Couple good articles to recommend. First, at SaveDisney.com, “In Defense of Disney’s Uncle Remus” is an in-depth piece that argues for the release of Disney’s THE SONG OF THE SOUTH (1946), but also presents the case for why people have, through the years, felt the film is insensitive and racist.

Next is this fascinating and thought-provoking piece by Paul Graham that is as solid a primer as I’ve ever read on the aesthetics of good design. Graham presents a compelling case for why concepts like “taste” and “design” are not as subjective as they are generally made out to be in contemporary society, but rather rooted in certain universal values. All of the principles he discusses can be easily applied to animation: sadly, they most often are not.
(link via Cartoon Retro forum)