Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

"From Mouse to Mermaid" is a delightful collection of essays analyzing a variety of aspects of Disney media. Most of the essays are indeed thought-provoking and insightful. However, many of the contributors take themselves far too seriously and draw spurrious conclusions. Simply put, they allow their determination to be scholarly critics to trump their sense of fun. As a Disney historian, I can safely say that several contributors come to conclusions that are simply not substantiated by the evidence. The contributors forget that Disney films, media, and parks are designed primarily to entertain, not to inculcate. The authors appear petty and eager to rip apart Disney (the man and the company), as if such an endeavor legitimized their humorless, pointless criticism.

Maybe it's about time to change your opinion about Uncle Walt and his gang. This book is a must have for those who consider the walt disney company is not more than just a merchant, selling his merchandises all over the world. And not all of his merchandises are free from hazardous ingredients that can give dangerous impact of the young ones. But the book, and find the sexist, racist and greedy uncle scrooge inside the walt disney company.

To say that Walt Disney affected by upbringing is an understatement. I recalled fond memories as I reviewed the histories of such unforgetable characters as Mickey and Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Huey Dewey and Louie and yes, even the Beagle Boys and Uncle Scrooge. Disney's forays into classic fairy tales and stories , while whitewahsed to some extent, were always pure fun, with just the right touch of fear, sadness, and morality. I am glad to see that his lagacy is carried on and that we can expect even more of the tales we knew or some we didn't, to come to life in the classic Disney style of pure good taste, excelent production values and best of all, happy endings.