The Disneyfication of Climate Crisis: Negotiating Responsibility and Climate Action in Frozen, Moana, and Frozen 2

Abstract

Grounding our analysis in a broad reading of ecocriticism in children's literature and culture, as well as Disney's marketing of the films and their toys and material culture, we argue that these princess films can offer young viewers an introduction to issues of global warming, but do not always follow through on their green promise. Acknowledging that all art exists and participates in a neoliberal capitalist system and must contend with market forces in its production and dissemination, Gaard investigates the "confluence of ecopedagogy, ecofeminist and environmental justice literary criticisms [which] raises at least three important questions about children's environmental literature": whether it challenges the binary of human/nature and the resulting power imbalance, whether it solves environmental issues through community engagement rather than by children's efforts alone, and whether it gives nature its own subjectivity and agency without a hero-and-damsel dynamic (327; 327–30). Through its acquisition of Marvel, Discovery Channel, ABC, and Star Wars, as well as its staple cartoons, Disney has emerged as one of the primary producers of children's content in the twenty-first century. [...]a critical analysis of Disney is important to understanding the current role of children's ecoliterature and ecopedagogy. Not only does this shift suggest that children take responsibility for climate change in new ways, but it also uses this responsibility as a marketing tool to sell theme park experiences, toys, and branded merchandise, many of which are not ecologically responsible.