Domestic violence in Walt Disney films

Abstract

This study attempts to shed a light on domestic violence, specifically whether and how the audience of Walt Disney films can also be influenced by such acts. This research sees whether two focus groups, selected according to age are able to associate Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella with domestic violence. It aims to understand how much the media leaves an impact on the individual, whether one notices any type of abuse in the film and how this influences the individual. Previous literature had focused on solely the effects media leaves on an individual, and the relationship Beauty and the Beast has with the abuse found on Beauty and the Beast. It appears that there was no previous study of this type in Malta. This study advances our understanding of how the media is able to influence the audience of Walt Disney films. Each group saw the films on different days, which was followed by a discussion of pre-set questions. The findings from this research shows that there is awareness on domestic violence, however the younger participants were more aware of the effects the media can leave on an individual. This was predicted as literature had suggested that parents trust in Walt Disney as they are a means to keep children entertained. The results show that the younger participants are more aware and able to associate films to real life situations than the older participants. Therefore the different abuses found in both films can represent domestic violence victims and ca also leave an impact on them depending on the film story.