Introduction “Mickey Mouse, both by name and image, is better known in more places on this muddy earth than any human being in all of history. In their time neither Caesar nor Napoleon were even remotely known” (Wallace, 1949). The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, created the iconic image of Mickey Mouse known throughout the world, demonstrating Disney's power in media. The Walt Disney Company has been the most dominant storytelling company in the world, making it highly responsible for constructing representations of child culture. Disney's depictions have, inadvertently or not, shaped perceptions of codependency, body image, and stereotypes in early childhood. Topic When children are young, they begin to think about Dr. Gail Dines, professor of sociology and women's studies at Wheelock College in Boston, MA, talks about the minimal change in female characters, over the years, in Disney films. “[you] still have the same highly sexualized female body with the large breasts, thin waist, fluttering eyelashes, shy expressions, and seductress” (Picker & Sun, 1991). Body image dissatisfaction is common in women, coinciding with this, studies conducted on peer and media influence on body image concerns and diet awareness in younger girls have shown that an increasing number of Preadolescent girls are also dissatisfied with their body image. “Sixty-two percent of Canadians believe that girls' exposure to unrealistic and sexy images of women in advertising is one of the biggest problems facing women and girls in Canada today” (Canadian Women's Foundation, 2012). The typical body image that Disney portrays is unrealistic and unattainable and causes children to have doubts about their current body image. “A study conducted in BC found that 60% of girls who were actually too thin thought they were too fat” (The McCreary Center Society, 2003). Reinforcing these notions are the media these young girls deal with. In Disney films the protagonists areThe socialization of children allows them to learn stereotypes and attitudes towards races from external influences such as parents, peers, the media and the surrounding environment. With exposure to common Disney films like The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Lady and the Tramp, examples of subtle racist references can shape a child's view of stereotypical behavior. Regularly, Disney draws comparisons between the African American minority and the voices of animals such as gorillas or hyenas. Examples of this include, in the film The Jungle Book, the gorillas in the film, portray traits such as jive dancing and sounds similar to those of African American males, with slower and deeper voices. In one scene of the film, the gorillas sing “I want to be a man, a man-cub, and walk into town and be just like other men – I'm tired of walking around. I want to be like you. I want to talk like you, walk like you” (The Jungle Book, Walt Disney, 1967). The subtle reference between gorillas and African Americans can begin to shape children's ideals from an early age. In the Disney film The Lion King, hyenas speak in street slang, which resembles the dialect of inner-city minorities, particularly African Americans. Researcher Jacqueline Maloney at