1- Faculty of Islamic Arts, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran
2- Department of Animation and Cinema, Faculty of Art, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran ,safoora@modares.ac.ir
2- Department of Animation and Cinema, Faculty of Art, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran ,
Abstract: (83 Views)
This article analyzes the construction, justification, and redemption of authority in Hollywood animation from the 1930s to the contemporary period. Considering the wide-ranging cultural and ideological influence of visual media, the study seeks to answer how mainstream Hollywood animations have represented and reproduced structures of authority over time. The theoretical framework is grounded in Antonio Gramsci’s concepts of hegemony and consent, and the analysis adopts a historical-genealogical approach to examine the narrative and ideological patterns embedded in animated productions. The research method is a case study with a historical-genealogical orientation, conducted through textual-narrative analysis. Within this framework, selected examples of animated films and series from four historical periods (1930–1950, 1950–1970, 1980–2000, and 2010 to the present) are examined. Findings reveal that representations of authority in these works have evolved ideologically in response to shifting socio-political contexts and challenges, yet dominant hegemonic structures have remained intact. In the early period, authority was promoted through moral and monarchic justification, reinforcing American exceptionalism. During the Cold War, authority took the form of technocratic and global dominance, naturalizing U.S. supremacy. In the neoliberal era, heroic individualism replaced institutional authority, with consent being internalized through the valorization of personal responsibility. In the contemporary period, discourses of diversity and inclusion appear progressive but in practice function as instruments for reproducing pre-existing structures of authority. The article argues that authority in Hollywood animation has not disappeared but rather persisted more effectively through intelligent repackaging aligned with contemporary cultural values. This evolution, particularly in the age of globalization, has rendered hegemonic control increasingly subtle, making it more difficult to recognize and resist. These findings carry significant implications for media, power, and cultural studies by shedding light on how cultural authority adapts to ideological shifts while still maintaining structural continuity beneath the surface of apparent progress.
Article number: 6
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
هنرهاي تجسمي
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