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A provocative history of Disney's rise to cultural dominance, pulling skeletons from the corporate closet to decode the political messages hidden in all of your favorite childhood movies.
In
The Extended Universe, Vicky Osterweil takes us on a quest to discover how Disney's "imagineers" have made it impossible to reflect on the wonders of growing up without thinking of Disney's movies, amusement parks, and merchandising. Drawing on extensive interviews with filmmakers, screenwriters, union organizers, and Disney "adults" alike, Osterweil unearths reactionary political commitments and maleficent legal maneuvers so cartoonishly evil they would make one of Walt's own animated villains blush.
Along the way, Osterweil braids together corporate skullduggery with a not entirely unsympathetic analysis of some of Disney's most famous movies. The result is an entertaining and convincing case that Disney's entire business model has been built upon a ruthless and fanatical insistence on intellectual property rights-from
Steamboat Willie to
Infinity Wars and beyond!
List of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Mickey Mouse Wants You To Get COVID
Chapter 2: Endgame
Chapter 3: Whistle While You Work
Chapter 4:The Fairest of Them All
Chapter 5: Reanimating the Plantation
Chapter 6: Think Happy Thoughts
Chapter 7: I Just Can't Wait To Be King
Chapter 8: You Wouldn't Download A Pirate Ship
Chapter 9: The Mouse Is The Real Chef
Chapter 10: The Universe Extends
Chapter 11: The Empire Must Be Defended
Chapter 12: Wakanda Forever
Chapter 13: A Small World After All
Chapter 14: Deja Vu
About the author
Vicky Osterweil is a Philadelphia-based writer, agitator, and brickmason whose first book,
In Defense of Looting, described historical struggles for liberation in the US. She is a member of the anarchist journal
CAW and has written about the intersections of film, politics, and culture for publications such as
The Paris Review,
Art in America,
Al Jazeera America,
The Baffler,
Dissent,
Lux Magazine, and
The New Inquiry, where she was also a culture editor for many years.
