Once upon a dystopian time… Audience perception of environmentalism in Disney Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Wall-E

With the growing pervasiveness of environmental problems, research has increasingly turned to the potential of mass-media products to raise the public awareness necessary to collectively address these issues. Situated within this field are eco-cinema studies which point to the possibility of cinematic texts to channel environmental messages to a wide public. The body of films researched includes animated features, which are especially interesting subjects of analysis due to their appeal to both young and adult audiences. Animated features are not only strong in their aesthetics, but also in incorporating educational messages. This study examines environmental messages in Disney Pixar’s Finding Nemo (2003) and Wall-E (2008). As a dominant player in the market, Disney products are especially relevant because they are present in many people’s lives, while Pixar has received widespread acclaim for its animation and original storytelling. The study takes an audience perspective towards Finding Nemo and Wall-E, aiming to answer the research question ‘How is environmentalism in Disney Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Wall-E perceived by audiences?’. First, the depiction of environmentalism in Finding Nemo and Wall-E is analyzed by means of a qualitative content analysis focusing on four themes: anthropomorphism, human-nature relationships, consumerism, and displacement. The qualitative content analysis answers the sub-question ‘How is environmentalism conveyed in Disney Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Wall-E?’. Building on this analysis to construct an interview guide, this study employs in-depth interviews to gain insights into audience perceptions of environmentalism in these films. Eight interviewees selected from Disney audiences were asked about their perception of the four environmental themes and the general messaging of the films. The study reveals that all four themes are present in both Finding Nemo and Wall-E, and that consumerism is presented as a facet of human-nature relationships while anthropomorphism strengthens these two themes. Displacement, on the other hand, diminishes the importance of environmental messages. As a result of displacement, environmental messages were observed but not perceived as key in Finding Nemo. In Wall-E, displacement was more limited as audiences perceived and critiqued the environmental messages more strongly. Specifically, the audience perceived this film as a call to humanity to improve their efforts in restoring the environment. The research contributes to existing theory by bridging the prevalent gap in Disney studies between textual analyses and audience research.