The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation

[Dave Monroe]

The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation

David Whitley
Series: Ashgate Studies in Childhood, 1700 to the Present

$79.95/£45.00

Given that Disney's animated films are an important part of many
children's viewing experience worldwide, the messages movies such as
Bambi, The Jungle Book, Pocahontas, and Beauty and the Beast convey
about the natural world are of crucial importance, and never more so
than today. David Whitley's compelling study examines a range of
Disney's feature animations, from Snow White to Finding Nemo, in which
images of wild nature are a central aspect of the narrative. Whitley
challenges the notion that the sentimentality of the Disney aesthetic
prevents audiences from developing a critical awareness of contested
environmental issues. Rather, he argues, even as the films communicate
the central ideologies of the times in which they were produced, they
also express the ambiguities and tensions that underlie these dominant
values. Differentiating among the effects produced by particular
films, therefore, produces a more complex understanding of the classic
Disney canon. Whitley's exploration of the way images of nature are
mediated in Disney animation produces greater understanding of the
role popular art may play in shaping feelings and ideas that are
central to contemporary experience.

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