Open Access“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
Author(s) -
Martine Mussies
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
dzieciństwo, literatura i kultura
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2657-9510
DOI - 10.32798/dlk.625
Subject(s) - adventure , perception , psychology , art , sociology , aesthetics , art history , neuroscience
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.