Disney & Climate

We know that storytelling and media are essential to how we each understand the world, and they are important tools for imagining a better future for ourselves and our planet! The following articles can help you understand some ongoing conversations around Disney movies, the climate crisis, and the fight for justice.

Dream bigger, disney

This article gives an overview of the history of the Walt Disney Company that provides context to a discussion of the company’s current climate action commitments including the Disney Conservation Fund, National Geographic Society, and corporate environmental sustainability policies. The author goes on to recommend several ways that the company could become a leader in corporate climate action by wielding its history of innovation and present day influence on the entertainment industry. These recommendations include a recommitment to Walt Disney’s original vision of EPCOT as a model of urban innovation, investing more financially in its existing climate actions, incorporating environmental narratives in its content, and active participation in global climate governance.

Generation snowflake: Frozen II and the quest for climate justice

This article discusses the themes of climate change and Indigenous lands in the movie Frozen II. Connections are drawn between specific scenes in the movie and these themes, as Anna and Elsa travel through the Enchanted Forest to uncover the truth of the dispute between the Northuldran people and the Arendellian kingdom. The film’s real-world connections to the Sámi people and their history is also briefly discussed.

Disney as Eco-Literature: The Need for Accessible Environmental Narratives

This thesis explores the ways that people learn about the environment through media narratives, specifically Disney films. The paper begins with a foundation of background on Disney as a corporation and the art of their films, and a literature review of other works on similar topics. The paper then provides an in depth analysis of the stories and themes of three Disney films: Moana, Frozen, and Frozen II. Lastly, the author provides results of a qualitative survey on audience members’ takeaways from Moana, particularly in relation to representation of environmental issues in the film.

The Disneyfication of Climate Crisis

This article explores the value of the Disney films Frozen, Frozen II, and Moana as introductory tools for young viewers on issues of climate change. The article discusses themes in the three films as they relate to climate change and also critiques Disney’s consumerist culture as being in direct conflict with the environmental messaging of these films.