Henry A. Giroux

ALTHOUGH IT APPEARS TO BE A commonplace assumption,
the idea that culture provides the basis for persuasive forms of learning
for children was impressed upon me with an abrupt urgency during the
past few years. As a single father of three eight-year-old boys, I found
myself somewhat reluctantly being introduced to the world of Holly-
wood animation films, in particular those produced by Disney. Before
becoming an observer of this form of children's culture, I accepted the
largely unquestioned assumptions that animated films stimulate imagi-
nation and fantasy, reproduce an aura of innocence, and, in general, are
good for kids. In other words, such films appeared to be vehicles of
amusement, a highly regarded and sought-after source of fun and joy for
children. However, within a very short period of time, it became clear to
me that the relevance of such films exceeded the boundaries of enter-
tainment.

Needless to say, the significance of animated films operate on many
registers, but one of the most persuasive is the role they play as the new
"teaching machines," as producers of culture. I soon found out that for
my children, and I suspect for many others, these films appear to inspire
at least as much cultural authority and legitimacy for teaching specific
roles, values, and ideals as do the more traditional sites of learning such
as the public schools, religious institutions, and the family.

The significance of animated films as a site of learning is heightened
by the widespread recognition that schools and other public sites are in-
creasingly beset by a crisis of vision, meaning, and motivation. The mass
media, especially the world of Hollywood films, on the contrary, con-
structs a dreamlike world of childhood innocence where kids increas-
ingly find a place to situate themselves in their emotional lives. Unlike

-53-