Pixar's America: The Re-Animation of American Myths and Symbols

245 Pages·2016·1.86 MB·English

by  Dietmar Meinel (auth.)

PIXAR’S
AMERICA
The Re-Animation of
American Myths
and Symbols
DIETMAR MEINEL
Pixar’s America

Dietmar   Meinel
Pixar’s America
The Re-Animation of American Myths and Symbols
Dietmar   Meinel
Department of Anglophone Studies
University of Duisburg-Essen
Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
ISBN 978-3-319-31633-8 ISBN 978-3-319-31634-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31634-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016950070
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For my Friends

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
In many ways, the following words of gratitude cannot do justice to the
immense support, encouragement, and inspiration I have received from so
many people in the writing of this book. While writing is a rather solitary
endeavor, the intellectual work behind it never is. The assistance, care,
and sustenance of an amazing community brought the following pages,
indeed the writer of these lines, into being. I am grateful and indebted to
all of you.
First and foremost, I thank Winfried Fluck. His thinking shaped the
very idea of the book and his intellectual rigor enabled me to develop a
voice of my own. In particular his insistent encouragement to explore the
aesthetic and narrative complexity of the cinematic material became an
essential tenet of this book and my work in general. Similarly, with her
keen observations and her sharp theoretical thinking, Laura Bieger pro-
foundly infl uenced the content of this book, from its structure to its close
readings. As a scholar and an instructor Laura fostered my intellectual
vocation—from my very fi rst seminar as an undergraduate to the comple-
tion of this book. I am also grateful to Donald Pease whose sense of pro-
fession taught me an unprecedented passion for intellectual exchange. His
generosity in wholeheartedly engaging with my work from the beginning
of the project onward provided me with confi dence during moments of
doubt; his dedication to my journey also offered me opportunities and
experiences which I hold dear.
Ahu Tanrisever and Sonja Longolius read and commented on indi-
vidual chapters at our wonderful reading group meetings; my cohort at
the Graduate School of North American Studies—Ben Robbins, Dorian
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Kantor, Florian Plum, Kate Schweißhelm, Lina Tegtmeyer, Natalia
Klimina, Nathan Vanderpool, Rebecca Brückmann, and Ruth Steinhoff—
lifted me up when spirit, health, or faith were low. The Graduate School
of North American Studies and the John F. Kennedy Institute gave me
the opportunity to write my thesis in an intellectually stimulating environ-
ment in Berlin, Germany, and abroad. With her heart-warming presence
and her patience, Gabi Bodmeier often saved me from my bureaucratic
incompetence.
At the Department of Anglophone Studies of the University of
Duisburg-Essen, I am indebted to Barbara Buchenau for her faith in and
support of my work. Of my friends and colleagues at the University of
Duisburg-Essen, to all of whom I am grateful for creating a stimulating
and supportive environment, I particularly acknowledge Elena Furlanetto,
Zohra Hassan, and Courtney Moffett-Bateau. Their astuteness, knowl-
edge, and openness have taught me to thrive as an intellectual and as a
person.
At Palgrave Macmillan I have been lucky to fi nd highly profes-
sional support for the book, and thank in particular Lina Aboujieb and
Hariharan Venugopal. I am especially grateful for the thoughtful and per-
ceptive comments provided by the anonymous reviewers. Earlier versions
of Chaps. 6, 7, and 8 were previously published in Animation Studies,
Volume 8 (2013), NECSUS European Journal for Media Studies (Spring
2014), and European Journal of American Culture, Volume 33, Issue 3
(2014), respectively. A section of the introduction appeared in the volume
Rereading the Machine in the Garden (2014) edited by Eric Erbacher,
Nicole Maruo-Schröder, and Florian Sedlmeier. I am grateful for the per-
mission to reproduce material here.
The friendship of many wonderful people has inspired and uplifted me
during the research and writing. I deeply appreciate their belief in me. My
parents and my sister supported me even when my path appeared hazard-
ous and disheartening. I thank Hajo and Kay, for without you, none of
this would exist.
C
ONTENTS
1 Exceptional Animation: An Introduction 1
From Failure to Fame: The Pixar Studio
and Digital Animation 3
Animating Revolt or Monstrous Beings? 9
All Ages Admitted 19
“Every Line Drawn, Object Moved, and Shape Changed” 20
Animating the Myths and Symbols of American Culture 22
Remediating the Myths and Symbols of American Culture 28
2 “You Better Play Nice”: Digital Enchantment
and the Performance of Toyness in Toy Story (1995) 45
Fearful Sheriff Dolls and Oblivious Space-Ranger Action Figures 47
Stupid, Little, Insignifi cant Toys 50
The Space-Traveling American Adam 52
The Enchanting Performance of Toyness 55
3 An Animated Toast to the Ephemeral:
The Multicultural Logic of Late Capitalism
in Toy Story 2 (1999) 61
The Multicultural Myth of Woody, Buzz, and Bill 63
A Postmodern Toy Story 66
The Digital Logic of Late Capitalism 70
A Toast to the Ephemeral 71
ix