10 Potentially Racist Undertones In Family Films You Never Noticed

5. The Jungle Book

Whilst Mudflap was actually voiced by a black actor, a lot of ethnic characters in Disney aren't. In The Jungle Book, King Louie is depicted as the non-white character of the film, but voiced by white actor Louis Prima; Disney apparently considered Louis Armstrong for the part though. King Louis isn't a bad character; he kidnaps Mowgli, sure, but he's not the actual villain of the piece. The bone of contention that lies with King Louis is that he's the only animal in the jungle without a British accent - he jazz scats and talks gibberish - and he sings about how he wants to be just like other men, and not just a monkey. He's also shown to be incredibly stupid, falling for Baloo the bear's ridiculous ape disguise, and he's more animalistic than most other characters in the film when he sees a "lady" he's attracted to. It's particularly clumsy, but it really doesn't help that Louis Prima has what many believe is an altogether more African-American accent.