Snow queen scene maker elsa let it go11/7/2022 As Disney's reach continues to extend not only across the age gap, but also around the globe, its consumer base is ever-widening. Henry Giroux and Grace Pollock argue that "Disney actively appeals to both conscientious parents and youthful fantasies as it works hard to transform every child into a lifetime consumer of Disney products and ideas" (xiii). If the recent introduction of a growing number of characters with disability 3 into the Disney movie-line-up is any indication, the corporation is not only aware of this movement, but is also working to be a part of it. Lasseter's story about his son's condition and his own change of heart is just one example of how disability is gradually gaining visibility and acceptance in this country. When we take into account caregivers and family members in addition to PWDs themselves, at least half the population is affected by disability in some way (Davis 4). PWDs currently make up fifteen percent of the American population, making them the largest minority in the United States, and as the baby boomer generation continues to age, this number is likely to double. However, it was only a matter of time before Disney revisited the concept considering the steadily increasing awareness of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the education system, the work world, and the marketplace since the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Norden has discussed in his work on disability in film. It is not surprising that Disney has been reluctant to revisit disability representation given Hunchback's poor reception by general audiences and the backlash against the film in the disabled community, both of which disability scholar Martin F. 2 Whether she is singing her trademark song, "Let it Go," in theaters, joking with her sister, Anna, on stage at the Magic Kingdom before she lights up Cinderella's castle, or beckoning to buyers in doll form from department store shelves, Elsa's brand wields a tremendous amount of cultural capital, and it would behoove scholars in both children's literature and disability studies to pay attention to what the Frozen line-and therefore Disney-is selling in regards to disability. Studies have shown that children carry the values they have been taught by Disney characters, and specifically Disney princesses, with them into college and beyond. As one of the newest members of Disney's royal family, Elsa is in a position to influence her audience in lasting ways. Although Elsa is not the only character with disability in the Disney canon, she is the first princess 1 to be designed with disability in mind, and one of only two human characters with visible disability to make the cut at all since Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Why is she the villain?" Lasseter's revelation that Elsa was born with this condition, much like his son was genetically predisposed to diabetes, led him to call for a restructuring of the entire concept for Frozen from the script to the character design and soundtrack, thus beginning Elsa's transformation from villainous queen to sympathetic teen. Lasseter recalled his son Sam's anxiety during the early stages of his condition with tears in his eyes, stating, "I thought of Sam, and I was thinking of Elsa. During the airing of the ABC special The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic (2014), John Lasseter, the creative executive officer for Walt Disney studios, spoke openly for the first time about the connection between his most recent project and his son, who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 10.
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