The Psychosocial Implications of Disney Movies

• Main Author: Dundes, Lauren (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2019
• Subjects: Philosophy; Zeus; snowmen; adaptation; family jewels; motherhood; feminist political economy of media; Lilo & music; children; heroism; princess; transnational media; feminist film criticism; EPCOT; stereotyping; applause; family function; queer; gender; entertainment; masculinity; fireworks; diversity; world; coping mechanisms; appropriation; selflessness; snowflake; Megara; Pixar; Walter Benjamin; cultivation; gender nonconformity; Disney; Elsa; enchantment; witches; empowered mothering; cultural studies; bullroarer; postfeminism; storms; imperialism; magic; matrix of domination; sexuality; beauty; children's media; fertility; boobs and boyfriends; girls; parthenogenesis; Polynesia; coloniality; commodification; Marshmallow; content coding analysis; colonialism; Moana; Let it Go; non-binary; Africana; family roles; hypermasculinity; media criticism; cultures; political economy of film; mean girls; death; engagement ring; Olaf; intersectionality; Hercules; sounds; Kristoff; Dumbo; hegemony; park; alternative royals; prince; girl cartoon; pink elephants; Stitch; gender stereotypes; standing ovation; gender roles; wedding toast; diamond; content analysis; family structure; feminism; family
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

In this volume of 15 articles, contributors from a wide range of disciplines present their analyses of Disney movies and Disney music, which are mainstays of popular culture. The power of the Disney brand has heightened the need for academics to question whether Disney's films and music function as a tool of the Western elite that shapes the views of those less empowered. Given its global reach, how the Walt Disney Company handles the role of race, gender, and sexuality in social structural inequality merits serious reflection according to a number of the articles in the volume. On the other hand, other authors argue that Disney productions can help individuals cope with difficult situations or embrace progressive thinking. The different approaches to the assessment of Disney films as cultural artifacts also vary according to the theoretical perspectives guiding the interpretation of both overt and latent symbolic meaning in the movies. The authors of the 15 articles encourage readers to engage with the material, showcasing a variety of views about the good, the bad, and the best way forward.