Freud Does Disney
42 Pages Posted: 22 Jan 2020
Date Written: November 11, 2013
Abstract
Dumbo tells a coming of age story about a young elephant who must gain psychological independence from his mother; Fantasia consists of eight episodes on various subjects, but they are strung together with the image of the conductor, Leopold Stokowski, and his (famous) hands. Two of the episodes (Nutcracker Suite and Night on Bald Mountain) dramatize the use of hands in controlling the actions of others. I elaborate on these issues using the psychoanalytic work of Erik Erikson, Ernst Kris, John Bowlby, and Norman Holland and introduce material on the neuropsychology of motor control.
Keywords: Disney, film, cartoon, animation, psychoanalysis, life cycle, growth, hands, control
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