In their chapter, “Feeling Disney, Buying Disney, Being Disney,” Sandlin & Garlen discuss their own relationships to Disney and assert their position that “viewer-consumers [are] active participants in the meaning-making process who derive pleasure from and engage critically with the cultural texts and artifacts produced by The Walt Disney Company” (2). What is your own relationship to Disney as a viewer-consumer? Did you engage with Disney films or theme parks in your childhood and/or more recently? How did the readings from this week expand your knowledge about Disney as corporate entity or cultural power?
What was most striking to you about Mickey Mouse Monopoly? How do you think this documentary might change if it came out more recently? Remember that documentaries are making an argument/taking a stance on a topic, just like any academic work. How does this stance further critical thinking about Disney?