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I did not think it would take so long to write another book. But perhaps that’s just as well. I’ve learned to appreciate the opportunity more. And I’ve learned to better value the people who’ve stood with me the whole way. Any appreciation for this book must begin with my former adviser, Barbara Klinger. I was a very different scholar when I arrived at Indiana University in 2005; my interests were valid, but narrow. No one played a bigger role in opening my eyes to the larger world of film and media studies out there than did Barb, first as my teacher and then as my dissertation director. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude , but I hope this book will validate her faith in me. Her imprint is on every page, and indeed, on everything I have ever written since I first walked into one of her classrooms. I can think of no better compliment than to say that Barb has been, and always will be, the biggest influence in my career. That said, there is no shortage of individuals at Indiana University for whom I am thankful. This starts with my prospectus and dissertation committee members: Christopher Anderson, Purnima Bose, Karen Bowdre, and Joan Hawkins. I am likewise grateful for other former professors at Indiana whose courses challenged and inspired me: Jane Goodman, Yeidy Rivero, Jon Simons, Robert Terrill, and the late Matei Calinescu, whose recent passing devastated me. Of course, as with all graduate programs, I was lucky to be surrounded by an amazing group of colleagues and friends who motivated and supported me throughout: Mark Benedetti, Jon Cavallero, Amy Cornell, Seth Friedman, Mark Hain, Eric Harvey, Jennifer Lynn Jones, Amanda Keeler, Andrea Kelley , Michael Lahey, Dave McAvoy, Lori Hitchcock Morimoto, James Paasche, Justin Rawlins, Bob Rehak, Kathy Teige, Travis Vogan, and Sabrina Walker. Finally, I am especially grateful to Greg Waller. He was not only a great professor, chair, and friend, but he also gave me his old Ack now l ed gmen t s xii Disney’s Most Notorious Film Uncle Remus record. His thoughtfulness was one of the highlights of my time in Bloomington. Through the years, I’ve given talks based on my Song of the South research here and there. I originally presented my work on Disney fans at the Affecting Representation/Representing Affect Conference at Ohio State University in January 2008. Later that spring, I presented it again at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference in Philadelphia. Two years later, I was back at the same annual conference—this time presenting my research on Ralph Bakshi’s Coonskin in Los Angeles. In between, I had the good fortune to present work from chapter 3 at the Medium-to-Medium Conference at Northwestern University. I’d like to thank the various organizers for putting together uniformly excellent experiences. During my research, I was assisted by Michael T. Martin of the Indiana Black Film Archives, Erika Jean Dowell at the Lilly Library, and the good folks at the Northwestern Microfilm Room. Originally, a version of chapter 6 first appeared in the summer 2010 issue of Cinema Journal. That research benefited from the feedback of the journal’s two anonymous readers, and from the editorial guidance of Frank Episale and Heather Hendershot. On a broader note, I am blessed to be a part of a larger network of friends and colleagues who have been endlessly generous with their time and support throughout the researching and writing of this manuscript: Scott Balcerzak, Scott Bukatman, Robert Burgoyne, Corey Creekmur, Tim Davis, Sarah Delahousse, Steve Elworth, Marilyn Ferdinand, Michael Gillespie, Catherine Grant, Jonathan Gray, Hollis Griffin, Richard Grusin, Sara Hall, Lucas Hilderbrand, Derek Johnson, Selmin Kara, Amanda Ann Klein, Jason LaRiviere, Meredith Levine, Paula Massood, Tara McPherson, Jason Mittell, Roopali Mukherjee, Linda Haverty Rugg, Sean Stangland, J. P. Telotte, Rachel Thibault, Christopher Weedman, Susan White, Mark Williams, and Tony Williams . I would be nothing without them. To those I forgot, I sincerely apologize. It’s been a long several years. I feel, finally, that this book is symbolically indebted to Fredric Jameson. His work on postmodernism was perhaps the most influential reading I ever encountered in graduate school. And every time I return to it, I find even more to embrace. With age, however, I have found myself losing interest in my earlier theoretical ambitions, and instead have become much more interested in being a historian, as this book will show. As...

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