Remediating Disney Classics

Abstract

In this thesis I am looking at the release and rerelease practices of some key, classic animated films by Disney for different technologies of consumption ranging from cinema to home video, both in analog and digital formats. With this study, I opt to illustrate how the (re)release and (re)circulation of Disney material resulted in an intricate web of dynamic relations with audiences and answer to the emerging question: What are the various forms of capital acquired by Disney in their transition from cinema to home video? Mediated through various cutting-edge technologies, it is through these ranging dynamic relations, that different forms of value and capital emerged – and are still emerging – in ways that may help us understand Disney’s long-standing status and place within Western popular culture and in media history.