Extended Universe

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Extended Universe

How Disney Killed the Movies and Took Over the World

Biography: arts and entertainment General and world history

Author: Vicky Osterweil

Dinosaur mascot

Language: English

Published by: Haymarket Books

Published on: 14th April 2026

Format: LCP-protected ePub

ISBN: 9798888904107


A provocative history of Disney's rise to cultural dominance

pulling skeletons from the corporate closet to decode the political messages hidden in all of your favorite childhood movies.

In The Extended Universe

Vicky Osterweil takes us on a quest to discover how Disney s imagineers have made it impossible to reflect on the wonders of growing up without thinking of Disney's movies, amusement parks, and merchandising.

Drawing on extensive interviews with filmmakers, screenwriters, union organizers, and Disney adults alike, Osterweil unearths reactionary political commitments and maleficent legal maneuvers so cartoonishly evil they would make one of Walt's own animated villains blush.

Along the way

Osterweil braids together corporate skullduggery with a not entirely unsympathetic analysis of some of Disney's most famous movies. The result is an entertaining and convincing case that Disney's entire business model has been built upon a ruthless and fanatical insistence on intellectual property rights from Steamboat Willie to Avengers: Infinity War and beyond!

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