1. A New Kind of Monster, Cowboy, and Crusader? Gender Hegemony and Flows of Masculinities in Pixar Animated Films
- Author
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Al-Jbouri, Elizabeth and Pomerantz, Shauna
- Subjects
Pixar Animation Studios ,Animated films ,Motion picture industry ,Femininity ,Social sciences - Abstract
Representations of boys and men in Disney films often escape notice due to presumed gender neutrality. Considering this omission, we explore masculinities in films from Disney's lucrative subsidiary Pixar to determine how masculinities are represented and have and/or have not disrupted dominant gender norms as constructed for young boys' viewership. Using Raewyn Connell's theory of gender hegemony and related critiques, we suggest that while Pixar films strive to provide their male characters with a feminist spin, they also continue to reify hegemonic masculinities through sharp contrasts to femininities and by privileging heterosexuality. Using a feminist textual analysis that includes the Toy Story franchise, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Coco, we suggest that Pixar films, while offering audiences a 'new man,' continue to reinforce hegemonic masculinities in subtle ways that require critical examination to move from presumed gender neutrality to an understanding of continued, though shifting, gender hegemony. Keywords: children's film, Disney, feminist textual analysis, hegemonic masculinities, Pixar, Seize Your Moment: Assumed Gender Neutrality and Presumed Progress in Pixar Films Attempting to restore some of its animation studio's former glory, the Walt Disney Company bought its rival and [...]
- Published
- 2020
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