Diversity in Disney Films

Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability

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Edited by Johnson Cheu

Type

Studies

Subject

Studio > Disney Studios

Keywords

Disney, sociology, racial issues, gender

Publishing date

2013

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 315 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-7864-4601-8

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Book Presentation:
Although its early films featured racial caricatures and exclusively Caucasian heroines, Disney has, in recent years, become more multicultural in its filmic fare and its image. From Aladdin and Pocahontas to the Asian American boy Russell in Up, from the first African American princess in The Princess and the Frog to “Spanish–mode” Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 3, Disney films have come to both mirror and influence our increasingly diverse society. This essay collection gathers recent scholarship on representations of diversity in Disney and Disney/Pixar films, not only exploring race and gender, but also drawing on perspectives from newer areas of study, particularly sexuality/queer studies, critical whiteness studies, masculinity studies and disability studies. Covering a wide array of films, from Disney’s early days and “Golden Age” to the Eisner era and current fare, these essays highlight the social impact and cultural significance of the entertainment giant.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

About the Author:
Johnson Cheu is an assistant professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He has published work in disability studies and popular culture, as well as poetry and creative essays.

Press Reviews:
"Recommended"—Choice
"Johnson Cheu deserves praise for contributing to Disney scholarship with a useful and engaging text that keeps alive the debate on ways in which popular cinematic narratives and images reflect a dynamic and changing cultural milieu"—Journal of American Culture

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co