Staging a Comeback

Peter C. Kunze

ISBN 10: 1978827814 / ISBN 13: 9781978827813

Published by Rutgers University Press, US, 2023

About this Item

In the early 1980s, Walt Disney Productions was struggling, largely bolstered by the success of its theme parks. Within fifteen years, however, it had become one of the most powerful entertainment conglomerates in the world. Staging a Comeback: Broadway, Hollywood, and the Disney Renaissance argues that far from an executive feat, this impressive turnaround was accomplished in no small part by the storytellers recruited during this period. Drawing from archival research, interviews, and textual analysis, Peter C. Kunze examines how the hiring of theatrically trained talent into managerial and production positions reorganized the lagging animation division and revitalized its output. By Aladdin, it was clear that animation-not live action-was the center of a veritable "renaissance" at Disney, and the animated musicals driving this revival laid the groundwork for the company's growth into Broadway theatrical production. The Disney Renaissance not only reinvigorated the Walt Disney Company but both reflects and influenced changes in Broadway and Hollywood more broadly.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781978827813

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Staging a Comeback
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press, US
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1978827814
• ISBN 13: 9781978827813
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 50 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In the early 1980s, Walt Disney Productions was struggling, largely bolstered by the success of its theme parks. Within fifteen years, however, it had become one of the most powerful entertainment conglomerates in the world. Staging a Comeback: Broadway, Hollywood, and the Disney Renaissance argues that far from an executive feat, this impressive turnaround was accomplished in no small part by the storytellers recruited during this period. Drawing from archival research, interviews, and textual analysis, Peter C. Kunze examines how the hiring of theatrically trained talent into managerial and production positions reorganized the lagging animation division and revitalized its output. By Aladdin, it was clear that animation—not live action—was the center of a veritable “renaissance” at Disney, and the animated musicals driving this revival laid the groundwork for the company’s growth into Broadway theatrical production. The Disney Renaissance not only reinvigorated the Walt Disney Company but both reflects and influenced changes in Broadway and Hollywood more broadly.

About the Author

PETER C. KUNZE is an assistant professor of communication at Tulane University. He is the editor or coeditor of several books, including The Films of Wes Anderson: Critical Essays on an Indiewood Icon, American-Australian Cinema: Transnational Connections, and Taking a Stand: Contemporary US Stand-Up Comedians as Public Intellectuals.