parent roles within and outside of the home, and parenting Jessica D. Zurcher (Ph.D., University of Utah, 2016) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communications at Brigham Young University. Her research interests include issues dealing with new media, education, and family communication. She instructs courses in media effects, commu- nications theory, popular culture, and social media. Pamela Jo Brubaker (Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 2012) is an Associate Professor of Public Relations in the School of Communications at Brigham Young University. Her research interests include understanding today's digital media environment and exploring the positive and negative effects mediated communication is having on individuals, organizations, and society. Sarah M. Webb (M.A., Brigham Young University, 2018) currently works in the communica- tions field as a global specialist for a multinational communications training company. Her research interests include media effects, media ecology, and human communications. Tom Robinson (Ph.D., University of Southern Mississippi, 1996) is a Professor in the School of Communications at Brigham Young University. Robinson teaches advertising and specializes in advertising principles, advertising campaigns, media buying and planning, account planning, adver- tising strategy, and advertising research. His research interests include the portrayal of older individuals in advertising and the media. Correspondence should be addressed to Jessica D. Zurcher, School of Communications, Brigham Young University, Brimhall Building, #306, Provo, UT 84604. E-mail: jessica_zurcher@- byu.edu 128 PARENTAL ROLES IN THE CIRCLE OF LIFE 129 behaviors were examined. Results revealed that the vast majority of parents were viewed as mature, competent adults, with 56% use of the authoritative parenting style. Father figures were significantly more likely to use authoritarian and permissive parental approaches whereas female caregivers were more authorita- tive. Although parents were portrayed as overall mature and competent adults, implications are discussed regarding the portrayal of parental approaches that do not provide children with the support needed to overcome obstacles. “Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.” -Mufasa from The Lion King As a $169 billion industry, the Walt Disney Company maintains its global leadership in the creation and distribution of content to mass audiences (Ward & Graham, 2017). From lunch boxes and action figures to streaming online content, exposure to and ownership of Disney products is in many ways tied to the essence of family entertainment. Indeed, in The Global Disney Audience Project (GDAP), Wasko, Phillips, and Meehan (2001) observed that the word “family” was used by 80% of participants to describe Disney media. Moreover, Best and Lowney (2009) argued that Disney has become more inclusive of family entertainment through the acquisition of diverse media production com- panies that specialize in an array of storylines for various audiences. With a seemingly ubiquitous presence in children’s media, numerous scholars call attention to the need for increased analysis of understanding the impact of Disney content on society (Holcomb, Latham, & Fernandez-Baca, 2014; Tanner, Haddock, Zimmerman, & Lund, 2003; Zurcher, Webb, & Robinson, 2018). Although a robust literature of Disney content exists—including investigations dealing with race and diversity (Cheu, 2013;Faherty,2001; Lacroix, 2004; Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, & Tanner, 2004), gender portrayals and the modeling of gender (Coyne, Linder, Rasmussen, Nelson, & Birkbeck, 2016; Davis, 2005, 2014; England, Descartes, & Collier-Meek, 2011; Gillam & Wooden, 2008;Hoerrner,1996), depictions of older characters (Robinson, Callister, Magoffin, & Moore, 2007; Zurcher & Robinson, 2018), feminism (Downey et al., 1996;Sawyer,2011), aggressive behaviors (Coyne & Whitehead, 2008), and pro-social behaviors (Padilla-Walker, Coyne, Fraser, & Stockdale, 2013)— several gaps in the literature remain. For instance, despite the push for Disney to serve as a central player in family entertainment, research has yet to comprehen- sively examine representations of parents and parenting within Disney animated films. As Disney films are often viewed to the same frequency as television series (Lin, 2001), the family-related messages they contain can be influential in shaping societal beliefs about parents, parenting, and parent–child relationships. 130 ZURCHER ET AL. It is with this aim that we conduct a comprehensive analysis of the portrayal of parents across all Disney animated films from 1937 to 2017. Specifically, we investigated the representation of parental demographics and configurations, parental professions and roles within the home, depictions of competency and maturity among parents, parenting and conflict styles, and evaluate how each of these qualities may have shifted over time. REPRESENTATIONS OF PARENTS AND PARENTING WITHIN CHILDREN’S MEDIA Media consumption is a frequent activity for many children. Leon and Angst (2005) observed that 99% of homes contain at least one television with children watching approximately 4 hours of television daily. More recent data reports that children split their screen time with other media formats. Rideout (2016) purported that children aged 8 to 12 years old spend approximately two and a half hours watching TV/DVDs/videos daily with a total screen time of just over four and a half hours (including time spent on the internet, playing video games, and/or other mobile device activities). Callister, Robinson, and Clark (2007) identified three factors related to depictions of families and parents in media. First, media can serve as “a type of touchstone for [children] evaluating their own experiences” (p. 147). Children may blur the lines between portrayals of television families to real- life familial interactions (Dorr, Kovaric, & Doubleday, 1989; Douglas, 2003; Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, & Signorielli, 1980). Through such blurring, indivi- duals can come to imitate, identify with, or even experience emotional connec- tions with on-screen characters. Second, the content and themes children encounter in television and film are often repeatedly consumed. For instance, Lin (2001) observed that once a Disney film is purchased, children view the Disney film to the extent that they view a television series. Repeated consump- tion can influence the extent of learning children take away from such messa- ging. Third, as children (particularly younger children) may not encounter other family structures and behaviors outside of their own familial situations, media portrayals of families can become a central teaching source. Callister et al. (2007) argued that, “[…] children with limited direct experience in areas such as race, sex, or family life may rely heavily on television as they form attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions” (p. 143). Parental Representations Previous literature regarding media portrayals of the family and parenting focus on prime-time television depictions with little attention directed towards film PARENTAL ROLES IN THE CIRCLE OF LIFE 131 (Zurcher et al., 2018). Additionally, the majority of these investigations were conducted and published between 1990 and the mid-2000s, illuminating a gap in the literature. Past explorations identify several examined constructs, including parent demographics, parent professions, parenting configurations and styles, and general parental competency. Parental Demographics. The majority of family