Preparative Exercise

I have chosen to study from the region of “Auteur” for my research project, specifically in the area of Disney animations, to discover whether the themes and issues present amongst them could be considered an auteur signature. In order to do this, I plan first to research into what being an auteur really means, and what specifically makes an auteur signature. To find this out I will read the appropriate chapters of “Studying Film”, a book by Nathan Abrams, Ian Bell and Jan Udris, as well as “The Cinema Book”, by Pam Cook, which also has chapters on the auteur theory. I will also need to watch my chosen focus film, “Beauty and the Beast”, 1991, and take notes on what the themes and issues present actually are. I will also do this with my supporting films, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, 1937, “Cinderella”, 1950, and “The Lion King”, 1994, to see if these themes and issues are repeated. I chose these films to have a mix between “fairytale” films and adventure films, as well as having a range across a wide period of time, from 1937 to 1994.
I intend to watch the second discs of special features of each of these films in order to have a better understanding of the films and their backgrounds and production, and to see the ideas behind the choices made. The directors’ commentaries of each of my films will also be very useful for these reasons. To find out more about Disney as an auteur, I will also need to read books such as “Disney Discourse: Producing the Magic Kingdom”, by Eric Smoodin, and “Media Research Techniques” , by Arthur Asa Berger, as it has a chapter surrounding Walt Disney productions. “To the Beast to the Blonde: on Fairy Tales and their Tellers” is another book that would be interesting and helpful to research into for my topic, to see more into the narrative and representations in my focus film to understand more about the themes and issues.
Reading reviews from magazines like Sight and Sound and Empire, as well as looking at online reviews will help me to see if Disney uses recurring themes due to audience expectation and demand, giving them what they want from developing a love for the previous films; or whether it is the differences between the films that the critics and audiences pick up on most.