Two life-long Disney fans take on the Disney film catalog, beginning with the animated features, and discuss with a critical lens. @DeconDisney on social media.
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Erin and Rachel discuss Pixar’s first princess movie, Brave (2012), debating whether protagonist Merida is a feminist icon or just another subjugated female character. Of course, no trip to these fictional Scottish highlands would be complete without mentions of ableism and heterosexism.
Episode Bibliography
Andrews, M., & Chapman, B. (Directors). (2012). Brave [Film]. Pixar Animation Studios.
Dundes, L. (2020). The upshot on princess Merida in Disney/Pixar’s Brave: Why the tomboy trajectory is off target. Humanities, 9(3), 83. Doi: 10.3390/h9030083
Hine, B., England, D., Lopreore, K., Horgan, E. S., & Hartwell, L. (2018). The rise of the androgynous princess: Examining representations of gender in prince and princess characters of Disney movies released 2009–2016. Social Sciences, 7, 245-268. doi: 10.3390/socsci7120245
Kapurch, K. (2016). Something Else Besides a Daughter? Maternal Melodrama Meets Postfeminist Girlhood in Tangled and Brave. The Lion and the Unicorn, 40, 39-61.
Leader, C. F. (2018). Magical manes and untamable tresses: (en)coding computer-animated hair for the post-feminist Disney princess. Feminist Media Studies, 18(6), 1086-1101. doi: 10.1080/14680777.2017.1390688
Papamichali, O., Kalachanis, K., Dimitrijević, M.S. (2022). The bear mythology: An enduring archetypical tale of feminine empowerment, adulthood and motherhood. Graeco-Latina Brunensia, 27(2), 101-111. doi: 10.5817/GLB2022-2-7
Erin and Rachel return to the Hundred Acre Wood for Winnie the Pooh (2011), the sequel to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). Although it’s stuffed with as much fluff as its protagonist, nostalgia and a 69-minute run time make this benign film pleasantly watchable.
Erin and Rachel follow Lightning McQueen and Mater around the globe in this discussion of Cars 2, a spy-themed sequel with a convoluted plot and disappointing politics.
Bastoli, M. (2011, July 28). Victory for Disney/Pixar in Cars lawsuit. Big Screen Animation.
Tangled
Saison 1 · Épisode 65
mercredi 22 avril 2026 • Durée 02:00:10
Episode Summary
Erin and Rachel discuss Tangled (2010), the 50th animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and one of Rachel’s favorites. Based on the fairytale of Rapunzel, this coming-of-age tale features songs from Disney veteran Alan Menken and impressive computer animation. Although Erin and Rachel disagree about the viability of the romantic plot, they agree that Mother Gothel is an effective villain and Pascal is a delightful sidekick.
Amin, S. (2024). Feminist witnessing: Everywhere all at once: Coercive control and the impacts of feminist law reform efforts on popular culture. Australian Feminist Law Journal, 50(1), 49-64. doi: 10.1080/13200968.2024.2366776
Behrendt, M. (2022). “That’s how you know he’s your love”: The male singing voice and Disney’s (re)interpretation of the male romantic lead. Sound Stage Screen, 2(2), 5-32.
Carter, C. (2013). An Analysis of the Character Animation in Disney’s Tangled. Senses of Cinema, (67).
Toy Story 3
Saison 1 · Épisode 64
mardi 10 février 2026 • Durée 01:32:44
Episode Summary
Erin and Rachel discuss Toy Story 3 (2010), the third and allegedly final installment in the Toy Story franchise. Despite some minor misogyny and heteronormativity, the film manages to delight (and emotionally devastate) the hosts.
Finklea, B. W. (2014). Examining masculinities in Pixar’s feature films: What it means to be a boy, whether human, fish, car, or toy. [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Alabama].
Gleiberman, O. (2010, June 21). Summer Entertainment Guide Jun 21 2010 02:58 PM ET Share Permalink ComMessage to men: Yes, it's okay to cry at 'Toy Story 3'. Entertainment Weekly.
Research Alert: Fat Characters in Disney Movies
Saison 1 · Épisode 63
mercredi 14 janvier 2026 • Durée 01:11:17
In this very special episode, Erin talks to Rachel and her research assistant, Grace, about a study they recently published about the portrayal of fat characters in Disney animated films. Spoiler alert: the depictions of fat characters are rife with harmful stereotypes, and the hosts have something to say about it!
Rachel's and Grace's article "'You're Getting a Little Big for This': Fat Characters in Disney Animated Films" was published in peer-reviewed journal Fat Studies, and can be accessed via this link (or email hellodeconstructingdisney@gmail.com to request a PDF).
The Princess and the Frog
Saison 1 · Épisode 62
lundi 24 novembre 2025 • Durée 02:20:32
Episode Summary
Erin and Rachel hop on down to 1920’s New Orleans, where Disney’s first Black princess spends most of her time as a frog in the Louisiana bayou. The Princess and the Frog (2010) provided much needed representation, but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of its race, class, and gender politics.
Breaux, R. M. (2010). After 75 years of magic: Disney answers its critics, rewrites African American history, and cashes in on its racist past. Journal of African American Studies, 14(4), 398-416. doi: 10.1007/s12111-010-9139-9
Davis, A.M. (2014). Handsome heroes and vile villains: Men in Disney’s feature animation. John Libbey & Company.
Debruge, P. (2016, November 22). Disney's Pixar Acquisition: Bob Iger, John Lasseter Reanimated Studio. Variety.
Up
Saison 1 · Épisode 61
jeudi 4 septembre 2025 • Durée 01:44:28
Episode Summary
Erin and Rachel wallow through an elderly man’s grief journey with Pixar’s critically acclaimed Up (2009). They argue the beautiful art and cute sidekicks aren’t enough to redeem this (admittedly beloved) film, especially since the (admittedly moving) love story invokes the classic “dead wife” trope. We’ll keep sailing our balloon house onto the next one, please and thank you.
Erin and Rachel discuss Bolt (2008), a lesser known film about a dog who thinks he’s a super hero. Under new leadership, Disney Animation Studios starts to come out of their slump with this film that some people found boring (Erin) and others found heartwarming (Rachel).
Catmull, E., & Wallace, A. (2014). Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration. Random House Publishing Group.
Donofrio, E. C. (2013). The wonderful world of gender roles: A look at recent Disney children’s films [Honors thesis, Boston College]. https://core.ac.uk/reader/151481530
Evry, M. (2020, February 13). Exclusive: Kiskaloo Movie Could Be Next for Chris Sanders! ComingSoon.net.
WALL-E
Saison 1 · Épisode 59
dimanche 25 mai 2025 • Durée 01:57:16
Episode Summary
Erin and Rachel travel 700 years into the future to discuss WALL-E (2008), Pixar’s robot romance with an unintentionally anti-capitalist message. Fatphobia and misogyny make this dystopian tale unwatchable despite its endearing protagonist, striking animation, and moments of nostalgia.
Watts, T.W., Duncan, G.J., & Quan, H. (2018). Revisiting the Marshmallow Test: A conceptual replication investigating links between early delay of gratification and later outcomes. Psychological science, 29(7), 1159-1177. Doi: 10.1177/0956797618761661
Catmull, E., & Wallace, A. (2014). Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration. Random House Publishing Group.
Kapurch, K. (2015). Rapunzel loves Merida: Melodramatic expressions of lesbian girlhood and teen romance in Tangled, Brave, and femslash. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 19(4), 436-453. doi: 10.1080/10894160.2015.1057079
Tujare, K. (2022). Rapunzel, Rapunzel, has finally let down her hair!: The feminist evolution of “Rapunzel” from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first century. Bookbird, 60(1), 77-85. doi: 10.1353/bkb.2022.0007
Gehlawat, A. (2010). The strange case of "The Princess and the Frog:" Passing and the elision of race. Journal of African American Studies, 14(4), 417-431. doi: 10.1007/s12111-010-9126-1
Gregory, S. M. (2010). Disney’s second line: New Orleans, racial masquerade, and the reproduction of whiteness in The Princess and the Frog. Journal of African American Studies, 14(4), 432-449. doi: 10.1007/s12111-010-9138-x
Guerrero, E. (1993). The Black image in protective custody: Hollywood’s biracial buddy films of the eighties. In M. Diawara (Ed.), Black American cinema (pp. 237–246). Routledge.
Lester, N. A. (2010). Disney’s The Princess and the Frog: The pride, the pressure, and the politics of being a first. The Journal of American Culture, 33(4), 294-307.
Moffitt, K. R. (2019). Scripting the way for the 21st-century Disney princess in The Princess and the Frog. Women's Studies in Communication, 42(4), 471-489. doi: 10.1080/07491409.2019.1669757
Moffitt, K. R., & Harris, H. E. (2014). Of negation, princesses, beauty, and work: Black mothers reflect on Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Howard Journal of Communications, 25(1), 56–76. doi:10.1080/10646175.2014.865354
Parasecoli, F. (2010). A taste of Louisiana: Mainstreaming Blackness through food in The Princess and the Frog. Journal of African American Studies, 14(4), 450-468. doi: 10.1007/s12111-010-9137-y
Pérez, E. (2021). “I got voodoo, I got hoodoo”: Ethnography and its objects in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Material Religion, 17(1), 56-80. doi: 10.1080/17432200.2021.1977954
Pinsky, M. I. (2010, January 7). What Walt Wrought. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703580904574638143338424878
Terry, E.J. (2010). Rural as racialized plantation vs rural as modern reconnection: Blackness and agency in Disney’s Song of the South and The Princess and the Frog. Journal of African American Studies, 14(4), 469-481. doi: 10.1007/s12111-010-9132-3
Turner, S.E. (2013). Blackness, bayous and gumbo: Encoding and decoding race in a colorblind world. In Cheu, J. (Ed.), Diversity in Disney films: Critical essays on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability (pp. 83-98). McFarland & Company.
Howard, B., & Williams, C. (Directors). (2008). Bolt [Film]. Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Hurt, L.S. (2014). Fuzzy toys and fuzzy feelings: How the “Disney” culture provides the necessary psychological link to improving animal welfare. Journal of Animal & Natural Resource Law, 10, 253-272.
Beck, B. (2009). Don't make me laugh: People are funny in WALL-E and Tropic Thunder. Multicultural Perspectives, 11(2), 90-93. DOI: 10.1080/15210960903028768
Bose, M. (2017). Immaterial thoughts: Brand value, environmental sustainability, and WALL-E. Criticism, 59(2), 247-277. DOI: 10.13110/criticism.59.2.0247
Caraway, K., & Caraway, B.R. (2020). Representing ecological crises in children’s media: An analysis of The Lorax and Wall-E. Environmental Communication, 14(5), 686-697, DOI: 10.1080/17524032.2019.1710226
Flaig, P. (2016). Slapstick after Fordism: WALL-E, automatism and Pixar’s fun factory. Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 11(1), 59-74. DOI: 10.1177/1746847715625017
Gaffey, A.J. (2018). Flip the switch: Virtue, programming, and the prospect of automatic agency in Wall-E. Southern Communication Journal, 83(1), 41-56. DOI: 10.1080/1041794X.2017.1399434
Glint, J.M.S., & Bhuvaneswari, G. (2025). Memory, Social Identity and Technology at Odds: The Implication on Physical Well‑Being in Wall‑E. Human Arenas. DOI: 10.1007/s42087-024-00471-w
Hobbes, M., & Gordon, A. [Hosts]. (2022, May 31). MP Watch Part: Wall-E and Spy [Audio podcast episode]. In Maintenance Phase. https://www.maintenancephase.com/
Korfiatis, K., Photiou, M., & Petrou, S. (2020). Effects of ecoanimations on nine and twelve year old children’s environmental conceptions: How WALL-E changed young spectators’ views of earth and environmental protection. The Journal of Environmental Education, 51(5), 381-394. DOI: 10.1080/00958964.2020.1747965
Tranter, P., & Sharpe, S. (2012). Disney-Pixar to the rescue: Harnessing positive affect for enhancing children’s active mobility. Journal of Transport Geography, 20, 34-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.04.006
van Oosterwijk, I., & McCarthy, W. (2023). Once upon a dystopian time: The portrayal and perception of environmentalism in Pixar’s Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 40(7), 848-873. DOI: 10.1080/10509208.2022.2049181
Yates, M. (2015). Labor as “nature,” nature as labor. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 22(3), 525-543.
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