The Magic Kingdom: Exploring Disney’s Impact on Popular Culture
PopCRN (the Popular Culture Network) is back with a virtual conference exploring all things Disney, to be held online on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th of September 2025.
Since the Walt Disney was founded his eponymous film studio in 1923, the Disney brand has been a mainstay of popular entertainment. The iconic Micky and Minnie Mouse head the line-up of an impressive array of characters and actors that have become cultural icons. Today Disney is a conglomerate of entertainment businesses, investing in theme parks, sports television, a cruise line, resort destinations, National Geographic Expeditions, clothing, games, and publishing.
We welcome papers from researchers across the academic spectrum and encourage papers from postgraduate researchers and early career researchers. Presenters will be given the opportunity to submit their presentations as articles to a special edition of the International Journal of Disney Studies.
To whet your appetite, we have provided some topics below. We will also accept topics beyond this scope:
- "Today is a good day to try" – Optimism in Disney.
- "Some people are worth melting for" – Friendship in Disney.
- "Can anybody be happy if they aren’t free?" – The philosophy of Disney.
- "Remember who you are" – Identity and meaning in Disney.
- "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten” – The importance of family in Disney.
- "When I look at you, I can feel it. And I, I look at you and…I'm home" – Domesticity in Disney
- "Life's a little bit messy. We all make mistakes. No matter what type of animal you are, change starts with you" – Representations of animals in Disney
- "If you're going hard enough left, you'll find yourself turning right" – Ideology in Disney
- "Everything is possible. Even the impossible" – Disney’s technological breakthroughs.
- "Whatever choice you make, let it come from your heart" – Love in the Disneyworld.
- "Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them" – Representations of gender in Disney.
- "If you're going hard enough left, you'll find yourself turning right" – Disney and the political sphere.
- "You're mad. Bonkers. Off your head. But I'll tell you a secret, all the best people are"- Disney and classical literature.
- "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Do you understand?" – Positivity in Disney.
- "Can anybody be happy if they aren’t free?" – Philosophy and Disney
- "Being young and beautiful is not a crime, you know" – The princess / evil stepmother dichotomy in Disney.
- "A queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early" – Depictions of royalty in Disney
- "All it takes is faith and trust" – Religion and Disney
- "I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad" – The dark side of Disney.
- "Everybody’s got problems. The world is full of problems” – Global politics and Disney.
- “Why are you threatened by anyone different than you?" – Disney and diversity.
- “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun aaaaaaaand, snap! The job’s a game!” Representations of work and labour in Disney
- “Just keep swimming…just keep swimming” – From cruises to hotels; Disney in the Leisuresphere.
- “You’re never too old for a Disney Movies” – Disney Fandom
- "Hakuna Matata" – The music of Disney
- “To infinity, and beyond!” – The eternal success of Disney.
Please submit via our portal - https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8jjzaWnS732QsFE
- Abstracts (200 words)
- Biography (100 words)
To submit to the journal: https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FBqwXuomrgKKx0
To register for the conference, Registration is free for everyone: https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7TGWUYZidtlxVLU
Queries to popcrn@une.edu.au
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