Kendra Custer 3/5/2014 History of Animation

Walt Disney Rumors There were rumors that Walt Disney was anti-Semitic and a gender bigot. I disagree with this statement. During the thirties, women were not given the same opportunities as men. That is just how society treated women at that time. Women had a limited role in the workplace. Women were denied the opportunity to work with men in the animation studio at Disney in the beginning. The denial letter for women who wanted to work as animators for Disney, did not say that they were incapable of being successful animators. However, it did inform applicants about how at that time, they did employ females in the Ink and Paint Department of the studio. Disney also employed people of all ethnicities. Many Jewish and African American writers, songwriters, and artists were employed at Disney. By the fifties after women had proven that they could compete with men, women animators filled the Disney animation rooms and went on to be very successful. If a woman can do the work as well, she is worth as much as a man, Walt declared. He also stated that the girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men, and I honestly believe they may eventually contribute something to this business that men never would or could. If Walt Disney was anti-Semitic and opposed to women working in his studio then I believe that he would have not created or allowed opportunities for employment or advancement for women or people of differing ethnicities.