Analysing The Potential of Disney-Pixar Films For Educating Young Children in Inclusive Values

International Journal of Inclusive Education
ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tied20
Analysing the potential of Disney-Pixar films for

educating young children in inclusive values
Ana Virginia López-Fuentes & Raquel Fernández-Fernández
To cite this article: Ana Virginia López-Fuentes & Raquel Fernández-Fernández (2021):
Analysing the potential of Disney-Pixar films for educating young children in inclusive values,
International Journal of Inclusive Education, DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2021.2008532
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.2008532
Published online: 13 Dec 2021.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.2008532
Analysing the potential of Disney-Pixar films for educating

young children in inclusive values
a b
Ana Virginia López-Fuentes and Raquel Fernández-Fernández
a
Department of Educational Sciences, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain; bDepartment of Modern
Philology, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, España
ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The use of films in the classroom is not new, as they promote critical Received 21 November 2019
thinking and reflection (Prats, Lluis. 2005. Cine para Educar. Accepted 16 November 2021
Barcelona: Belacqua). However, their role in promoting inclusive
KEYWORDS
values with young learners remains relatively unexplored. Films Inclusive education; Disney-
have been considered a powerful pedagogical tool that helps Pixar films; inclusive values;
students be in contact with the Other, creating new feelings of intercultural awareness;
understanding and emotional attachment (Saito, Haito. 2010. young learners
“Actor-Network Theory of Cosmopolitan Education.” Sociological
Theory 29 (2), 124–149). In the present work, the pedagogical
potential of three Disney-Pixar films is explored to educate young
learners in inclusive values related to difference and diversity. To
do this, the authors perform a formal analysis using eight key
elements linked to inclusive education and the Spanish
curriculum for infant education. Results show that these elements
are present, with a higher predominance of portraying different
races or ethnicities, and the display of border transgressions,
demonstrating they may enhance young learners’ learning of
inclusive values in the classroom.
1. Introduction and justification

Films naturally invite us to connect to our world, but also others which may be real or
fantastic, utopian or dystopian, present or past. Meinel (2016) asserts that spectators
link films to their cultural, economic, historical, political, social context or, more pre-
cisely, to their own experiences, in order to produce meanings that enable them to
make sense of the world. In this regard, films are a powerful pedagogical tool that
offers students ‘alternative views of the world’ (Giroux 2011, 687). This connection
between films and life is also present when children are the spectators. Cappelletti,
Sabelli, and Tenutto (2007) consider cinema as a form of narrative that school children
can use to create their own cultural knowledge and connect with other cultures. The
claim also applies to animated films. For Wells (2002), animation, in all its production
contexts, has the capacity to subvert, critique, and re-determine views of culture and
social practice. Deleyto (2003) goes even further arguing that, of all film genres, anima-
tion has the most powerful impact on both children and adult viewers. Accordingly, it is
CONTACT Raquel Fernández-Fernández raquel.fernandez@uah.es Department of Modern Philology, Universidad

de Alcalá, Trinidad, 3, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 A. V. LÓPEZ-FUENTES AND R. FERNÁNDEZ-FERNÁNDEZ
logical to suggest that animated films could play a more crucial role in the school. Con-
sidering that young students may naturally feel attracted to the idea of watching an ani-
mation film, teachers can take advantage of this initial motivation to work on key
educational areas, such as inclusive education. Following Bosse and Pola’s words, films
‘are a suitable learning tool for all students and therefore, are also highly suitable for
Inclusive Education’ (2017, 5).
Childhood is the perfect moment to promote students’ tolerance and empathy towards
others as well as a perspective that differences are positive opportunities. Teachers are to
act in new ways that consider children’s experiences and voices to improve and safeguard
the quality of learning and pupils’ well-being. In this context, highlighting the connection
between curriculum and life is now considered of paramount importance for quality edu-
cation (Vigo and Beach 2017). UNESCO (2013, 7) states that ‘since it is impossible to stop
contact between cultures, learning to positively shape a common future for humankind at
all levels becomes essential’. According to Nutbrown, Clough, and Atherton (2013),
Infant Education is the best time to start dealing with inclusion. Children who see, feel
and understand equality from the very beginning of their lives tend to become open-
minded and tolerant adults. Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force (1989) suggest
that between the ages of two and five, children form self-identities and build interpersonal
skills. Moreover, they become aware of gender, race and ethnicity.
As inclusion has become a global requirement, the field of inclusive education has
spread into all the different subjects of the Spanish curriculum in order to prepare the
students for the contemporary globalised world. As stated by the Spanish Ministry of
Education and Science in the ‘Real Decreto 1630/2006’ (From now on: Royal Decree
1630/2006) regulating the contents of the second cycle of Infant Education in Spain: edu-
cational practice must contemplate, as a principle, the diversity of the students (475) and
learning should be oriented to the establishment of increasingly broad and diverse social
relations (476). Therefore, issues such as migration, mobility and refugees are present-
day stories that have to be dealt with inside schools. Inclusive education is the path to
normalise these issues and prevent tense or conflict-ridden situations.
The present work aims to analyse whether three Disney films are valid resources to
work on inclusive education in the classroom. Beyond scattered remarks, there is a
lack of research on the possibilities of cinema as a vehicle for inclusive education. There-
fore, this article aims to respond to this gap from a multidisciplinary approach based on
the cultural theories proposed by several inclusion thinkers (UNESCO 2005, 2009; Artiles
and Kozleski 2007; Korsgaard, Larsen, and Wiberg 2018) and film studies scholars
(Zavala 2010; Rovisco 2013; Deleyto 2016). The films analysed in this article are
Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings (2012); Zootopia (2016) and Monsters Inc.
(2001). To perform the analysis, a list of eight criteria, based on inclusive education
values that may be fostered in a young learners’ classroom, has been used. The eight
inclusive values were drawn from the literature review selected for this work dealing
with inclusion, diversity and borders in the twenty-first century society and, in addition,
the representation of these social constructs in films. It is intended to reflect on the results
of the analysis and to explore the inclusive values that are more commonly present in the
films studied. Also, the analysis may ultimately be a tool not only to find elements related
to inclusive education, but also to help teachers analyse films and explore their learning
potential in terms of inclusion.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION 3
2. Previous works on the use of Disney-Pixar films in education

In the so-called information society, cinema is an essential means of socialisation for chil-
dren in and out of school. Prats (2005) talks about the importance of the values portrayed
in films, which constitute an important part of education for them. Moreover, he men-
tions how cinema can entertain students more or less but leaves no one indifferent. Mar-
tínez-Salanova (2002) claims that, without cinema, it is impossible to meet contemporary
reality, and he supports the introduction of new and creative activities on the curriculum,
as is the case of film in education. Cinema is a practice that may bring students into
contact with the Other, creating new feelings of understanding and emotional attach-
ment (Saito 2010). In particular, Disney animated features have been the object of a con-
siderable amount of scholarly research in Film Studies. The company’s flexibility to adapt
to a changing socio-historical and industrial context is usually pointed out as one of the
defining features of the studio’s strategy to keep its leading place regarding cinematic ani-
mation throughout the decades (Hastings 1993; Deleyto 2003).
Regardless of the specific approach chosen (industrial, historical or narrative), most
scholarly work on Disney films is concerned with the ideology of the films. Giroux
(1999), for instance, analyses Disney as an industry that promotes sexism and racism.
In other cases, the authors focus their attention on the analysis of The Walt Disney
Company through the analysis of the society of the time, giving a glance into the
United States social history. This is the case of historical studies such as From Walt to
Woodstock (Brode 2004) and Good Girls & Wicked Witches (Davis 2006). These research-
ers pointed out the flexibility and adaptability of the Company in changing times. It
usually captures the concerns and realities of the society of the time. Consequently,
the company deals with inclusion in this era of Globalization and Neoliberalism.
Some essays explore the pedagogical perspectives of Disney films. This is the case of
Ajayi (2010), who deals with the power of literacy through the visionary of Sleeping
Beauty (1959), helped by the previous experiences of the students. The students’
interpretations of the film indicated that multimodal literacies have the potential to facili-
tate literacy practices where students consciously situate meanings of videos within their
own experiences, perspectives, and identities.
For his part, Shieh (2015) explored the second language acquisition process of stu-
dents whose first language was not English in the course of Business English through
the use of cinema. In order to motivate the learners and to make the course more
effective in communication competency, he implemented the use of The Little
Mermaid (1989). The study concludes that films motivate students’ interest in language
learning, improve their listening comprehension, and provide opportunities for talking
in a different language.
One of the most notable studies introducing pedagogical perspectives of Disney films
is Debating Disney (2016), edited by Brode and Brode, as the reader can perceive the mul-
tiple opportunities Disney films offer not only to children but to a broader audience. For
instance, the work deals with the representation of race, disclosing how the self-image of
children is shaped through the viewing of different animation films.
Regardless of the number of studies, the inclusive dimension of Disney films has not
been the object of scholarly research, a conspicuous absence since many Disney films are
about crossing borders, race, diversity and the encounter with the Other. This research
tries to give a response to this fact with an analysis of the inclusive values found in three
different twenty-first century Disney-Pixar films.
3. Aims
The fundamental aim of this piece of research is to promote the use of Disney-Pixar ani-
mation films as a valid pedagogical tool to develop inclusive education. It is our purpose
to demonstrate that films can be a valuable resource to work on contents, identity, skills
and attitudes which will enrich children’s learning, instead of only being time-filler
activities.
As secondary aims, these are the following purposes for the research: firstly, to recog-
nise inclusion as a current value of society that is involved in contemporary cinema. Sec-
ondly, to promote the use of films in the school as an innovative tool to link life inside the
school and life outside, particularly with Disney-Pixar films, which may be accessible for
both adults and children alike in many parts of the world. Finally, to provide teachers
with a useful instrument that allows them to reflect on the inclusive values of films, in
order to help them to choose the didactic materials for their lessons.
4. Inclusion and inclusive education

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) defines
the term inclusion as the ‘dynamic approach of responding positively to pupil diversity
and of seeing individual differences not as problems, but as opportunities for enriching
learning’ (2005, 12). In light of this definition, inclusive education can be seen as the
means to a successful end: the building up of a society in which difference and diversity
are not problems but opportunities. Likewise, the Policy Guidelines on Inclusive Edu-
cation published by UNESCO in 2009 state that inclusive education is a process that
involves the transformation of schools and other educational institutions to cater for
all children in order to ‘eliminate exclusion that is a consequence of negative attitudes
and a lack of response to diversity in race, economic status, social class, ethnicity,
language, religion, gender, sexual orientation and ability’ (4). Indeed, some schools
are now more diverse than ever. In these intercultural and interracial spaces, exclusion
is a potential problem and in many cases a fact. Therefore, inclusive education is
central to learners’ development and, consequently, to the creation of more inclusive
societies.
4.1. A brief evolution of inclusive policies

Inclusive education has triggered the interest of educational communities, practitioners
and researchers in the past decades. Some international events have highlighted the
importance of education to promote inclusion, such as the ‘1st World Conference on
Education for All’ held in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990 (Miles and Singal 2010, 3). This
conference presented new social and educational needs based on the rapid changes
experienced by society due to globalisation. It was a key step in the evolution of the edu-
cation field, offering a more comprehensive approach to education (broader than just
schooling) and its recognition as a universal right.
The growing body of literature on the topic has guided many international policies and
frameworks centred on promoting inclusion in educational contexts. In 1994, the Sala-
manca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education was published
(Hardy and Woodcock 2014). This inclusive education policy focused on the ‘development
of inclusive schools’ in close relation to the international aim of achieving education for all
children (Miles and Singal 2010, 7). The framework states that ‘regular schools’ with this
inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes,
creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society, and achieving education
for all (UNESCO 1994, 3). This policy marked the beginning of a common project: the
inclusion of all children ‘regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, linguistic or
other conditions’ (6), which laid the foundations of inclusive education.
One of the frameworks for inclusion still in action is the one developed by the United
Nations (2015), who agreed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a better
World by 2030. The 17 goals are aimed at promoting inclusion for everyone in terms of
gender equality, equal job opportunities, or quality education for everyone. More specifi-
cally, goal number ten (i.e. ‘Reduce Inequalities’) reinforces one of the main targets: ‘pro-
moting universal social, economic and political inclusion’. Also, empowering and
encouraging ‘social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, dis-
ability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status’. Though inclusion has
been in the spotlight of every social field, it is in schools where it should be learned and
practised. In this respect, SDG four deals with ensuring inclusive and equitable quality
education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The existence of all these frameworks and policies to promote inclusive education
have caused that: ‘[the term] “inclusion” has been adopted by policymakers, politicians
and educationalists from a variety of persuasions’ (Knight 2000, 17). It is therefore
important to add a word of caution on the use of this complex concept, which may be
oversimplified or even manipulated. According to Allan (2008, 26):
Inclusion ‘policy’ is as much a mindset as a set of texts. It is recognised as an expectation, and
even an imperative, as much as it exists in written form. It is an ideology for some, and a
harmful one at that.
In Knight’s view, the main point is that inclusive education is not an end in itself; instead,
it is a cognitive democratic theory of education related to the global educational and
social changes, which are interrelated processes. This goes in line with Slee (2010) and
Beach (2017), who consider that inclusion could be interpreted inside the educational
context as a form of social and democratic justice connected to every single student. Simi-
larly, Portelli and Koneeny (2018) argue that the concept of inclusion can continue to
remain not only useful but essential to creating a robust democratic community in the
classroom. To reach that goal, Barton and Armstrong (2008) talk about how inclusive
education should deal with ‘issues of human rights, equity, social justice and the struggle
for a non-discriminatory society’ (6).
4.2. Inclusive education as an intrinsic part of education

As the idea of inclusion gained currency in academic research, it also accumulated
diverse meanings. Following Armstrong, Armstrong, and Spandagou (2011), the term
can end up meaning everything and nothing at the same time. In that sense, Allan
(2008) argues that ‘inclusion is about more than being in the same building; it is about
being with others, sharing experiences, building lasting friendships, being recognised for
making a valued contribution and being missed when you are not there’ (41).
Concerning inclusive education, Liasidou (2012) suggested that it is related to ‘chal-
lenging the ways in which educational systems reproduce and perpetuate social inequal-
ities with regard to marginalised and excluded groups of students across a range of
abilities, characteristics, developmental trajectories, and socioeconomic circumstances’
(168). In this piece of research, both Allan’s and Liasidou’s definitions are embraced.
Thus, inclusive education is understood as an approach to the problems of ethnic and
cultural diversity in societies.
Changing the mindset on which the structures of society are rooted is the key to
success in implementing inclusive education (Allan 2008). The first step to this goal is
to transform schools and, to do so, it all begins with educating teachers in inclusive edu-
cation. Teachers might acknowledge that ‘the changes required in the pursuit of inclusive
conditions, relations and values are systemic as well as attitudinal’ (Barton and Arm-
strong 2008, 6). Teachers need to cope with students’ different skills and characteristics,
needs and circumstances, while they are helped to make meaning of the world and be
active agents leading to transformation.
Teachers are also powerful agents in the transformation of the school structure and
curriculum, ‘since the very point of view that anchors the curriculum shifts from a gen-
eralised, dominant culture perspective to a pluralistic and cosmopolitan one’ (Artiles and
Kozleski 2007, 362). All too often, school and academic practices may result in segre-
gation, as students may be labelled, grouped or classified in some way; consequently,
they may be polarising status differences (Khmelkov and Hallinan 1999).
Teachers can facilitate students’ inclusive learning experiences which foster conditions
that may be critical to learners’ positive development. Three instructional design
approaches have been described by Pfeifer, Brown, and Juvonen (2007). Namely, design-
ing and implementing multicultural curricula, using cooperative learning techniques and
providing anti-bias/social-cognitive skills training. Their belief is that: ‘Both dispositional
and situationally-induced empathy have been linked to prosocial behaviour in general
and prejudice reduction in particular’ (4–5). Therefore, inclusive values can and
should be explicitly worked in the classroom. It is our purpose to explore how films
can be valid resources to contribute to inclusive education.
5. Methodology for the film analysis

The present study is based on the formal analysis of three Disney-Pixar films to explore
their potential use in the classroom to promote inclusive values. At the time of writing,
there is no other academic research on how twenty-first century Disney animated films
can be used in schools to promote inclusive education, and this article manages to intro-
duce this field through a multidisciplinary work that combines theories of inclusive edu-
cation and film studies.
The type of analysis performed is based on the use of social and cultural studies about
globalisation and inclusion. Studies like the ones developed by Bordwell (1989), Rovisco
(2013) and Deleyto (2016) have demonstrated the importance of approaching cinema as
a cultural form. These authors focus their attention on three issues, namely, film
interpretation (implicit and symptomatic meanings of films) (Bordwell 1989, 9); ‘the
relationships between representation, aesthetic practice, politics and ethics’ through a
cultural approach (Rovisco 2013, 149), and the representation and meaning of films as
cultural forms in contemporary society (Deleyto 2016, 1–2).
The present work follows Bordwell, Rovisco and Deleyto in their attempt to give cul-
tural meanings to their formal analysis of films. This methodology considers cinema as
an instrument of communication that can significantly influence the ideals of society
(Zavala 2010, 65). In order to arrive at such a reading of the films, one needs to start
with the formal analysis of the movies, which means looking at each feature in detail,
taking into account not only the narrative development of the story (i.e. the plot of
the film), but also the audiovisual strategies used to tell the story, including mise-en-
scene, framing, editing, and sound, among others. In that sense, the present study
focuses on the evaluation of the film, centring the attention on social and cultural pro-
cesses, such as, in this case, inclusion, mobility, borders, race and diversity. In this
way, it is a cultural, formal, and multidisciplinary analysis based on inclusive education
and globalisation theories.
The films selected to be analysed were Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings (2012),
Zootopia (2016), Monsters Inc. (2001). The choice of films for analysis as case studies was
based on the following rationale. They are films produced and released by the Disney
studio (on its own or in combination with Pixar) from the year 2000 onwards. As a
global company seeking to retain its leading position in the animated film industry
and to reach a global audience, the Walt Disney Company has continually had to
adapt to a changing socio-historical context. In this way, Disney portrays today’s
reality in its films as a global world where both cross-cultural encounters and exclusion
events take place every day.
In contemporary world, Disney-Pixar films may be accessible for many young children,
as the company is currently the world’s largest entertainment corporation (Davis 2019).
The connection between school and life is considered a strategy to respond to the
different students’ needs, so inclusive education uses tools that introduce the outside
world in the inside reality (schools) (Vigo and Soriano 2014), such is the case of Disney
films. Moreover, the use of these films can be seen as an innovative tool to use in the class-
room as they do not follow ‘the logic of formal schooling’ (Giroux 2011, 687). Also, these
particular films do not follow the Disney princesses corpus, as they form part of what this
article considers the renewed corpus of films of the Walt Disney Company.
The analysis of the film was performed by one researcher and then reviewed sep-
arately by three experts. They all had a background in Pre-Primary and Primary
teacher education but had also a solid research career in the following areas: Social
Sciences and Multicultural Education; Inclusive Education and Active Methodologies;
and Bilingual Education and Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), respect-
ively. The experts agreed on the initial analysis performed and also added some
motions regarding the illustration of these criteria in the movies. More specifically,
they suggested some improvements in the formal analysis, such as connecting the
analysis better with the theoretical background, and illustrating the analysis with
examples from the films.
Concerning the evaluation criteria used to analyse the sample chosen, one of the main
concerns was that the films could match the Spanish infant education curriculum
requirements. During the analysis, the films are justified with the contents and aims of
this curriculum, as it is considered of paramount importance to connect the curriculum
to real-life materials, and these films, as has been argued, are constantly present in the
lives of many young children. The films can be classified by the area of knowledge of
the curriculum, as in relation to their main topics, they could be used to work on: the
area of Self-Knowledge and Personal Autonomy with Zootopia and Monsters Inc.; and,
the Environmental Knowledge area with Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings. In
today’s society, the curriculum cannot be approached in a homogeneous way, as class-
rooms are mainly heterogeneous. This analysis gives an opportunity to deal with the
actual global/heterogeneous context inside the classroom. The films can be used to
educate in inclusive values, in order to take advantage of difference and heterogeneity.
Concerning the evaluation of the three films to justify their potential for inclusive edu-
cation, some criteria were needed. Due to the lack of previous literature on the area,
several inclusive values were drawn from the body of research of social theories
dealing with today’s global interconnectedness. These values were used to formulate
the criteria to analyse the corpus of this piece of research. The values used for the analysis
were: moments that encourage empathic understanding of the Other; reflection on their
personal life; their emotions and problems (Nussbaum 1997); and the acquisition of
social skills such as tolerance. Also, the portrayal of ‘moments of openness’ where two
cultures are reunited with each other (Anzaldúa [1987] 1999; Delanty 2006), border
transgression during the narrative (Cooper and Rumford 2011), mobility as an important
issue and the possibilities of cultural diversity (Rizvi 2009; Sheller 2011). Finally, it is ana-
lysed if the movies awaken awareness of different races or ethnicities, diversity and inter-
cultural encounters (UNESCO 2005; Artiles and Kozleski 2007; Korsgaard, Larsen, and
Wiberg 2018). These values have been considered of great importance as they combine
notable issues that shape today’s reality, such as race and cultural diversity, mobility, the
interaction with the other, border crossings and, at the same time, they are also crucial
issues for the achievement of inclusive education inside the classroom.
Table 1. Chart to be completed during the formal analysis of the films with the inclusive values
selected.
Tinker Bell and the Monsters,
Inclusive values Secret of the Wings Zootopia Inc.
Includes cultural diversity
Introduces different races or ethnicities
Includes mobility as an important issue
Displays border transgression in the narrative
Deals with difference in an open way
Portrays moments of openness where two cultures are reunited
with each other
Awakens Cultural and Intercultural awareness
Encourages an empathic understanding of the Other and the
acquisition of social skills such as tolerance
Finally, the study provides a final chart summarising the inclusive values present in
these Disney-Pixar films. It is believed that this chart can be a valuable analysis tool
for teachers, which allows them to reflect on the films and to analyse them in inclusive
terms. The final chart gives an overview of the previous formal analysis and can work
as a training instrument for teachers in the cinematic field. Each of these inclusive values
is a binary variable that can be present or not present in the films analysed. A third vari-
able was created to indicate that the analysed inclusive value is one of the main themes in
the film. Hereunder is the table that will be used to develop the formal analysis (Table 1).
6. Formal analysis of Disney-Pixar films

6.1. Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings: the frontier between two worlds
The two worlds portrayed in Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings seem to be mirror
images of each other, except for the climate, as in one of them it is always winter,
whereas the other enjoys the warm seasons. The weather is the main difference
between both worlds and, also, the reason for the ban to cross to the other side. The
fairies are physically adapted to the temperatures of their side so they cannot cross the
border or they could suffer physical damage. Despite the differences and the ban, the
film depicts an inclusive message from the beginning as can be seen in the narrator’s
words that open the film:
If you have wings to lift you,
and the Second Star your guide,
you’d find a place where all the seasons flourish side by side.
Yet past the Summer Meadow and beyond the Autumn Wood,
lies an icy land of secrets, a world misunderstood.
But if your mind is open and your heart just has to know,
Your wings can take you further than you ever thought you’d go.
The didactic interest of the film is broad as it is an image of our current society where
mobility, crossing borders and migration are habitual. Moreover, the first aim of the
Royal Decree 1630/2006 is to know their own body and that of others, its possibilities
of action, and to learn to respect differences, something that could be worked on with
this film. Also to be worked on is the area of ‘Environmental Knowledge’, which states
that children need to develop attitudes of respect and appreciation to different ways
and cultural manifestations. In this film, there are two opposed worlds where the contrast
of cultures is portrayed, and respect is the norm between both worlds. Disney proposes
here then a positive and sensitive alternative to other cultures, in contrast with the ‘clash
of civilisations’ proposed by Huntington (1996), based on distrust and enmity between
different cultures.
. Includes Cultural Diversity
The film introduces cultural diversity with the representation of two different spaces
inhabited by fairies that seem to be, at the beginning, very different, which are later the
same. Both protagonists have a similar nature; they are interested in crossing the border
and discovering each other’s worlds. They are both border-crossers. In the case of their
friends, it seems to be symmetry between both groups: one of the friends is surlier and the
other friendlier on both sides. However, culturally, they have different customs, pro-
fessional activities and hobbies. At the end of the film, the fairies introduce their
world to the ones from the other side, and there is an exchange of cultures, showing
each other the intricacies of their own. Thus, the film depicts a final sense of reciprocity
and mutual acceptance.
. Introduces Different Races or Ethnicities
Pixie Hollow is presented as a cosy place surrounded by warm colours. In this part of
the world, there is a broad representation of race and ethnicity. Tinker Bell is very pale,
but her friends have different skin tones. On the other hand, there is the winter side,
where the only colours that can be appreciated are white, through the snow that
covers everything, and also some grey and blue tones. The fairies from this side of the
world have black or white hair and their skin is completely pale. In this case, Pixie
Hollow has a wider portrayal of different races.
. Includes Mobility as an Important Issue
The film introduces the difficulties that the two protagonists experience in becoming
mobile characters. They both become migrants and experience the challenges and
benefits of crossing the border between both of their existing worlds. In the end, the
film normalises the situation, portraying mobility as a great possibility to take advantage
of diversity and to know more about the other.
. Displays Border Transgression in the Narrative
Tinker Bell is the first one that crosses the border, due to her interest in what the other
side could offer. Then, her sister Periwinkle transgresses the border. Rushdie celebrates
mobility and border-crossers, claiming that ‘the journey creates us. We become the fron-
tiers we cross’ ([2002] 2003, 77). The girls become more open-minded as they cross the
frontier. Thanks to them, at the end of the film, all the fairies cross from one side to the
other and the ban is abolished. Crossing the border is one of the main issues in the film,
as it is a representation of our society in which strict boundaries are established between
nations. The film proposes solutions, such as opening the frontier, face global problems
together or interacting openly with the Other to enhance our cultural knowledge.
. Portrays Moments of Openness where Two Cultures are Reunited with Each Other
The characters of Tinkerbell and Periwinkle manage to create moments of openness

between their nations, due to their open mind and desire to learn about other cultures
and places. In some way, the local encounters the global and new cultural models take
place (Delanty 2006). Moreover, in order to keep her twin sister ‘cold’ in her warm
world (so she is able to cross the border), Tinker Bell builds up a snow-producing
machine. However, when this machine starts malfunctioning, the production of snow
increases leading to climate change. The danger creates a moment of openness and col-
laboration in the fairies’ world. For the first time, all of the winter fairies cross to the other
side in order to frost the Pixie Dust tree so that it can survive the freeze. With their help,
they save the tree, so in a way, they save their world, now a common one.
. Awakens Cultural and Intercultural Awareness
The film presents a real situation: two countries divided by a border and a ban to cross
to the other side. The message is clear ‘let’s set aside our differences and work together for
a better world’. It awakens intercultural awareness through reuniting the two different
worlds and portraying moments of openness.
6.2. Zootopia and its inclusive message

Zootopia was welcomed by critics. The film journalist, Desowitz (2017), affirmed that
‘as difficult as it was to believably create an anthropomorphic society shared by pred-
ator and prey alike, it was even harder to convincingly capture the zeitgeist of fear,
prejudice and inclusion’ (1). Furthermore, Zootopia characterises the real world’s
diversity from the first moment. Inclusive moments are constantly portrayed in the
text, in which different environments and types of animals interact. This can help
the students to develop the area of ‘Self-Knowledge and Personal Autonomy’, which
indicates that they need to learn how to respect for differences, accept the identity
and characteristics of others, and avoid discriminatory attitudes (Royal Decree
1630/2006). In the film, discriminatory actions are portrayed at the beginning, with
prejudices and segregation, but they are rejected at the end as its detrimental effect
on society is demonstrated. Now, the inclusive values presented in the film will be
explained and justified.
. Includes Cultural Diversity
The city of Zootopia is characterised by its diversity, including cultural diversity. This
film celebrates diversity and recognises the challenges connected to it and the many
prejudices to overcome. It also shows a variety of animals from every habitat that
exists, all comprised in the same Global city, composed of different communities with
different identities, cultures and customs, as it is the case of communities that live in
the desert, jungle or tundra spaces found in Zootopia.
The film features anthropomorphic animals living in a diverse metropolis, where

different species, including predators and prey, must learn to live together in
harmony. Race difference is one of the main topics of the film, in which, despite the
wide variety of animal races, they have found a way to cohabit together in the same
place. However, borders between them are established from the beginning of the film.
Only at the very end they are transgressed.
. Includes Mobility as an Important Issue
One of the main points of the film is the influence of mobility in our globalised world.
The little bunny is considered a migrant inside the global city, who is out of place, and
this is one of the reasons why her classmates reject her. At the beginning of the film, she is
constantly encouraged by her family and friends to stay safe living in her village, but she
decides to fight for her dreams and moves to the city.
In today’s society, borders are being progressively established inside cities, as a conse-
quence of the increasing flow of migrants towards the metropolis. Thus, big cities become
not only microcosms of a global world, but actual borderlands, constantly crossed by
fluctuating borders, exclusions and exchanges. Anzaldúa ([1987] 1999) distinguishes
between border and borderland. A border is a physical line that divides two territories,
whereas borderlands ‘are physically present whenever two or more cultures edge on
each other, where people of different races occupy the same territory, where under,
lower, middle and upper classes touch, where the space between two individuals
shrinks with intimacy’ (19). Zootopia can be considered one such borderland, one
which includes the city’s multiculturalism while at the same time witnessing the prolifer-
ation of various types of borders between its citizens. The city is divided into different
neighbourhoods separated by borders (even big walls) between them, with a different
type of species living in each territory. These borders are constantly challenged by the
performance of the protagonist, Judy, and her sidekick, Nick, who are themselves
from very different backgrounds.
. Deals with Difference in an Open Way
The film deals smoothly with the stereotypes and prejudices that are presented in our
reality: difference, preconceived notions of others, fear from the other or racial profiling.
The fox and the bunny are two natural enemies in the film; and even so, they work
together to solve the case, and help each other to save their lives mutually. Finally, the
fox joins the police office, and they work together as a team. This is very revealing as
it portrays the differences, problems, and opportunities it disentangles.
. Encourages an Empathic Understanding of the Other and the Acquisition of Social

Skills such as Tolerance
The film introduces a new kind of society, not only focused on the local but coping
with the global. It reproduces the common problems that this change might bring,
such as distrust, fear, prejudices, and at the same time tries to break with stereotypes
and portrays an incredibly tolerant relationship between the rabbit and the fox.
During the film, Judy tries to fight against the discrimination that she and other
animals suffer, constantly refusing to let anyone else dictate who she is or what she is
able or not to do. Furthermore, the mantra of Zootopia, ‘Anyone can be anything!’, is
developed with different features of inclusivity throughout the film. At the end of the
film, Judy recognises that life is more complicated than ‘a slogan on a bumper sticker’.
Moreover, her final discourse inspires everyone to be more inclusive:
No matter what type of animal you are, from the biggest elephant to our first fox, I implore
you … try, try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognise that
change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us.
This is a positive lesson for tolerance and empathy.
6.3. Monsters Inc. and race diversity

Race diversity is the main theme of Monsters Inc., as ‘virtually every citizen of Monstro-
polis is unique’ (Leight 2010, 20). The film sees difference as an opportunity, not as an
obstacle. It ‘complicates the very idea of abnormality in a manner that gently invites
the audience to reconsider social assumptions about difference and barriers; it turns
the idea of monstrosity upside down by positioning the audience member as the
“monster”’ (Leight 2010, 22). In the Spanish Royal Decree of Education, the area of
‘Self-knowledge and Personal Autonomy’ indicates that the students must learn to recog-
nise their individual characteristics and those of their mates in order to develop non-dis-
criminatory attitudes (476–477). The teacher might use the different gender, race and
cultural features of the students to promote respect and acceptance. This film could
help to introduce the theme of ‘difference’ and could trigger a debate about these
themes. The inclusive values from the film will be analysed in the following paragraphs.
The whole film is about celebrating diversity. In that sense, ‘difference’ is here featur-
ing individuality. It introduces ‘Monstropolis’ as a mirror world of our world and tries to
portray how all of us are different in one way or another. Analysing the film, Freeman
writes that ‘the very encounter between monsters and children in the bedroom reifies
appearance as the most useful measure of difference’ (2005, 86–87). The film does not
go into stereotypes for being physically different, as every monster is unique in its appear-
ance; this is an outstanding message in inclusive terms.
In this film, there are two different worlds connected, in this case, by doors. The border
between them is transgressed each time that a monster goes into the human world to scare
a child. Moreover, when Boo crosses to ‘Monstropolis’, she is in a totally strange world
where she has to avoid being discovered. The main border is transgressed at the end of
the film. This is not a physical border, rather a metaphorical one, as they discover that
laughter provides more power than fear, so they never scare children again.
. Deals with Difference in an Open Way
‘Monstropolis’ is a world that finds it ‘natural’ to provide accessibility to everybody

type (Leight 2010); there are no racial stereotypes in this world. There are no specific
physical characteristics that make you better or worse, and there are no racial or ethnical
issues that condition the lives of the characters. In the human world, there are children of
different races portrayed.
‘Difference’ is a problem during nearly the whole film between ‘Monstropolis’ and the
human world, but in the end, this problem is solved, and monsters and children are not
scared of each other anymore.
. Portrays Moments of Openness where Two Cultures are Reunited with Each Other
The first moment of openness happens when Boo and Sully are reunited and, despite
their differences, establish a wonderful friendship. Moreover, the end of the film is itself a
moment of openness because monsters never again use screams to generate energy, but
they discover that laughter is more powerful, so they make children smile. It is an
approximation between both worlds and a way of portraying inclusion between two
different cultures.
. Encourages an Empathic Understanding of the Other and the Acquisition of Social

Skills such as Tolerance
The whole film deals with the acceptance of the other and portrays Sully and Mike as
the savers because they are the ones who interact with the other and discover the truth of
their company. They treat Boo with affection and create an emotional attachment with
her. In the end, the film offers a glimpse of hope for empathy and tolerance between
the two worlds, as Sully discovers that love and laughter are better energy providers
than making kids scream.
7. Inclusive values chart

The following chart has been designed to summarise the central inclusive values pre-
sented in each of the films already analysed. As has been mentioned before, the eight
inclusive values were drawn from cultural theories about globalisation and inclusion
in the twenty-first century society. This instrument aims to be an effective didactic
device designed to help teachers to choose from a variety of Disney films which focus
on aspects related to inclusion so as to help them to reflect on the narratives and
implement the best option in their classes (see Table 2).
✓ means that it is strongly present in the film and

❖ means that it is the main inclusive theme portrayed in the film.
Table 2. Chart displaying the inclusive values of the films.

Tinker Bell and the Monsters,
Inclusive values Secret of the Wings Zootopia Inc.
Includes cultural diversity ✓ ✓
Introduces different races or ethnicities ✓ ✓ ❖
Includes mobility as an important issue ✓ ✓
Displays border transgression in the narrative ❖ ✓ ✓
Deals with difference in an open way ✓ ✓
Portrays moments of openness where two cultures are reunited ✓ ✓
with each other
Awakens cultural and intercultural awareness ✓
Encourages an empathic understanding of the Other and the ❖ ✓
acquisition of social skills such as tolerance
8. Conclusion
This study looks at three twenty-first century Disney-Pixar films from an inclusive per-
spective in order to explore the possibilities of these texts to promote inclusive education
in the second cycle of Infant Education. Its intention draws from the premise that it is
possible to deal with racial and ethnic stereotypes working with inclusive values from
childhood. Disney films have been chosen as an artefact that can help children relate
to life outside school, as the company is present in the lives of many young children
and adults, and life inside the school, where there is a need to adapt our practices to
outside reality. The company has progressed with time, and throughout the twenty-
first Century, Disney films have incorporated topics related to difference, tolerance,
race, interculturality, mobility and migration. This is a strong reason for studying the
underlying themes in Disney Pixar films in relation to themes involving inclusive
education.
Through a formal analysis of the films, the research has brought to the fore the inclus-
ive values embedded in Monsters Inc. (2001), Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings
(2012) and Zootopia (2016). These films are valuable resources to study the themes, iden-
tities, skills and attitudes of inclusivity, rather than using the viewing of films as a time-
filling activity. Within the analysis, a range of the inclusive meanings in the films, and
how they attempt to give the audience an inclusive message, has been portrayed.
There are some specific scenes of the films that portray inclusive moments, moments
of openness to the other and fruitful encounters with different cultures, races and ethni-
cities that could help students to be more open-minded and to encourage them to be
interested in other cultures and different people.
The interest of this research is located in proving that the three films selected have the
potential to introduce inclusive education, as there are some specific themes that appear
in most of them, such as the portrayal of border transgression, cultural diversity or the
empathic understanding of the other and the acquisition of social skills such as tolerance.
There is also a main inclusive value present in each of the films. Firstly, there is a powerful
representation of border transgression in Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings, where
the border separates or reunites two societies depending on the moment of the narrative.
Secondly, there is the encouragement of empathic understanding of the Other and the
acquisition of social skills such as tolerance, with the inclusive message that the film Zoo-
topia portrays with its multi-racial animal global city. Finally, Monsters Inc. deals with
race and ethnicity openly, helping to teach about the positive aspects and the possibilities
of diversity. With all the topics that developed throughout their narratives, the films
chosen are of great value for the Infant classroom from the perspective of inclusion.
A further contribution of this study is the presentation of an analysis tool which sum-
marises the elements of inclusive education for teachers. In that way, they will be invited
to reflect on inclusive values in the films used in their lessons. Ultimately, this critical
analysis will lead practitioners to use films with an established and fruitful purpose
and not as a time-filling activity. In this sense, the analysis tool facilitates teachers the
task of selecting appropriate films before developing a lesson plan with the selected
inclusive values.
Moreover, there is no register of studies that deal with twenty-first Century Disney-
Pixar animated films from an inclusive perspective that explores how some of these
texts can be used in the Infant Education classroom in order to promote inclusive edu-
cation, so it could be the beginning of a whole compilation of educational research
studies.
To sum up, inclusive education is necessary for today’s world, in which differences are
a constant subject matter. More specifically, inclusion should be worked since childhood,
as students are at the stage of developing their identities and the process of differentiation
from others. Finally, Disney films are a highly appropriate tool to introduce inclusive
values in the classroom and connect life inside school with life outside school.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributors
Ana Virginia López-Fuentes works as a lecturer at the Department of Education Sciences, Univer-
sity of Zaragoza, Spain. She holds BA degrees in Infant Education and Primary Education, with a
bilingual English-Spanish specialism. Since 2016, after completing an MA in Cinema and Litera-
ture in English, she has been working in film studies. In May 2021 she obtained a PhD in English
Studies from the University of Zaragoza with a dissertation on the potential of cosmopolitanism in
twenty-first-century Disney animation films to promote inclusive education.
Raquel Fernández-Fernández is a lecturer at the Modern Philology Department (Universidad de
Alcalá, Madrid). She holds a PhD on Modern Languages (English Studies). In 2014 she was
awarded the European Language label for the design and coordination of the bilingual project
at Centro Universitario Cardenal Cisneros. In September 2021 she was appointed the Director
of the Master’s studies in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Her areas of expertise are
EFL teaching, bilingual education and the use of literature in FL.
ORCID
Ana Virginia López-Fuentes http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2625-2201
Raquel Fernández-Fernández http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1858-2750
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International Journal of Inclusive Education

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Analysing the potential of Disney-Pixar films for

Ana Virginia López-Fuentes & Raquel Fernández-Fernández

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Analysing the potential of Disney-Pixar ﬁlms for educating

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

1. Introduction and justiﬁcation

CONTACT Raquel Fernández-Fernández raquel.fernandez@uah.es Department of Modern Philology, Universidad

2. Previous works on the use of Disney-Pixar ﬁlms in education

4. Inclusion and inclusive education

4.1. A brief evolution of inclusive policies

4.2. Inclusive education as an intrinsic part of education

5. Methodology for the ﬁlm analysis

6. Formal analysis of Disney-Pixar ﬁlms

. Includes Cultural Diversity

. Introduces Diﬀerent Races or Ethnicities

. Includes Mobility as an Important Issue

. Displays Border Transgression in the Narrative

The characters of Tinkerbell and Periwinkle manage to create moments of openness

. Awakens Cultural and Intercultural Awareness

6.2. Zootopia and its inclusive message

. Includes Cultural Diversity

. Introduces Diﬀerent Races or Ethnicities

The ﬁlm features anthropomorphic animals living in a diverse metropolis, where

. Includes Mobility as an Important Issue

. Displays Border Transgression in the Narrative

. Deals with Diﬀerence in an Open Way

. Encourages an Empathic Understanding of the Other and the Acquisition of Social

This is a positive lesson for tolerance and empathy.

6.3. Monsters Inc. and race diversity

. Introduces Diﬀerent Races or Ethnicities

. Displays Border Transgression in the Narrative

. Deals with Diﬀerence in an Open Way

‘Monstropolis’ is a world that ﬁnds it ‘natural’ to provide accessibility to everybody

. Encourages an Empathic Understanding of the Other and the Acquisition of Social

7. Inclusive values chart

✓ means that it is strongly present in the ﬁlm and

Table 2. Chart displaying the inclusive values of the ﬁlms.

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