b'Department of Communication ArtsSemiotic Analysis on Disneys ZootopiaHailey E. WilkinsonSponsor: Dr. Nicole Cox In a world where everything is magical, Disney never fails to implement strong messages into their films. The 2016 film Zootopia made headlines and raised awareness to certain issues that are addressed within the film. To understand the message Disney is communicating by including certain things in their film, one must first understand the signs and symbols used to send these messages. The study of signs and symbols to understand their meaning is known as semiotics. Throughout this semiotic analysis, I present research that supports my claim that the creators of Disneys Zootopia contrasted the idea of a perfect world, a utopia, to that of our own where we struggle with issues of sexism, racism, media fearmongering, and hegemony. They further suggest that these issues reflect how and what the media choose to cover and how this dictates how we live our lives by influencing our thoughts. To normal viewers, Zootopia is nothing more than a Disney movie for kids. But those who go beyond the visuals and look deeper into films, notice another world full of examples of how influential the media is and how what they show directly influences our opinions and views on different topics.Ideological Analysis Over Disneys DescendantsHailey E. WilkinsonSponsor: Dr. Nicole CoxDisney is known for its many films where there is a clear indication of who is good and who is bad. In their 2015 film, Disney departed from their typical story and instead created a film that followed alongside villain kids. Disneys Descendants is utilized in this analysis as a form of media that serves to tell the story of villains rather than focusing on the heroes to help create an understanding of how society determines good from evil. Within this analysis, the story of a villain is addressed in order to try and see the story from another perspective. Based on research, inferences are drawn as to why the villain did what they did as well as determining if their actions served a larger meaning to the villain. This analysis challenges what makes a character good and another bad in relation to ideology. Within this ideological analysis, topics discussing how media influences these understandings and how point of view influences our opinion are covered.25'