‘Conceal, Don't Feel, Don't Let Them Know’: A Critical Analysis of the Representation of Disability in Disney Animated Films

This thesis critically analyses how disability is portrayed in Disney animated films. It specifically examines representations of impairment and disability from the perspective of disability studies which views disability as something created by barriers in society. In order to map the frequency as well as how and whether representations of impairment and disability have changed over time, I conducted a content analysis of all 56 Disney animated films from 1937 to 2016 for this study. Then, using themes from the data pertaining to the representation of disability, I conducted film analysis on a subset of the films in order to narrow my analysis. These themes are disability as a symbol of evil, disability as a problem to overcome and disability as a magical power. The findings from the study show that there are a wide range of characters with impairments in Disney animated films without any disabling aspect imposed on top of them. However, there are numerous characters who are portrayed in traditional and stereotypical ways contributing to the negative imagery associated with disability. Therefore, in this thesis, I argue that there is progression from traditional depictions where disability is used as a plot device towards more realistic and affirmative representations where disability becomes part of a character’s identity rather than existing as their defining feature.