Diversity Dissected - Intersectional Socialization in Disney’s Aladdin, Mulan, and The Princess and the Frog - Chapter 1 - Introduction

Aug 23, 2026

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The thesis examines how Disney’s animated fairy-tale retellings function as agents of gender and racial/ethnic socialization. Through an intercategorical intersectional analysis of Aladdin (1992), Mulan (1998), and The Princess and the Frog (2009), it investigates how representational intersections of gender, race/ethnicity, class, and related categories shape normative messages for different groups of children. Drawing on theories of socialization and intersectionality, the study argues that Disney’s seemingly universal ideals are conveyed through heteronormativity, patriarchy, and white privilege in racially differentiated ways.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages67

Reading Time2 h 49 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter 1: Introduction

Fairy tales and film as socialization

Disney adaptations and critical resistance

Thesis purpose and film selection

Theoretical framing and research claims

Diversity Dissected: Intersectional Socialization in Disney’s Aladdin, Mulan, and The Princess and the Frog Emilie Snedevig Hoffmann Chapter 1: Introduction Once upon a time before radio, film, and television were invented, folk and fairy tales were considered a revered form of both entertainment and informal education. According to Jack Zipes, oral folk tales were used to both explain natural occurrences and create communal harmony by “bringing members of a group or tribe together and…provid[ing] them with a sense of mission”(“Breaking” 22). Literary fairy tales, he argues, were, at least in part,“written with the purpose of socializing children to meet definitive normative expectations at home and in the public sphere” as they were meant to bring on“the internalization of specific values and notions”(Fairy Tales 9). Although fairy tales are still written and read today, Maria Tatar holds that films have become “‘the new matrix’ for generating fairy tales” (229) . Many of these films are retellings of classic stories “imbued with the values of a different time and place”; but Tatar notes that retellings are not necessarily “better” (that is, more modern, more inclusive, etc.) in respect to the norms and values they portray since they may also end up “reflecting the values of one class, ethnic group, or other social segment”(19) . Today the animated films of the Walt Disney Company are almost synonymous with fairy tale films (Zipes,“Breaking” 21) . So much so that many children believe that these films are the original versions (Hurley 222; Ward 2) . The company’s productions have been objects of academic study for decades, and they have therefore been subjected to a wide range of methodological readings, many of which have had their basis in cultural studies or feminist theory. However, not many comparative intersectional analyses of Disney films have yet been carried out. Since so many of the company’s animated films are adaptations of classic folk and fairy tales – and accordingly, vehicles of socialization (Zipes, Fairy Tales; Tatar)–it is a shame that more of Disney’s films have not been examined through the lens of intersectionality as this theory can examine intersections between sociocultural categories such as gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, age, etc., all of which are important constructs internalized in the socialization process. Since intersectionality, in the words of Devon W. Carbado et al., strives to bring “often hidden dynamics forward in order to transform them”(312), it seems a missed opportunity that it has not been applied to Disney films by more researchers. Carbado et al. believes “we should endeavor, on an ongoing basis, to move intersectionality to unexplored places”(305). This should be attempted even if that metaphorical place happens to be shielded by a “politics of innocence”(Giroux 45-48) that makes it difficult to critique. Resistance to critically engage with Disney’s animated films has been observed in contexts ranging from high school to university students and has proved to be a global phenomenon (Berchini 81; Garlen and Sandlin 18; Inman and Sellers 41; Macleod 183) . Even students in media literacy courses have been hesitant to critique Disney’s films because they represent something the students “have loved and enjoyed since they were children,” something they believe should first of all be considered pure entertainment (Sun and Sharrer 37, 45-46) . In this thesis, I undertake an intercategorical intersectional analysis of the representations of gender and race/ethnicity in Disney’s animated films Aladdin (1992), Mulan (1998), and The Princess and the Frog (2009; hereafter Princess) . These three films were chosen for a number of reasons. Firstly, they were chosen because I believe that their representational intersectionality contains interesting socialization messages. Secondly, they were chosen because they are the only Disney fairy tale adaptions to feature p

FAQs

Why are Aladdin, Mulan, and The Princess and the Frog selected for the analysis?

They are chosen because their representational intersectionality conveys notable socialization messages, because they include protagonists of color of both sexes, and because comparing their releases allows assessment of changes over time.

How does the thesis connect fairy tales and Disney films to socialization?

It argues that fairy tales and their film retellings are used to internalize norms and values, and that Disney productions operate as influential cultural vehicles that teach social expectations.

What theoretical lens drives the thesis’ argument about Disney’s messages?

The study uses intersectionality to examine how hidden dynamics across sociocultural categories shape meaning, then asserts that Disney’s universal-sounding messages still socialize audiences according to heteronormativity, patriarchy, and white privilege.

Aug 23, 2026

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