The International Journal of Disney Studies

donald duck and daisy duck are dancing in a room Alt: donald duck and daisy duck are dancing in a room

A final key realization: "Daisy also has traits in common with Donald, and their relationship is founded on mutual affection with both realizing that they are outsiders who are struggling to achieve their goals." We should all aspire to find someone like that. doi.org/10.1386/ijds...

This article runs the full scope of Daisy's history, from the early shorts to her appearance in Ducktales, and finds Disney itself struggling with how to adapt to the larger cultural undercurrents of these moments, and how that impacts her relationship with Donald.

Pointon writes: "It is the inconsistent way in which Disney has depicted and framed Daisy’s femininity aligned with the more consistent facets of her character such as being a fashionista that causes her to stand out as a feminist figure in comparison to Minnie who has been consistently rewarded."

Alex Pointon frames the grand history of Daisy Duck within the larger feminist movements: her transformation from nagging girlfriend to fashionista does not always occur evenly, and contrasts with Minnie, who presents more a traditional gender identity (ie, as a housewife and supporter of Mickey).

I am pleased to announce that I will be guest editing a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Disney Studies, with the inimical Joel Gray and...you? We're looking for a Goofy to join our Donald and Mickey, so please consider signing on. Issue CFP will follow in due course.

Call for Guest Editors The International Journal of Disney Studies is planning two exciting special issues (more about them below), and we’re looking to expand our guest editor teams for them! As guest editor, you would wor...

Have you wished upon a star that you could be an IJoDS editor, but thought that only happens in fairy tales? Well, dream no more: we're looking for special guest editors on two special issues (Global fandom and Mickey). We are open to all regardless of experience level: tinyurl.com/3wfh6ncw

Call for Guest Editors The International Journal of Disney Studies is planning two exciting special issues (more about them below), and we’re looking to expand our guest editor teams for them! As guest editor, you would wor...

Thrilled to be guest editing an issue of @ijdisneystudies.bsky.social on Global Disney Fandom.

Currently seeking co-editors to work on the issue so please check out the call below #FanStudies #DisneyStudies

docs.google.com/document/u/0...

Humorous phases of Mei's funny face, by Xiyuan Tan

Humorous phases of Funny Faces, by James Stuart Blackton

...Tan brings their specific expertise, incorporating personal illustrations of character expressions to examine how the animation functions. In doing so, they evoke the grand tradition of James Stuart Blackton's "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" (1906). Read more here: doi.org/10.1386/ijds...

..."Rather than showing the typical feminine characteristics such as grace, gentility, shyness and sentimentality that we expect to see among young women entering puberty, 1 the four protagonists in Turning Red seem to go the opposite direction: they are bold, naughty, rebellious and chaotic"...

Continuing our readings of the second issue, Xiyuan Tan offers us "Caricature and 'Funny Faces' in the Young Heroines of Turning Red." Considering the role of gender and animation studies, Tan considers how the film challenges the expectations of how emotion is portrayed, arguing that...

a close up of a cartoon elephant with a pink hat on its head Alt: a close up of a cartoon elephant with a pink hat on its head

ANNOUNCING: Our first themed issue! For Disney, mothers can be both good and evil, evincing deeper cultural undercurrents of their respective moments. The deadline for completed drafts is May 1st, and our guest editors are happy to discuss fresh ideas and approaches. Info here: tinyurl.com/2s38bn8y

a cartoon of a mother deer and her baby deer ALT: a cartoon of a mother deer and her baby deer

Call for Papers: IJDS is accepting submissions for an upcoming special issue, "Mothers of the Magical Kingdom: Disney and Maternal Figures." We encourage critical engagement with how Disney mediates maternal power, agency, vulnerability, and identity. Full CfP: drive.google.com/file/d/1SScR...

...This offers a point of examination within the larger framework of Queer Disney Studies, a key point in the history that indicated the larger developments, even as the series itself proved an endpoint for Disney's control of the franchise.

...Saite uses Disney's ownership of Power Rangers and the stated intentions of the showrunner to explore how queerness is adapted in: "hybrid bodies created by the transcultural hybridaptation process move fluidly, queerly, across racial and gender boundaries that are suddenly rendered porous"...

Our third article of Issue Two is Sophia Saite's "Transcultural Hybridaptation and Queerness in Power Rangers RPM" (thanks to the University of Tasmania for making this article open access; you can read it here, even if you are not yet a subscriber: intellectdiscover.com/content/jour....

a group of mickey mouse characters singing merry christmas with goofy Alt: a group of mickey mouse characters singing merry christmas with goofy

Wishing all our editors, authors, and especially readers all the best for this holiday season. More to come soon!

From Luca: a girl and two boys sit around a small square table with a checkered tablecloth. Four plates of past with green vegetables sit in front of them, with garlic, tomatoes, and other cooking supplies visible in the background.

...Considering the role of the piazza, the Vespa, Italian folklore, and more, the article positions Luca as a remedy for Disney's prior sins of problematic portrayals of Italians, locating a key juncture of representation, Italian Studies, and Disney Studies.

..."Luca is an authentic representation of Italian and regional cultures beyond the typical tourist centres...Cultural, political, historical, literary, gastronomic, artistic, linguistic, economic, musical and cinematic ideas are all brought to the fore of this film."...

Our second article is Ethan Salerno Nogueira's "Identity, intertextuality and Italianicity: The Edutainment of Disney-Pixar’s Luca (2021)." This article considers Luca for its portrayal of Italian culture, particularly outside the main tourist centers of the country, finding...

Follow follow follow!

We just had an editorial board meeting this morning, and there are fantastic things on horizons for the premiere journal of Disney Studies ❤️

Disney Animal Kingdom Yeti

A key finding: audiences choose this, as "it offers a mediated experience, rather than a real encounter with the ‘sublime’." Disney's Animal Kingdom can serve a positive force of decolonizing approaches to the wilderness, and even Yetis have something valuable to say.

First in the order: David Allen and Agata Handley's "Experiencing ‘Asia’: ‘Disenchanted enchantment’ in Disney’s ‘Animal Kingdom’." The authors recontextualize the hyperreality of the Disney Parks in a more constructive fashion, reframing the audience agency within the larger conversation.

a black and white cartoon of mickey mouse riding a crane on a metal beam . Alt: a black and white cartoon of mickey mouse riding a crane on a metal beam .

After a few months away on family business, we have been pulled back in. We've got some catching up to do, so watch this space for new announcements, and pardon our dust as we talk our current issue, preview the upcoming works, and unveil some grand new approaches to Disney Studies!

Disney: A Companion, edited by Lorna Piatti-Farnell and Simon Bacon The editors invite abstracts for a forthcoming edited volume entitled Disney: A Companion, which will offer a comprehensive critical exploration of The Walt Disney Company's cultural, historical, ...

Aca-Disney-Colleagues

Hugely exciting news of a CFP for a Disney Companion put together by the terrific Prof. Lorna Farnell and myself. So if you are fascinated/horrified by all things Disney see attached:

www.academia.edu/143102016/Di...

A preorder link is live! 😊 If you would like the book and can preorder, that is a *huge* help, but if you can't, I completely get that. The best thing you can do in that case is request that your university or local library orders a copy - that helps sales, too! mcfarlandbooks.com/product/news...

@ijdisneystudies.bsky.social , preorders are here! 😊

Book cover for "Newsies, Newsies - Read All About It! Essays on the film and Broadway productions." Edited by Emily Hamilton-Honey; forward by Vincent DiGirolamo. The cover shows a black and white photo of a denacing newsboy. The text is black on a yellow background, and loose pages of newsprint frame the edges.

There is a book cover and an official title for the #Newsies book, and I am so incredibly delighted!!! ❤️ Preorder links should be available very soon, and I will share those as soon as I can.

Disney announces a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, its first new resort in a generation | CNN Los Angeles, CA – For the first time in 15 years, the Walt Disney Company has announced the development of a new theme park - a resort destination in Abu Dhabi that marks the company’s entry into the ...

A new park...in Abu Dhabi!?: www.cnn.com/2025/05/07/t....

It really adds a layer to all those jokes where Garfield sends Nermal to Abu Dhabi, but perhaps you disagree.

If so, consider penning a commentary for us! Roughly 3000 words on the why and what of the new park might be just what we need.

Assistant Editor Goofy was unfortunately unable to attend, having become entangled in our AV cables and falling down a stairwell, but we will ensure that a recording is made available for him (and for you) in the coming weeks.

I'll post this a few times throughout, but if you're at PCA in New Orleans, study Disney, and would be interested in contributing video-based work to the @ijdisneystudies.bsky.social, holler at me. Send me a DM or say hi in-person.

You don't even need an idea! Just a desire to make something.