Mark I. West

The success of Disneyland as the world’s first permanent, commercially viable theme park sparked the creation of a number of other parks throughout the world, from Florida to Japan, France, and Hong Kong. But the impact of Disneyland is not confined to the theme park arena. These essays explore a far-reaching ideology. Among the topics are Disney’s role in the creation of children’s architecture; Frontierland as an allegorical map of the American West; the “cultural invasion of France” in Disneyland Paris; the politics of nostalgia; and “hyperurbanity” in the town of Celebration, Florida. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Essays on the Parks and Their Influence

Disneyland and Culture

Provides interviews with publishers, censored authors, and anticensorship activists, shares their views concerning young readers, and discusses the influence of censorship on children's literature.

Voices Against Censorship in Children's Literature

Trust Your Children

Walt Disney, best known as a filmmaker, had perhaps a greater skill as a reader. While many would have regarded Felix Salten’s Bambi and Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio as too somber for family-oriented films, he saw their possibilities. He appealed to his audience by selecting but then transforming familiar stories. Many of the tales he chose to adapt to film became some of the most read books in America. Although much published research has addressed his adaptation process—often criticizing his films for being too saccharine or not true to their literary sources—little has been written on him as a reader: what he read, what he liked, his reading experiences and the books that influenced him. This collection of 15 fresh essays and one classic addresses Disney as a reader and shows how his responses to literature fueled his success. Essays discuss the books he read, the ones he adapted to film and the ways in which he demonstrated his narrative ability. Exploring his literary connections to films, nature documentaries, theme park creations and overall creative vision, the contributors provide insight into Walt Disney’s relationships with authors, his animation staff and his audience.

Essays on the Literary Inspirations

Walt Disney, from Reader to Storyteller

A collection of twenty fantasy stories written for children in the nineteenth century, arranged in the categories "Fairy Tales," "Didactic Stories," "Magical Objects," and "Nonsense Stories." Includes a scholarly introduction providing an overview of thef

Juvenile Fantasy Stories from Nineteenth-century America

Before Oz

Memorable children's narratives immerse readers in imaginary worlds that bring them into the story. Some of these places have been constructed in the real world--like Pinocchio's Tuscany or Anne of Green Gables' Prince Edward Island--where visitors relive their favorite childhood tales. Theme parks like Walt Disney World and Harry Potter World use technology to engineer enchanting environments that reconnect visitors with beloved fictional settings and characters in new ways. This collection of new essays explores the imagined places we loved as kids, with a focus on the meaning of setting and its power to shape the way we view the world.

Essays on the Places Inspired by Children's Narratives

Storybook Worlds Made Real

Kathy Merlock Jackson

Although Walt Disney is best known as a filmmaker, perhaps his greatest skill and influence was as a reader. While many would have regarded Felix Salten's Bambi and Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio as too somber for family-oriented animated films, he saw possibilities in them. He appealed to his audience by selecting familiar stories, but transformed them to suit audience sensibilities. Many of the tales he chose to adapt to film went on to become the most read books in America, eventually becoming literary classics. Although much published research has addressed his adaptation process--often criticizing his films for being too saccharine or not true to their literary sources--little has been written on him as a reader: what he read, what he liked, his reading experiences, and the books that influenced him. This collection of essays addresses Disney as a reader and shows how his responses to literature fueled his success. Essays discuss the books he read, the ones he adapted to film, and the ways in which he demonstrated his narrative ability. Exploring his literary connections in reference to his animated and live-action films, nature documentaries, theme park creations, and overall creative vision, the contributors provide insight into Walt Disney's relationships with authors, his animation staff, and his audience.

Critical examination of Roald Dahl's literary work with emphasis on children's fiction.

Roald Dahl

﻿ The experience of growing up in the U.S. is shaped by many forces. Relationships with parents and teachers are deeply personal and definitive. Social and economic contexts are broader and harder to quantify. Key individuals in public life have also had a marked impact on American childhood. These 18 new essays examine the influence of pivotal figures in the culture of 20th and 21st century childhood and child-rearing, from Benjamin Spock and Walt Disney to Ruth Handler, Barbie’s inventor, and Ernest Thompson Seton, founder of the Boy Scouts of America.

Essays on Visionaries from L. Frank Baum to Dr. Spock to J.K. Rowling

Shapers of American Childhood

The experience of growing up in the U.S. is shaped by many forces. Relationships with parents and teachers are deeply personal and definitive. Social and economic contexts are broader and harder to quantify. Key individuals in public life have also had a marked impact on American childhood. These 18 new essays examine the influence of pivotal figures in the culture of 20th and 21st century childhood and child-rearing, from Benjamin Spock and Walt Disney to Ruth Handler, Barbie's inventor, and Ernest Thompson Seton, founder of the Boy Scouts of America.

Godzilla stomped his way into American movie theaters in 1956, and ever since then Japanese trends and cultural products have had a major impact on children's popular culture in America. This can be seen in the Hello Kitty paraphernalia phenomenon, the popularity of anime television programs like Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z, computer games, and Hayao Miyazaki's award-winning films, such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture brings together contributors from different backgrounds, each exploring a particular aspect of this phenomenon from different angles, from scholarly examinations to recounting personal experiences. The book explains the interconnections among the various aspects of Japanese influence and discusses American responses to anime and other forms of Japanese popular culture.

Mark I. West

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