Subliminal Messaging in Disney Movies

It is quite obvious that a lot of controversy has surrounded Disney movies throughout their long history. One of the things that people have accused them of is hiding subliminal messaging in their films. This may seem kind of strange to you, especially if you do not fully grasp the concept of subliminal messaging. So before I get started, I will educate you a little on the topic of subliminal messaging.

Subliminal messaging is messaging hidden beneath something that is being listened to or watched. The purposes of subliminal messaging can vary, but the most common reason for it's usage is advertising. Companies secretly try to convince you to buy their products or services. Subliminal messaging can come in a variety of forms. One example of subliminal messaging is in the music industry. When a music album is played backwards, a hidden message is revealed, like "buy my merchandise". A more effective and secret way of hiding messages in music is to play a second, lower pitched message at the same time as the song being played. This message cannot be found unless the original song is muted and the message amplified. A good example of this can be found in the movie; "Josie and the Pussycats".

So what would make people think that subliminal messaging is being used in Disney movies? Why would they need to use it for advertising if they sell so much merchandise anyway? Did you catch that last statement? Disney does sell quite a bit of merchandise. In fact, between Mickey Mouse coffee mugs, High School Musical clothing, and Hannah Montana throw pillows, Disney has probably made billions of dollars off of merchandise alone. So what if their massive profits really are made through subliminal messaging? What if there is a hidden message in their films that tell people to buy their merchandise? Maybe that would explain why people feel the need to buy really stupid things just because they have a Disney logo on them.

But what if Disney was using subliminal messaging to do more than just sell their merchandise? What if they had a more sinister motive? Some people believe that Disney has used and still uses subliminal messages hidden in their films to promote sexual behavior in kids. Even more, they claim to have proof of it. In the popular Disney movie, The Lion King, Simba throws up a cloud of dust that seemingly forms the word sex briefly. The special effects team claims that the word is really "SFX", which is an abbreviation for special effects. Some claim that audio in the Disney film, Aladdin, contains a message asking a teenager to take off his or her clothes. Some claim that in their movie, The Rescuers, Disney secretly hid an image of a nude woman in a scene too fast to be seen consciously.

However, all of these claims cannot be seen as evidence against Disney. It is likely that the dust cloud words in The Lion King really do just say SFX. The audio in Aladdin is too muffled and obscure to really determine what he is really saying. Disney admitted to the nude image in The Rescuers and recalled the movie because of it. It hasn't been seen since and I do not know the reason why it was in the movie.

I take a neutral stance on this subject. I merely state what some people believe and give the evidence to support their cause. Nothing more.

No sources except prior knowledge where used in this article.