The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence (Culture & Education) (Culture and Education Series)

How are children--and their parents--affected by the world's most influential corporation? Henry A. Giroux explores the surprisingly diverse ways in which Disney, while hiding behind a cloak of innocence and entertainment, strives to dominate global media and shape the desires, needs, and futures of today's children. Giroux takes the reader inside the company's vision of the full range of its media--its films, television, famous characters, and spin-off products, as well as its special school, Celebration. He reveals how Disney idealizes and implements its goal of building a world culture--based on innocence and morals, but insidious in its consumerist exploits Today, Cultural Practices And Institutions Shape Nearly Every Aspect Of Our Lives. Henry A. Giroux Takes Up This Issue By Looking At The World's Most Influential Corporation. He Explores The Diverse Ways In Which The Disney Corporation Has Become A Political Force In Shaping Images Of Public Memory, Producing Children As Consuming Subjects, And Legitimating Ideological Positions That Constitute A Deeply Conservative And Disturbing View Of The Roles Imparted To Children And Adults Alike. Giroux Shows How Disney Attempts To Hide Behind A Cloak Of Innocence And Entertainment, While Simultaneously Exercising Its Influence As A Major Force On Both Global Economics And Cultural Learning.--jacket. Disney And The Politics Of Public Culture -- Learning With Disney -- Children's Culture And Disney's Animated Films -- Memory, Nation, And Family In Disney Films -- Turning America Into A Toy Store. Henry A. Giroux. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Today, cultural practices and institutions shape nearly every aspect of our lives. Henry A. Giroux takes up this issue by looking at the world's most influential corporation. He explores the diverse ways in which the Disney Corporation has become a political force in shaping images of public memory, producing children as consuming subjects, and legitimating ideological positions that constitute a deeply conservative and disturbing view of the roles imparted to children and adults alike. Giroux shows how Disney attempts to hide behind a cloak of innocence and entertainment, while simultaneously exercising its influence as a major force on both global economics and cultural learning."--BOOK JACKET. A hard-hitting examination of the diverse ways that Disney--arguably the world's most influential corporation--implements its goals of shaping a world culture of consumerism while hiding behind a cloak of innocence and entertainment.