Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mothers petition Disney for a hero with Down syndrome
LA daily News ^ | 10.20.14 | Dana Bartholomew

Posted on 10/20/2014 9:52:46 AM PDT by Morgana

Walt Disney Studios has for nearly a century featured disabled characters in its animated cartoons, from a none-too-bright Dopey to Nemo and his damaged fin.

Now a Bay Area couple has asked for one more from the media giant: a princess who has Down syndrome in common with their daughter. In the past two weeks, their Care2.com petition to persuade the Burbank studio has garnered more than 30,000 signatures from around the world.

“We love Walt Disney,” said Keston Ott-Dahl, 48, of Antioch, whose 15-month-old Delaney Skye has high-functioning Down syndrome. “When I see her mesmerized by Disney princesses, it breaks my heart to know she has no role models like herself.”

A spokeswoman for the Walt Disney Co. did not respond to a request for comment.

Ott-Dahl and her wife, Andrea, are the mothers of three children from 15 months to 9 years. Keston is an author and Down syndrome activist from Anaheim who also has two adult children.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailynews.com ...


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: disney; downsyndrome; prolife; trisomy21
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-42 next last

1 posted on 10/20/2014 9:52:46 AM PDT by Morgana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Ott-Dahl and her wife, Andrea, are the mothers of three children from 15 months to 9 years
____________________________________________

Yeah OK


2 posted on 10/20/2014 9:58:45 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

They had one. Michael Eisner.


3 posted on 10/20/2014 9:59:18 AM PDT by longfellow (Bill Maher, the 21st hijacker.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

While we are there how about kids from a stable family with a father who works and a mother who takes care of the kids and the home?


4 posted on 10/20/2014 9:59:38 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (Zimmerman, Brown, Fast & Furious, IRS harassment, Philly ignorance: holdering in 1st degree)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Why is it important to do this?

And is a Disney princess really supposed to be a role model for children???

I guess I don’t follow the reasoning.


5 posted on 10/20/2014 10:00:11 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego (s)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: freedumb2003
While we are there how about kids from a stable family with a father who works and a mother who takes care of the kids and the home?

Technically Pixar, but I would present The Incredibles.

Aslo remember that movies are interesting because the characters face challenges outside of normal everyday life.

6 posted on 10/20/2014 10:02:26 AM PDT by kevkrom (I'm not an unreasonable man... well, actually, I am. But hear me out anyway.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Morgana
“We love Walt Disney,” said Keston Ott-Dahl, 48, of Antioch, whose 15-month-old Delaney Skye has high-functioning Down syndrome. “When I see her mesmerized by Disney princesses, it breaks my heart to know she has no role models like herself.”

The ultimate helicopter parent narcissism.

What, exactly, is the point of heroes, fantasy, make-believe, entertainment, etc. if the persons portrayed are like us? Can we not enjoy the story of Jor-El/Clark Kent/Superman without being a Kryptonian baby in exile, a mild-mannered reporter, a superhero or, less ambitiously, a 6-4 250-lb white male with black hair?

Must we be an orphan, a resident of Tattooine or a Jedi apprentice to enjoy and/or look up to plucky Luke Skywalker?

Is Frozen a world-smashing hit because its female fans are princesses, with or without the curse of a cold touch?

Did everyone who enjoyed Pocahontas have Native American ancestry?

I could go on. This is the poorly-disguised wail of parents who, despite their claims and acts, feel cheated, disappointed, even angry that their daughter has Down's.

Disney has contorted itself into pretzel knots time and again to align itself with an untold number of PC agenda items. Somehow, it's never enough, because there will always be an audience member who wants to a custom-made film hero like they order sandwich toppings.

The parent purports to speak for his child but his Freudian slip is early and obvious: he's worried about his own reactions. The child can and probably does enjoy Disney like the rest of us do: as entertainment. Young kids may live vicariously through the characters but even kids realize that they will never take flight like Peter Pan nor live in a hollow tree like Winnie The Pooh.

Here's an idea, Keston Ott-Dahl, you whining milquetoast. Turn off the damned TV and create a fantasy world of characters and adventures with your daughter. You can choose any attributes, powers, plots or outcomes you like. See how easy that was?

7 posted on 10/20/2014 10:05:26 AM PDT by relictele (Principiis obsta & Finem respice - Resist The Beginnings & Consider The Ends)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kevkrom

>>Technically Pixar, but I would present The Incredibles.<<

I am pretty sure that was pre-Disney but yes they are a cohesive family.

>>Aslo remember that movies are interesting because the characters face challenges outside of normal everyday life.<<

It is almost a running joke that all kids and characters in Disney animated features are orphans, adopted, etc.


8 posted on 10/20/2014 10:05:33 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (Zimmerman, Brown, Fast & Furious, IRS harassment, Philly ignorance: holdering in 1st degree)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego; narses; wagglebee

Why don’t we start with the fact that 90% of children with Trisomy 21 are aborted before birth.

The medical community encourages them to be aborted.

Margaret Sanger started Planned Parenthood to target these babies and others like them.

Have you read my other treads on how they are treated in society? Cops kill a 26 year old Trisomy 21 man in a theatre over a price of a movie ticket?

This would mean they are accepted in society. The Homos want to push one on us and that is abnormal. Why not a Trisomy 21 hero, who is after all made in the image of God?


9 posted on 10/20/2014 10:07:18 AM PDT by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

>>A Disney cartoon Down syndrome princess, Ott-Dahl said, would “talk a little differently, I’m sure she’d look different.

“But it would be someone that Delaney could say, ‘I want to grow up just like her.’ ”<<

Not much in this world more irritating than a self-centered idiot with a cause.


10 posted on 10/20/2014 10:09:47 AM PDT by ItsOurTimeNow ("Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise, beating down the multitudes and scoffing at the wise.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana
from a none-too-bright Dopey

Does the LA Weekly honestly believe that Dopey was created to honor the "mentally challenged"???? Are they kidding? This is what happens when you apply our PC cultural standards to vapid entertainment reporting.

11 posted on 10/20/2014 10:10:26 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana
If these mothers felt so strongly about that, they should submit a screenplay instead of yapping about how somebody else needs to do it.

Speaking for myself, I'd love to see a Disney movie about a child who is rescued from abortion and grows up to be a valuable and productive member of society.

12 posted on 10/20/2014 10:14:08 AM PDT by SamAdams76
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SamAdams76

“I’d love to see a Disney movie about a child who is rescued from abortion and grows up to be a valuable and productive member of society. “

You realize you are probably talking about a child with Trisomy 21 don’t you?


13 posted on 10/20/2014 10:17:18 AM PDT by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: freedumb2003
It is almost a running joke that all kids and characters in Disney animated features are orphans, adopted, etc.

More or less, yes. Tropes are tropes for good reason.

There are counter-examples, though, even in straight Disney stuff, for example Tangled which kind of subverts the trope in that the main character believes she only has a single parent when in fact her real parents are still searching for her. (Of course, "Flynn" comes from an orphanage, so the trope sneaks back in anyway...)

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of it is due to the compressed nature of storytelling film in the first place. By limiting the number of familial relationships, the ones you choose to keep become that much more important and you have fewer distracting side-elements, which can be vital when you're talking only 80-90 minutes of run time for an animated film.

14 posted on 10/20/2014 10:20:15 AM PDT by kevkrom (I'm not an unreasonable man... well, actually, I am. But hear me out anyway.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: longfellow
They had one. Michael Eisner.

ROTFLMAO!!

If I was Al Gore, I'd give you the internet.

15 posted on 10/20/2014 10:21:52 AM PDT by Rinnwald
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEaTFKG4IHs


16 posted on 10/20/2014 10:24:39 AM PDT by outpostinmass2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

17 posted on 10/20/2014 10:34:57 AM PDT by CivilWarBrewing
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rinnwald; longfellow
They had one. Michael Eisner.

Post of the week!

18 posted on 10/20/2014 10:36:41 AM PDT by DCBryan1 (No realli, moose bytes can be quite nasti!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

What percent of the population is comprised of girls with DS?


19 posted on 10/20/2014 10:42:29 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Too bad Disney has only princesses and no longer anything to speak to normal young men. No prince charming, to action hero of daring do. Instead they bought marvel comics with its fractured licensees. (but like star wars, there is no Disney influence just a mining of characters for formula stories)

These homosexual women want to portray the abnormal as normal, rather that promote the normal in the child.


20 posted on 10/20/2014 10:44:31 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-42 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson