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Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and Disability Johnson Cheu, Editor. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.
In the introduction to Diversity in Disney Films, editor Johnson Cheu articulates the reason for his book: "the necessity for examining diversity and a wider range of it within Disney appears pertinent in our age of globalization" (4). How right he is. For better or for worse, Disney films form an important part of the cultural landscape, and the images in them resonate. As scholarship on Disney has proliferated in recent years, this topic has gained attention, notably in Douglas Brode's Multiculturalism and the Mouse (2005), which argues that Disney films were more forward-thinking than most people give them credit for. Cheu's volume, which takes a decidedly more critical approach, contributes to the dialogue. The book is divided into four sections: race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, disability, and reimaginings and new visions. It addresses classic films that Walt Disney himself oversaw, as well as The Disney Company's more recent fare.
Some of the book's sections cover familiar ground. Scholars have frequently criticized Disney for its stereotyped portrayals of blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Italians, and Asians, and this book follows suit. In the lead essay in the volume's first section on race and ethnicity, Kheli R. Willetts takes a highly personal approach that reflects the mindset of many in Disney's audience. "Growing up," she writes, "I searched for characters who mirrored the people in my community and reflected the values and aesthetics of...