Mickey Mouse Teaching English?

The Wall Street Journal published an article a few days ago about Disney's new business in China. It seems Mickey Mouse and friends are teaching children how to speak English. This is a smart move on Disney's part, since the foreign language business in China is worth over two billion dollars, with over 300 million Chinese studying English annually. And with the English language teaching market expected to grow in the coming years, it seems like Disney will be profiting from this new endeavour for awhile. They already have a Disneyland set up in Hong Kong, stores all over the country, and have made a few movies in China, however, government regulations prohibit them from starting a television channel or from distributing their entire movie collection in the country. There is already the possibility of a new Disneyland site in Shanghai, and if all goes well, Disney plans on opening more English language schools in the main cities.

But is this just a marketing push, or is Disney really genuine about teaching kids English? Disney says that their intentions are of the latter, even though kids are exposed to everything Disney in the classroom and in their homework. Kids can earn various Disney merchandise as rewards for good work. Flashcards, CD's, and books all feature Disney characters. Since I will be going to China this summer to teach English, I applaud what Disney is doing, but at the same time am critical about it because it is without a doubt a huge marketing ploy. Disney just wants to brainwash kids into buying their products in a market which is not very exposed to Disney as of present. Why does China need Disney English schools? There are already tons of these schools in China right now. I just hope Disney doesn't corrupt Chinese society like it did to the US.