Disney Gothic

Dark Shadows in the House of Mouse

Lorna Piatti-Farnell, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Murray Leeder , Terry Lindvall

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Hardback

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English

Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
10 May 2024

Animated movies & films; Popular culture; Media studies

Series: Lexington Books Horror Studies

If there is an opposite to the Gothic, it may seem to be the carefully crafted “family friendly” image of Disney. However, through careful attention to the pervasiveness of Gothic elements in all of Disney’s productions, ranging from its theme parks to its films and television programs, the contributors to Disney Gothic reveal that the Gothic, in fact, serves as the unacknowledged motor of the Disney machine. Exploring representations of villains, ghosts, and monsters, this book sheds important new light on the role these Gothic elements play throughout the Disney universe in constructing and reinforcing conceptions of normalcy and deviance in relation to shifting understandings of morality, social roles, and identity categories. In doing so, this book raises fascinating questions about the appeal, marketing, and consumption of Gothic horror by adults and particularly by children, who historically have been Disney’s primary audience.

In this edited collection exploring Disney’s dark side, attention to Disney’s Gothic clarifies the ways through which Disney media properties construct and reinforce conceptions of normalcy and deviance in relation to shifting understandings of morality, social roles, and identity categories.

Contributions by: Murray Leeder, Terry Lindvall, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock
Edited by: Lorna Piatti-Farnell, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock
Imprint: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 237mm, Width: 159mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 549g
ISBN: 9781666907209
ISBN 10: 1666907200
Series: Lexington Books Horror Studies
Pages: 266
Publication Date: 10 May 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Lorna Piatti-Farnell is professor of media and cultural studies at Auckland University of Technology. Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock is professor of English at Central Michigan University and associate editor in charge of horror for the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Reviews for Disney Gothic: Dark Shadows in the House of Mouse

"""At a time when woke Disney seems to have lost its touch, this new collection mines Gothic gold, as it demonstrates how the best Disney films, both live and animated, have crafted a complex world of good and evil that speaks meaningfully to a broad audience. Thanks to Jeffrey, Lorna, and their insightful contributors for revealing how horror, excess, menace, and a sense of helplessness are woven into so much of the Disney 'family' tradition."" --J.P. Telotte, Georgia Tech"