to disney or not to disney?

i had just read an article on cnn about loving or hating the disney company.  it got me very curious because we are going disneyland next week for spring break.

ever since i was a child in the philippines, i've always wanted to go to disneyland.  what kid wouldn't?  i was thousands of miles away from the nearest disneyland (tokyo) and we couldn't afford it so all i could do was dream.  when we finally moved the states, i finally got my chance to go, albeit, i was already 18 years old.  

i had seen enough disney commercials as a child and watched a good portion of their cartoons and films to be familiar but in no way was i constantly bombarded with disney's advertisements.  but when i first stepped into disneyland, i was grinning from ear to ear.  i was delighted to finally be there and experience the fun that is disneyland.  everyone seemed to be having a good time (at least from what i can see).  the lines where extremely long, but who cares?  you're at disneyland!  

so now that i have a daughter who is exposed to disney's constant commercials (how much money do they spend on advertising?  LOTS!).  i think she still managed to be just your average disney consumer.  not a total fanatic.  she never expressed a desire to always dress like cinderella or have disney princess everything.  sure she likes them.  but i think she loves all things pink more than she likes any of the princesses.  for her birthday last year, a friend of mine gave her a chest with 3 princess dresses with matching tiara and wand.  she dresses up in them every now and then.  a couple of times, i actually let her leave the house wearing it, but i attribute that to the idea that every girl likes dressing up...i don't blame disney for that.    

she doesn't have a favorite princess.  she likes cat in the hat more than any of them.  cat in the hat trumps anything else she's watching...that or bedtime stories (starring adam sandler, disney produced the film).   

one mother in the article said that she doesn't want to expose her daughters to the disney princesses and limiting their fantasy world.  i'm not quite sure i understand what the mother meant.  as parents, our role is to encourage our kids to explore the things that interest them.  i wont leave it up to disney to decide what my daughter can do.  she watches the movies, but that's not all she watches, that's not the only thing she's interested in so i don't think having her watch them will limit her imagination.  

michelle watches a lot of disney channel right now. i have locked the tv at home so she can only watch them with my permission and after she's done with homework.  when i notice that she does not focus on learning her school work or when her behavior and language changes (she immitates the teens on disney every now and then, she's only 6), i tell her that we need to cut back on the disney channel and she gets a little upset but she understands.  she doesn't really have a choice.  

it's easy to point the finger at disney because they are everywhere.  and i'm not saying that disney is the greatest corporation in the whole world.  but everything has its pros and cons.  as parents, we play a larger role in influencing our child's behavior.  i disagree with a total disney ban but hey, each parent's ways are different.  i salute all the parents who do their very best to nurture their children, even if i their ways are different from mine.

what is your take on disney?