Film Analysis PDF

1.​ Nostalgia -​ Nostalgia: sentimental longing for the past, often idealizes and sanitizes history, creating a comforting and utopian version of the past -​ Disney adapted timeless fairy tales and strip them of their darker or more complex elements to create idealized, universal narrative...

1.​ Nostalgia -​ Nostalgia: sentimental longing for the past, often idealizes and sanitizes history, creating a comforting and utopian version of the past -​ Disney adapted timeless fairy tales and strip them of their darker or more complex elements to create idealized, universal narratives -​ Films like Bambi and Snow White present pastoral landscapes that evokes nostalgia for harmonious relationships with nature -​ Walt disney insisted on the value of deep roots in rural community precisely because its own roots were shallow -​ Disney's focus on childlike wonder appeals to audiences nostalgia for their own childhood 2.​ Frank Newman/ Newman’s Laugh-o-grams -​ Newman showcased disney’s earliest animation efforts and helped Disney gain exposure and refine his creative style -​ Laugh-o-grams were short, humorous cartoons inspired by fairy-tales and contemporary culture -​ Laugh-o-gram studio struggled financially and eventually went bankrupt prompting disney to move to hollywoods where he established the walt disney company 3.​ Iris Shot/panoramic effects -​ Iris shot: technique where the frame either opens or closes in a circular motion often to emphasize focus on a character, action, or scene. It can also signify the beginning or end of a sequence  -​ Ex. steamboat willie: iris shots were used to transition between scenes or focus on specific comedic actions. The closing iris shot centers on Mickey Mouse, leaving the audiences with a lasting impression of his character -​ Panoramic effects: involve sweeping or wide-angle views of environments, giving the audience a sense of scale, immersion, or grandeur -​ Ex. snow white: the multiplane camera allowed disney animators to create depth in panoramic shots such as the opening shot of the caste -​ Ex. the panoramic forest in bambi 4.​ hybridity/sentimental modernism -​ Mixing the new with the old (using recycled shots, techniques, footage, etc) -​ Animation and live-action -​ Combining hand-drawn animation with technological innovations -​ Sentimental modernism: blending of modern, progressive ideas with nostalgia and sentimental visions of the past -​ Involves a longing for simpler times 5.​ Hyperkineticism of modernity (Benjamin) -​ Observes the plasticity of Mickey’s body which enabled him to miraculously survive even the most hyperkinetic and impossible situations -​ His hyperkineticism can be read as mankind’s enduring spirit during an increasing dehumanizing world (resilience) 6.​ Multiplane camera/motion and emotion -​ Allowed disney to develop the “illusion of life” and “narrative depth” -​ Evokes hyperkineticism -​ Enables Disney’s artists to set those elements against more realistic backgrounds, while also allowing them to approach subjects as if they were in a 3D space -​ Removing the barrier between audience and the animation -​ Allows privileges access to intimate, embowered spaces of nature, suggesting our own intrusive and even dangerous presence into these spaces -​ Allows for a more immersive experience -​ Helps to overcome the “unnatural flatness” 7.​ Old mill -​ Used to test the multiplane camera and other technologies 8.​ “Illusion of life”/”caricature of realism” -​ Illusion of life: the commitment to making animated characters feel as though they possess genuine life and personality even through 2D drawings or CAPS -​ Bambi and the other animals given larger eyes and animated almost to look like smiling infants -​ Caricature of realism: disney exaggerates real world elements to create more stylized, emotional evocative, and visually captivating characters and scenes -​ Again giving animals human characteristics -​ The illusion of life creates the feeling that characters are believable beings, the caricature of realism exaggerates the actions, expressions, and personalities to enhance emotional impact and storytelling 9.​ Schneewittchen vs SchneeweiBchen -​ Schneewittchen is the version of snow white that we are most familiar with  -​ Princess who due to her beauty becomes the target of her jealous stepmother (the evil queen). After being poisoned by an apple, snow white falls into a deep sleep until she is awakened by the kiss of the prince -​ SchneeweiBchen is a tale of 2 sisters who lived with their mother and revolves around the sisters adventures helping a bear who turns out to be a prince under an enchantment and their interactions with an unkind dwarf. The sisters kindness towards the bear and dwarf ultimately breaks the spell and the girls are rewarded with riches and a happy life 10.​Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra/Deems Taylor -​ Stokowski was the conductor for the Philadelphia orchestra during the creation of Fantasia and his collaboration was crucial because it pioneered orchestrating the music for the film -​ Deems Taylor was a composer and music critic who was the narrator for Fantasia and he guided the audience through the different segments of the film, explaining the music and giving context to the pieces being performed 11.​Fantasound -​ Multidimensional sound -​ Audience would feel as though they were standing at the podium with Stokowski -​ Made for Fantasia -​ Invested in fantasound to specific theatres in order to give that experience 12.​“The Sorcerer's Apprentice”/”neatly ordered patriarchal realms” -​ The segment features Mickey Mouse as the apprentice of a powerful sorcerer -​ Mickey eager to take over his master’s responsibilities, attempts to use magic to perform a chore for him, but the spell doesn’t go the way he wants  -​ The brooms, enchanted to fetch water, run rampant, flooding the place in a chaotic mess -​ Mickey is unable to control the magic and his failure to maintain order leads to disaster until the sorcerer returns to fix things -​ The sorcerer’s power is clear and absolute - he is the one who holds knowledge and command while mickey’s attempt to take control through magic highlights the fragility of the system -​ Reinstates patriarchal order through the sorcerer’s return implying that the restoration of hierarchy is essential for balance in the world and suggests systems of authority must remain intact for harmony 13.​Screen Cartoonists’ Guild/collaboration -​ Screen cartoonists guild was a union that went on strike in 1941 due to labour disputes -​ Many complained of poor pay, long hours, and felt that Disney was dismissive in their concerns -​ The animators working on the films were working more hours than he was and got little to no recognition for it -​ The screen cartoonists guild played a role in shaping how animators would be treated and how their creative contributions would be valued -​ Ensured that animators received proper compensation and recognition 14.​Impressionism -​ Visual aesthetics and narrative techniques to emphasize mood, emotion, and atmosphere over realistic representation -​ Use of light and colour in Fantasia  -​ Stylized backgrounds in bambi and cinderella 15.​Proprietary -​ Proper parenting breeds proper children and the proper success of children reflects on parents parenting 16.​Disnature -​ Natures imagery is simultaneously realistic and manufactured and both cartoony and artistic 17.​Gustaf Tenggren/Marc Davis -​ Anthropomorphized and neotenized Bambi was given more human characteristics like larger eyes and a larger head to resemble a smiling infant or young child 18.​Tyrus Wong/Orientalism -​ Chinese American artist known for impressionistic, ethereal style -​ Used less detail and more mood -​ His sketches (in Bambi) give the forest ethereal, impressionist, and “orientalist” touches which create a sense of “disnature”, where the nature imagery is simultaneously realistic and manufactured, both cartoony and realistic -​ Orientalism: seeing the other as radically different but ultimately an integral part of viewing subject 19.​Pastoral mode -​ Refers to the films idealized and romanticized depiction of nature -​ Emphasis on beauty, simplicity, and tranquility of rural or natural life contrasting the stresses of urban or modern life -​ Ex. Bambi  -​ Idealized nature: forest is portrayed as beautiful, serene and peaceful -​ Bambi is a young fawn representing a pure and unspoiled life, animals are not weighed down by the complexities of adult life or human civilization -​ Contrasts the modern world with the threat of man -​ Animals all live in harmony, sharing the land in peaceful coexistence 20.​Point of view (POV) in Bambi -​ Follows a pastoral mode -​ Follows life when it was simpler because it was closer to nature -​ It implicitly or explicitly contrasts the urban life 21.​Disneyfication -​ Sanitizing the film’s violent aspects -​ Not showing things as they are but showing it how the animators was us to see things -​ Bambi: -​ Not showing Bambi’s mom’s death -​ No blood -​ The little mermaid: -​ No pain -​ No association with women sexually “coming of age”/menstruation -​ Always a happily ever after 22.​NFB/The Thrifty Pig/Three Little Pigs -​ During WW2 animation became more politically charged -​ The connection between disney, war, and propaganda is seen in the influence of the NFB and the kind of wartime messages embedded in various films -​ The thrifty pig is a short that mirrored the three little pigs but with a more overt wartime message -​ The pigs are no longer just defending themself against the big bad wolf but also working to encourage thriftiness and saving materials for the war effort -​ It focuses on rationing, conservation, and economic prudence -​ Had more of a social purpose instead of silly -​ Propaganda shorts exaggerate the “moralistic” message trying to mobilize the war-time spector into action like buying war bonds 23.​Donald Duck as wartime mascot -​ Character with temper and extreme perseverance -​ Didn’t want to ruin mickey’s image, making mickey associated with war -​ Mickey represents walt disney himself and again didn’t want himself to be associated -​ Donald was portrayed as the “common man” where his struggles aligned with the wartime mentality 24.​Paranoid populism -​ Use of media to scare the viewers into conceiving a certain belief -​ Disney used this in their wartime era -​ They depicted the other (nazis and japanese) as exaggerated and having unattractive features in order to make the in group (US) look better 25.​Superimposition or dissolve/symbolic logic -​ Superimpositon: layering one image over another to create symbolic connections between two separate elements  -​ Ex. Fantasia: Mickey’s face superimposed onto the flowing water or the spellbinding objects -​ Ex. Lion King: Simba’s reflection being overlaid with Mufasa’s image symbolizing the continuity of generations -​ Dissolve: one image gradually fade into another signifying a change in time, space or state of being -​ Ex. Pinocchio: transition of pupper to boy -​ Ex. Bambi: passage of time from spring to winter 26.​Edutainment -​ Mix of education/indoctrination and entertainment that would make propaganda films effective -​ Using entertainment to teach lessons 27.​Diegesis vs non-diegesis -​ Diegetic elements exist within the world of the narrative -​ Non-diegetic elements are those outside of the narrative -​ Narration (voice-overs), music 28.​“New realism” vs “caricature of realism” -​ Caricature of realism: exaggerated reality for emotional and artistic effect (simplify reality) -​ New realism: style of animation that is more authentic, nuanced portrayals of the world -​ Ex. lion king: animators payed close attention to animal movements by studying real life animal behaviour -​ Ex. frozen; textures of clothing and the physicality of snow and ice 29.​Expressionism in film -​ Style of storytelling and visual representation that emphasize emotional experience over realistic depiction -​ Ex. Pinocchio: swallowed by the whale with the exaggerated darkness it creates a feeling of imminent doom and helplessness -​ Ex. Bambi: the death of her mom is stark, silent imagery with ominous forest sounds which portrays trauma for Bambi -​ Ex. the lion king: the intense storm and chaotic skies after Mufasa’s death followed by silence and desolation felt by Simba, evoke grief and loneliness 30.​Rotoscoping -​ Animation technique to achieve more realistic movement and fluidity in animated characters and scenes -​ Tracing over live-action footage to create highly realistic movements for animated characters -​ Most prominently used in Cinderella 31.​Perfect girl/femme fatale/grandmother archetypes -​ Perfect Girl: -​ Represents the idealized traits of femininity, virtue, and beauty -​ Often described as youthful beauty, with a flawless appearance and grace -​ Ex. Snow White’s “skin as white as snow” -​ Represents innocence, kindness, and moral perfection, often selfless and endures hardship with grace  -​ Portrayed usually as passive, waiting for rescue or a saviour rather than taking control of her destiny -​ Displays deep compassion -​ reproductive -​ Femme Fatale: -​ Described as a seductive, mysterious woman who uses charm, wit, and manipulation to achieve her goals often leading others to their downfall -​ Often show intelligence, seductiveness, and manipulation -​ Ex. Ursula uses charm and a persuasive demeanor to manipulate Ariel -​ Layers of rapacious animal imagery that aligns with predatory nature -​ Sexually active but sterile -​ Grandmother Archetype: -​ Represents wisdom, nurturance, and a connection to tradition or the past -​ Often act as guides or catalysts for the protagonist’s journey -​ Possess a supernatural or magical entity -​ Ex. Cinderella’s fairy godmother -​ No reproductive capacity 32.​pentimento/somatext -​ The painter “repenting”, changed his mind and painted over 33.​CAPS -​ Developed by Pixar for Disney (before they were bought) -​ First digital ink and paint system used in animation designed to replace the extensive process of transferring animated drawings to cels 34.​“Appeal” as a principle of animation/female labour -​ Women traced individual cel’s -​ Women painted and transcribed the creative efforts of men -​ Performed the tedious, repetitive, labour intensive housework of the Disney enterprise -​ Primary way that female employees were allowed ro put their own contribution in was at the appeal stage -​ Bell recognized the patriarchal culture at the disney studio that divided labour into that performed by men and relegated to women 35.​Deep canvas -​ Allows for 3D environment to be painted and explored from multiple perspectives blending hand-drawn animation style with 3D digital graphics 36.​Get a horse! -​ 3D mickey mouse animated short that was shown alongside Frozen -​ Used both hand-drawn 2D animation and “before the window” 3D effects 37.​The “flawed” princess as “corrective” mechanism vs “bourgeois” feminism -​ Ariel introduces a departure from Disney’s earlier passive princess archetypes like snow white and cinderella. This served as a corrective mechanism because it incorporated more traits of independence, ambition, and agency. -​ Bourgeois feminism refers to a type of feminism that prioritizes individual empowerment and personal freedom within existing structures, rather than challenging systemic inequalities 38.​postfeminism/commodification of feminism -​ Postfeminism: focuses on differences between men and women to justify womens unique contributions and argue for equitable treatment to achieve equality 39.​The Disney Princess designation -​ Contains 13 characters who are royalty at birth, marriage or are considered princesses due to heroic acts in their films -​ Has to do with how much money the princess brings in 40.​Cinematic shots: Bokeh, close-ups, extreme close ups, bird’s eye view, breaking the fourth wall, shaky cam, extreme wide shots, shallow focus, dolly shot/dolly zoom -​ Tracking shot: any shot that includes a moving camera that follows or “tracks” one or more moving characters or subjects -​ Bokeh: out-of-focus areas in the film particularly the blur that happens in the background making the subject stand out -​ Close up: close up shot framing the subject tightly, focusing on a particular detail of the scene. Used to capture emotions, reactions, or critical elements that require attention and creates intimacy -​ Extreme close up: zooms even further than a regular close up, focusing on a specific detail. These shots heighten tension or emphasize a crucial moment -​ Birds eye view: taken directly above the scene providing a top down perspective of the subject. Can convey power, show the scale or layout of the scene, or make the character appear small and insignificant in their surroundings -​ Breaking the fourth wall: character directly addresses the audience acknowledging they are in a fictional world -​ Shaky cam: heightens realism, tension, or anxiety -​ Extreme wide shot: captures a large area or landscape. Can make characters appear small and insignificant in comparison to their surroundings -​ Shallow focus: depth field where only a small part of the scene is in focus and the rest is blurred. Used to direct the viewers attention to a specific detail -​ Dolly shot: camera mounted on a wheeled platform which moves smoothly along a track to follow the action -​ Dolly zoom: aka vertigo effect, technique where the camera is moved in or out while the lends zooms in the opposite direction, creating the illusion of the background changing size while the subject remains the same size. Conveys emotional distress or dramatic change in perception 41.​Mimesis: hybridity, expressivity, photorealism vs hyperrealism -​ Mimesis: imitation or representation of reality in art -​ Ex. Tron attempts mimesis through visual representation of the digital world -​ Blends hybridity through the innovative combination of live action, animation, and CGI -​ Tron’s expressivity is shown in the bold use of colour and design creating a stylized digital world that feels immersive. -​ Tron doesn’t aim for photorealism (mimicking the real world as close as possible) but it embraces hyperrealism by crafting exaggerate version of the digital life and foreshadows the fusion of humanity and technology 42.​“User power” vs corporation/threat of technology -​ Tron celebrate the concept of users as creators with the ability to control and liberate the systems they design -​ The MCP in Tron represents the dangers of unchecked technological control, symbolizing a corporate-driven AI that has outgrown its creators, seeking domination and independence -​ ENCOM, the corporation housing the MCP, reflects the dehumanizing potential of corporate greed, as it prioritizes profit and power over creativity and innovation -​ Serves as a cautionary tale about losing control of the tools we create, especially when profit-driven motives prioritize centralized power over individual freedom -​ Wall-E -​ Buy-N-Large’s consumerism-driven model leads to the destruction of Earth and humanity’s total dependence on technology for survival. The corporation has created a dystopia where technology is no longer a tool but a crutch that infantilizes and enslaves humans -​ The axiom’s autopilot (AUTO) represents the dangers of AI designed solely to maintain corporate directives, even when those directives are no longer beneficial -​ AUTO’s adherence to BNL’s orders threatens humanity’s ability to return to Earth 43.​Traditional vs CG/digital animation -​ Traditional animation involves animators drawing each frame by hand often on cels which are then photographed sequentially to create an illusion of movement -​ Labour intensive and time consuming -​ CG animation uses 3D modeling and rendering to create motion. Involves animators manipulating digital models in a virtual space -​ Animation is more precise allowing for more realistic displays 44.​Back-lit animation/”painting with light” -​ Illuminating artwork from behind to create glowing effects -​ Used in Tron to enhance the look of the digital world 45.​65mm/aspect ratio -​ High resolution film format that offers greater detail, depth, and clarity -​ Tron - portions of the film were shot with 65mm cameras to achieve more clarity and depth maximizing the visual impact on IMAX screens 46.​chronos/kairos/aeon -​ Chronos: linear or measurable time -​ Sequence of events unfolding in a structured, chronological order -​ Seen in the progression of Simba’s life from his birth, childhood, exile, and eventual return to Pride Rock -​ Kairos: pivotal moments in time -​ Highlighting the right time or points of significance -​ Rafiki’s intervention -​ Mufasa’s message in the stars, “remember who you are” -​ Aeon: eternal, cyclical time -​ timeless , overarching view that transcends individual events -​ The circle of life in the lion king where the film starts with Rafiki presenting a new cub to the pride land and ends in the same way 47.​“Straight” time vs queer temporality -​ “Straight” time: linear, normative progression often including heteronormative ideals like marriage, reproduction, and continuity  -​ Cinderella: ending with marriage, fulfilling the “happily ever after” trope -​ The Little mermaid: Ariel’s arc is driven by her desire to marry prince Eric -​ The Lion King: Simba’s return to Pride Rock and his eventual fatherhood align with the generational cycle -​ Queer temporality: non-linear, alternative experiences of time that resist or exist outside of societal norms -​ Elsa: resisting the traditional princess narrative, not about marriage or love -​ Villains such as Ursula and Scar 48.​filmmaker/creative-driven process vs executive-driven process -​ Creative driven process: -​ Decisions focus on storytelling, character development, and innovation -​ Executive driven process: -​ Prioritizes marketability, brand synergy, and financial outcomes 49.​The Law or Rule of Father/symbolic order -​ The law of father: symbolic authority that intervenes to break the pre-symbolic unity between child and mother -​ Paternal law is essential for structuring identity and ensuring integration into the larger cultural and symbolic framework -​ Symbolic order: regulating desires and establishing a framework for understanding one’s place in the world -​ Ex. Pinocchio -​ Geppetto’s desire for Pinocchio to become a “real boy” reflects the father’s role in guiding the child into symbolic order. For Pinocchio to be real it means learning  and adhering to the moral and societal rules that are structured within symbolic order 50.​“New man” vs hegemonic masculinity/vertical vs horizontal homosociality -​ Hegemonic masculinity: culturally dominant form of masculinity that emphasizes traits such as power, dominance, emotional stoicism, and heteronormativity -​ Ex. Scar (the lion king) -​ Commonly the villians -​ “New man”: a more progressive construction of masculinity, emphasizing openness and nurturing qualities, often in contrast to hegemonic masculinity -​ Ex. Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story), Simba (the lion king) -​ Commonly the heroes -​ Vertical homosociality: relationships between men structured by hierarchy, competition, and dominance. Emphasizes power struggles and status -​ Ex. rivalry between Scar and Mufasa (The lion king) - Scar seeks to dominate and kills Mufasa to gain his position as king -​ Horizontal homosociality: relationships based on equality and emotional bonds between men -​ Ex. woody and buzz in toy story 51.​Intertexuality -​ Ways that the movies reference, adapt, or incorporate elements from other texts, stories, or cultural works -​ Ex. Snow white and the seven dwarfs comes from a fairy tale by the Grimm brothers -​ Lion king drawing on Hamlet  -​ Hello Dolly in Wall-E 52.​simulacrum , simulation (Baudrillard) -​ Argues that in a postmodern era, reality has been replaces by simulacra (representations or copies of things that no longer have an original) -​ Disneyland as a simulation → theme park replicates various “real” locations and time periods but in sanitized, idealized forms 53.​Media environment/media ecology -​ Media is not just a tool for delivering content but an environment that shapes perceptions, behaviouts, and social structures -​ Disney operates in a transmedia ecosystem where stories and characters extend across films, tv shows, streaming platforms, theme parks, merchandise, and games 54.​EPCOT -​ EPCOT was planned to be a technological community by Disney in the 1960s -​ Envisioned it to be a real city that could draw from “imagineering” where imagination meets engineering 55.​Motion capture -​ Technique used to digitally record the movement of performers and apply those movements to animated characters -​ Done digitally in comparison to rotoscoping 56.​LIDAR -​ Remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances -​ Used in the live action of beauty and the beast which contributed to recreating the beast’s castle and ensuring it matched the physical sets 57.​Remakes as a film genre -​ Disney remakes often adhere closely to the core storyline of the animated -​ Remakes however often expands on character backstories and shift from a more stylized animation of their originals to more “realistic” visuals -​ Remakes try to attract nostalgia adults who grew up with the originals and new audiences to experience the stories for the first time -​ Profitable for disney because if the animated version was successful it is likely that a remake will also be successful -​ It also allows for the idea of course correction in films that have been critiqued 58.​Course correction -​ Through disney’s remakes they try to do course correction -​ Many of the animations were criticized as presenting female protagonists as passive and waiting to be rescued by a man but the live actions have reimagined these characters with more agency and independence -​ Disney has also been improving racial representation and diversity reflecting more inclusive films 59.​deferral/endless delays -​ MCU relies on narratives structured around endless delays as a way to stave off dealing with futurity -​ By delaying conclusions and the fulfillment of overarching narratives, the MCU avoids confronting the “future” in a concrete or definitive way -​ Closure is not provided in a single film but it stretches over a phase or more 60.​Retcon -​ Process of altering or revising established facts or storylines in previous works -​ Ex. In previous MCU films, Nick Fury’s eye patch was explained as being a result of an injury he sustained in Captain America: The Winter Soldier where Fury mentions being wounded by a “friendly” shot but in Captain Marvel introduced a different explanation where he loses his eye when scratched by Goose the alien cat 61.​Multiverse -​ The MCU is connected through Easter eggs and nostalgia -​ Creates no futurity because the multiple timelines and the existence of the infinity stones means that the future and present storyline is part of a web of different multiverses and the infinity stones make it so you can go back in time and erase the future 62.​Imagined blackness, physical absence, black effacement, blue-washing -​ Imagined blackness: the way black identity is often constructed or stereotypically depicted in mainstream media -​ Physical absence: underrepresentation of black characters or the complete exclusion of black characters (ex. Snow white) -​ Black effacement; the erasure or reduction of blackness in a narrative, where the presence of black characters or culture is downplayed, marginalized, or flattened -​ Blue-washing: making a character bluer to distance them from their racial or ethnic identity 63.​PEP context -​ Performance - black actors are only seen in song or something similar -​ Entertainment - act as comedic relief -​ Problem - viewed as the “bad” character Films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: -​ First full-length cel animation film -​ Introduced the use of the multiplane camera Fantasia -​ Fantasound -​ Hybridization of classical music and popular animation -​ Critics said that the animated imagery overwhelmed the music or were too restrictive Pinocchio -​ Law of the father -​ Jiminy Cricket as superego -​ Not giving into pleasures Bambi -​ Anthropomorphized animals which are animals given human characteristics -​ Idealized (pastoral mode) - no predation, animals speak english -​ Disneyification - no blood, avoiding death The Story of Menstruation -​ Edutainment - teaching young children about how the woman’s body works -​ Fairly accurate as the reproductive organs were taken from a textbook -​ Disneyfication - no blood Der Fuehrer’s Face  -​ Fear of the other -​ Paranoid populism -​ Exaggerated features of the other -​ Made the other look stupid, idiotic, and gay Cinderella -​ Used rotoscoping -​ “Ballet like” and en-pointe like poise from cinderella -​ First film to use CAPS The Little Mermaid -​ “Flawed” princess -​ Law of the father -​ Queer coding Ursula Tron -​ Space inside a computer was imagined as if it were real space -​ Combining computer animation, matte glass painting, and back lit cels with live footage -​ Mimesis Frozen -​ Get a horse was used to test animation techniques like “before the window” 3D -​ Anna aware of the romantic trope and tries to reconfigure it -​ Elsa embodies more of the femme fatale The Lion King -​ Used computer animation/CG effects -​ Significant use of CAPS  -​ Hegel’s idea of the relationship between “objective” history and the subjective development of individuals consciousness -​ Circle of life and chronic, kairotic, and aeonic time -​ Masculine friendship → queer temporality Toy Story -​ Disney and Pixar’s first full length animated film collaboration -​ Complete computer animation -​ “New man” -​ Vertical and horizontal homosociality Wall-E -​ Critique of consumerism (buy-n-large mega corporation ruined earth) -​ Conservative heterosexual romance with Eve -​ Intertexuality → hello dolly -​ Hyperrealism Beauty and the Beast -​ Extensive CAPS usage -​ Use of LIDAR -​ Remakes as a genre -​ Course correction -​ Addition of gay moments (Lefou) -​ AIDS allegory Captain Marvel -​ MCU connectedness  -​ Narratives structured around endless delays -​ No futurity -​ Notable for nostalgia - goes from earth to an advanced civilization and then back to earth which doesn’t have the same advancements -​ Retconning Essay Brainstorming: 1.​ Walter Benjamin’s reading of Mickey Mouse as an icon, whose body and storylines reflect the collective realities and anxieties of Disney’s generation -​ Mickey’s body being elastic and mutable symbolizes adaptability in an era where humans were increasingly seen as components of industrial systems -​ Many of the mickey cartoons are focused on rural life which is part of walt disney’s nostalgia for his life in marceline 2.​ Hybridity as seen in various aspects of Disney films (e.g., narrative, technical, cinematographic, etc.), and its relationship with the “futurity” of modernity -​ Disney blends traditional folklore, fairy tales, and myths with modern sesnibilities to create narratives that resonate across eras -​ Ex. snow white adapted from Grimm Brothers tale -​ Disney pioneered the transition from hand-drawn animation to CGI, deep canvas, multiplane camera, etc. -​ Hybridization as seen in characters such as the anthropomorphic characters in Bambi and the lion king -​ Merging the worlds of real and fantasy -​ Ex. the lion king - blends the ideas of a documentary with a story similar to hamlet -​ Ex. tron merges the physical world with the digital world 3.​ The dynamics of animation-as-art and collaborative labour, specifically in relation to Disney’s “creative genius” -​ Walt disney often being behind the studios successes, marginalizing hundreds of animators, writers, and other artists -​ The disney studio operated on a strict hierarchy with animators and directors at the top and the ink and paint artists at the bottom -​ Walt disney received much of the credit for the studios output causing the labour strike in 1941 4.​ History and time, and how they potentially inform Disney’s quest for a “neatly ordered patriarchal realm” rooted in a “golden past” -​ Disney films often evoke a sense of nostalgia for simpler times in history or the “golden past” -​ Disney adapts historical and cultural narrative to reinforce ideals of stability and tradition erasing dissenting voices or alternative perspectives -​ Within the disney studio itself the men were given a lot of the more “important” jobs while the women were given the last steps to animation where they could only add appeal -​ This extended to the animations brought forward in disney as patriarchal figures often embody wisdom, authority, and power -​ Ex. king triton in the little mermaid -​ Ex. Mufasa’s wisdom in the lion king -​ Female characters often embody virtues that uphold patriarchal ideas like obedience and nurturance 5.​ Representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality; feminism and masculinity in Disney; heteronormativity and “straight” time vs. queer temporality -​ Disney films often use stereotyping or erasure of racially diverse characters especially int the earlier animations. Black characters are either viewed as comedic relief, featured in a song or something similar, or viewed as a villain -​ Ex. the princess and the frog being the first black princess yet she spends most of the time as a frog -​ Disney frequently portrays class through marriage or personal virtue -​ Ex. cinderella starting as a house maid and marries to become a princess and move up in class -​ Disney also often portrays villains as individuals of the lower class as in the case of Ursula who is coded as an lower-class outsider -​ Early disney princesses are passive figures whose value lies in the beauty and virtue -​ Recent films correct this in some ways such as frozen -​ Many villains are queer coded throigh voice, mannerism, and style reinforcing harmful stereotypes -​ Ex. ursul’s drag inspired aesthetic -​ Disney often uses the concept of straight time where the ultimate goal is marriage or reproduction as in the case of the lion king -​ Heteronormative love stories are the main narrative of many disney films -​ Masculinity is also restructured in the concept of a “new man” where men are able to be vulnerable emotionally 6.​ Disneyfication as a process of regulation and control, and how nostalgia is dependent on it -​ Disneyfication: simplifying, sanitizing narratives -​ Cultures are regulated and commodified to fit disney’s brand -​ Ex. The lion king in the fact that it is set in africa yet all of the animals speak english without accents and there is no cultural references to africa -​ We see disneyfication of original tales of the films such as snow white, cinderella, and the little mermaid where the elements are more violent and do not fit disney’s brand -​ Disney makes the films say what they want and remove all of the details that they do not want in their brand 7.​ The “Law” of the Father/Symbolic order, how Disney enforces it, and how we might be complicit in its perpetuation -​ Disney films often perpetuate the law of the father by centering their stories around parental authority -​ Ex. mufasa in the lion king represents patriarchal power. He teaches simba important lessons about responsibility, the importance of legacy, and the duty to follow a preordinated path -​ Ex. king tritan is an authoritarian father who imposes strict rules on his daughter and the films resolution suggests that Ariel can only find happiness once she followed the “law of the father” by aligning herself with male authority (Eric) -​ Disney films present women as submissive to male figures whether that is through marriage, love, or parental approval -​ Children internalize these values and it can lead to the normalization of patriarchal structures in society 8.​ Technology and its role in progressively creating Disney worlds, not just cinematically but also “in real life” (not just creating “illusion of life” or “caricatures of reality”, but actual influences on lifestyle and reality) ; the “threat” of technology -​ Disney has been at the forefront of cinematic and experimental technological innovation -​ The technology has historically been framed as creating animated worlds that mimic or caricature reality (illusion of life) -​ Ex. snow white was the first full length animated film, where the use of synchronized sound and innovative animation techniques revolutionized the way audiences experienced storytelling -​ Ex. pushing boundaries by combining classical music with groundbreaking animation techniques -​ Ex. tron which is one of the first films to explore digital environments and use CGI -​ Technology in disney is viewed as a double edged sword that celebrates its innovation but movies like wall-e and tron focus on this idea -​ Ex. tron - the narrative revolves around getting trapped in a digital universe and losing agency and control of technology -​ Ex. wall-e - presents a future where technology has taken over leading to environmental collapse and the dehumanization of society 9.​ Intertextuality; self-referentiality; The simulacrum created by Disney; Disney as a social, cultural, and economic engine -​ Disney is a powerful example of intertexuality as it is constantly drawing from myths, fairy tales, history and other films -​ The disney theme parks as a simulacrum as it is meticulously designed to simulate entire worlds -​ This is also featured in disney as in: -​ Ex. the lion king: nature is hyperreal and idealized stripped of the complexities of ecological systems -​ Ex. disney princess franchise is hyperreal versions of femininity -​ Disney reinforces certain values and ideals that influence generational beliefs, this was evident during war times when they used their animation to motivate viewers to buy war bonds 10.​Multiverses, course correction, ironies and contradictions within Disney’s futurist philosophy, where to go from here? -​ The multiverse has emerged as a key narrative device in the MCU which allows for the blending of different versions of characters and realities creating endless possibilities and the rewriting of past storylines  -​ This in itself is course correction to erase or alter past mistakes which allow them to erase character arcs or timelines that werent well received -​ By introducing the multiverse, disney can incorporate alternate versions of beloved characters capitalizing on nostalgia -​ Moving forward disney has the opportunity to react to criticism and make changes that reflect the diverse and complex world we live in today Nostalgia in Disney films: -​ Mickey Mouse: -​ Created during a time of economic uncertainty -​ Shorts like steamboat willie evoke nostalgia for the small-town charm and wholesome fun -​ His adventures center on universal, relatable themes which evoke memories of an idealized childhood -​ Disney's upbringing in missouri heavily influenced his storytelling with the towns simplicity being reflected in Bambi -​ Disney's early films like Snow white, Pinocchio, and Cinderella are set in rural or fairytale environments that evoke pre-industrial, pastoral past which reflect Walt’s longing for a time untainted by modernity -​ Disney land itself was designed as a physical manifestation of nostalgia, a place where families could escape the complications of modern life and return to a world of fairy-tales, small-town charm, and futuristic optimism  -​ Disney’s films often center on themes of longing for a home, family, or simpler life mirroring walt’s own sense of longing for a idealistic past -​ Snow white: -​ Since it is disney’s first feature length animated film it serves as a reference for future disney films -​ Represents the beginning of the disney princess franchise -​ Fantasia: -​ Classical music -​ Tron: -​ Taps into 80s nostalgia where it is ahead of its time -​ Frozen: -​ Plays on nostalgic tropes like romantic love -​ Cinderella; -​ Nostalgia for fairytale tropes of romance and ideal femininity -​ The little mermaid: -​