Debuting in 2019, Disney+ quickly became one of the most popular streaming services worldwide. With hubs for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, Disney+ not only provides “vault” content from these brands but also original films and television programming such as High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The Mandalorian, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Andor and The Imagineering Story.
This collection of essays examines a variety of Disney+ exclusive content, exploring themes such as nostalgia, identity, representation and lived experience. Designed to appeal to both academics and the average Disney fan, it attempts to answer the question of whether its original streaming content is a plus or minus for the “Mouse House.”

David Whitt is a professor of communication studies at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska. He teaches mass media, persuasion, communication in the professions, and has taught courses on Star Trek, comic books, and the Irish rock group U2.
John Perlich is an associate professor of communication studies at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota. His teaching specialties include communication theory, mixed research methods, public speaking (presentation-based courses), and interpersonal communication.

Edited by David Whitt and John Perlich
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 203
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9005-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5331-0
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction
John Perlich and David Whitt 1
Navigating the Worst of Times: Nostalgia on Disney+
Rhema F. White 5
Ducks Fly Together: A Look at Disney+ as a Facilitator of Nostalgia and Transportation
Kristi Gatto 17
Recognizing the Princess as a Plus: Tracing as an Ideograph for Contemporary Representation and Progressive Revisions
Erika M. Thomas and Mindy Burnett 33
Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.: Gen Z to AAPI Direct Marketing and Its Effects on Native Hawaiians
Samantha Tecson 52
“Stick to the Status Quo” or the “Start of Something New”? Exploring the Highs and Lows of Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Lori Bindig Yousman 70
When the World Finally Sees Us: The Coming Out of the High School Musical Franchise
Jennessa Hester 88
Exploring Disney’s Portrayal of Jessica Jones and ­She-Hulk as Complex Women Characters
Newly Paul and Gwendelyn S. Nisbett 103
Is Marvel a Transnational Revisionist Actor? Interpreting Change in the MCU ­Post-Blip “Real World”
Pablo A. Sánchez-Rodríguez 120
“This is the Way.”: Reimagining Star Wars in the Revisionism of The Mandalorian
Raymond Blanton 137
A Great Disturbance… Andor, Diversity, and Representation in the Star Wars Universe
John Perlich and Tim Baird 155
Behind My Attraction: A Disney World Autoethnography
David Whitt 171
About the Contributors 189
Index 191