Disney Gothic

When most people think of Walt Disney films, TV shows and amusement parks they think of cute characters, family-friendly atmospheres and traditional homespun humor and stories.

Not so! Disney is far more than that. In fact, Disney has produced some truly scary characters, movies, TV shows and the like.

In Disney Gothic Dark Shadows In The House Of The Mouse, editors Lorna Piatti-Farnell and Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, along with publisher Lexington Books, examine the dark shadows in the House of Mouse.

Gothic images and darkness have always been a part of Disney’s films and shows. Films such as Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo and dozens of other traditional and computer-generated animated films features some truly scary villains and situations.

Rides like Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and other dark rides embrace the macabre, the strange and the spooky.

Even though Gothic is embraced in Disney projects it is done in a very unusual manner. When The Haunted Mansion was first introduced Walt Disney wanted the ride to be scary, but not too, scary,

Blood, killings, ghosts, the supernatural and the like were toned down and homogenized and filtered. That’s true with all of Disney’s products except those created under different labels and studios.

Various contributors examine the Gothic elements incorporated in Disney properties and offer their own analyses. It’s an intriguing read that delves into a part of Disney few people examine or are aware of.

Psalms 4:8 - I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.