Oddo 1

Nick Oddo
Dr. McLaughlin
Multimedia: Writing & Rhetoric
4 November 2016
Annotated Bibliography
The overall goal of my research for this project is the identification of Disney influences
on the formulation of parent-child relationships at an early stage. If these influences can be
identifiedwhich I claim they are present in Disney multimediathen how do the variety of
relationships depicted play on the psyche of a child? As the relevance of the topic continues to
grow as more forms of media are produced by these filmmakers, my interest in the topic has
grown as well due to its fundamentality in the early years of children development. Parents,
therefore, deserve to know what thoughts and opinions are produced in their childrens head due
to these sources. Whether Disney wishes to spread its views to its audience, or creates thoughtprovoking plots purely for entertainment; the effects of this rhetoric are apparent and widespread
throughout all styles of Disney. Although the broad scope of my research centers on the depiction
of parent-child relationships, the body of my writing will categorize the different types
demonstrated through the use of examples from both early and modern Disney movies.
Gillam, Ken and Shannon R. Wooden. (2010). Post-Princess Models of Gender: The New Man in
Disney/Pixar. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 36:1, 2-8.
This source raises the fact that through the releases of nine specific films spanning from
1995-2008, the role and definition of a man is gently altered to form a new mold unlike
what society has normally seen masculinity portrayed as. It uses specific examples from
Disney movies such as Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo and Ratatouille to attempt to
publicize this view of a man to their audience. An argument is even made that Disney is
attempting to feminize the normal role of a man to be more welcoming to the diverse
nature of their audience. Authors Ken Gillam and Shannon R. Woodenprofessors at
Missouri State University, wrote this article to offer a unique outlook on the argument of
Disneys teachings and the reason behind their thought process. The key question asked
in this work is as follows: Does the feminizing of male also-rans (and the simultaneous

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gendering of success) constitute a meaningful pattern? (Gillam and Wooden 1). The rest
of the article is geared towards answering this question, using examples of this male
feminization such as the analysis of Disneys Cars: the character closing in on the title
long held by The King is not Lightning McQueen but Lightning the queen; his chief
rival, the always-a-bridesmaid runner-up Chick Hicks (2). Although similarly to
Deidre Pikes article in which this source does not directly correlate to my research topic,
some of the examples used (specifically analysis of The Incredibles) show strong
characterization of inter-family relationships. The result of the adaptation of Mr.
Incredible over the period of the movie results in a stronger bond with his family. This
communication resulting in a better relationship directly correlates to the techniques in
George Holdens essay stating that parents need, to promote their childrens
psychological health, parents need to give socioemotional support. This task involves
love, warmth, and encouragement (Holden and Rosen 129). The audience of this article
is those people interested in the debate over the portrayal of men in Hollywood and the
ongoing gender discrimination debate. I hope to use this source by connecting these
portrayals with the relationships demonstrated between characters and the strong
examples given in Tanners article.
Holden, George, Brigitte Vittrup, and Lisa H. Rosen. Families, Parenting, and Discipline.
Social Development: Relationships in Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence, edited by
Marion K. Underwood and Lisa H. Rosen, The Guilford Press, 2011, 127-152
George Holden, Ph.D., a notable professor of psychology at Southern Methodist
University; Brigitte Vittrup, Ph.D., an associate professor at Texas Womans University;
and Lisa H. Rosen, Ph.D., an associate professor at Texas Womans University, co-wrote
the chapter of Social Development discussing families, parenting, and discipline.
Structured first by starting with the history behind psychological behaviorism, this source
discusses respectively the chapter title (Families, Parenting, and Discipline). The
audience of this chapter is directed towards a family with multiple dynamicsone that is
dealing with the many aspects of parenting and a wide range of ages within the family.
Statistics such as, in 1960, when 91% of U.S. children were raised in two-parent

Oddo 3
families and, [t]oday. 32% of children live in mother-headed households, and 3% of
children live with only their father (Holden, Vittrup, & Rosen 128) demonstrate the
drastic change in family situations in the last couple decades. This source connects well
with Tanners survey discussing the breakdown of family structures depicted in early
Disney movies. This transition can be monitored over the years, but still is not equivalent
to real life to date. Overall, this source offers important statistics that parallel with the
claims of some of my other sourcesspecifically Litsa Tanners workthat would allow
for quality source integration.
Lacroix, Celeste. Images of Animated Others: The Orientalization of Disneys Cartoon Heroines
From The Little Mermaid to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. diss., College of
Charleston, 2004.
Celeste Lacroix, a communications professor at the College of Charleston, based this
dissertation on the claim that Disney provides, dreams and products through forms of
popular culture in which kids are willing to materially and emotionally invest (Lacroix
2). This article once again shares the same audience direction as that of my topic
concerned parents about the influence on their children. Citing many other sources, the
author establishes her argument that Disneys faade of bliss covers a commercialized
product aligned with profit bias. As stated by Lacroix, Disneys pretense to innocence is
shattered under the weight of a promotional culture predicated on the virtues of fun,
innocence, and, most importantly, consumption (4). The dissertation is structured using
two broad subject titles: Consuming Animation and Whiteness and the Exotic
Other. Within each subject title, the discussions of materialism paired with the concept
of race are addressed in relation to explicit examples from past films. The subject
material of Lacroixs article is very unique in comparison to my other sources; however,
the idea of negative racial stereotypes affecting the youth in an early stage of life equates
to a parallel discussion of gender stereotypes in Ken Gillams article. The general
usefulness of this source might be limited, but the strong quotes such as those above
provide a unique outlook on the Disney franchise and its effects on its audience.

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Pike, Deidre. Enviro-toons: How Animated Media Communicate Environmental Themes. PhD
diss., University of Nevada, Reno, August 2010.
This source, written by Professor Pike from the University of Nevada, Reno, provides my
research paper with a credible example of how the Disney movie Wall-E uses rhetorical
techniques to produce appeals for its audience. Two of these techniques are mentioned
specifically (Pike 123)rhapsodic rhetoric and jeremiad rhetoric. Rhapsodic rhetoric,
defined as, celebrating relationships between humans and the natural world, and
jeremiad rhetoric, defined as, persuading an audience to embrace new environmental
attitudes (123) both find their relevance in Wall-E due to its heavy topic of earth
enrichment and stewardship. However, these two rhetorical types can be connected to
Litsa Tanners scholarly journal discussing inter-family relationships: the environment of
the household and the associations developed there based on specific circumstances.
Viewer reaction to the messages of Wall-E are also described within this dissertation. He
successfully portrays the portion of this Disney debate that speaks on character
development within a setting relating to an overall theme. The directed audience of this
dissertation is seemingly hard to identify; however, it appears to be geared
towards almost a college level audience or intellectuals due to his choice of words and
main claims. This source, although not directly addressing my overall research topic, can
be integrated by using these forms of rhetoric outlined while also discussing the reactions
of Disneys audience to its deeper messages.
Tanner, Litsa, Shelley A. Haddock, Toni Schindler Zimmerman, and Lori K. Lund. (2003).
Images of Couples and Families in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films. The
American Journal of Family Therapy. 31:355-373
This work produced by Litsa Tanner and her associates address their message directly to
families interested in therapy and the development of their children in relationship to
their personal connections within the family. Authors Shelly Haddock and Toni
Zimmerman serve in the Human Development and Family Studies Branch of Colorado
State University while Litsa Tanner and Lori Lund have private practices specialized in
Marriage & Family Therapy. This work was created in order to summarize the main

Oddo 5
points of a study held in analysis of family relationships in Disney movies. In this study,
26 Disney movies were analyzed and data was collected based on three categories:
families, parents, and couples. After, these categories were broken into subsections
depending on the results. Important statistics such as, [i]n the remaining 17 movies, a
predominant theme was that marriage and/or children were the expected course for
couplesa theme illustrated in 14 (82.3%) of the movies and [i]n 36.4% of the movies
representing both mothers and fathers, fathers were illustrated as marginalized from while
mothers were central to the family unit (Tanner 361) demonstrate the effects that these
movies could potentially have on their audience. This work connects well with the
arguments made in my other sources on the possibility of detrimental influences on the
viewers. However, it successfully identifies these examples in the movies listed. Because
of this, this source will be crucial to my research and overall development of my ideas.
However, the dates of these movies do not exceed 2000; thus, newer movies can and
should be used in my paper to strengthen my argument.
Zipes, Jack. Once Upon a Time Beyond Disney. In Front of the Children: Screen
Entertainment and Young Audiences, edited by David Buckingham, British Film Institute,
1995, 109-126.
This source is a compilation of a series of essays written by both British and American
authors about the appeal and effect television has on a youth audience. An article written
by author Jack Zipes, an esteemed German professor at University of Minnesota, speaks
directly on the effect of once upon a time Disney fairy talesthe focus of this sources
usage for my research. However, other articles within this book also speak on the effects
that animations have on store-bought products by children and the hold that the
entertainment industry is establishing on its viewers. The audience of this source seems
also directed at parents and perspective parents in an attempt to educate them on the
possibilities of indoctrination. Lastly, this source attempts to answer the general question,
what is the Disney standard, or rather the Disney standardized fairy tale? (Zipes 1). In
my opinion, the answer is rather convoluted and difficult to follow. However, Zipes raises
important points connecting to the idea of youth development displayed in the rest of my

Oddo 6
sources such as, there is something peculiarly American about this striving to remain
forever young and blissful in Disneys fairy-tale films that perhaps accounts for their
appeal (Zipes 110). In other words, this influence stressing the glory of a youthful
appearance begins at a very young age.