International Journal of Human Sciences
Souad Belkhyr – Part of the cultural localization process is the reproduction of these cartoons into local dialects as it is the case in Egypt, Jordan, KSA, and recently Morocco where originally US-English speaking animated shorts are dubbed into Moroccan Arabic (Darija). Using language in this way maintains Disney’s power over Arab consumers as it eases the children’s assimilation of the cultural messages and values disseminated in these animated films. Children identify more with the mediated animated images when they are expressed in their mother tongue, as they look more familiar to them. Although dubbing cartoons into local dialects may seem to demonstrate a degree of flexibility and resistance in dealing with a dominant global force, it actually further empowers Disney, as a producer of meaning, at the expense of children, the inexperienced viewers and passive consumers of meaning. In fact, Giroux (1996) reported that the principles of Disney’s animated movies include issues regarding the social construction of gender, race, class and many other aspects of self and collective identity. Disney images are significant in children’s construction of desires, imaginations, roles, interests, behaviour, and hopes.
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