Even if you haven't seen Swiss Family Robinson, directed by Ken Annakin and starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, and more, you probably know the basic idea of the story. The following day, they decide to get to the island they can see beyond the reef. M shum rreth seris . But if you adjust for inflation, Swiss Family Robinson grossed over $500 million domestically, which means it outgrossed films like Frozen II and Avengers: Age of Ultron. At Walt Disney World's iteration of Adventureland, which is still open, the treehouse retains the Swiss heritage and the polka song that the family dances to in the midst of the film. Those same pirates threaten the Robinsons' safety on multiple occasions. 23:41. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Swiss Family Robinson (1972) Family Animation. The narrative fosters the notion of belonging and Swiss heritage, which made it easier for readers to identify with it," notes Daniel Maggetti. At Walt Disney World's iteration of Adventureland, which is still open, the treehouse retains the Swiss heritage and the polka song that the family dances to in the midst of the film. The Wysses, "both father and son, were intellectuals, the former a pastor and the latter a professor of philosophy. And thank goodness the parents dont have to go through the trouble of worrying about such a thing. The larger point is one I've repeated before, both on Twitterand on this very website: Disney+ needsa host. Everybody has their favourite, but plenty will argue that one of their more overlooked gems is Swiss Family Robinson. The family works together to build a more permanent If the Robinsons were real people, the psychological scars suffered would run deep and would take years of therapy to alleviate. They're bloodthirsty and cruel, and they are also pointedly played by actors of color (or by actors who are made to. Go forward and live your life, unencumbered and free of content restraints. So stupid. If Swiss Family Robinson were real, those Alpine mountain folk would burn to a crisp and quickly. Is it not wonderful to be lectured on morality by a company in business with the Chinese slave holders? For later adaptations, see, Frontispiece by John Gilbert from the 1851 American edition, The Swiss Family Robinson (disambiguation), The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island, "A Note on Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston's 1879 text", "New Switzerland, Jules Verne's Imaginary Shipwreck Sanctuary", "TJ Hoisington Pens the First Swiss Family Robinson Sequel in Over 100 Years", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Swiss_Family_Robinson&oldid=1138717803, Swiss novels adapted into television shows, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 05:58. Her granddad had her wrap her head in a scarf to make the pirates think she's a man, which viewers presume is so they wouldn't kidnap her and do horrible things to her. ), , I kept thinking about that title card placed in front of the film. Curiously, all three kids don't sound like they're from Switzerland or England, braying about in their quintessential mid-century American accents. It is no accident that The Swiss Family Robinson was made into a film by Walt Disney in 1960," says Claire Jaquier, a specialist in literature and cultural history of the Swiss Enlightenment at the University of Neuchtel. In other news,is Rick Ross inComing 2 America? It seems ridiculous that they are censoring such classics as animated Disney, Dr. Seuss books, etc. But yet they allow EXPLICIT music and pornographic music the videos run amok !!! McclearnJoshua2716. window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { The ways in which Swiss Family Robinson are problematic are not unique to this one film. Disney made a lot of live-action movies in the 1960s and 1970s, but few are as fondly remembered as Swiss Family Robinson. Generally speaking, kids love and are fascinated with animals, so they'll notice the many fantastic beasts that roam the Robinsons' island home and the ocean around it, but it's the adults who will realize that these animals seemingly didn't have a great time shooting Swiss Family Robinson. Wake the fudge up, Disney. So sad were going down this road to appease the woke cancel culture rather than appreciating (and learning from) historical art for what it is based upon when it was produced. } The original manuscript of the novel had been written by Wysss father, Johann David, a clergyman, for and with the aid of his four sons. It's an attractive premise which appeals to readers. I hope the Disney censors never get access to the Sistine Chapel! This portrayal reinforces the perpetual foreigner stereotype, while the film also features lyrics that mock the Chinese language and culture such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Egg Foo Young. Despite the geographical peculiarities and inconsistencies in their depiction, the animals in Swiss Family Robinsonare one of the film's biggest attraction points, both in the present day and most certainly when it first hit theaters in 1960, when less media and less zoos and aquariums meant fewer chances to get a glimpse of a tiger, zebra, shark, or sea turtle up close. They make their way to shore, where they build a settlement, undergoing several adventures before being rescued; some refuse rescue and remain on the island. "This success is due to the fact that American culture recognised in the text an element of the beloved boy-scout. Its all up to you now. While the adventure was an international hit from the very beginning particularly among English-speaking audiences it has fallen into obscurity at home since the start of the 20th century, especially among French-speaking Swiss readers. One of the more mature struggles in the film is between the parents: William (Mills) is quick to adopt a can-do attitude about living on the unknown island, whereas his wife Elizabeth (McGuire) initially wants the family to figure out a way to head to New Guinea, their original destination.The other major struggle throughout the film with more teeth in it than the vaguely defined threat of pirates, about whom more soon is between the two older Robinson boys, Fritz and Ernst. Switzerland's tradition of migration was not an aspect that the country was keen to promote at the time. And most importantly, Disney has to consider the bad influence of the award winning show Gravity Falls, where Gruncle Stan taught the kids: When the cops arent around, everythings legal! Or how about the time he had the kids print fake money and they ended up in jail? As we speak, Classic books , while not being burned, are being removed from public and school libraries across our beautiful USA. In the 1940 film, theres more background as to why the Robinsons want to emigrate (Australia, on this occasion), which is to escape We dont need YOU to decide what our children watch or dont watch, based on your political views and attitudes. The message also encourages the viewer to visit a website that's intended to explain how stories matter stories of all kinds and shapes, highlighting the diversity that Disney is trying to achieve now while also describing and calling out the films they released that failed to represent diverse cultures effectively.Most of the titles receiving this treatment are old-school animated classics. The ship's crew evacuates without them, so William, Elizabeth, and their four sons (Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz) are left to survive alone. As the family at the center of Swiss Family Robinson, the Robinsons are from the nation of Switzerland. However, there is a growing awareness regarding potentially problematic elements of a number of Disney productions too. Racist imagery and cultural stereotypes in six Disney animated classics including Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, Lady and the Tramp, The Aristocats, Dumbo and Swiss Family Robinson are being flagged on the Disney+ streaming site with warnings and detailed explanations of the negative depictions in each title. WebKids, Educational, Learning, Entertainment, ABC, History, Books. Since you canceled your, Disney Gift Card Website Upgrade Pushed to February 3, PHOTOS: NEW Open Edition Disney Princess Autograph Pins Available at Walt Disney World. We dont need to be told how to interpret it. "Up until the 1920s and 30s, Le Robinson suisse was used and quoted by renowned authors such as Charles Ferdinand Ramuz and Catherine Colomb. The story takes place in the Swiss mountains and the young girl who is forced into exile eventually returns. However, at the time, Roberta isn't Roberta she's just some lowly cabin boy. The destiny of another Bernese man, Alfred von Rodt, also crossed paths with that of the fictional adventurer. I rather think it is just a false flag from various factions within our Power Elite who think they can throw some sops to the masses and all the while offshore and cheat on their taxes as much as possible. The life of a well-to-do group from snowy, landlocked Switzerland doesn't suggest there would be much opportunity to learn the expert-level abilities the Robinsons demonstrate in their tropical paradise. The ship's cargo of livestock (including a cow, a donkey, two goats, six sheep, a ram, a pig, chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons), guns and powder, carpentry tools, books, a disassembled pinnace and provisions have survived. At times it is difficult to explained nuance views to adults. It was just a fun scene about cats. They build a shelter, then set about exploring their new home. The book is the most successful of a large number of "Robinsonade" novels that were written in response to the success of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719). If they dont need permission to watch, then give them access to the Adult Profile and let them choose whatever they wanna watch on Disney Plus. The only divide being created by giving a damn about hurting others is the one between people with empathy and those without. 23:42. This resembles other educational books for young ones published about the same time. A more realistic, accurate, and modern-day word for the Robinson saga is "traumatic." This type of work enjoyed a large readership during the Enlightenment, and Swiss libraries stocked them. This is a story about a lily-white family arriving on a tropical island and colonizing it for themselves. But Wyss' novel is also modeled after Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, an adventure story about a shipwrecked sailor first published in 1719.[1]. Ernst (played by 60s-era Disney stalwart Tommy Kirk) is a bookish sort, but both he and Fritz end up havinguhlet's call them teenage yearnings for Roberta (Janet Munro), a young woman they rescue from the pirates and invite into their family. But , in this case, here here! Though other adaptations may complicate the matter somewhat , obviously sets its action far away from a tropical island, and also features the nefarious Dr. Smith the Disney version of. Super Why. Today, the island bears the name 'Robinson Crusoe' and about forty descendants of the von Rodt family still live there, observes Stphane Gol, Swiss director and author of Insular, a film dedicated to the story of Alfred von Rodt and his descendants. Fritz and Ernst discover her in their sailing expedition on another part of their island, taken captive by pirates along with her grandfather. But it's impossible to ignore, and correct to acknowledge. But this has go to end. A title card is better than those options, and it's better than nothing. Parents are still able to continue deciding what their children should and shouldnt see, even with the new changes being implemented. But on top of that, Swiss Family Robinson looms so large in the hearts and minds of millions becauseit offers big, grand, unpredictable adventures while also being relatable. They were sailing from Europe to the Indonesia-adjacent island of New Guinea in southeastern Asia. Tell you what. As for why the characters may be considered offensive, Common Sense Media explains: The pirates are portrayed as a mass of scary foreign marauders a familiar racist trope of vaguely ethnic enemies attacking White people. Um, yeah Youre the one who wrote that Disney is planning to take away classics like these. I didnt imagine that or read it incorrectly. Waiting for them to cancel Disney for being antisemitic. Older, more seasoned viewers will notice things the kids don't, be it suggestive material, plot holes, or things that just didn't age very well. There are all kinds of things wrong and shocking about how the character of Roberta is handled in Swiss Family Robinson. After they fill the tubs with food, ammunition, and other items of value they can safely carry, they row toward the island. The Swiss Family Robinson father, mother and four sons survive a shipwreck on the high seas. )Swiss Family Robinson is by no means the only troublesome film the Walt Disney Company ever released. Disneys live-action 1960 feature Swiss Family Robinson is marked for its yellow face and brown face pirates, while 1941s Dumbo, flagged last year by the channel, now receives a more detailed explanation and some historical context: The crows and musical number pay homage to racist minstrel shows, where white performers with blackened faces and tattered clothing imitated and ridiculed enslaved Africans on Southern plantations. It was his son, Johann Rudolf, who published the novel. (There are no doubt some viewers who may genuinely wonder, for good or ill, why there's a warning in front of The Jungle Book at all, in spite of its own colonizer background. Parents may have been offended for children. Accompanying the 1970 film The Aristocats, for example, is the following advisory about the Siamese cat character Shun Gon, voiced by Paul Winchell: The cat is depicted as a racist caricature of East Asian peoples with exaggerated stereotypical traits such as slanted eyes and buck teeth. Is that the purpose of a Disney movie? "The fact that it was translated so quickly was proof of its potential in Switzerland. Other parents will do their own thing. Also in Pocahontas 1995 film is considered one of the most racist films, which depicts racism and discriminations against Native Americans being called Savages including a song about savages which is derogatory towards Native Americans. "When The Swiss Family Robinson had the potential to gain a wider readership, that is after the Second World War and also in the 1960s, the Swiss were more interested in promoting their sense of belonging to the homeland," says Daniel Maggetti. Swiss Family Robinson s1 e16 return paradise. They're bloodthirsty and cruel, and they are also pointedly played by actors of color (or by actors who are made to look like people of color). But good intentions or not, the Robinsons are colonizing a strange land for themselves with no regard for its original denizens. It's one of the 100 highest-grossing films ever released in the United States.So, you can understand why the film has persisted over time, if gradually less so in the last few decades. This has revived a Swiss spirit on the island; Switzerland's white cross on a red background and the flags of the Swiss cantons fly alongside the Chilean colours on special occasions. Cookies help us deliver our Services. It's a handsomely mounted production. 23:42. We want to hear from you! All Rights Reserved. Alternate titles: Der schweizerische Robinson. The Swiss Family Robinson achieved worldwide popularity. Its so good to know Disney is taking care of this for our childrens own good so they cant be damaged by these horribly offensive movies they produce decades ago. (Even though I strongly dislike The Aristocats, I feel slightly bad for the 1970 animated feature because no one at Disney realizes they have excluded the word "The" from the title.) I loved the song We Are Siamese, growing up. In this sense I can appreciate the desire to have children raised in an environment where biases are not learned at an early age. Answer: The family could not get into the boat because the crew had already crowded all the boats. Ill send them a copy of Birth of a Nation, so they can learn to be even more racist. The domesticated animals on the ship are towed back to the island. They obviously have such a deep knowledge of plant life that they know what to eat and what to avoid, their raft-making skills are on point, the older boys can spear fish, and the family somehow manages to build the fanciest and most complicated treehouse in world history. To wdwnt, question for you. Quite a bit of euphemism-heavy birds and bees talk permeates Swiss Family Robinson. It's not just that there's no Dr. Smith the antagonistic force in Annakin's adaptation is as much the various natural elements working against the Robinson family as they build a massive treehouse and begin exploring the island on which they live, as it is the pirates who attacked their ship and are coming back to get their just desserts. The backlash has surfaced in the wake of Disney+ revising the accessibility of Dumbo (1941), Peter Pan (1953), The Aristocats (1970) and Swiss Family Robinson on the platform. In this sequel, of the family's final years on the original island, the family is called Zermatt.[3]. Not yet. Father speaks with the natural, clipped British accent of the man who portrays him, John Mills, while Mother speaks in a mid-Atlantic dialect that highly theatrical, vaguely British, mid-20th manner of speech used primarily by actors like Katharine Hepburn. Since you canceled your subscription, its not even an issue that affects you directly, so are you just taking it upon yourself to complain on behalf of other parents, as if they need you to speak for them? Over the years, there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Eventually, a British ship that is in search of Jenny Montrose anchors near the island and is discovered by the family. Wyss' attitude towards its education is in line with the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and many chapters involve Christian-oriented moral lessons such as frugality, husbandry, acceptance, and cooperation. Like If they really cared about our childrens welfare and our society, then the left liberal would be censoring that But I guess that isnt politically correct! In The Song of the Roustabouts, faceless Black workers toil away to offensive lyrics like When we get our pay, we throw our money all away.. 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