Walt Disney was the head of the Disney studio until his death in the late 1960s. As the head, Disney displayed characteristics of an auteur by being technically competent in animation, establishing a signature style in his films, and projecting consistent messages and values. His films showed fairy tales, anthropomorphic characters, realistic animation, and clear divisions between good and evil.

1. Walt Disney
An American Auteur

2. What do we mean by 'Auteur'?
●Is the director technically competent?
●Do the films show a signature style?
●Do the films project a consistent world
view?

3. Disney
Remember, it's not
just the name of the
company – Walt
Disney was the head
of the studio until his
death in the late
1960s.

4. Technically Competent?
Did things nobody had
managed before – Snow
White put together over
140,000 individual drawings
to tell its story. Even then,
working from observation
the animators studied the
way a dress would move as
she danced, how leaves
flew in the wind, how
shadows changed on
different surfaces...

5. Stylistic Characteristics
● Fairy tales
● Anthropomorphic sidekicks
● Teenagers (especially
teenage girls) growing into
adulthood and breaking
away from their parents
● Realistic animation rather
than squash and stretch
cartooning
● Songs – Disney films are
musicals

6. Messages and Values
● A clear good -v- evil view
of the world
● Standing up for what you
believe in
● Rewarding 'good'
behaviour (eventually)
● Children's/Young People's
lives are important
● Good hearted, honest
innocent loyalty will wiin
over scheming evil

7. Possible Disney Projects?
Look at the changing
representation of
women in Disney
films
● Snow White
● The Little Mermaid
● Mulan

8. What Would You Do?
● Choose a focus film.
● Watch, watch and watch again,
noting ideas about
representations of gender
● Watch the other films and
make notes
● Research Disney and Gender
– research the specific films –
research gender and fairy tales
– research the 'root' stories
(fairy tales, myths and
legends)

9. And then what would you do?
● Record your findings
● Evaluate your
findings
● See where your
findings lead you
next
● Go back to your
notes, and the films,
and think again

10. What else might you look for?
● Marketing material
● Audio material – podcasts –
discussions – press
conferences
● AV material – as for audio.
● User generated AV
● Financial information – how
much did they cost and how
well did they do
● Awards

11. What will you do with this stuff?
● You will use what
you've learned to
write a presentation
script
● You will refer to your
research in the
presentation
● We will worry about
exactly how to write
this in the autumn.