Description

Book Synopsis

Take a magic carpet ride through Disney's wonderful world of films and entertainment experiences, and discover the wisdom within its most popular and enduring stories

Philosophy begins inwonder, and there's no question that Disney's immersive worlds and iconic characters have enchanted generations of children and adults alike, inviting us to escape the mundane into a world of fantasy, imagination, and infinite possibility. InDisney and Philosophy, essays from thirty-two deep-thinking Disneyphiles chart a course through the philosophical world of Disney, tapping into the minds of the great sages of the agesPlato, Aristotle, Confucius, Descartes, and Goofyto explore universal questions of freedom, personal identity, morality, family, and friendship:

  • Can Sleeping Beauty know that she's not dreaming?
  • Does turning our emotions and memories inside out tell us who we are?
  • What canToy StoryandWall-Eteach us about being

    Table of Contents

    Contributors: “It’s a Whole Family of Supers” ix

    Acknowledgments: It takes People to Make a Dream Reality xvii

    Introduction: Philosophy Begins in Wonder xix

    Part I “The Seaweed is Always Greener in Somebody Else’s Lake” 1

    1 Unruly Ariel: Not Born but Made a Woman 3
    Megan S. Lloyd

    2 “True to Your Heart”: Honor and Authenticity in Mulan 11
    George A. Dunn

    3 Zen and the Art of Imagineering: Disney’s Escapism Versus Buddhism’s Liberation 25
    Steve Bein

    4 Hidden Mickeys and the Hiddenness of God 35
    Robert K. Garcia and Timothy Pickavance

    Part II “I’ll be Shooting for My Own Hand” 45

    5 “Everyone’s Special Dash”: Tolerance and Conformity in a World of Incredible Differences 47
    Richard B. Davis

    6 Accommodating Dory, but Disempowering Dopey? Dilemmas of Disability from Snow White to Finding Dory 59
    Kevin Mintz

    7 From Snow White to Moana: Understanding Disney’s Feminist Transformation 71
    Edwardo Pérez

    8 “Always a Team, Always United”: Disney’s Philosophy of the Family 81
    Kody Cooper

    Part III “Your Identity is your Most Valuable Possession” 93

    9 How to Convince Sleeping Beauty She’s Not Dreaming 95
    C. A. McIntosh

    10 Knowing Who you Are: Existence Precedes Essence in Moana 107
    William J. Devlin

    11 Saving Mr. Banks: Reclaiming Our Childhood, Remembering Who We Are 119
    Mark D. Linville and Shawn White

    12 WALL·E and EVE: Disney’s Intelligent Machines 129
    Timothy Brown

    13 Inside Disney’s Inside Out 137
    Ellen Miller

    Part IV “You Can Be Anyone You Want To Be” 145

    14 To Be or Not to Be … the Lion King: Existentialism in Disney and Shakespeare 147
    Megan S. Lloyd

    15 True Freedom in Toy Story, or You Are a Child’s Plaything! 157
    Armond Boudreaux

    16 “Our Fate Lives Within Us”: Character and Choice in Brave 167
    Louis Colombo and Steve Jones

    17 Breaking the Spell: Beauty and the Beast and Plato’s Prisoner 177
    Nathan Mueller and Leilani Mueller

    18 True Love in Frozen 185
    Jamey Heit

    Part V “Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” 193

    19 Mencius Spins The Emperor’s New Groove 195
    Dean A. Kowalski

    20 “Handed Down from Goof to Goof”: What Goofy Can Teach Us About Becoming Good 207
    Robert M. Mentyka

    21 “Let Slip the (Donald) Ducks of War!”: Ethical Considerations About Disney’s War Propaganda 217
    Tuomas W. Manninen

    22 WALL·E, the Environment, and Our Duties to Future Generations 227
    J. Edward Hackett

    23 Is There Any Utopia in Zootopia? 235
    Frauke Albersmeier and Alexander Christian

    Part VI The Wonderful Worldview of Disney 245

    24 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Disney: Marx and Marcuse at Disney World 247
    Elizabeth Butterfield

    25 Colonizing the Geography of the Imagination: Media, Mind, and the Magic Kingdom 259
    Read Mercer Schuchardt

    26 “We’re All Gonna Die”: Death and the Cycle of Life in Disney 271
    Jessica Miller

    27 Liberty Square in the Shadow of Cinderella’s Castle: Political Philosophy in Disney’s Theme Parks 283
    Timothy Dale and Joseph Foy

    Index 293

Disney and Philosophy

    Product form

    £12.56

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £13.95 – you save £1.39 (9%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 8 Jul 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Richard Brian Davis, William Irwin

    1 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Disney and Philosophy by Richard Brian Davis

      Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
      Publication Date: 28/11/2019
      ISBN13: 9781119538318, 978-1119538318
      ISBN10: 1119538319

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Take a magic carpet ride through Disney's wonderful world of films and entertainment experiences, and discover the wisdom within its most popular and enduring stories

      Philosophy begins inwonder, and there's no question that Disney's immersive worlds and iconic characters have enchanted generations of children and adults alike, inviting us to escape the mundane into a world of fantasy, imagination, and infinite possibility. InDisney and Philosophy, essays from thirty-two deep-thinking Disneyphiles chart a course through the philosophical world of Disney, tapping into the minds of the great sages of the agesPlato, Aristotle, Confucius, Descartes, and Goofyto explore universal questions of freedom, personal identity, morality, family, and friendship:

      • Can Sleeping Beauty know that she's not dreaming?
      • Does turning our emotions and memories inside out tell us who we are?
      • What canToy StoryandWall-Eteach us about being

        Table of Contents

        Contributors: “It’s a Whole Family of Supers” ix

        Acknowledgments: It takes People to Make a Dream Reality xvii

        Introduction: Philosophy Begins in Wonder xix

        Part I “The Seaweed is Always Greener in Somebody Else’s Lake” 1

        1 Unruly Ariel: Not Born but Made a Woman 3
        Megan S. Lloyd

        2 “True to Your Heart”: Honor and Authenticity in Mulan 11
        George A. Dunn

        3 Zen and the Art of Imagineering: Disney’s Escapism Versus Buddhism’s Liberation 25
        Steve Bein

        4 Hidden Mickeys and the Hiddenness of God 35
        Robert K. Garcia and Timothy Pickavance

        Part II “I’ll be Shooting for My Own Hand” 45

        5 “Everyone’s Special Dash”: Tolerance and Conformity in a World of Incredible Differences 47
        Richard B. Davis

        6 Accommodating Dory, but Disempowering Dopey? Dilemmas of Disability from Snow White to Finding Dory 59
        Kevin Mintz

        7 From Snow White to Moana: Understanding Disney’s Feminist Transformation 71
        Edwardo Pérez

        8 “Always a Team, Always United”: Disney’s Philosophy of the Family 81
        Kody Cooper

        Part III “Your Identity is your Most Valuable Possession” 93

        9 How to Convince Sleeping Beauty She’s Not Dreaming 95
        C. A. McIntosh

        10 Knowing Who you Are: Existence Precedes Essence in Moana 107
        William J. Devlin

        11 Saving Mr. Banks: Reclaiming Our Childhood, Remembering Who We Are 119
        Mark D. Linville and Shawn White

        12 WALL·E and EVE: Disney’s Intelligent Machines 129
        Timothy Brown

        13 Inside Disney’s Inside Out 137
        Ellen Miller

        Part IV “You Can Be Anyone You Want To Be” 145

        14 To Be or Not to Be … the Lion King: Existentialism in Disney and Shakespeare 147
        Megan S. Lloyd

        15 True Freedom in Toy Story, or You Are a Child’s Plaything! 157
        Armond Boudreaux

        16 “Our Fate Lives Within Us”: Character and Choice in Brave 167
        Louis Colombo and Steve Jones

        17 Breaking the Spell: Beauty and the Beast and Plato’s Prisoner 177
        Nathan Mueller and Leilani Mueller

        18 True Love in Frozen 185
        Jamey Heit

        Part V “Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” 193

        19 Mencius Spins The Emperor’s New Groove 195
        Dean A. Kowalski

        20 “Handed Down from Goof to Goof”: What Goofy Can Teach Us About Becoming Good 207
        Robert M. Mentyka

        21 “Let Slip the (Donald) Ducks of War!”: Ethical Considerations About Disney’s War Propaganda 217
        Tuomas W. Manninen

        22 WALL·E, the Environment, and Our Duties to Future Generations 227
        J. Edward Hackett

        23 Is There Any Utopia in Zootopia? 235
        Frauke Albersmeier and Alexander Christian

        Part VI The Wonderful Worldview of Disney 245

        24 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Disney: Marx and Marcuse at Disney World 247
        Elizabeth Butterfield

        25 Colonizing the Geography of the Imagination: Media, Mind, and the Magic Kingdom 259
        Read Mercer Schuchardt

        26 “We’re All Gonna Die”: Death and the Cycle of Life in Disney 271
        Jessica Miller

        27 Liberty Square in the Shadow of Cinderella’s Castle: Political Philosophy in Disney’s Theme Parks 283
        Timothy Dale and Joseph Foy

        Index 293

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account