Growing up with your eyes glued to the TV, watching so called “idols” on the Disney Channel, is something I think a lot of kids in our generation saw as a key part of their childhood. On Dec. 9, Vulture Magazine published an article written by former Disney star Joe Jonas, who revealed the darker side of the “Magic Kingdom”, one of overworking youth, that most of us have previously viewed with such joy.
I’m not sure if the other Disney franchises are as cynical as the Disney Channel, but the insights of the former Jonas Brother really show how negative the company leaders can be when the younger employees aren’t reciting lines filled up with dry humor and plastering fake smiles on their faces.
“Being a part of the Disney thing for so long will make you not want to be this perfect little puppet forever,” Jonas said. “Eventually, I hit a limit and thought, screw all this, I’m just going to show people who I am.”
Maybe that’s why we hear of all these Disney stars having such crises once they exit the seemingly flawless business. Just look at Miley Cyrus this year, or even Demi Lovato a few years back in her rehab days.
“We were just kids. That’s the reality,” Jonas said, “We were frightened little kids.. and you’re expected to be perfect.”
“Disney kids are spunky in some way, and I think that’s why Disney hires them. ‘Look he jumped on the table!’ Five, six, 10 years later, they’re like, ‘Oh! What do we do?’ Come on guys. You did this to yourselves.” Jonas said. His direct message tinged with anger and mockery towards the Disney company is definitely bold.
Revelations about the dirty side of the company made in the article show how bad things could have gotten for someone involved if they screwed up.
“We were working with Disney in 2007, when the Vanessa Hudgens’ nude-photo scandal happened. “We heard she had to be in the Disney offices for a whole day because they were trying to figure out how to keep her on lock down…. they [Disney Execs] would tell us that they were so proud of us for not making the same mistakes.”
I’m not sure I know how to react to imagining my absolute favorite celebrity when I was a little girl, Vanessa Hudgens, sitting in an office harshly ridiculed for a mistake she’d made, but it’s definitely not a good feeling.
The good thing is Jonas isn’t involved with Disney anymore, so his days of wanting to “give up sometimes” are far behind him. The bad thing is that from his accusations, I almost have to conclude that the Disney television franchise has made my childhood entertainment a facade, and gives me that sense you feel when you lose a bit of innocence. There’s still hope in me that the movie side of Disney isn’t as bad as the TV industry might be, but seeing how fake things can really be you come to wonder how real the rest of the entertainment world is.
