Racism in animation.
Disney is well known for its animated features. But looking back into its history there are times when its choice of character designs where shocking.
Disney's fantasia had a whole character that had to be removed from a scene, the video below has a side by side comparison of the original animation and the released animation. The original had a smaller centaur that was meant to represent a slave to the other centaurs, for obvious reasons she was removed.
Disney's first animated feature to have an African American person in the starting role was released in 2009. Disney's first animated feature was released in 1937. It took 72 years for Disney to create a character of African American person in the staring role.
It is not only racism that is a part of animation, people with disability's and the LGBTQ community have been poorly represented. I researched into The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame focuses on Quasimodo a man suffering from an disability that affects his appearance, the film follows him and how he is eventually excepted by his community. This is one of the only Disney's films that have a person with a disability, even so his ending isn't as happy as one might think, Esmerelda (his love interest) chooses another man, who is handsome and athletic looking, which does not really provide the best message.
Mulan's story follows Mulan's transition into a man, to defend her country and save her farther. Mulan's story is the closest thing to an LGBTQ character being represented in a Disney feature, as she does transition in to a man, even so she does return to her femininity as the film comes to a close.
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