Contributors: “It’s a Whole Family of Supers” ix Acknowledgments: It takes People to Make a Dream Reality xvii Introduction: Philosophy Begins in Wonder xix Part I “The Seaweed is Always Greener in Somebody Else’s Lake” 1 1 Unruly Ariel: Not Born but Made a Woman 3Megan S. Lloyd 2 “True to Your Heart”: Honor and Authenticity in Mulan 11George A. Dunn 3 Zen and the Art of Imagineering: Disney’s Escapism Versus Buddhism’s Liberation 25Steve Bein 4 Hidden Mickeys and the Hiddenness of God 35Robert K. Garcia and Timothy Pickavance Part II “I’ll be Shooting for My Own Hand” 45 5 “Everyone’s Special Dash”: Tolerance and Conformity in a World of Incredible Differences 47Richard B. Davis 6 Accommodating Dory, but Disempowering Dopey? Dilemmas of Disability from Snow White to Finding Dory 59Kevin Mintz 7 From Snow White to Moana: Understanding Disney’s Feminist Transformation 71Edwardo Pérez 8 “Always a Team, Always United”: Disney’s Philosophy of the Family 81Kody Cooper Part III “Your Identity is your Most Valuable Possession” 93 9 How to Convince Sleeping Beauty She’s Not Dreaming 95C. A. McIntosh 10 Knowing Who you Are: Existence Precedes Essence in Moana 107William J. Devlin 11 Saving Mr. Banks: Reclaiming Our Childhood, Remembering Who We Are 119Mark D. Linville and Shawn White 12 WALL·E and EVE: Disney’s Intelligent Machines 129Timothy Brown 13 Inside Disney’s Inside Out 137Ellen Miller Part IV “You Can Be Anyone You Want To Be” 145 14 To Be or Not to Be … the Lion King: Existentialism in Disney and Shakespeare 147Megan S. Lloyd 15 True Freedom in Toy Story, or You Are a Child’s Plaything! 157Armond Boudreaux 16 “Our Fate Lives Within Us”: Character and Choice in Brave 167Louis Colombo and Steve Jones 17 Breaking the Spell: Beauty and the Beast and Plato’s Prisoner 177Nathan Mueller and Leilani Mueller 18 True Love in Frozen 185Jamey Heit Part V “Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” 193 19 Mencius Spins The Emperor’s New Groove 195Dean A. Kowalski 20 “Handed Down from Goof to Goof”: What Goofy Can Teach Us About Becoming Good 207Robert M. Mentyka 21 “Let Slip the (Donald) Ducks of War!”: Ethical Considerations About Disney’s War Propaganda 217Tuomas W. Manninen 22 WALL·E, the Environment, and Our Duties to Future Generations 227J. Edward Hackett 23 Is There Any Utopia in Zootopia? 235Frauke Albersmeier and Alexander Christian Part VI The Wonderful Worldview of Disney 245 24 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Disney: Marx and Marcuse at Disney World 247Elizabeth Butterfield 25 Colonizing the Geography of the Imagination: Media, Mind, and the Magic Kingdom 259Read Mercer Schuchardt 26 “We’re All Gonna Die”: Death and the Cycle of Life in Disney 271Jessica Miller 27 Liberty Square in the Shadow of Cinderella’s Castle: Political Philosophy in Disney’s Theme Parks 283Timothy Dale and Joseph Foy Index 293

Can Sleeping Beauty know that she's not dreaming? Does turning our emotions "inside out" tell us who we are? Is Ariel a feminist icon? Can true love overcome fear in Frozen? What can Toy Story and Wall-E teach us about being human? Is hakuna matata really a problem-free philosophy? Philosophy begins in wonder, and there's no question that Disney's wonderful world of television, motion pictures, and theme parks has enchanted generations of children and adults alike, inviting us to escape the mundane into a world of fantasy, imagination, and infinite possibility. From the light-touched Pride Lands of the African savanna to the cold climes of Arendelle, the Walt Disney Company has dreamt up immersive worlds and iconic characters that have captivated millions, inspiring us to reignite the magic of childhood when our wildest dreams were within reach. In Disney and Philosophy, Richard B. Davis takes readers on a magic carpet ride through the big questions raised by some of the most popular and enduring stories in the Disney/Pixar universe. Essays from thirty-two deep-thinking Disneyphiles chart a course through the philosophical world of Disney, tapping into the minds of the great sages of the ages—Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Descartes, and Goofy—to explore universal questions of freedom, personal identity, morality, family, and friendship. From the evolution of passive and shy princesses into passionate and outspoken leaders like Mulan, Merida, and Moana, to the cultural impact of the Disney corporation and the Imagineers who manufacture magic in the Happiest Place on Earth, Davis draws from a variety of diverse perspectives to find the wisdom within a broad range of Disney stories, characters, and entertainment experiences. If you've ever asked who you are, what is right, or what your purpose is, Disney and Philosophy will spark your curiosity and imagination with a whole new world of unexpected insight into the Magic Kingdom.