CFP The Mouse’s Monsters: Monsters and the Monstrous in the Worlds of Disney (8/1/21; NEPCA virtual 10/21-23/21)

The first of two special calls for NEPCA 2021:

The Mouse’s Monsters: Monsters and the Monstrous in the Worlds of Disney

Joint Session Proposed for the 2021 Conference of the Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association

Sponsored by the Monsters & the Monstrous Area and the Disney Studies Area.

Virtual event, Thursday, 21 October, through Saturday, 23 October 2021.

Proposals due by 1 August 2021.



The Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association (a.k.a. NEPCA) prides itself on holding conferences that emphasize sharing ideas in a non-competitive and supportive environment. We welcome proposals for presentations of 15-20 minutes in length, from researchers at all levels, including undergraduate and graduate students, junior faculty, and senior scholars, as well as independent scholars. NEPCA conferences offer intimate and nurturing sessions in which new ideas and works-in-progress can be aired, as well as completed projects.

For this session, at present, we’re most interested in proposals related to representations of monsters and the monstrous in the traditional Disney brand and to Pixar. Submissions related to more recent properties and acquisitions (for example the Muppets, ABC, ABC Family/Freeform, Saban Entertainment, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Twentieth Century Fox, and Hulu) might be set on an alternate panel. All submissions will also be considered for inclusion in a collection of essays based on the topic.



Potential topics might include the following:

• Adaptations of classic monster stories.
• Aliens.
• Animals as monsters.
• Attractions.
• Bad dreams.
• Communities of monsters.
• Constructs.
• Cryptids.
• Curses.
• Dinosaurs.
• Disguises.
• Disney as monstrous.
• Disney Villains.
• Gargoyles.
• Ghosts.
• Halloween.
• Halloween-themed productions.
• Horror-themed productions.
• Human “monsters”.
• Imaginary creatures.
• Legendary creatures.
• Magical creatures.
• Magic-users.
• Othered individuals.
• Reanimated dead.
• Shape-shifters.
• Technology and monsters.
• Undead/zombies.
• Underworld and other realms of the dead.
• Vampires.
• Weather-related monsters.

If you are interested in joining this session, please submit the following information into NEPCA’s online form at http://bit.ly/PopCFP2021.

• Proposal Type (Single Presentation or Panel)
• Subject Area (select the “Monsters/Disney (Joint Session)” at the bottom of the list)
• Working Title
• Abstract (250 words)
• Short bio (50-200 words)

Address any inquiries to the area chairs: Michael A. Torregrossa (Monsters & the Monstrous) at popular.preternaturaliana@gmail.com and Priscilla Hobbs (Disney Studies) at p.hobbs-penn@snhu.edu.

Presenters are also required to become members of NEPCA for the year.