COMM 3560 Assignment 4

COMM 3560 Assignment 4 | Tulane University

PlasmaticityIn Nicholas Sammond, “Introduction,” he examines the uses of minstrels in Disney’searly animation.  His primary focus is on the blackface minstrels which were all too common.  Inthe 1930’s, animators would black up their animations to clearly read as minstrels.  They hadbecome “vestigial minstrels, carrying the tokens of blackface minstrelsy in their bodies andbehaviors.”  Many of the continuing characters which define the industry are minstrels, such as,Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, and Bugs Bunny.  Blackface as a performance practice is still verymuch a part of mainstream popular culture.  It reflects contemporary anxieties about the powerand meaning of whiteness.The emerging technology and vernacular artistic form of animation offered a new homefor the minstrel.  “American animation is actually in many of its enduring incarnations anintegral part of the ongoing iconographic and performative tradition of blackface.”  Theperformances of minstrels were not imitations of actual African American culture but ofimaginary creatures known as “darkies” who embodied stereotypes.  Minstrelsy always invokesa tension between the authentic and the inauthentic.In Plane Crazy, the animals are all workers and Mickie is the boss telling them how tobuild the plane.  In his instruction manual, there is a portrait of a stereotypical white, factorymanager.  Mickey ironically imitates his look and proceeds to manage the other characters.  Theanimation is making fun of the stereotypical manager who thinks he knows how to do everythingand won’t leave his workers alone to do their job.  As Minnie and him are in the plane, sherefuses to kiss him, in response, he takes the plane into a nosedive.  This could be part of an

intention to build an archetype for the constant abuse of power and sexual harassment whichgenerally accompany white men in authority.In “Castaway,” Mickey ironically resembles the stereotype of an educated white male.It’s interesting the animators chose a piano to wash up on shore.  As Mickey plays a song thewildlife of the island comes out to dance.  The seals are chosen to just dance along in sync whilethe wild cat attempts to play along with Mickey on the piano.  An ape comes to the piano and isbrute with the keys.  The animators are archetyping all of these animals.  The ape eventuallydestroys the piano playing it with his feet.  The animators personify the ape as uneducatedbecause they believe its ape-like people who do not belong around nice things.In the next short, Minnie bring home a basket of mice.  It’s curious how Minnie andMickey are mice yet Minnie brought home like 50 kittens.  When Mickey comes bearing giftsfor all the kittens dressed as Santa Clause they take them and start abusing everything.  This is anarchetype for ungrateful children.  It could also be looked at to personify how couple with toomany kids end up dysfunctional.  After revealing a spectacular christmas tree the adults made,the kittens all cluber it and destroy it.