I remember Shirley Temple being interviewed and if they misbehaved, or didn’t remember their lines, they were locked in a windowless box. Some children were made to sit on ice.

https://www.cinemasters.net/post/the-sinister-untold-history-of-shirley-temple

Have you ever wondered why most of Disney films revolve around a young girl. I can think of just one, Aladdin that wasn’t. While they were cartoons, they eventually become stage shows, then movies replaced by a human cast.