Animated over cartoons

For decades, the "Disney version" of the world has come under fire. Those "happy slaves" in "Song of the South" — like the lazy crows in "Dumbo" — brought out boycotts. The American Indians in "Peter Pan" and the chubby hippos in "Fantasia" prompted protests. Even the slippery thief in "Aladdin" raised a ruckus.

Now, another group wants a piece of The Magic Kingdom: old folks, or — as old folks now say — seniors.

According to a study by Brigham Young University published in the "Journal of Ageing Studies," nearly half of the older characters in some 34 Disney animated films are portrayed in a negative light.

Young wiseacres will say that number sounds a bit low. But many seniors aren't laughing.

Perhaps they should be.

First, anyone who has watched more than two movies knows that characters are painted to create maximum dramatic effect. And since children are often the heroes and heroines of animated films, crotchety authority figures play naturally into the sense of foreboding the plot demands. It's a story. Stories demand conflict. And conflict is heightened by making opposites more opposite.

It must also be said that Disney people have a history of insensitivity. Those who lament the fact "Song of the South" isn't available have likely never had their ancestors hauled away in chains by slave owners. To those who have such a history, the happy-go-lucky "zippity-do-dah" world of slavery in the film is truly an affront. Disney should have known better. The company should have been less clueless about other hurts as well.

But that said, the public should also lighten up. All those who wept and gnashed their teeth at the re-release of "Fantasia" because a hippo ballerina falls on the scrawny gator trying to lift her and flattens the poor guy need to develop tougher hides. They should find something more important to defend than their own bruised feelings.

And the same goes for any who find themselves in a tizzy because Cruella De Vil and Ursula the sea witch are eligible for Social Security.

These are cartoon characters — caricatures.

Save the disdain for the flesh and blood villains, the ones who poison children with drugs and poison the Internet with their child pornography.