Rating: 
Summary: Anti Disney Book is Actually Anti Big-Business
Review: Giroux doesn't like the Disney Company. He wants you to know that it is not nearly as innocent and squeaky clean as the public image presented. The essential message of the book seems to be: Disney is a big company that wants to maximize profits; this is very bad for society, and therefore Disney is bad. Substitute "Disney" with any other Fortune 500 company name, and the message of the book could apply to all large corporations in America, not just Disney. Nevertheless, his key point may have been made more powerfully if the actual writing were not so difficult to read. The book is written in an overly academic style, using tortured sentence structure, and sprinkled liberally throughout with the jargon of academia. You may enjoy the book if you are a Sociology student or like using sociology-speak such as "pedagogical", "dialectical", and "ideological rigidity".Another main theme the book expounds upon is that Disney, through its wide-reaching "educational" impact, has done a disservice to children by reinforcing cultural, ethnic, and gender stereotypes throughout their films. The author appears to be really reaching when describing some of the stereotypes he perceives. For example, he claims that there is an anti-minority subtext in "The Lion King", a film composed entirely of animals! His reason? The bad guys portrayed by the hyenas are voiced by Cheech Marin, who is Hispanic, and Whoopi Goldberg, who is African American. What is conveniently not mentioned is that the most heroic character in the movie, the lion king Mufasa, is voiced by James Earl Jones, who is also African American. Although the author may have some valid criticisms of Disney as a corporate entity, he completely misses the fact that Disney is actually in the entertainment industry (not the education field), and owes no more or less to society than any other entertainment company. Perhaps the advice "lighten up" may apply here. We're talking about cartoons. The book doesn't really engage the reader until near the end, where Giroux thoughtfully analyzes the films "Pretty Woman" and "Good Morning, Vietnam" from a cultural viewpoint, focusing on the numerous depictions of stereotypes throughout both films. If you want to know more about how businesses sometimes emphasize profits over their social responsibility, then this book may interest you. If you want to learn more about the history of Disney from a non-academic point of view, check out Bob Thomas' highly engaging and well-written "Walt Disney an American Original". For the author, and all others wishing to improve their writing, I highly recommend Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style".
Rating:
Summary: Anti Disney Book is Actually Anti Big-Business
Review: Giroux doesn't like the Disney Company. He wants you to know that it is not nearly as innocent and squeaky clean as the public image presented. The essential message of the book seems to be: Disney is a big company that wants to maximize profits; this is very bad for society, and therefore Disney is bad. Substitute "Disney" with any other Fortune 500 company name, and the message of the book could apply to all large corporations in America, not just Disney. Nevertheless, his key point may have been made more powerfully if the actual writing were not so difficult to read. The book is written in an overly academic style, using tortured sentence structure, and sprinkled liberally throughout with the jargon of academia. You may enjoy the book if you are a Sociology student or like using sociology-speak such as "pedagogical", "dialectical", and "ideological rigidity". Another main theme the book expounds upon is that Disney, through its wide-reaching "educational" impact, has done a disservice to children by reinforcing cultural, ethnic, and gender stereotypes throughout their films. The author appears to be really reaching when describing some of the stereotypes he perceives. For example, he claims that there is an anti-minority subtext in "The Lion King", a film composed entirely of animals! His reason? The bad guys portrayed by the hyenas are voiced by Cheech Marin, who is Hispanic, and Whoopi Goldberg, who is African American. What is conveniently not mentioned is that the most heroic character in the movie, the lion king Mufasa, is voiced by James Earl Jones, who is also African American. Although the author may have some valid criticisms of Disney as a corporate entity, he completely misses the fact that Disney is actually in the entertainment industry (not the education field), and owes no more or less to society than any other entertainment company. Perhaps the advice "lighten up" may apply here. We're talking about cartoons. The book doesn't really engage the reader until near the end, where Giroux thoughtfully analyzes the films "Pretty Woman" and "Good Morning, Vietnam" from a cultural viewpoint, focusing on the numerous depictions of stereotypes throughout both films. If you want to know more about how businesses sometimes emphasize profits over their social responsibility, then this book may interest you. If you want to learn more about the history of Disney from a non-academic point of view, check out Bob Thomas' highly engaging and well-written "Walt Disney an American Original". For the author, and all others wishing to improve their writing, I highly recommend Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style".
Rating: 
Summary: Giroux Articulates Progressive's Concerns
Review: Giroux takes a look at the sinister, insidious side of the Disney conglomerate, and articulates (in his usual wordy, passive voice fashion) what many progressives are fighting against in our age of corporate oligarchy--the sacrifice of democracy and the public good at the altar of corporate profit. While he makes many pronouncements of how to correct these evils and bring discourse back into the schools and society, I'm afraid it's too little, too late. He doesn't offer any suggestions for assisting the general adult population in gaining the critical thinking skills necessary to combat corporate hegemony. That is one of the downfalls of the book. He also is pretty merciless in his attacks on Disney films. Sure, Mulan breaks role stereotypes, but she does so in a militaristic fashion, he complains. Well, heck, this is a traditional folktale from China and Disney is true to the story here. What does Giroux want Mulan to do? Go join the Peace Corps? Aside from these qualms, I think the book is well worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: More Academia from the Ivory Tower
Review: Henry Giroux proves to be another leftist academic windbag who talks just to hear himself speak and tries to sound intellectual by infusing his commentary with big words and fluff. Instead of an unbiased critique, "The Mouse that Roared" in essence is one man's leftist opinion that Disney is the evil empire who ignores the plight of urban America and social problems in the world. In Mr. Giroux's world every company that is present to earn a profit is essentially The Man holding people down. People that are escaping urban sprawl in order to seek a better life and security are ignoring human suffering. People who have the money to send their kid to a better school or live in a better house are somehow taking away from the poor schools in the urban environment. Mr Giroux of course fails to see that there are a lot more factors involved in the failure of our urban and youth foundations, but in leftist idealism, government and money are the solution to all problems, even when facts show corporations are efficient and get the job done, whereas the government does not. Mr. Giroux uses the classic arguments of racism and inequality to debase Disney features without even having a clue what racism is, or what means there are to combat it. I suppose Whoopi Goldberg was too ignorant of any racial overtones present in "The Lion King" before she committed to playing the role of one of the so called ghetto hyenas. Of course Mr. Giroux knows more about racism than Ms. Goldberg does. Democracy is used throughout Mr. Giroux's book as some sort of term that Disney is unfamiliar with. Again Mr. Giroux likes to apply democracy when it is feasible to his point of view, but anything that goes against his ideal world is not very democratic. People use democracy every day with their wallets, which is why Disney and other corporations have millions of dollars while Mr. Giroux has hardly none in comparision. Mr. Giroux does not like that type of democracy. In all this book reeks of class envy and one man's personal crusade against corporations, because, from what I can glean between the lines, the corporations are a success and will be remembered, while Mr Giroux's career as some sort of cultural critic is not really amounting to much and will largely be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: More Academia from the Ivory Tower
Review: Henry Giroux proves to be another leftist academic windbag who talks just to hear himself speak and tries to sound intellectual by infusing his commentary with big words and fluff. Instead of an unbiased critique, "The Mouse that Roared" in essence is one man's leftist opinion that Disney is the evil empire who ignores the plight of urban America and social problems in the world. In Mr. Giroux's world every company that is present to earn a profit is essentially The Man holding people down. People that are escaping urban sprawl in order to seek a better life and security are ignoring human suffering. People who have the money to send their kid to a better school or live in a better house are somehow taking away from the poor schools in the urban environment. Mr Giroux of course fails to see that there are a lot more factors involved in the failure of our urban and youth foundations, but in leftist idealism, government and money are the solution to all problems, even when facts show corporations are efficient and get the job done, whereas the government does not. Mr. Giroux uses the classic arguments of racism and inequality to debase Disney features without even having a clue what racism is, or what means there are to combat it. I suppose Whoopi Goldberg was too ignorant of any racial overtones present in "The Lion King" before she committed to playing the role of one of the so called ghetto hyenas. Of course Mr. Giroux knows more about racism than Ms. Goldberg does. Democracy is used throughout Mr. Giroux's book as some sort of term that Disney is unfamiliar with. Again Mr. Giroux likes to apply democracy when it is feasible to his point of view, but anything that goes against his ideal world is not very democratic. People use democracy every day with their wallets, which is why Disney and other corporations have millions of dollars while Mr. Giroux has hardly none in comparision. Mr. Giroux does not like that type of democracy. In all this book reeks of class envy and one man's personal crusade against corporations, because, from what I can glean between the lines, the corporations are a success and will be remembered, while Mr Giroux's career as some sort of cultural critic is not really amounting to much and will largely be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Disney Lovers Beware
Review: If you love Mickey and Donald, you might be miffed at Giroux's critique of the Disney Empire. Athough careful not to characterize it as the 'evil empire', he does an excellent job of framing the megla-conglomerate as a pervasive propaganda machine for its own views on 'values'. The book moves very quickly and is intensely interesting with facts, figures and expositions of Disney antics in turning our children into consumers. If you are a Giroux reader, then you'll recognize his style and his message, which is wrapped in the Freirian philosophy of democractic dialectic. He is warning us against the pervasiveness of the Disney message which excludes dialogue and portrys realities as clean and efficient, and all problems solvable within the lily white world of heroes and heroines. There are some flaws. He mentions the number of Disney stores three times and each time he gives a different number. He also changes the numbers on Disney's gross and net income a few times. After you've reached the fourth chapter, you'll begin to feel that each chapter is a separate essay written months apart. I strongly recommend it if you're a way-far liberal in the pre-Clinton sense of the word.
Rating:
Summary: Collection Reflects Giroux's Other Works
Review: In this collection of essays, Giroux provides readers a good introduction to Disney Studies. Essentially, Giroux's concerns focus on Disney's power to shape the public's understanding of itself, children , and American culture. His main point is that the public altogether too willingly accepts Disney as purveyor and protector of innocence. People allow themselves to be lulled to sleep by a hypnotic Disney whose products are, underneath it all, as dangerous as Malicient and her spinning wheel. Giroux's primarily explores the connection between Disney and families, especially children. He also considers Disney's representations of gender, race, sexuality, and so forth (fairly standard fair for academic critique). His book is supposed to be an activist statement--it offers readers ways with which to think about Disney critically. For those unfamiliar with his work or those just being exposed to Disney criticism, this book is a good and lively introduction. Giroux's examples are brief but numerous and he provides just enough scholarly material to ground his book. In many ways, it provides a representative perspective on most academics' view on Disney, a sort of mini-history of the discipline. However, the book is is flawed in at least two areas. First, those familiar with Giroux's work will find nothing new here. Much of the material seems rather hastily compiled and updated for a book publication. I much prefer his individual essays on the subject. Second, and this is at the heart of many critiques, I question whether Giroux's portrayal of the public. He claims that the public is an active audience, one which is capable of producing several "readings" that complicate issues of Disney's reception. While Giroux proposes individuals may be (or become) thoughtful/resistant consumers, how they do so is less clear. In many sections Giroux contradicts his stated interest in people--he spends more time bemoaning Disney's power and then mostly theorizes on how people can resist Disney. Giroux does not seem quite convinced that most individuals are not passive consumers. While Giroux is interested in inspiring the public to become critical citizens, even he seems unable to get beyond Disney as pervasive cultural force. As a book wich encourages individuals to think seriously about Disney, this book works rather well. As a book that provides ways to work with this this new knowledge--or as one that recognizes that working against Disney's ideological grain is even possible--the book is less successful. It is a solid starting point for serious discussions about Disney, but only a starting point.
Rating: 
Summary: What are they afraid of?
Review: Just recently, the only living relative of Walt Disney remaining in the Disney company exited in a rather loud and public way, after finally having had enough of the crooked ways of CEO Michael Eisner. The problem, of course, is that Michael Eisner was doing just what `Uncle Walt' wanted --- picking money out of the pockets of the middle and lower classes, making people feel that they are somehow secure in a dangerous world, and promoting racism and sexism. Henry A. Giroux, the Waterbury Chair Professor of Education at Pennsylvania State University, a world renowned writer on education and cultural issues, has written a very readable book about one of the most abusive companies in North American history. Giroux's The Mouse That Roared convinces us that Disney has become a force that must be criticized and feared. He also explains why the Disney Empire feels they must have absolute control over their employees, their town and their movies. Giroux tackles Disney's legacy of eroding democracy and endangering the nation's youth. Disney whitewashes history and shows, in its theme parks, the history of slaves in a nauseatingly nostalgic light. While Disney conjures up ideas, and promotes ideals, of innocence, and creates childish fantasies, it also encourages, and maybe even coerces, massive spending, especially by those that can least afford it. Disney even has its own private town, Celebration, and its handling of its employees borders on the criminal. In addition, Giroux argues, Disney movies promote sexism and racism. Having read the book, I am convinced that we, as teachers, parents, and concerned citizens, ought to become more aware of what Disney is doing. Giroux's book effectively shows that prevailing conceptions of this company do not reflect the truth behind this not so `Mickey Mouse' company. Sometimes the truth isn't pretty, but it must be spoken. It appears that Giroux has spoken truth.
Rating:
Summary: A Disappointed Reader
Review: THE MOUSE THAT ROARED was a disappointment to me in many ways--the tortuous academic prose style, the ever-present word "pedagogy" in all of its various forms, the rather sinister view of the Disney Company's motivations in their influence on education and popular culture. I was especially disappointed in Giroux's treatmemt of Walt Disney, who he refers to occasionally as "Old Walt Disney" (Old?) In his discussion, he presents as facts some myths about Walt Disney that have been refuted by a host of scholars and historians. I feel that this is a disservice to the memory of Walt Disney, and further, it makes me question the entire content of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A Disappointed Reader
Review: THE MOUSE THAT ROARED was a disappointment to me in many ways--the tortuous academic prose style, the ever-present word "pedagogy" in all of its various forms, the rather sinister view of the Disney Company's motivations in their influence on education and popular culture. I was especially disappointed in Giroux's treatmemt of Walt Disney, who he refers to occasionally as "Old Walt Disney" (Old?) In his discussion, he presents as facts some myths about Walt Disney that have been refuted by a host of scholars and historians. I feel that this is a disservice to the memory of Walt Disney, and further, it makes me question the entire content of the book.
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