CDS 2025 Midterm

This is a thoughtful and comprehensive analysis of how Disney movies like Frozen, Lilo and Stitch, and Finding Nemo present and represent disability. It is very colorful and unique I love how you set it up and added the videos along with summary of the movie scenes if the person has not watched the movies before. In addition, I also how you found other examples of rhetorics that can add on and collaborate I haven't heard of some of these pieces so it was very insightful to learn and see the connection you made.Your discussion about the evolving portrayals of disability in Disney films, particularly how Elsa and Nemo's disabilities are handled, provides valuable insights into the broader implications for disabled people, both in terms of representation and societal attitudes.

I particularly appreciate your point about Elsa’s character representing a shift in Disney’s thinking, especially in comparison to older characters like Dopey or Quasimodo. Growing up I watched quasimodo and now that I look at his portrayal he was always watching the crowd from above wanting to be apart and there is this scene where he told to stay inside to stay protected where he repeats what Judge Claude Frollo calling himself ugly, he is deformed, a monster, and these are crimes the world shows little pity. This portrayal of the character shows his ability as a tragedy , instead of showing the beauty in it or real experience of a person with this disability navagites life. In Addition, the stay inside scene reminds me of institutions where they are meant to keep people with disability protected from the outside world. 

As you rightly mention, Elsa does not fall into the traditional tropes of infantilization or villainization of disability. However, as you pointed out, the narrative still frames Elsa’s powers in a way that could be problematic, particularly the message of "conceal, don’t feel," which could be seen as harmful. In addition, portraying Elsa power as uncontrollable and dangerous. This idea of keeping one's disability hidden for fear of being rejected or seen as a "monster" and their actions or oneself deemed as uncontrollable is something that many disabled people can relate to, and it does suggest a painful dynamic. It also shows the lack of acceptance from the family as Elsa was given clothes so she can “control or manage” her ability instead of accepting who she is. Technically they are king and queen they set the norms so the fact they had a chance to change the portrayal of sorcery as their daughter had powers and did not also says something. The only way they will be accepted into society if they fit this portrayal of normalcy by not being different then everyone else pointing out society's eventual acceptance of Elsa coincides with her ability to "control" her powers, suggesting that normalcy is often tied to the ability to conceal difference, rather than embrace it.

What is particularly interesting here is the way Moving on to Lilo and Stitch, you effectively draw parallels between Stitch's uncontrollable nature and the historical treatment of disabled people as "monsters" or "freaks" in the public eye. While the movie may intend Stitch to be a lovable character, the initial reactions to him still rely on the trope of the "other" as something to be feared or gawked at. He had to change his appearance to seem acceptable or normal hiding his other hands conforming to the shape of a dog. Its not only stitch the aliens tracking him change their identity to fit human society to blind in and seem normal. They didn't want to scare humans.  Your analysis of how Stitch’s attempts to adjust to the human world normalcy image reflect the way disabled people are often made to feel out of place is very insightful, and it highlights the ongoing struggle for inclusion and acceptance in a world that often sees difference as a problem to be fixed. 

Finally, in Finding Nemo, you make an important distinction between how Nemo’s disability is initially perceived and how his peers eventually accept him. Marlin’s overprotectiveness, based on his assumption that Nemo’s disability limits him, is a common real-world experience for many disabled individuals. This idea of micromanaging because they cant do it for themselves is very wrong as we see this also with Dory, but fights this notion as she was able to find her way home and Nemo was capable. This connection to disability that disabled people are inherently less capable or independent is illustrated in a lot of movies and is not accurate.