Anyone else dislike how Disney glorifies "Pirates"?

[ludari]

I understand the history and have read extensively on the golden age of piracy. To me what Disney does is all for fun.

 

[Dug720]

Oh you should listen to the musical. Nothing pretty about that version. Sad that they decided not to bring it to Broadway.

I'm only sad they didn't because their constant threats to kept Dennis DeYoung's FAR superior version from getting any backers.

 

[FigmentSpark]

One could argue that the light hearted treatment of pirates for children and fun will spark those serious conversations as they grow older. So a child that loves dressing as a pirate, as he's older, might do research on pirates and round out his understanding of what piracy really is. Keeping pirates in the culture and lore for our children helps to expand their education, rather than forgetting history.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

It would have never crossed my mind to make that comparison. I love the pirate myth. It bothers me more the way Disney is shoving Star Wars down our throats right now LOL

And personally I think having storm troopers march on the decks of my vacation cruise is far more intrusive.

I hate seeing the Stormtroopers at DL, it freaks me out!

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I believe the context here is the crusades, during which a whole lot of white men (aka knights) savaged much of the world in order to bring Christianity to all.

You should read a bit about the crusades. It's a lot more complicated than you portray.

 

[undertheradar]

To think it all started with a mouse.

 

[jrabbit]

Talking about myths... Although it was based on a fiction, I never got over how Disney "ruined" The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by making it a "pretty" story.

I don't think a "reasonable translation" of a Victor Hugo novel would ever make a Disney "kids" movie... Everyone lived (a not good life) and then died / got killed.

"The French Play" (Les Mis) - great music / performances - and "everyone" dies. Hunchback - more of the same.

 

[lucas]

I'm not a fan of the pirates. Captain Hook freaks me out!

 

[jrabbit]

It's all semantics, we can call them conquistadors or explorers but they were all pirates who took the Americas to become the land that we all are living on as we type from our computers. Oh no, history is filled with imperfect horrible events and those events get told by way of valuable stories for our children to learn from...ahhhhh!!!! Sometimes the mystique and adventure can be used as a creative tool to ease those lessons and stories to light before the real world hits their precious unadulterated minds. No one's perfect and I can not think of ONE fable, nursery rhyme, Disney story or ride etc. that DOESN'T have a messed up historical reference, moral issue that someone would find offensive or in bad taste because they are all based on life.

from Walt's "Speech / Dedication" of Disneyland ...

"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."​

 

[jrabbit]

I love Disney too much to be all "HISTORY!".... I'm going to jump back in my Disney bubble where Mickey doesn't rape my wallet and cinnamon rolls don't have calories.

I remember the first time I stepped off of the Magic and into Nassau. The first thing that crossed my mind was "We're not in EPCOT anymore"

and Please don't tell me that Cinnamon Rolls have calories .... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

 

[jrabbit]

I'm not a fan of the pirates. Captain Hook freaks me out!

But Mr. Smee and I have to borrow Goofy's flippers to go snorkeling.

 

[mevelandry]

I don't think a "reasonable translation" of a Victor Hugo novel would ever make a Disney "kids" movie... Everyone lived (a not good life) and then died / got killed.

"The French Play" (Les Mis) - great music / performances - and "everyone" dies. Hunchback - more of the same.

Disney did The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. In the end, everybody was happy, nobody died. That was weird.

 

[Shanti]

Face it folks, pirates were the 17th Century equivalent of terrorists. Stealing, killing, raping, etc. It wasn't all Errol Flynn and "Captain Blood."
.
Anyone see the movie "Captain Phillips"? Somalian pirates were a big problem from approx. 2005~2010 until organized Navies brought out the big guns. Yes, they killed innocent crews on both commercial and pleasure craft.

Maybe they were colorful and followed a "code," but I am pretty sure ISIS terrorists do as well.

No, it doesn't bother me. I much prefer DCL's simple enjoyment of the pirate stuff to the over-analyzing of possible social messages it might subconsciously send.

 

[jrabbit]

Disney did The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. In the end, everybody was happy, nobody died. That was weird.

Disney's Hunchback is NOT a "reasonable translation"

And I've been to to top of the towers in Notre Dame and have seen Lavern!! Will have to dig out that picture and post it here.

 

[MamaBelle4]

How are Knights in this list? There were basically the military of the day. Unless you think all armies are bad.

Probably because the Knights of the crusades were guilty of massacre, murder, rape and destruction of religious artifacts and places of worship. And, as I referenced in a previous post, pirates were also often contracted by the government.

Also, Knights were not military in today's sense of the word, not the crusade era knights whom I am referencing. They were mostly the aristocracy, wealthy landowners.

 

[lorenni]

You should read a bit about the crusades. It's a lot more complicated than you portray.

Of course the Crusades were complicated. But unless you'd like to venture in the forbidden territory of religion and politics, the high level overview suffices for me.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Francis Drake? A pirate. Who ended up knighted.

All privateers were basically pirates with government approval.

 

[QuidditchChick07]

and Please don't tell me that Cinnamon Rolls have calories .... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

*GASP* Shhhh! You'll give everyone nightmares if you talk like that!

I'm in the mindset of everyone being too damn sensitive these days. Were/are real pirates horrible? Yes. Absolutely.

Are fictional pirates and real pirates the same thing? No, and you could say the same thing for any "fictional" representation of any historical figure. There are going to be discrepancies from reality, even in the most accurate retelling. And the further removed we are from the time in which those figures were alive, the more inaccurate it's going to get simply because facts get lost to time.

Not to step on the OP at all. They have had some personal touch with real pirates, so their perspective is a little more raw and there is nothing wrong with that. But generally I feel like people need remember how to separate reality from fiction, and how to teach their kids the same when they are old enough to understand it. Or should we also remember that Medieval princesses were typically little more than bargaining chips once they were of marrying age and traded off to secure land and peace treaties?

Does this make sense? I feel like I'm rambling a bit. Yay allergy meds.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

from Walt's "Speech / Dedication" of Disneyland ...

"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."​

I'm so very confused lol...what does all the bolding mean?

 

[KVH]

So. The consensus seems to be that not only were pirates bad but many other Disneyfied stories provide and imcorrect perception of many distateful stories/subjects. That being the case, how many of you will live the courage of your convictions and no longer support Disney because of their inappropriate portrayal of historical matters?