The animated films of Walt Disney have played an important role in American culture. MostudAmericans, either during childhood or adulthood, have been exposed to at least some of them.udThe films themselves have, in some respects, reflected American society and culture. They mayudalso, at least to some extent, have influenced them. As academic scholarship on the history ofudHollywood film has grown, various aspects of Disney's influence and cultural position haveudlikewise come to be the focus of study. In recent decades, also, there has been a continuallyudgreater interest in the role of women in American society and how that role is constructed.udUniting both these scholarly interests, this thesis analyses how Disney films depict femininity,udand the ways in which such depictions correspond with those in the larger arena of Hollywoodudfilm. To make these issues more comprehensible, it describes the beginnings of animated film inudthe United States, together with the early career and works of Walt Disney. In order to cast lightudon the manner in which such portrayals have changed over time, the films examined are analysedudin relation to three particular time periods: 193 7-67, 1967-89, and 1989-99. By examining theuddepictions to be found within individual films, and comparing these depictions both with oneudanother and with selected live-action, mainstream Hollywood films of the same eras, a betterudunderstanding of the make-up of the Disney films as a body of work is achieved, and a correctiveudoffered to some of the misconceptions of Disney to be found within American society in general.
展开▼
