Dr. Robert Neuman Interviewed by L.A. Times for Article on Disney 100 Celebration

Art History Professor Robert Neuman was interviewed recently by Los Angeles Times Senior Entertainment Writer Meg James for her story on the centennial anniversary of the Walt Disney Company.  The studio’s celebration, called “Disney 100,” received worldwide notice, including the LA Times article, “Disney at 100: Seven Ways Walt’s Company Forever Changed Entertainment,” which appeared in print and online in the October 16, 2023, edition of the Times.  Professor Neuman was quoted multiple times, sharing his thoughts on Walt Disney and the lasting cultural significance of the Disney Company.

The article also cited Neuman’s recent book, From Hollywood to Disneyland: Walt Disney’s Dream Park and the Influence of American Movies (McFarland, 2022).  For the article, Neuman recommended that Ms. James also contact a pair of his colleagues, Drs. Garry Apgar (Trinity College, Hartford) and Heather Holian (University of North Carolina, Greensboro).  All three began their careers in Early Modern art history, later transitioning to Disney Studies.  They, too, are quoted in the story.

Neuman is a member of the Hyperion Historical Alliance, a select group of Disney historians that publishes a scholarly journal, the HHA Annual.  He is also a member of the global organization, “Disney, Culture, and Society,” which publishes the International Journal of Disney Studies. He was one of 80 speakers at the association’s Annual Conference in June 2023. In late September 2023, the group also hosted a book launch, “In Conversation with Robert Neuman,” which helped bring broader attention to From Hollywood to Disneyland.  Neuman is currently writing a monograph on the live-action movies of British historical subjects that Disney made in England in the 1950s.

Professor Neuman joins Mickey Mouse for character dining at the Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park at Walt Disney World.