I had assumed that the lemmings stereotype was factually based from scientists' observation of the animals in wild, and that Disney was merely anthropomorphizing through their own documentaries to make lemmings more charming/cute to viewers (because the blindly-following-the-leader angle can have some really negative connotations). Whether presented accurately or not, as a brand name Disney has tremendous power to shape the public's perceptions of an animal's true nature, particularly on younger minds.
I had assumed that the lemmings stereotype was factually based from scientists' observation of the animals in wild, and that Disney was merely anthropomorphizing through their own documentaries to make lemmings more charming/cute to viewers (because the blindly-following-the-leader angle can have some really negative connotations). Whether presented accurately or not, as a brand name Disney has tremendous power to shape the public's perceptions of an animal's true nature, particularly on younger minds.