Disney's Star Wars: Forces of Production, Promotion, and Reception (Fandom & Culture)

In 2012, Disney Purchased Production Studio Lucasfilm, Which Meant It Also Inherited The Beloved Star Wars Franchise. This Corporate Marriage Sent Media Critics And Fans Into A Frenzy Of Speculation About The Future Of The Hugely Popular Series. Disney's Star Wars: Forces Of Production, Promotion, And Reception Gathers Twenty-one Renowned And Emerging Fan And Media Studies Scholars From Around The World To Examine Disney's Revival Of The Immensely Popular Star Wars Franchise, Which George Lucas Had Famously Declared Over After Fans Lambasted His Prequel Trilogy (1999-2005). Covering The Period From Disney's Purchase Through The Release Of The Force Awakens In December 2015, These Essays Examine The Significance Of This Transitional Period From The Intertwined Perspectives Of The Studios, Storytellers, Marketers And Audiences Involved. For Many, Star Wars Is A Vitally Important Cultural Text. How Did These Fans Anticipate, Interpret, And Respond To The Steady Stream Of Production Stories, Gossip, Marketing Materials, Merchandise, And Other Sources In The Build-up To The Movie's Release?-- Introduction. From The House That George Built To The House Of Mouse / William Proctor And Richard Mcculloch -- Re-building Transmedia Star Wars: Strategies Of Branding And Un-branding A Galaxy Far, Far Away / Matthew Freeman -- Transmedia Spectacle And Trans-ownership Storytelling As Seen On Tv: Star Wars From The Holiday Special To Rebels / Matt Hills -- Rebuilding The Force, Brick By Brick: Canon Reformation And Brand Synergy In Lego Star Wars / Lincoln Geraghty -- Selling The Force Awakens: Fan Labor And Brand Management / Dan Hassler-forest -- Rebellions Are Built On Realism: The Aesthetics Of Special And Visual Effects In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story / Joshua Wucher -- Binding The Galaxy Together: Subjective, Collective, And Connective Memory In Star Wars / Colin B. Harvey -- The Mandalorian Variation: Gender, Institutionality, And Discursive Constraints In Star Wars Rebels / Ross Garner -- To Disney Infinity And Beyond: Star Wars Videogames Before And After The Lucasarts Acquisition / Douglas Brown -- From Star Tours To Galaxy's Edge: Immersion, Transmediality And 'haptic Fandom' In Disney's Theme Parks / Rebecca Williams -- Always There Are: Repetition, Originality, And The Force Awakens / Jonathan Gray -- Real Life Is Rubbish: The Subcultural Branding And Inhabitable Appeal Of Secret Cinema's The Empire Strikes Back / Emma Pett -- Disney's Princess Leia / Paul Booth -- Rey, Mary Sue, And Phasma Too: Feminism And Fan Responses To The Force Awakens Merchandise / Lorna Jowett -- Jafar Wars: Fan Created Paratexts In Alderaan Places / Bethan Jones -- You Die! You Know That, Right? You Don't Come Back!: Fans Negotiating Disney's (de)stabilised Star Wars Canon / Michelle Kent -- Fear Of A #blackstormtrooper: Hashtag Publics, Canonical Fidelity And The Star Wars Platonic / William Proctor -- Simultaneously Laughing, Screaming, And Crying: Reacting To The Force Awakens Trailer / Tom Phillips -- I Should Have Seen It Coming: Spoiler Culture, Marathon Screenings, And Affective Responses To The Force Awakens / Bridget Kies -- Someone Is Someone's Father!: An Autoethnography Of A Non-star Wars Viewer / Lucy Bennett -- Beyond Vader: The Franchise Re-awakens / Mark J.p. Wolf -- A New Hate?: The War For Disney's Star Wars / William Proctor. William Proctor And Richard Mcculloch, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: From the House That George Builtto the House of Mouse • William Proctor and Richard McCulloch Part I: Production and Promotion 1 Rebuilding Transmedia Star Wars: Strategies of Branding and Unbranding a Galaxy Far, Far Away • Matthew Freeman 2 Transmedia Spectacle and Transownership Storytelling as Seen on TV: Star Wars from the Holiday Special to Rebels • Matt Hills 3 Rebuilding the Force, Brick by Brick: Canon Reformation and Brand Synergy in LEGO Star Wars • Lincoln Geraghty 4 Selling The Force Awakens: Fan Labor and Brand Management • Dan Hassler-Forest 5 Rebellions Are Built on Realism: The Aesthetics of Special and Visual Effects in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story • Joshua Wucher 6 Binding the Galaxy Together: Subjective, Collective, and Connective Memory in Star Wars • Colin B. Harvey 7 The Mandalorian Variation: Gender, Institutionality, and Discursive Constraints in Star Wars Rebels • Ross Garner 8 To Disney Infinity and Beyond: Star Wars Video Games Before and After the LucasArts Acquisition • Douglas Brown 9 From Star Tours to Galaxy’s Edge: Immersion, Transmediality, and “Haptic Fandom” in Disney’s Theme Parks • Rebecca Williams Part II: Reception and Participation 10 “Always Two There Are”: Repetition, Originality, and The Force Awakens • Jonathan Gray 11 “Real Life Is Rubbish”: The Subcultural Branding and Inhabitable Appeal of Secret Cinema’s The Empire Strikes Back • Emma Pett 12 Disney’s Princess Leia • Paul Booth 13 Rey, Mary Sue, and Phasma Too: Feminism and Fan Reponses to The Force Awakens Merchandise • Lorna Jowett 14 Jafar Wars: Fan-Created Paratexts in Alderaan Places • Bethan Jones 15 “You Die! You Know That, Right? You Don’t Come Back!”: Fans Negotiating Disney’s (De)Stabilized Star Wars Canon • Michelle Kent 16 Fear of a #BlackStormtrooper: Hashtag Publics, Canonical Fidelity, and the Star Wars Platonic • William Proctor 17 Simultaneously Laughing, Screaming, and Crying: Reacting to the Force Awakens Trailer • Tom Phillips 18 “I Should Have Seen It Coming”: Spoiler Culture, Marathon Screenings, and Affective Responses to The Force Awakens • Bridget Kies 19 “Someone Is Someone’s Father!”: An Autoethnography of a Non–Star Wars Viewer • Lucy Bennett 20 Beyond Vader: The Franchise Reawakens • Mark J. P. Wolf 21 A New Hate? The War for Disney’s Star Wars • William Proctor Contributors Notes Bibliography Index Introduction. From the house that George built to the house of mouse / William Proctor and Richard McCulloch -- Re-building transmedia Star Wars: strategies of branding and un-branding a galaxy far, far away / Matthew Freeman -- Transmedia spectacle and trans-ownership storytelling as seen on TV: Star Wars from the holiday special to Rebels / Matt Hills -- Rebuilding the force, brick by brick: canon reformation and brand synergy in Lego Star Wars / Lincoln Geraghty -- Selling The force awakens: fan labor and brand management / Dan Hassler-Forest -- Rebellions are built on realism: the aesthetics of special and visual effects in Rogue one: a Star Wars story / Joshua Wucher -- Binding the galaxy together: subjective, collective, and connective memory in Star Wars / Colin B. Harvey -- The Mandalorian variation: gender, institutionality, and discursive constraints [mou1] in Star Wars rebels / Ross Garner -- To Disney infinity and beyond: Star Wars videogames before and after the Lucasarts acquisition / Douglas Brown -- From Star Tours to Galaxy's Edge: immersion, transmediality and 'haptic fandom' in Disney's theme parks / Rebecca Williams -- "Always there are two": repetition, originality, and The force awakens / Jonathan Gray -- "Real life is rubbish": the subcultural branding and inhabitable appeal of secret cinema's The empire strikes back / Emma Pett -- Disney's Princess Leia / Paul Booth -- Rey, Mary Sue, and Phasma too: feminism and fan responses to The force awakens merchandise / Lorna Jowett -- Jafar Wars: fan created paratexts in Alderaan places / Bethan Jones -- "You die! you know that, right? you don't come back!": fans negotiating Disney's (de)stabilised Star Wars canon / Michelle Kent -- Fear of a #blackstormtrooper: hashtag publics, canonical fidelity and the Star Wars platonic / William Proctor -- Simultaneously laughing, screaming, and crying: reacting to The force awakens trailer / Tom Phillips -- "I should have seen it coming": spoiler culture, marathon screenings, and affective responses to The force awakens / Bridget Kies -- "Someone is someone's father!": an autoethnography of a non-Star Wars viewer / Lucy Bennett -- Beyond Vder: the franchise re-awakens / Mark J.P. Wolf -- A new hate?: the war for Disney's Star Wars / William Proctor

In 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm, which meant it also inherited the beloved Star Wars franchise. This corporate marriage sent media critics and fans into a frenzy of speculation about what would happen next with the hugely popular series. Disney's Star Wars gathers twenty-one noted fan and media studies scholars from around the world to examine Disney's revival of the franchise.Covering the period from Disney's purchase through the release of The Force Awakens, the book reveals how fans anticipated, interpreted, and responded to the steady stream of production stories, gossip, marketing materials, merchandise, and other sources in the build-up to the movie's release. From fears that Princess Leia would be turned into a "Disney princess" to collaborative brand management, the authors explore the shifting relationship between fans, texts, and media industries in the context of a crucial rebranding campaign. The result is a fascinating examination of a critical moment in the iconic series' history.

In 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm, which meant it also inherited the beloved Star Wars franchise. This corporate marriage sent media critics and fans into a frenzy of speculation about what would happen next with the hugely popular series. Disney's Star Wars gathers twenty-one noted fan and media studies scholars from around the world to examine Disney's revival of the franchise. Covering the period from Disney's purchase through the release of The Force Awakens , the book reveals how fans anticipated, interpreted, and responded to the steady stream of production stories, gossip, marketing materials, merchandise, and other sources in the build-up to the movie's release. From fears that Princess Leia would be turned into a "Disney princess" to collaborative brand management, the authors explore the shifting relationship between fans, texts, and media industries in the context of a crucial rebranding campaign. The result is a fascinating examination of a critical moment in the iconic series' history.