From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture [Paperback]

Elizabeth Bell (Editor), Lynda Haas (Editor), Laura Sells (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0253209781 | ISBN-13: 978-0253209788 | Publication Date: October 17, 2008

From Mouse to Mermaid, an interdisciplinary collection of original essays, is the first comprehensive, critical treatment of Disney cinema. Addressing children's classics as well as the Disney affiliates' more recent attempts to capture adult audiences, the contributors respond to the Disney film legacy from feminist, marxist, poststructuralist, and cultural studies perspectives. The volume contemplates Disney's duality as an American icon and as an industry of cultural production, created in and through fifty years of filmmaking. The contributors treat a range of topics at issue in contemporary cultural studies: the performance of gender, race, and class; the engendered images of science, nature, technology, family, and business. The compilation of voices in From Mouse to Mermaid creates a persuasive cultural critique of Disney's ideology.

The contributors are Bryan Attebery, Elizabeth Bell, Claudia Card, Chris Cuomo, Ramona Fernandez, Henry A. Giroux, Robert Haas, Lynda Haas, Susan Jeffords, N. Soyini Madison, Susan Miller, Patrick Murphy, David Payne, Greg Rode, Laura Sells, and Jack Zipes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a wealth of local insights into many specific Disney projects, from their animated classics up to and including their work produced and distributed under their various other corporate names ..." - American Quarterly "The Disney book with a difference! ...These tightly structured and passionately but thoughtfully argued points should provoke lively debate..." - Brave New World

About the Author

ELIZABETH BELL is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the Unviersity of South Florida. LYNDA HAAS is Assistant Professor in the Writing Program at Ithaca College. LAURA SELLS is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University ofSouth Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (October 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253209781
• ISBN-13: 978-0253209788
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible Critiques, November 21, 2000

By 

"disneychick" (Main Street, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture (Paperback)

Perhaps the most important contribution to Disney Studies this book offers is an accessibility that, at the same time, offers a serious reconsideration of Disney films. Disney, for these scholars, is not above serious consideration and critique. In considering Disney worthy of study, the authors pay Disney a sincere (if backhanded and misunderstood) compliment. Rather than dismissing Disney as "just for children," they collectively question Disney's products and examine their influence.

In this collection of essays, the editors have managed to compile a broad range of materials that critique Disney in the spirit of critique, meaning a thoughtful and serious investigation. As the title suggests, much of the work here is interested in gender, but questions of race and ethnicity are also asked, as well as issues of power and identity. Although these are fairly heady topics, many of the essays are lively and engaging. For those just beginning to study Disney seriously, the works of Jack Zipes and Henry Giroux are recommended. For work on the animated films, the contributions of the editors (Bell, Haas, and Sells) are thought-provoking as well. All the essays, in fact, offer food for thought, whether one is in agreement with the authors or not.

People who think, "But it's just a cartoon," may not enjoy this challenge to reconsider Disney's films for their cultural impact. Then again, these very same people might be the most rewarded by such a collection. It is recommended for educators wishing to introduce critical thinking into a college classroom using Disney films, scholars working in Disney Studies, and Disney enthusiasts keeping abreast on writings on Disney.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Mouse to Mermaid, December 4, 2010

By 

amyislikewoah - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture (Paperback)

I had to order this book for my EWS class. Honestly, I thought this would be another one of those boring books I had to torture myself to read; that is, just by judging by the cover. As I was reading it, I found myself to be enjoying this book quite a lot. I agreed to a lot of the points made in the articles and I really do hope that EWS professors would choose this book for the class. Lesson learned? Don't judge a book by its cover.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Thought-Provoking!, June 7, 2011

By 

Remery (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture (Paperback)

I forget how I came upon this book, but I was bracing myself for a dry, in-depth, long-winded textbook. For being a very light reader, the book was a pleasant surprise of interesting and engaging material. I'm not an avid Disney fan, but I do enjoy their movies, as well as other children's films. In turn, it always made me wonder in what ways their tales affected my views and others growing up.

This wonderful collection of essays and critiques answered most of those questions, while providing even more food for thought. The format made it easy to use, allowing the reader to pick and choose topics and certain movies as they desired. At parts, some of it was a little too scholarly for me, but overall, the information is helpful and fun to learn. And finally, it was exciting to get insight into the workings of Disney's success and culture and how it influenced and reflected society.