Reasserting the Disney Brand in the Streaming Era : A Critical Examination of Disney+

Reasserting the Disney Brand in the Streaming Era investigates the evolution of the Disney brand at a pivotal moment – the move from content creation to acquisition and streaming – and how the company reasserted its brand in a changing marketplace.

Exploring how Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Fox positioned the company to launch the Disney+ streaming service, the chapters look at the history of those acquisitions, and the deployment of the content, brands, and intellectual property from those acquisitions, through an analysis of the original content that appeared on Disney+. Offering a focused investigation of how the content offered from these various media brands was adapted for Disney+ so that it reflects the Disney brand, the authors illustrate through close textual analysis how this content reflects elements of the "Classic Disney Style." The analysis positions these texts in relation to their industrial contexts, while also identifying important touchstone texts (both television and film) in Disney's catalog.

This comprehensive and thoughtful analysis will interest upper-level students and scholars of media studies, political economy, Disney studies, media industries and new technology.

Robert Alan Brookey is a Professor of Media at Ball State University where he also serves as the Director of Graduate Studies. His previous books include Hollywood Gamers, Digital Convergence in the Film and Video Game Industries and Playing to Win: Sports, Video Games, and the Culture of Play. His work has appeared in Games and Culture and Convergence.

Jason Phillips is a Lecturer in the Media department at Ball State University. His previous academic work has focused on music videos, gender in the media, and internet culture. He has also worked professionally in broadcast journalism. He is a member of Gen-X, so he’s well-versed in both Star Wars and Marvel, though he prefers DC and thinks the prequel Star Wars films were actually pretty good.

Timothy Pollard is Associate Dean Emeritus for Academic Affairs and Student Relations in the College of Communication, Information, and Media at Ball State University. He held the position from 2019 to his retirement in 2022. He provided managerial oversight for academic programs, supported faculty development and ensured positive student relations in the college. Mr. Pollard has been with Ball State since 1998 and, prior to his elevation to Associate Dean, served in the Department of Telecommunications as an Associate Professor and chair from 2011 to 2017. Previously, he worked for CNN in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.