THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 30, 1994 TAG: 9408010229
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Denise Watson
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
AS LION KING'S Nala and Simba crept into the darkness of the forbidden elephant graveyard - the mystery pulled in the lion cubs as well as my 2-year-old son.
Then came the laughing. The menacing chuckles of the bad-guy hyenas.
Tyler giggled, and I did too. I had no idea I might be scarring my son for life.
The hyenas, according to critics, cackled with all sorts of racial overtones. Nala's plea for Simba to save their world was too sexist even for the animated jungles of Africa. And the wicked uncle, Scar, in all his haughtiness, has his sexual preferences in question.
The ``Lion King'' is one of the most racist, sexist, homophobic, violent films we've plopped our children in front of in a long time, say the pundits.
``The movie is full of stereotypes,'' Harvard psychologist Carolyn Newberger complained in an op-ed piece for The Boston Globe.
``The good-for-nothing hyenas are urban blacks, the arch-villain's gestures are effeminate, and he speaks in supposed gay cliches.''
The thought made me feel as guilty as young Simba. I'm an African-American woman and consider myself pretty aware of the subtle messages out there. I make sure my son's toys, books and posters contain plenty of female heroes and people who look like him.
I had looked forward to our first film venture. But had I traded his self-esteem in for two hours of air-conditioned fun? If I did, I'm not the only one.
The movie grossed $174.3 million in ticket sales in five weeks.
Not to mention the Lion King spinoff frenzy in T-shirts, stuffed animals, Happy Meals and lunch boxes.
So is it just good clean fun? Or has Disney pulled a fast one on us?
When I talked with other parents about their alleged reckless behavior, they were just as bewildered.
``I thought it was a nice little Disney movie,'' said Ian Clement of Virginia Beach, who recently took his two sons to see it.
``I've heard something about the movie being violent, but that's the way it is. Mufasa went in great detail explaining the food chain to his son, and I liked that. But violence in the jungle, that's how it is.
``If you watch the Wild Kingdom, it's a lot worse than that.''
It's not the first time Disney has been accused of being politically incorrect. Some parents are still annoyed about the death of Bambi's mother. Some feminists squirm with the prince-as-savior themes in ``Sleeping Beauty,'' ``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' and ``Cinderella.'' More recently, some Arab-Americans felt ``Aladdin'' was racist.
But the Lion King - animals, breathtaking African sunsets, a funky soundtrack - morally degrading?
``These people need to get a life,'' said Disney spokeswoman Terry Press. ``It's a story. It's fiction.''
Hope Roots of Chesapeake walked out of Chesapeake Square cinema Tuesday, her kids still bopping to the blissful tune of ``Hukana Mutata.'' It was the second time Emily, 4, and Sam, 2, have seen the movie.
``It's just a nice story,'' Roots said.
``It's a story about life.''
And Emily, who still looked quite normal, considering being exposed to it twice, said sweetly:
``I liked that part when Scar died. . . . I like the whole movie.''
Natalie Richardson of Norfolk said her son and daughter have seen it twice, and they want to see it again.
``Some people are hypersensitive or they go in with this mind-set, and they will find what they want to find,'' Richardson said.
``For those who know all blacks aren't bad and are confident in their lives as men and women, they aren't going to read into things so easily. Who is this Harvard guy anyway? Doesn't he have something better to do?'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
[from the movie "The Lion King"]
by CNB