Call for Papers

For a Book of Essays on Forgotten Disney

Since Walt Disney released the first animated talking short Steamboat Willie in 1928, the Disney name has been associated with many classics of film and television. Recognized worldwide, these works and their characters have received extensive popular and critical attention and overshadowed other interesting but less significant offerings in Disney’s prolific oeuvre. This

volume will address Disney’s lesser known works, particularly the unfinished projects, forgotten gems, and unsuccessful media efforts that nevertheless proved influential in advancing the Disney Studio’s art, ideology, or direction. It may also include articles on theme park attractions, Disney radio and recordings, books, videogames, performances, and other Disney properties.  In this age of Disney+, many of the studio’s previously neglected works are being reassessed and finding new audiences.  The essays in this collection may highlight those as well.

Submissions that are interdisciplinary in theory and method and address the relationships between film, television, audiences, and popular culture are welcome. Relevant interviews, filmographies, videographies, and bibliographies are also encouraged. In general, papers should be ten to twenty-five, double-spaced pages and follow the current MLA Style Manual with in-text citations. Notes and works cited should appear at the end.  Inquiries and proposals may be sent to any of the editors:

Dr. Kathy Merlock Jackson               

Professor of Communication

Virginia Wesleyan University

5817 Wesleyan Drive

Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Phone: (757) 455-3308

E-Mail: kmjackson@vwu.edu

Dr. Carl Sederholm

Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies/Chair, Comparative Arts and Letters

Brigham Young University

3008B JFSB

Provo, UT 84602

Phone: 801-422-9078

E-Mail: csederholm@byu.edu

Dr. Mark I. West

Professor of English/Bonnie E. Cone Professor in Civic Engagement

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

9201 University City Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28223

Phone: (704) 687-0618

E-Mail: miwest@uncc.edu

The deadline for proposals is June 30, 2022.  Final essays will be due January 15, 2023.