The magic of Disney manifests in unexpected ways in one unique UCA film course.

Walt Disney: Man/Company/Idea is a FILM 4380 Special Topics in Film Studies course taught by film professor Keith Corson. 

The class is an informal rotation course, which means it’s not offered every semester, but Corson plans for it to be offered once every three years.

This semester isn’t Corson’s first time teaching the course. He last taught the class in the fall of 2000, over two decades ago.

Corson developed the course through a love of Disney and an interest in the effect the company has on people. The course delves into why Disney is so prevalent in culture and the company’s history.

“Going for the first time as an adult was bizarre and I was fascinated by the cultural practice of being a Disney person. For me, Disney was a very marginal part of my childhood,” Corson said. “Seeing the deeply felt emotional attachment people have with the company made me want to critically explore further.”

A diverse set of Disney fans are enrolled in the course; some students have loved Disney since childhood and for others, the class is their first exposure to Walt Disney Company properties. 

Senior film major Grace Smith loves the variety this brings to the class.

“I myself wasn’t raised on Disney but watched several movies growing up as well as some Disney XD. Others in class, however, lived and breathed Disney in their childhoods. It makes for interesting discussions in class,” Smith said.

“For example, when someone would ask Dr. Corson a question and accidentally spoil his following slides, or someone naming the most obscure actors and their entire Disney Cinematic Universe filmography, just for fun,” she said.

Smith decided to take the class after learning Disney history in a previous film course.

“I didn’t realize how much history was behind Disney and just how dark it could get,” Smith said. “I became intrigued, and so I knew I just had to take the class.”

Hayden Mundwiler is a graduate film student who has been familiar with Corson’s special seminars since the beginning of his UCA journey. In the past, he has taken Corson’s Rock Cinema Seminar class.

Corson has also taught courses specializing in Black filmmakers and Quentin Tarantino films.

So far, the class has discussed the early history of Disney films. Mundwiler looks forward to discussing the modern era, including recent controversies the company has faced.

“I will be part of a group giving a lecture about the MCU film ‘Eternals,’ Marvel’s first ‘flop,’” Mundwiler said. “I plan to cover the issues of fans potentially being sexist toward director Chloé Zhao and homophobia for a very brief scene. It appears to be the turning point for the fall of the MCU and the starting point of Florida’s government attacking Disney.”

Students take weekly online quizzes over what they’ve learned in class as well as quizzes over films they’re assigned to watch.

Students also work together in groups to teach the class all about specific films.

Smith and her group were assigned the 1940 movie “Fantasia.”

“‘Snow White’ went before us in class, and the following weeks we went in chronological order of movie releases in tandem with Dr. Corson teaching us about Disney history,” Smith said.

Smith says the group project has been her favorite assignment in the course so far because her group members and content made the project amusing and memorable.

The class has also enjoyed various activities such as playing the Xbox game Disneyland Adventures, competing in Disney trivia and snacking on Mickey Mouse ice cream bars.

“It’s seriously the most entertaining class I’ve ever taken,” Smith said. “I speak for all of my peers when I say, ‘Thank you, Keith!’” 

Senior film major Jerden Howard echoed Smith’s praises.

“I think everyone in the class is having a blast,” Howard said. “It has genuinely been the most exciting and enjoyable part of my semester, and I think most if not everyone in the class would say the same thing.”

Corson said the course “​​provides a parallel history to a century of American cinema while also touching on television history, media conglomeration, globalization, cultural imperialism, leisure industries and politics.”

While most film classes focus on production, Walt Disney: Man/Company/Idea focuses more on history and general knowledge of productions.

Senior film major Brooke Randall said, “The required film lecture courses cover a lot of people and films across the world over the course of film history, whereas this class focuses on the history and growth of Disney as a company.”

Corson recognizes the impact the Walt Disney Company has made in the film industry and beyond. He said the main goal of the class is to educate students on its importance. 

“My hope is that students come away from the course armed with greater context about the company and a resistant engagement with the mythology surrounding Walt Disney.”