Watch Out Entertainment Tonight

	Americans love to be entertained.  Many of the programs today though are filled with sexual and violent scenes that can be disturbing for children and even adults.  From the time he was a young boy till the day he died on December 15, 1966, Walt Disney loved to draw and to make people happy.  He grew up in a family that was not very affectionate or caring.  Disney wanted to create an atmosphere that people would recognize as something they have never experienced before.  So in the structuring of his films and theme parks you will always find wholesome family entertainment that you don’t have to worry about what kind of provocative scene will pop up next.  Walt Disney has defiantly made a positive impact on the American society.  Almost everyone you speak with, whether they are one or one hundred years old, knows of Walt Disney. Walt Disney has continued to produce popular family entertainment despite the growing popularity in our culture of sexual and violent video games, films, and television programs.
	In 1928, sexual and violent video games, films, and television were unheard of.  During this era Walt Disney created the milestone for his empire.  Disney was a 27 year old man working hard on his first film “Steamboat Willie”.  He wanted his film to span over all others and to provide a new link to the film industry.  Of course, that’s what he did.  “Steamboat Willie” was the world’s first synchronized sound cartoon, which premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York on November 18, 1928 (Just Disney.com 4). This wowed people in the early stages of his career and set his standards even higher for his next coming attraction.
	The next stop on Disney’s power trip was his film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. This film was the first full length animated feature ever created (Just Disney.com 4).  This film truly created a stepping stone on Disney’s ladder of success.  Not only did the film bring in a lot of money, but it also boosted Disney’s confidence in himself.  “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was not only a big hit in 1937 when it debuted, but it remains a big hit among Americans today.  In fact, the movie was just brought out not to long ago as a collector edition DVD.  “The film is still thought of as one of the greatest achievements of the motion picture industries” said Kelly Sue Theo in her article on “akak.essortment.com”. This really goes to show that people still turn to great masterpieces created in the 1930’s to escape the new trend of sexual and violent films in the movie theatres today.
	Disney wanted his work to emphasize reality, but he wanted to do it in a creative yet heart warming manner.  In order to make sure he was achieving this in an appropriate manner, he “required cameramen and artists to study the anatomy and locomotion of animals in their natural habitat” (Schickel 221).  He wanted people to be able to go see his films as a family, not as a petrified parent wondering what kind of scene their child will be exposed to.  “Most people prefer their entertainments to embrace the comfortably cute rather than the disturbingly acute-especially when they’re bringing the kids” (Schickel 4).  So that’s what Disney continued to do despite the ignorance portrayed by movie critics who thought Disney was robbing “the pulse of life under the skin of events” (Schickel 4).  He knew what the people wanted and didn’t care what so called “experts” thought.
	Disney’s work was even accredited in the early stages of his career.  By 1940 when the break out of World War II began, Disney’s work had been recognized as well thought out and ingenious.  When the U.S. state department was in need of training and propaganda films naturally they contacted the Disney facilities (Just Disney.com 5).  These films were of great quality, that they are still being used around the world today.  This project was worked on most of the time during the war and there was not very much of the usual “fairy-tale” story telling passing through the facilities.  Even when producing for the government, Walt Disney’s films are still educational and recognizable and present day.
         In 1955, Walt Disney’s dream of the perfect amusement park came true.  Disneyland was just another one of Disney’s grand ideas to get families together.  Disneyland was Disney’s way of bringing the audience in the movies.  Though his rides may be simple, they still attract people just for the mere fact that the imagination behind it is ingenious.  Although many people get annoyed by the lines at Disney, many parents would rather spend the money to travel to Disneyland and wait in line rather than having there children engaged in sexual and violent movies, television programs, or video games.
          Disney’s intelligence even had him picking the ideal spot for Disneyland.  By placing the park in Southern California, you are “convinced things are better, than they are, because Southern California is full of continually blossoming flowers” (Rose 3) not to mention sunshine and mild temperatures.  This is an ideal setting that people can escape to anytime of year when they just need to render themselves from the sexual and violent films, video games, and television and just experience some good rated G fun that you know you can count on.  Here, you truly get the chance to experience the movies, for unlike studios like Fox where “the set is the set, in Disneyland the set is the whole point” (Rose 3). On that note, that is what inspired Disney to expand his theme parks into Disney World and Euro Disney.  Disney truly wanted people all over the world to experience hands on the chance to be a kid again and to escape from the troubles sought forth from the violent and sexual films, video games, and television programs surrounding today’s society.
        Walt Disney was also one of the first producers to introduce full-color programming.  From the days of the Mickey Mouse club in the 1950’s, to today’s Disney television networks like the Disney Channel, The American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and ABC Family all these shows are symbols of family entertainment.  Most of these shows on these networks also try to teach its viewers a lesson that can be useful for them in their everyday lives.  Rarely, shows on these networks will show violence or sexual content without a warning to the viewer before the show begins.  This is just another way that Disney keeps his products free of vulgar offensive entertainment.
        According to the statistics found on www.depts.washington.edu, a total of 3,381 acts of violence were identified within 284 television series.  No wonder people of all ages turn to Disney just for the chance to experience something different.  It is so typical in today’s society that people just want pure wholesome television shows that escape reality.  Statistics also show that “the typical preschooler who daily watches about two hours of cartoons will be exposed to 10,000 violent incidents per year, of which 500 are at high risk of modeling aggressive attitudes and behaviors” (depts.washington.edu). These statistics can be very scary for a parent, but it’s a good thing that they can rely on Disney programming to block out these acts of violence, and continue to teach and lead there children on the right path.
        Violence in films is very hard to escape.  According to www.fotf.ca, 100 percent of feature films created in the United States between 1937 and 1999 portray at least one violent act, and the amount of violence increases as the year’s progress.  Why is it that as Americans we find it entertaining to watch violent acts?  Even in Disney movies violence is bound to appear such as when Simba challenges Scar in the Lion King, or when the Queen attempts to poison Snow White with an apple.  Despite the minimal violence found in Disney films, the acts of violence portrayed in other motion pictures is a lot worse.  We should be thankful we have Disney pictures to turn to when the violence rate among films is so high.
        Violence is not the only issue Americans are exposed to on a daily basis.  Sexual television, films, and video games are also in the deep end of the water.  “The average American adolescent will view nearly 14,000 sexual references per year” (fotf.ca 1). Parents should not have to worry about sexual video games, television programs, or movies, for learning about sexual related ideas should be taught by the parent when they feel the time is right for the child to be exposed to it.  Until that time kids should be entertained by knowledgeable, fun, quality programming.  Sexual video games, movies, and television programs can also get tiresome to view for adults as well.  Sometimes you just need to pop in your favorite Disney movie or video game and pretend the world is perfect and is not revolving around sex and sexual content.
        From the movies, to television, to video games the American society is caught in the wave of sexual and violent ways to entertain.  Despite this growing epidemic, Disney has and will continue to produce original, creative, safe family entertainment for all ages.  Whether you escape the violence and sexuality by going to Disneyworld or just relaxing watching the Disney Channel in the privacy of your own home, you know you will never be disturbed or offended by any of the visions you will encounter.  As Richard Schickel said, “Disney has been serving as a beacon for parents seeking clean, decent entertainment for their children, the Disney logo—a stylized version of the founder’s signature—more generally promises us that anything appearing beneath it will not veer too far from the safe, sound and above all cheerful American mainstream, which it defines as much as serves.”  This should be a reminder to everyone that when you need a break from the ever so popular sex and violence, or when you are trying to seek out appropriate entertainment for your son or daughter, be sure to turn to Disney.