So many people believing Disney was anti-semite because of pop culture, or Family Guy said so.... If anyone ever sees this comment, here is the truth about Disney. The truth is that he'd probably be super happy with how diverse the movies have become.
All these people commenting that he would be mad it wasn't anti-semetic....Everyone believes this myth. However, Many of his employees were Jewish. Including the lead writer of Dumbo. And a lot of the leadership in the company. This myth exists because he started an organization to keep communist filmmakers from succeeding in america, and a lot of anti-semite actors, celebrities, and organizations joined it, he knew he was going to be thrown in with them, but still supported the cause of keeping communist propaganda out of hollywood.
In 2006 Historian Neal Gabler researched disney and found that Disney “frequently” made unpublicized donations to a variety of Jewish charities, including a Jewish orphanage, a Jewish old age home, Yeshiva College (precursor to Yeshiva University), and the American League for a Free Palestine. The League, better known as the Bergson Group, publicly supported the armed revolt against the British in Palestine by Menachem Begin’s Irgun Zvai Leumi. Disney was embracing not just Zionism, but its most militant wing.
Let's not also forget Song of The South, a movie he pushed with a strong anti segregation message. The actor for Uncle Remus wasn't allowed in the segregated theater's premier, as many people will eagerly point out, This was because Disney premiered the movie in the deep south where it was most needed. People that think disney was some kind of super anti semetic racist really have to check their sources.
EDIT: wow, this totally blew up, when i posted this, the askreddit was only at 10 karma. For those reading, i'm not saying Disney was perfect, or the ideal perfection of tolerant and progressive thinking. He was definitely a man from the beginning of the 20th century. He definitely had stereotypes and depictions of minorities in his movies that we shun today, but I challenge everyone commenting to find a single other company as forward thinking in the 40's. Yeah, by today's standards he would be a racist anti-semite jerk like 99.9% of the population then, but by 1920's-1960's standards he was one of the most progressive, tolerant, and skilled film makers in the world.
His movies and portrayals, while racist by todays standards, were influential in changing public perception of minorites. Even the crows in Dumbo, while crass and racist stereotypes, took pity on Dumbo, and were clever enough to use psychology on him via the "magic feather" that allowed him to overcome his fear and become the most famous elephant in the world.
Yeah, he wasn't perfect, but all his portrayals of African Americans never intentionally made them look weak, stupid, or evil. They might be hurtful or offensive now, but in the plot of the movies they are at least almost always (as far as i know) characters that help the protagonist and are important to the plot. And remember, this is in an era when the only acting jobs for african americans at all was playing the bellhop at a hotel for half a second of screen time, or only being allowed to play 'the help' in a movie.
Damn, this my longest post ever. didn't mean to rant.
TLDR: Disney was actually an alright guy for his era.