The Performance of Cultural Identity in Disney Animation

Disney feature film animations adapt fairytales and folklore of various cultures, leading to questions about the authenticity of the text as well as Disney's method of storytelling. This thesis examines the performance of cultural identity in the process of adaptation. In Disney films, the representing ofcultures, through characterization and mis-en-scene, is aimed at facilitating consumption and entertainment rather than accuracy. The negotiation between the cultural values of the culture being performed and Hollywood ideals and values that are appropriated on to the film protagonists are analyzed. Through the process of cultural representation, adaptations become a process of cultural appropriation of stories and cultures, which will be explored through the following films - Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998). Beauty and the Beast will also be analyzed as a comparative study, to show how cultural representations in Disney animation are more evident in but not limited to eastern Orientalist portrayals.

Autorentext

Geraldine Yeoh graduated with a BA(Hons) in Theatre Studies and is completing her MA from the National University of Singapore. She currently lives in Singapore and is working as editor of 8flo Lifestyle, an online publication. Outside of her writing, she likes to search for a bit of Disney magic in film, theatre and music.