3.0

Average Course Rating

The question of what makes Disney characters so popular will guide us through this First-Year Seminar as we examine the films and particular Disney figures, embedded in narratives, from an angle that is both celebratory and critical. We will curate the characters to be analyzed and place them in their social, cultural, literary and filmic contexts, while taking special note of the global, political, economic and technological issues that have shaped the animation enterprise. A special emphasis of the course will be on the question of audience, and our own responses to the aesthetic, ethical, and visceral aspects of select Disney characters -- including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Maleficent, and Mother Gothel.