Music, Race, and the Human-Animal Divide in Disney's The Jungle Book and The Little Mermaid

Music and the Moving Image 2026

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Authors: Wouter Capitain
DOI: 10.5406/19407610.19.1.02
Cited by: 0

Abstract

Abstract This article analyzes how Disney's The Jungle Book (1967) and The Little Mermaid (1989) use contrasting musical styles to sonically construct the human-animal divide. I argue that by juxtaposing musical styles historically racialized as Black or white, this sonic human-animal distinction intersects with (neo)colonial discourses on racial difference.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Musicology and Musical Analysis Cinema History and Criticism Music History and Culture

Publication details

Journal / source
Music and the Moving Image
Volume
19
Issue
1
Pages
26–42
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN