Deconstructing Disney

8 - Why the Disney Renaissance Matters

This is the final episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn how the movies

7 - Ambivalent Nostalgia

This is the seventh episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn how the movi

6 - Dead Moms and Dysfunctional Dads

This is the sixth episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn how the movies

5 - The Fairest of Them All Get Some Updates

This is the fifth episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn how the movies

4 - Unrealistic Romances with Unimpressive Princes

This is the fourth episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn how the movie

3 - Strong, Oppressed Princesses

This is the third episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn how the movies

2 - Consuming Disney in the 1990s

This is the second episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn about their c

1 - Millennial Girlhood and the Disney Renaissance

This is the first episode in a special eight-part series about millennial women and the Disney Renaissance. Rachel interviewed 34 millennial women to learn about their ch

Brave

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel discuss Pixar’s first princess movie, Brave (2012), debating whether protagonist Merida is a feminist icon or just another subjugated fem

Winnie the Pooh (2011)

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel return to the Hundred Acre Wood for Winnie the Pooh (2011), the sequel to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). Although it’s st

Cars 2

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel follow Lightning McQueen and Mater around the globe in this discussion of Cars 2, a spy-themed sequel with a convoluted plot and disappoi

Tangled

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel discuss Tangled (2010), the 50th animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and one of Rachel’s favorites. Based on the fairytale o

Toy Story 3

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel discuss Toy Story 3 (2010), the third and allegedly final installment in the Toy Story franchise. Despite some minor misogyny and heteron

Research Alert: Fat Characters in Disney Movies

In this very special episode, Erin talks to Rachel and her research assistant, Grace, about a study they recently published about the portrayal of fat characters in Disne

The Princess and the Frog

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel hop on down to 1920’s New Orleans, where Disney’s first Black princess spends most of her time as a frog in the Louisiana bayou. The Prin

Up

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel wallow through an elderly man’s grief journey with Pixar’s critically acclaimed Up (2009). They argue the beautiful art and cute sidekick

Bolt

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel discuss Bolt (2008), a lesser known film about a dog who thinks he’s a super hero. Under new leadership, Disney Animation Studios starts

WALL-E

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel travel 700 years into the future to discuss WALL-E (2008), Pixar’s robot romance with an unintentionally anti-capitalist message. Fatphob

Ratatouille

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel discuss Ratatouille (2007), a Pixar film about a French rat who wants to be a chef. Their discussion includes a fine stew of food politic

Meet the Robinsons

Episode Summary Erin and Rachel travel to a frenetic future to discuss Meet the Robinsons (2007), a fever dream of a film that performed poorly at the box office despite