The fairy tales, as part of early oration and text, were created for adults and recited to peers in the literary salons (Zipes, 1989). In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, authors such as Basile, Perrault, and d’Aulnoy collected and narrated several of the tales still known today, and from the 1700s, de Villeneuve, the Grimm brothers, Anderson, and others continued to popularise the genre. Over time these tales have been re-written and re-visioned, so that the imaginary worlds depicted, are filled with magic and fantastical beings, while becoming useful vehicles for teaching behaviour, values, and morals. In this way, fairy stories became coded messages that taught people how to navigate happiness and love, as well as the darker issues of loneliness, despair, and death. The stories eventually found their way into mass entertainment in the 20th century through the vision and efforts of Walt Disney, who further customised them for younger audiences. Pinksy (2004) contends that Walt Disney deliberately selected the fairy tale genre because the underlying messages and values attached to the narratives meant that he was able to use the fairy tale rubric to entertain, while also teaching morals and values that were particular to the American ideology at the time. This strategy turned Disney into a highly trusted and reliable source of material suitable for all viewers.

As The Walt Disney Company celebrates 100 years of fairy-tale magic, it is fitting to offer a collection of essays that encapsulates this long and successful journey. From its beginnings as Laugh-O-Gram in the early 1920s, the two-man operation has become a multi-billion-dollar corporation that is a world leader in media communications. Operations began with the production of Little Red Riding Hood (1922), Puss in Boots (1922), and Cinderella (1922), followed by a series of short films that were produced known as the ‘Alice Comedies’ from 1923. Their magical stories have continued across generations, supported by film, theme parks, and merchandise, all of which have made Disney a household name. This collection seeks to celebrate these stories, both historically and within present-day times, examining the relevance and importance of the world of Disney in popular culture.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Early fairy tale and Disney
• Dreams and visions of Walt Disney
• Disney during war times
• The development of animation
• Disney consumer products and forms of merchandise
• Beloved characters
• Disney’s theme parks
• Fantasy, magic, fandom, storytelling, and play
• Children and Disney
• Disney princes and princesses
• Villains of Disney
• Disney and the horror genre
• Disney representation in art, film, television, games, and literature
• Disney franchises such as Pixar, Marvel, 20th Century, Lucasfilm
• Disney and parenting, patriarchy, gender, race, ethnicity, disability studies
• Disney and the LGBTQ+ community
• Disney’s engagement with environmental issues
• Additional themes and topics welcomed

Abstracts should be around 250 words. Full essays will be 3500-4000 words in length.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 14th August 2023, with full essays by 1st November 2023. Please ensure that you can meet the deadline before submitting an abstract.

Please email your abstracts (together with a short bio, 100 words) for consideration to the editor:

Amanda Rutherford amanda.rutherford@aut.ac.nz