Disney Stereotyping

Michael Eisner, CEO1

Disney Corp.2

500 So. Buena Vista St.3

Burbank, CA 915214

Dear Mr. Eisner:5

I am writing as a member of the National Alliance for Mentally Ill, 6

which represents more than 200,000 family members. These parents 7

take their children to enjoy Disney entertainment, not to be demeaned. 8

In that context, I was disturbed to learn that the Disney-distributed 9

animated film, “Home on the Range,” contains a scene in which a 10

cow refers to a horse as bipolar. A member of NAMI who brought her 11

son to see the movie was angered by the reference to bipolar disorder 12

because the scene suggested that anyone who is excited about something 13

must suffer from this affliction. She told her son, who is bipolar, 14

“They have no idea what ‘bipolar’ is, do they?” Apparently, Disney does not.15

NAMI has contacted Disney and requested that the reference to ‘bipolar”16

be removed from the DVD and asking for a response. As of May 28, 17

no response had been received. This is a small matter for a multi 18

billion dollar corporation such as Disney but an important one for 19

parents. I suggest that you consider the following facts:20

1) A recent study, "Mental Illness in Disney Animated Films," published 21

in the May 2004 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, indicates 22

that stigmatizing references to mental illness are pervasive in 23

Disney animated films. Researchers at the University of Calgary 24

studied 34 Disney animated films and found that most contained references 25

to mental illnesses, with characters who were described as "crazy," 26

"nuts" and "mad" and then shunned.27

2) The U.S. Surgeon General has declared that the entertainment 28

industry, in films depicting mental illness, can help the public 29

learn that it is treatable and that suicide is preventable:30

3) One in five individuals will suffer a severe mental illness during their lifetime.31

For these reasons and more I request that you delete the offending 32

language from the “Home on the Range” DVD and review the 34 animated 33

films referred to in the study for offending references to mental 34

illness and remove them. I also ask that you respond to the communication 35

you received from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. 36

Sincerely37

Kenyatta Yamel 38