As the ship tosses about, William prays that God will spare them. (In that way, you could argue that it's a perfect template for some of the attractions of Adventureland, which even now traffics in stereotyping, as when showcasing a group of ravaging natives in the Jungle Cruise.) The life of a well-to-do group from snowy, landlocked Switzerland doesn't suggest there would be much opportunity to learn the expert-level abilities the Robinsons demonstrate in their tropical paradise. Thehighest-grossing film of 1960, this adaptation of the classic 19th-century novel by Johann David Wyss is one of the most enduring non-animated Disney films, thanks to home video, reruns on cable TV, and the Disney+ streaming service. The message imparted there isn't wrong the representation of people of color in the adventure is grossly stereotypical, insulting, and unnecessary. The gun he gets thrown in by Sheldon Blake proves disabled, and for a sinister reason: near Borneo, Blake's men turn up to capture them. Have something to tell us about this article? While the Robinsons endure numerous frightening encounters with the sea, pirates, and vicious animals, they don't seem too worried about the things most likely to harm or kill them which are precisely the things an alert, concerned parent watching Swiss Family Robinson would most certainly notice or think about when assessing how they'd fare on an island, post-shipwreck. who wrote the story for his children at the end of the 18th century. Swiss Family Robinson (1972) Family Animation. The world does not need the magical nonsense of Disney. (Sadly, there is no Will Robinson of whom to speak.) In the novel a minister, his wife, and their four sons are shipwrecked and become castaways on an island in the East Indies. But this has go to end. If anything was challenging about Swiss Family Robinson, it would have to be on the technical side. Maybe that mostly enforced dress code placed on the Robinson family is just an attempt to kill any and all throbbing biological urges indicative of teenage boys. It's easy to imagine why a studio might want to remake. Swiss Family Robinson is still available on Disney+ to those over the age of seven, with the addition of a Content Advisory Warning. Swiss Family Robinson looks great. Two dogs from the ship, Turk and Juno, swim beside them. Disney should provide their rationale for this decision. (Welcome toOut of the Disney Vault, where we explore the unsung gems and forgotten disasters currently streaming on Disney+. Directed by Ken Annakin and based on Johann David Wyss 1812 novel of the same name, VHS copies of the film were worn out by many in their youth. The backlash has surfaced in the wake of Disney+ revising the accessibility of Dumbo (1941), Peter Pan (1953), The Aristocats (1970) and Swiss Family Robinson on the platform. This is a story about a lily-white family arriving on a tropical island and colonizing it for themselves. For once during the pandemic, the news was unrelated to the theme parks, their continued closure in California, or their stripped-down operation in Florida. Youngest son Francis (Kevin Corcoran) shouts that he wants to follow his mom up there, only for his knowing brothers to gently hold him back from doing so, to give the married people their space. In a scene that kids would take literally in that people want to marry other people Father agrees, in very few words, that this could cause a problem the longer the family stays on the island. At Walt Disney World's iteration of Adventureland, which is still open, the treehouse retains the Swiss heritage and the polka song that the family dances to in the midst of the film. Its a great way to still offer these films while ensuring that children understand some of the things in them are no longer seen as harmless. There are after all mirror neurons. A baby elephant named Rocky makes a memorable appearance and becomes as much of a pet to the Robinsons as Duke and Turk, the big dogs they save from their ship. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. Disney is overcorrecting. Several family members continue to live tranquilly on their island, while several return to Europe with the British. This means that if pirates are constantly swirling about the general area, looking for booty, treasure, and whatnot, then this island isn't exactly off the beaten path but right along a major shipping route. As Carpenter and Prichard write in The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Oxford, 1995), "with all the expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured. [1] Other English editions that claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (18691910) and Mrs H. B. Paull (1879). Although the film contains numerous scenes with the pirates, you can check out one which gives an indication of how theyre presented throughout the film below. The book covers more than ten years. Shame on Disney for bowing to a minority of lunatics that will ruin what the majority of us have loved all of our lives. Corrections? So are they going to remodel the Peter Pan ride into something else? Adults will catch the occasional reference to "Bern," that being the capital city of Switzerland from which the Robinson family presumably hails. In a very formal and outdated way, all the Robinson boys call their mother "Mother" and their father "Father." Its so good to know Disney is taking care of this for our childrens own good so they cant be damaged by these horribly offensive movies they produce decades ago. Those same pirates threaten the Robinsons' safety on multiple occasions. Again, the word for this movie, in good and bad ways, is "simple." The Jungle Book from 1967 makes the list due to its King Louie character (voiced by Louis Prima), a jazz-singing, be-bopping ape long considered an offensive caricature that utilizes racist stereotypes of African Americans. Disney is no stranger to the concept of pirate characters in its films and its theme parks, but the pirates depicted in, might as well be faceless stereotypes. callback: cb The story was first adapted in French in 1814 by the Lausanne novelist and translator Isabelle de Montolieu. If you don't visit the Stories Matter website (and I wonder how many of you reading this are visiting that site now for the first time), you won't even know. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Disney Plus did not make that impossible with this move. The films werent removed, just blocked from the childs profile. If they have any. The family also befriends a large turtle and walks by some flamingos and ostriches at one point. Jeesh, some ppl eh?! It happened and at the time it wasnt a big deal. The Swiss Family Robinson achieved worldwide popularity. "When The Swiss Family Robinson had the potential to gain a wider readership, that is after the Second World War and also in the 1960s, the Swiss were more interested in promoting their sense of belonging to the homeland," says Daniel Maggetti. Older, more seasoned viewers will notice things the kids don't, be it suggestive material, plot holes, or things that just didn't age very well. The crows are an example of irony. "The protagonists are characterised primarily by the Protestant ethics espoused by the father and pastor: the family, which venerates its homeland, is pious and believes in the virtues of hard work and religious obedience.". Not yet. This is a story about a lily-white family arriving on a tropical island and colonizing it for themselves. This resembles other educational books for young ones published about the same time. But it's not enough. It was his son, Johann Rudolf, who published the novel. I hope the Disney censors never get access to the Sistine Chapel! Never once thought anything of it, regarding race or racism. It can only be a good thing that we are acknowledging that racial stereotyping is wrong but we can still watch these classics with that in mind. The male characters, meanwhile, do take off their shirts, if working in the sun, but they're careful to rarely display their navels. But the title card doesn't do the work for you. Fritz and Ernst discuss their homeland's beautiful mountains and snowy climate, and both have German-sounding names, which fits, because German is one of Switzerland's four official languages, which older viewers may remember from a high school geography class. There has already been a live-action Dumbo remake which cut much of the problematic elements from the animated film. In a strictly modest Disney movie from 1960, showing off a belly button would be downright profane, so most instances of shirtlessness involve the Robinson guys hilariously pulling up their long pants almost up to their chests so as to not flash anything untoward. Since I dont have Disney stock, I rather dont care. and "Swiss Family Why dont DIsney just remove every movie made prior to 2020 and suspend Disney+ until such time as they can put some new content on there that doesnt offend the Cancel Culture crowd because I am sure that if they wanted to they could find something that offends them in every Disney movie (although probably wouldnt offend the majority). This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Swiss-Family-Robinson, Internet Archive - "The Swiss family Robinson", The Swiss Family Robinson - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). WebSwiss Family Robinson is a 1960 American adventure film starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran in a tale of a WebS01E47 - The Swiss Family Robinson. But being a quintessential Disney adventure means you have to take the good with the bad. As if Song of the South is THAT bad?! Listen, I am as liberal as the come. If you don't visit the Stories Matter website (and I wonder how many of you reading this are visiting that site now for the first time), you won't even know what it is about Swiss Family Robinson that Disney is implying is offensive.That's especially true because there's a very obvious element of racist representation that's not accounted for in the more detailed description on the website. After the shipwreck, the survivors have to rebuild a world in which to live. Waiting for them to cancel Disney for being antisemitic. The aristocrat became governor of the archipelago, which he rented for 1,500 dollars a year. Having thought about this a bit more, I have a recommendation. Things are getting a little more than silly. When adapting Johann David Wyss' classic novel, Disney filmmakers didn't worry about toning down any of the Swiss references and historical markers. [1], Wyss presents adventures as lessons in natural history and physical science. They successfully evade drowning by breaking out of their little death trap, but then they face peril and destruction again by building a raft to get off the boat in order to reach land. WebThe Swiss Family Robinson achieved worldwide popularity. This portrayal reinforces the perpetual foreigner stereotype, while the film also features lyrics that mock the Chinese language and culture such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Egg Foo Young. Other parents will do their own thing. But it should/can be used as a learning tool. The ship's crew is lost, but the family and several domestic animals survive. Alternate titles: Der schweizerische Robinson. 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