After 75 years of magic

Annotated Bibliography

After 75 years of magic, Disney addresses its detractors, rewrites African American history, and cashes in on its colonial past. This book explores the legacy of Disney studios in terms of the company’s roots, including racial perceptions and exclusion in its films. Richard Breaux is a well-established author and professor at the University of Wisconsin Lacrosse with a concentration on African American studies. Although publishing, The Journal of African American Studies is a reputable scholarly journal with a history of publishing verifiable material. The author provides an exciting exposition of facts such as a newspaper headline in Princess and the Frog which indicated the win of Woodrow Wilson who was a strong proponent of segregation laws (Breaux, 405). Facts and opinions raised in the book support my observation that Disney studios did indeed propagate racial stereotypes in their films. Breaux also shares similar views with Lehman regarding African American stereotypes present in Disney animated films.

Archer, Leonard C. “Black Images in the American Theatre: NAACP Protest Campaigns--Stage, Screen, Radio & Television.” (1973). Pp 120-185.

The book explores the efforts of African American actors who embarked on a campaign to meant to reverse stereotypical portrayals of the black community’s role in American life. In the book is an explanation of the racist depictions of black Americans in cinema and the how a dedicated group went about in reversing this. The author is one of the first black pioneers in the playwriting fields and would go on to publish numerous literary works. The book was initially published by Published by Brooklyn, N.Y.: Pageant-Poseidon which by then was an established publisher of books. The book interested me since it offered first-hand insight into the racism experienced in the media industry through the eyes of a man living at the time. The author provides evidence that proves that indeed racist African American portrayals in the media were commonplace in the early days. The issues raised by Archer are similar to the concerns raised by Breaux on how racism was freely exhibited during the old days of American cinema.

Lehman, Christopher P. The colored cartoon: Black representation in American animated short films, 1907-1954. Univ of Massachusetts Press, 2009. Pp 23-77.

The book is a revealing study of how racial humor formed the central theme of cartoons made in America and how they served as a stepping pad for the film animation industry with the emergence of giants like Disney studios. Illustrations provided in the book show how film companies exacerbated racial tensions in the past and could thus be responsible for the continuation of racism in America. The information in the book is credible since the author is an established writer who has authored other books and is an associate professor. The University of Massachusetts Press is a recognized publisher of academic work that is known for quality publications. The book provided evidence on the racist nature of early animation films such as those produced by Walt Disney which was useful in advancing the factual argument in the essay. The argument advanced by Lehman connected with those of Breaux and Archer and contributed to forming a coherent argument in the article.

Peterson, Ruth C., and Louis Leon Thurstone. ”Motion pictures and the social attitudes of children.” (1933). Pp 35-47.

The book investigates the effects of motion in the formation of social attitudes in young people through an analysis of results of a series of tests that were conducted on high school students. In the experiments, it was proven that the student’s opinions were influenced by the films they were exposed to, which showed how important movies in the formation of attitudes in young people. The authors’ are not only certified professionals in the field of psychology but are also pioneers in their right. The book was published originally by Beaufort Books which at the time of publication of the book was well established and had a history of excellent publications. The book offered the evidence that showed how susceptible juvenile minds are to film influences and therefore it was useful in the development of both a causal and factual argument. The book connects with John Guida’s article that seeks to show the effects that watching films can have on people’s perceptions.

Fearing, Franklin. ”Influence of the Movies on Attitudes and Behavior.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 254.1 (1947): Pp70-79.

The book explores the science behind the behavioral influence that films have on people, with the explanation being that they help individuals form an understanding of their world. Movies are one of the major sources of entertainment for most people owing to the stimulation that they offer. It is this stimulation according to the author that makes it possible for people to be programmed by what they see. The author is an established author who has published various scientific books such as Reflex Action which gives credence to the work done on effects of films. The book is published by The American Academy of Political and social science which is known for keeping scientific publications. The book offers scientific evidence on the effects of movies which was useful in advancing a causal argument in the essay. The source provides similar views, and they are both used to come up with a coherent explanation of the influence of movies on behavior.

Guida, John. ”How Movies Can Change Our Minds.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Feb. 2015, op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/04/how-movies-can-change-our-minds/.

The article seeks to discover whether people’s perceptions can be shaped by movies through experimentation with human subjects and offering an explanation of the positive results. In the article, the author explains by means of an experiment on how human minds are easily programmable whereby a good film was proven to influence the attitudes and perceptions of people. The author of the article is a respected journalist who is employed by the New York Times, giving credence to the information contained in the paper. The report was published by the New York Times which is well respected in the media industry and would therefore not propagate false information. The article provided evidence on the effects of movies and was helpful in developing both a factual and causal argument in the essay. The information provided by the material can be combined with the work of Peterson and Louis to come up with a coherent argument.

Zillmann, Dolf. Media, children, and the family: Social scientific, psychodynamic, and clinical perspectives. Routledge, 2013. Pp 120-134.

The author uses a holistic approach to explain the effects that the media has on children as well as the family as a unit and the remedies to the problems that can arise. Various perspectives are used to examine the effect the media has on the family and especially children and how the negative traits adopted by the children from mass media can be neutralized. This book explains the vulnerability of children to accepting or practicing ideas advanced in the media. The author is a credible source owing to his numerous publications on a similar topic regarding behavior, he, therefore, has the expertise and experience to offer reliable information. The book has been published by an established publisher whose reputation cannot allow it to post a book with unverifiable information. Zillmann provides an analysis of the influence the media have on young minds which connects with Franklin’s work which offers similar information that increased confidence in both observations.

Baecker, Dirk. ”The reality of motion pictures.” MLN 111.3 (1996): Pp 560-577.

The author seeks to explain the characteristics of films that make enable them to influence human behavior and thinking by explaining that films do have reality only that it has been reproduced. Films can influence people’s way of thinking because they are in a sense realistic only that the reality portrayed in the film has been created according to the thoughts and perceptions of the producers. Baecker is a renowned sociologist who has published various books in the field of sociology. The book was published by the John Hopkins University press which has a reputation to maintain and would therefore not publish unverified claims. It offers a narrative explanation of the effects of movies on human behavior which was useful in developing a causal argument in the essay. The publication is similar to the issues raised by Guida with the complementary information contained in the books being used to enhance the argument.

Bandura, Albert, & Jennings Bryant, et al. ”Media effects: Advances in theory and research.” Social Cognitive Theory of Mass Communication. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (1994): Pp 61-90.

The book is a collection of comprehensive research from various scholars and therefore serving as a reference volume on the effects that media has on people. An explanation is provided on the role played by the mass media in shaping societal attitudes and how people perceive things in their environment. The credibility of the information is not in doubt since the authors whose work has been included in the book are all respected scholars and professionals in each of their respective fields. Publication of the book has been done by an established company whose specialty is academic work and thus has a reputation to keep. The publication contributed evidence of the effects that media has that was used in the development of a causal argument in the essay. It offers similar explanations as Zillmann’s book with the arguments presented by both authors being compatible and served as references during the composition of the book.

Fiske, Susan T., Daniel T. Gilbert, and Gardner Lindzey, eds. Handbook of social psychology. Vol. 2. John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Pp 209-213.

The book offers valuable insight into the field of social psychology whose focus is on how people are influenced by the actions or thoughts of other people. The authors explain that whether consciously or not the attitudes and behaviors that people develop are copied from people they interact with. This book was instrumental in advancing the argument that early animation films that promote racial bias are responsible for the continuation of racism in America. provides credible information since the authors are certified scholars in the field of psychology while the book has been published by a publisher of note. The book provides evidence of how people can influence each other’s behavior and helps in developing a causal argument on how movies change people’s perceptions. The information contained in the book is similar to that advanced by Baecker and was at the heart of my discussion on the influence that films have on human perception.