Was Walt Disney Anti-Semitic?

[Wonderlicious]

I don't want to cause controversy, so I'm really sorry if I cause a fuss. But why exactly is Walt Disney often dubbed as an anti-Semite? Is it just over the image of the Jewish peddler in The Three Little Pigs? Or did he actually say anything rude towards Jews?

[GhostHost]

Leonard Maltin said several Jews who worked for Walt disproved the myth.

[Loomis]

There is an interesting article (linked below) that discusses this subject:

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdisneyfascist.html

Much of it comes from misreading certain cartoons according to that article.

Also, the Marc Eliot book Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince depicts Disney as a political reactionary, an anti-Semite and a Hollywood informant for the FBI.

[GhostHost]

There is an interesting article (linked below) that discusses this subject:

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdisneyfascist.html

Much of it comes from misreading certain cartoons according to that article.

Also, the Marc Eliot book Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince depicts Disney as a political reactionary, an anti-Semite and a Hollywood informant for the FBI.

Marc Elliot probably just has a really bad grudge.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

The same idiots who believe Walt was anti-Semite are the same idiots who believe he's forzen somewhere under the Magic Kingdom.

[Loomis]

Marc Elliot probably just has a really bad grudge.

Wanted to be a Disneyland Cast Member, but kept eating his wages in complimentary churros and was eventually fired?

[Karushifa]

There is an interesting article (linked below) that discusses this subject:

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdisneyfascist.html

Much of it comes from misreading certain cartoons according to that article.

Also, the Marc Eliot book Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince depicts Disney as a political reactionary, an anti-Semite and a Hollywood informant for the FBI.

Hmmm...that's a very interesting article indeed.

If it's true that some of the notion that Disney sympathized with the Nazis was actually gleaned from Der Fuhrer's face, then that's really...stupid. I mean, I'm still trying to figure that one out, how anyone can claim that a decidedly propaganda film made in the US DURING WWII is pro-Nazi. Of course, the "right" people could probably find an anti-Black message in Roots if they looked for it, so I can't say that it totally shocks me.

The cartoon with Mickey holding the lighter with the swastika....can any history buff here confirm when the Nazi party actually adopted the swastika as a symbol? Because the cartoon having been made in 1932 makes me suspicious. Prior to the taint placed upon it by the Nazis, the swastika (and its differently oriented variants) was used by several cultures in non-offensive, decorative ways, so it doesn't absolutely fly in every case that a swastika equates with anti-Semitism. Even in a good part of the 30s, the Nazi use of the symbol was at best condoned by people in the US; I mean, there was one on the Hindenburg, I think, and no one seemed to mind (not that they should not have, but it just wasn't as big a social stigma before WWII).

The point about Leni Riefenstahl was interesting...I'd say that if Walt truly admired her, it was for her filmmaking and not for the subject of the films themselves, probably as any film buff who puts her works among the most important in history does today.

As for the Jewish portrayals in Disney shorts...it's dismaying, to say the least, but something that obviously extended beyond Walt himself, to his animators and writers. So although he ultimately bears responsibility for letting such offensive imagery be included, he still would need to partially share the blame with the people who created it in the first place.

Probably the thing that worries me most is Walt's apparent sympathy towards the anti-communist movement in the 1940s and 50s, especially his testimony before the HUAC. Blacklisting of people during the hysteria of the Cold War was shameful and unfortunate, and it's sad that he may have contributed to it.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

A certain "portrayal" of Jews was very much a part of the times - to some extent it's even part of "our times"...

Even people with no very strong "leaning" could very well end up saying, writing or drawing something that, at least today, could be perceived as "anti-semitic". That isn't necessarily such a big deal.

But if the "anti-semitic" tag can possibly be attached to an icon like Walt Disney, some people will be happy to make a bit more out of it than they should.

[Karushifa]

A certain "portrayal" of Jews was very much a part of the times - to some extent it's even part of "our times"...

Even people with no very strong "leaning" could very well end up saying, writing or drawing something that, at least today, could be perceived as "anti-semitic". That isn't necessarily such a big deal.

But if the "anti-semitic" tag can possibly be attached to an icon like Walt Disney, some people will be happy to make a bit more out of it than they should.

You bring up a very good point, which is that people might be quicker to assign an unflattering label to someone who is such a cultural icon. This kind of "hero defamation", it seems, is HUGELY popular; if you can prove history and society wrong about a beloved figure, then you are DEFINITELY going to receive a lot of attention.

The other classic example I've heard of being blasted for supposed anti-semitic views is William Shakespeare, primarily for his portrayal of the Jewish Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Now, Shylock doesn't come off terribly well in that play, so it's easy for some to jump to the conclusion that Shakespeare had a vendetta against Jews. However, several Shakespearian scholars point out that there were many, many Jewish stereotypes imployed in drama of Shakepeare's time that were a LOT worse than what he used. The typical "Hebrew" was, at the time (ironically) similar to the Nazi in modern film: an easy villain to make people loathe, as the consensus was that no matter what the person did, they were just plain evil, and therefore it wasn't hard to make the audience root for the other side. But Shakespeare did something with Shylock that was quite unusual for the time: he made the Jewish man sympathetic. He gave reasons (albeit vengeful in parts) for his actions. He even made him a much more intriguing, complex character than the title character! So one could argue that, while Shakespeare didn't put Shylock on the entirely same playing field as the Christians, he may have still been a bit ahead of his time in what he DID try to do.

As for Disney...I would argue that times SHOULD have changed for the better more than they seemingly did between the 1600s and early 20th century. However, old stereotypes die hard, sometimes VERY hard (there's still the broad stereotype of the miserly, greedy Jew that abounds even when almost all derogatory remarks towards other ethnic groups are considered verboten). So if one is going to single out Disney as a bigot, then it's only fair to target the society that surrounded him as well. It isn't as if he was the sole outlier amongst the more enlightened; unfortunately, far from it.

[Disney Princess Ariellen]

I read in the fabulous book "How to Be Like Walt," (which is actually NOT a Disney Press release, so it is obviously biased in favor of Walt but it is quite subjective; it addresses subject like this one, his temper, his smoking, and other less flattering aspects of who he was) that many of the people that Walt worked with who were Jewish (such as the Sherman brothers) said that they were never mistreated or put down or treated any worse because of their faith.

I too have heard what several of you said; much of this criticism is stemmed from the fact that the society then wasn't as tolerant as today and old stereotypes did die hard. It sounds like Walt laughed at statements that would now easily be considered politically incorrect and told jokes with others, and that doesn't mean that it was right and just fine, but it does reflect that this was a common thing, and times have changed for the better since then. I have heard people who have researched Disney and Walt himself say that the main source of these rumors were comments taken out of context (jokes and things) that were not motivated by hate, but just a society that accepted such things, and while such prejudices aren't 'OK,' they were dominant and considered acceptable then. Things have changed for the better. I certainly don't think Walt was perfect, but I don't think that he was an anti-Semite.

[Thad Komorowski]

Two of Walt Disney's childhood friends, and part of his original studio before the infamous break-up with Universal, were Friz Freleng and Rudy Ising, both Jewish. So the anti-Semite stuff is garbage.

They're all just rumors started by insecure people seeking the evil in every person on earth.

[creid]

Actually, Friz left Disney before the whole Oswald/Mintz/Universal/HarmanIsing breakup. He has said in the past Uncle Walt was quite a verbal abuser so Friz got tired of it and left the studio. He came back to animation when his mentors HarmanIsing set up their own shop with Mintz/Universal.

It should be noted, Friz never mentioned anything about Walt being an anti-semite but Walt could be a jerk to work for.

[Thad Komorowski]

Actually, Friz left Disney before the whole Oswald/Mintz/Universal/HarmanIsing breakup. He has said in the past Uncle Walt was quite a verbal abuser so Friz got tired of it and left the studio. He came back to animation when his mentors HarmanIsing set up their own shop with Mintz/Universal.

It should be noted, Friz never mentioned anything about Walt being an anti-semite but Walt could be a jerk to work for.

Whoop lapse of memory... Nice to know someone was knowledgeable to know what I was talking about anyway!

It also shows Walt Disney knew talent when he saw it... If they all stayed with Walt the history of animation would be warped in everyway!!!

[TheSequelOfDisney]

The same idiots who believe Walt was anti-Semite are the same idiots who believe he's forzen somewhere under the Magic Kingdom.

OMG!!!!!!!! Walt's frozen where?!?!?!?!?! I have to tell everyone, everyone, everyone!!!!!!!! Actually I don't even know what anti-Semite is. Can some one explain?

[Wonderlicious]

Actually I don't even know what anti-Semite is. Can some one explain?

It's somebody who is anti-Semitic, which is having prejudeces against members of the Jewish faith, often putting them into action.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

That is correct, but the use of the word is pretty much inaccurate, IMO. The group of "Semites" include not only Jews, but also Arabs - which makes it somewhat ironic that the "anti-semitic" tag is also being applied to Arabs who are prejudiced against (or hate) Jews...

[John Pannozzi]

Also, the Marc Eliot book Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince depicts Disney as a political reactionary, an anti-Semite and a Hollywood informant for the FBI.

There is an interesting take on that book by animation historian (and modern Ren & Stimpy producer) Steve Worth at http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts ... d73433e6a4


BTW, Steve Worth is in charge of perhaps the most important project in animation history: An animation archive. Check it out at http://www.animationarchive.org/

[pap64]

As great of a man Disney man there's no denying that he had many secrets, which lead to many urban legends being born out of the secrecy of his life.

I've heard many of them, including the very popular frozen story to one where he was beaten by his father as a kid.

But there's one I missed: he hated Jewish people.

It first started when Family Guy made the joke about it. When young Stewie ask adult Stewie about some big events in the future he mentions that Disney was re-animated. In the tangent, they show him coming out of the cold chamber, and the first thing he asks is "Are the Jewish dead?".

A friend of mine also made the comment regarding Disney's hate of the Jewish.

Finally, while watching the Silly Symphony short "The Golden Touch" on YouTube someone made mention that King Midas looked like a Jewish stereotype, accentuated by his love of gold.

So I ask you; where did this urban legend come from? What are the stories behind it? Is it true or not?

[toonaspie]

I dont think he was.

The racial stereotyping and insensitivity you find in Walt's early works was standard all-throughout-Hollywood stuff in his day. Yeah we grew out of it. I dont think Disney was racist, just a bit racially stereotypical as many wouldve been in the 1930s and 1940s...not racist or anti-Semitic.

[jeremy88]

Yeah, I don't think he really was either...though he supposedly said "Damn Jews" before his death...

There is this banned Anti-Nazi cartoon Walt Disney made a while back...don't know if this has anything do with him hating Jewish people, I wouldn't think so looking at this cartoon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASW3UCc17AI

Pretty gnarly...wouldn't think Disney would ever make something like this. Since Disney usually runs on happy happy joy joy.