Historical Context of the text
Human-animal ethics-bullying in children’s literature
Mistreatment of animals
Circus exploitation
Motherhood and ethics
Anthropomorphism in the book and movie
Focus on the movie, with the occasional reference to one or more of the book versions of “Dumbo.” There is a lot going on in the movie, including some
problematic racial politics so that to do justice to the movie. Need to look at anthropomorphism in the movie through several lenses rather than one, tailoring
back to the main argument. Research material needs to be connected to the actual text. May use Google Scholar, JSTOR, Project Muse to find secondary
sources.
Please use the following sources:
Geist, Kathe. “Walt Disney’s Dumbo as a Reflection of American Culture and American Values.” GAKUEN 822 (2009): 4-10.
Sammond, Nicholas. “Dumbo, Disney, and Difference: Walt Disney Productions and Film as Children’s Literature.” The Oxford Handbook of Children’s
Literature (2011): 147-66.
Stanton, Rebecca Rose. “Animal “Entertainers” in WDAS Films.” The Disneyfication of Animals. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2021. 119-151.