This House Debates: EP1 / Minority Representation in Disney’s Animated Films - a podcast by THW Debate Podcast Team

The Walt Disney Animation Studios has created 58 animated films thus far. Only 12 of them feature a non-white main character like Mulan, Pocahontas, Lilo & Stitch, The Princess and the Frog and so on.

It's clear that Disney Animations is looking to continue to diversify their works; with their upcoming film Raya and the Last Dragon, the production team drew inspiration from Southeast Asian cultures and features Asian stars like Awkwafina on the cast.

While this can be said as a step in the right direction, children and young adults still identify with Disney’s classics despite its all white production team who often simplify cultural norms and are sometimes entirely ignorant of them, because it is the most common and frequently used entertainment.

In today's episode of 'This House Debates', Heather sits down with Huiwen and Jennifer (Side Proposition) and Grace and Tianzhi (Side Opposition) to explore the topic 'This House Believes That Disney's animated films featuring ethnic minorities do more good than harm'. The all-female debate round listed themes of cultural representation, historical accuracy, and Disney's responsibility as a dominant production company. 

Please note: In a debate, debaters are assigned a side that they may or may not agree with. It is their duty to argue for that side regardless of their personal opinions. The views, ideas, and examples presented by the debaters do not represent nor reflect their own. 

Enjoy the episode! Email us at thwdebatepodcast@gmail.com for feedback, topics you would like to see in future episodes, or any questions and comments.

Credits:
Producer: Heather Yuan
Hosts: Heather Yuan
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

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