What Constitutes a Controversial Movie?
Controversy is generally sparked by disagreements or issues people have with largely talked about subjects such as racism, sexism, religion, and several more. Much of the conflict over these topics is caused by movies or TV shows. Movies are so widely distributed throughout the world that it’s hard not to find the little things that trigger anger or distress. Sometimes movie producers don’t even realize that their content is offensive and can remain oblivious. But what truly is considered a controversial movie?
Subliminal messages are hidden messages that contain inappropriate or offensive content. Generally they seem accidental, but no one can say for sure. Despite whether or not they are accidental, it is possible for controversy to be created. Many of these messages can be found in Disney movies, which are specifically created for children. One example, according to therichest.com, is found in popular movie, Alice in Wonderland. Due to the references to drug use, controversy has been sparked amongst viewers. According to the author of The 10 Biggest Disney Controversies, who goes by the name K, “The most obvious is of course the caterpillar, who is constantly chugging on a Hookah pipe.” They suggest that Alice’s consumption of the bread and her growth is a reaction to the drugs (hallucination). As well as Alice in Wonderland, popular children’s movie, The Little Mermaid, portrays inappropriate depictions of the male genitalia within its movie cover. According to the article, “Disney were inundated with complaints from parents due to what many believed to be a blatant drawing of a penis at the centre of the golden castle.”
Not only do old movies like Alice in Wonderland and The Little Mermaid, which were both made before 1990, contain subliminal messages, but so do more recent movies such as The Lion King and Aladdin. The infamous spelling of the word “sex” in the stars in a scene of the Lion King is a prime example. According to news.com.au’s article Dirty Disney: The subliminal messages hidden in kids’ films by Nick Bond, “As Lion King Simba slumps on the ground, he sends a cloud of dust swirling up into the night sky.”
Not only can controversies be caused by subliminal messages, they can also be cause merely by offensive content. As stated by screenrant.com’s article 10 Famous Disney Movies That Caused Serious Controversy, the same sex couple in Finding Dory created controversy merely because of the idea of a gay couple. However, there was also another issue. According to the article, “The so-called same sex couples characters were simply a brief moment in which two women who may or may not be a couple, make a blink-and-you’ll miss-it appearance.” The movie Moana also created a bit of controversy; however, it didn’t pertain to the actual content of the movie. Instead, it involved a Halloween costume of one of the main characters, Maui. variety.com’s article Disney Under Fire Over ‘Moana’ Halloween Costume, states, “Many took to social media to say the costume was in poor taste; some even accused Disney of caricaturing Polynesian culture and appropriating Hawaiian culture, even calling it an example of brownface.”
Although subliminal messages can spark controversy, I agree that is mostly due to offensive content. Subliminal messages, as far as I have seen, don’t usually trigger anger and distress in viewers as much as pure, blatant, offensive content. Movies are required to put ratings and warnings to their viewers to alert them of any possible offensive content. Without these, parents would be livid. Movies with controversial topics such as gay marriage also cause quite a ruckus. Every time a movie attempts to incorporate same-sex relationships, people who have different views are offended and dislike the movie. I believe racism will cause more controversy than hidden messages in the sky in movies.
Generally subliminal messages aren’t even seen or heard by audiences unless they are shown by other people or it is spread amongst social media. Many of them aren’t even real. In fact, many have been proven wrong. For instance, the marriage scene in Aladdin where the priest apparently “has an erection.” According to huffingtonpost.com’s author, Bill Bradley’s article, “It turns out that Sito was the actual artist who created the bishop character and drew the scene. “It’s his knees,” he said about the infamous moment. ‘The joke was he’s a little man standing on a box and his robes, his big bishop robes, are draped over everything so they’re covering his whole body. And people are just seeing what they want to see.’”
Subliminal messages can cause controversy depending on how offensive the message is. Alice in Wonderland’s depiction of drug use could be found offensive depending on the audience. However, it is more likely that the portrayal of same sex relationships, such as in Finding Dory, would trigger more controversy. People are more likely to talk about and discuss movies if they contain content that they don’t agree with or find offensive.
