Join Vicky Osterweil in conversation with Bill Gleason around her new book The Extended Universe, a provocative history of Disney’s rise to cultural dominance.

In The Extended Universe, Vicky Osterweil takes us on a quest to discover how Disney’s “imagineers” have made it impossible to reflect on the wonders of growing up without thinking of Disney's movies, amusement parks, and merchandising. Drawing on extensive interviews with filmmakers, screenwriters, union organizers, and Disney “adults” alike, Osterweil unearths reactionary political commitments and maleficent legal maneuvers so cartoonishly evil they would make one of Walt's own animated villains blush.

Along the way, Osterweil braids together corporate skullduggery with a not entirely unsympathetic analysis of some of Disney's most famous movies. The result is an entertaining and convincing case that Disney's entire business model has been built upon a ruthless and fanatical insistence on intellectual property rights—from Steamboat Willie to Avengers: Infinity War and beyond!

"Like the very best criticism, Osterweil's book is more than a way to deepen your understanding of the material she dissects – it's a way to deepen your understanding of the world that produced it, and to deepen your understanding of yourself."
—Cory Doctorow  

“Vicky Osterweil pairs blistering cultural criticism with sharp material analysis to reveal the very real dangers of Disney (and its main weapon, IP). From sexless superhero Hollywood hegemony to COVID deaths to the military-industrial complex, Osterweil maps out the Magic Kingdom's proper place as a stronghold of the dark empire of modern capitalism. An essential read for understanding the current moment.”
—Jordan Harper, screenwriter and author of Everybody Knows and She Rides Shotgun

Vicky Osterweil is a Philadelphia-based writer, agitator, and worker whose first book, In Defense of Looting, described historical struggles for liberation in the US. She is a member of the anarchist journal CAW and has written about the intersections of film, politics, and culture for publications such as The Paris Review, Art in America, Al Jazeera America, The Baffler, Dissent, Lux Magazine, and The New Inquiry, where she was also a culture editor for many years.

Bill Gleason is the Hughes-Rogers Professor of English and American Studies at Princeton University, where he teaches courses on children’s literature, popular culture, and media studies.

This event is co-sponsored by Haymarket Books, Princeton University’s Department of English and Effron Center for the Study of America, and Labyrinth Books.

Sponsorship of an event does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented.