Skip to content
1981
Volume 1, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2976-7911
  • E-ISSN: 2976-792X

Abstract

This article examines how Disney-Pixar’s (2021) constructs identity alongside two filmic pillars: intertextuality and Italianicity. The three levels of analysis that emerge in this study – identity, intertextuality and Italianicity – are contextualized in interdisciplinary literature and the imagination at the centre of Disney’s filmography. First, this article examines identity formation in the film through its characters which supplies viewers with an opportunity for self-reflection. Next, it explores the intricate intertextuality of the film and posits these references, whether intentional or latent, as connective pieces to ’s filmic contexts. Finally, it examines the function of Italianicity on a variety of levels to galvanize how the film is chock-full of references that embrace and stage Italy. All of this considered, this article frames how these three pillars come together to teach Italian culture to viewers via the film.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/ijds_00014_1
2025-08-20
2026-04-13

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Allens, Roger and Minkoff, Rob (1994), The Lion King, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Bacchilega, Cristina (1989), ‘Calvino’s journey: Modern transformations of folktale, story, and myth’, Journal of Folklore Research, 26:2, pp. 8198.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Barthes, Roland (1977), ‘Rhetoric of the image’, in S. Heath (trans.), Image, Music, Text, London: Fontana Press, pp. 3251.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Bazin, André (2011), ‘Bicycle thieves’, in B. Cardullo (ed.), André Bazin and Italian Neorealism, New York: Continuum, pp. 6173.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Birney, Megan E. (2023), Self and Identity: The Basics, London: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Bondanella, Peter (2002), The Films of Federico Fellini, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Branagh, Kenneth (2015), Cinderella, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Buck, Chris and Lee, Jennifer (2013), Frozen, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Bush, Jared and Howard, Byron (2021), Encanto, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Calvino, Italo (1981), Italian Folktales, New York: Harcourt Inc.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Casarosa, Enrico (2012), La Luna, USA: Disney–Pixar.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Casarosa, Enrico (2021a), Ciao, Alberto, USA: Disney–Pixar.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Casarosa, Enrico (2021b), Luca-Audio Commentary, USA: Disney–Pixar.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Casarosa, Enrico (2021c), Luca, USA: Disney–Pixar.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Clark, Les, Reitherman, Wolfgang and Larson, Eric (1959), Sleeping Beauty, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Clements, Rob and Musker, John (1989), The Little Mermaid, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Clements, Ron and Musker, John (1992), Aladdin, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Collodi, Carlo ([1883] 1996), The Adventures of Pinocchio, New York: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Coppola, Francis Ford (1972), The Godfather, USA: Paramount.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Correy, Trent and Trinidad, Josie (2022), Zootopia+, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Di Carmine, Roberta (2012), ‘Comedy “Italian style” and I soliti ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street, 1958)’, in A. Horton and J. E. Rapf (eds), A Companion to Film Comedy, Chichester: Wiley, pp. 45473.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Disney (2021), ‘Luca production notes final Disney+’, 14 June, https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/luca_production_notes_final_disney_09268f2d.pdf. Accessed 15 January 2024.
  23. Favreau, Jon (2019), The Lion King, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Fellini, Federico (1954), La strada, Italy: Paramount.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Fellini, Federico (1960), La dolce vita, Italy: Cineriz.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. G’Sell, Eileen (2023), ‘“Wandering free, wish i could be…”: Ambition, art, and nostalgia in Disney’s, The Little Mermaid’, The Hopkins Review, 16:4, pp. 15966, https://doi.org/10.1353/thr.2023.a911585.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Germi, Pietro (1961), Divorzio all’italiana, Italy: Embassy Pictures.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Geromini, Clyde, Jackson, Wilfred and Luske, Hamilton (1950), Cinderella, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Geromini, Clyde, Jackson, Wilfred and Luske, Hamilton (1955), Lady and the Tramp, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Geromini, Clyde, Jackson, Wilfred and Luske, Hamilton (1953), Peter Pan, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Giardina, Carolyn (2021), ‘How Pixar’s Luca offers a taste of seaside Italy’, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 June, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/pixars-luca-offers-a-taste-of-seaside-italy-the-best-new-places-to-stay-elsewhere-in-italy-checking-in-1234968119/. Accessed 15 January 2024.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Girveau, Bruno (2007), Once Upon a Time: Walt Disney, the Sources of Inspiration for the Disney Studios, New York and Munich: Prestel.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Guenther, Corey L., Wilton, Emily and Fernandes, Rachel (2020), ‘Identity’, in V. Zeigler-Hill and T. K. Shackelford (eds), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, Cham: Springer, pp. 213645.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Hooper, John (2016), The Italians, New York: Penguin Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Howard, Byron and Moore, Rich (2016), Zootropolis (Zootopia), USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Keyser, Olivia Grace (2024), ‘We don’t talk about influence: An analysis of Disney’s Encanto & its influence on viewers’ perceptions of Colombian culture’, master’s thesis, Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Levenstein, Harvey (2002), ‘The American response to Italian food, 1880–1930’, in C. Counihan (ed.), Food in the USA: A Reader, New York and London: Routledge, pp. 7590.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Luske, Hamilton and Sharpsteen, Ben (1940), Pinocchio, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Marcus, Millicent (1987), Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Marshall, Rob (2023), The Little Mermaid, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. McLuhan, Marshall (2001), Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, London and New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Monicelli, Mario (1958), I soliti ignoti, Italy: Lux Film.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Murphy, Ryan (2010), Eat, Pray, Love, USA: Sony.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Paulicelli, Eugenia and Clark, Hazel (2009), The Fabric of Cultures: Fashion, Identity, and Globalization, London and New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Pitrè, Giuseppe (1904), ‘Studi di leggende popolari in Sicilia e nuova raccolta di leggende siciliane’, Internet Archive, https://ia600205.us.archive.org/23/items/bibliotecadellet22pitr/bibliotecadellet22pitr.pdf. Accessed 15 January 2024.
  46. Rapini, Andrea (2019), The History of the Vespa: An Italian Miracle, vol. 68, New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Reich, Jacqueline (2004), Beyond the Latin Lover: Marcello Mastroianni, Masculinity, and Italian Cinema, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Ritchie, Guy (2019), Aladdin, USA: Walt Disney Studios.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Sassatelli, Roberta (2019), ‘Introduction: Food, foodways and Italianicity’, in R. Sassatelli (ed.), Italians and Food, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 115.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Severgnini, Beppe (2006), La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind, New York: Broadway Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Shi, Domee (2022), Turning Red, USA: Disney-Pixar.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Sica, Vittorio de (1948), Ladri di biciclette, Italy: Ente Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Steno (1954), Un americano a Roma, Italy: Minerva Films.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. The New York Times (2013), ‘Italian hand gestures: A short history’, YouTube, 1 July, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW91Ec4DYkU. Accessed 15 January 2024.
  55. van Riper, A. Bowdoin (2011), ‘Introduction’, in A. B. van Riper (ed.), Learning from Mickey, Donald and Walt: Essays on Disney’s Edutainment Films, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, pp. 114.
    [Google Scholar]
  56. van Zoonen, Liesbet (2017), ‘Intertextuality’, in P. Rössler, C. Hoffner and L. van Zoonen (eds), The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 112, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783764.
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/ijds_00014_1
Loading
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test