“Dashing and daring, courageous and caring”: Neomedievalism as a Marker of Anthropomorphism in the Parent Fan Fiction Inspired by Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears


Abstract

As is already visible in its opening credits, the television series Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985–1991) uses neomedievalism to confirm the anthropomorphism of the titular characters. More than 35 years after this series’ first episode aired, this phenomenon is still easily traceable in the parent fan fiction, online stories about the Gummi Bears, written for children by adults. This paper addresses two seemingly overlooked fields: The Gummi Bears series and the fan fiction it inspired. It shows that this anthropomorphic perception adds new perspectives on human relations with the natural environment and on the treatment of animals, and thus contributes to building the awareness of ecological and animal rights in societies, especially when it comes to future generations.

Keywords

animation; anthropomorphism; children’s television series; Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears; neomedievalism; parent fan fiction

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Published : 2021-12-31


Mussies, M. (2021). “Dashing and daring, courageous and caring”: Neomedievalism as a Marker of Anthropomorphism in the Parent Fan Fiction Inspired by Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears. Dzieciństwo. Literatura I Kultura, 32, 60-83. https://doi.org/10.32798/dlk.625

Martine Mussies  martinemussies@gmail.com
Uniwersytet w Utrechcie  Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0891-8217

Martine Mussies – MPhil, MA, Mmus, BSc, prepares a doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Humanities of Utrecht University (Netherlands) on the Cyborg Mermaid. Contact: martinemussies@gmail.com.






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