How to read El Pato Pascual

About this book

Investigating the reception and reuse of the imagery of one of the world's largest production companies, 'How to Read El Pato Pascual' explores the prevalent presence of Walt Disney in Latin America. Examined through artworks including painting, photography, graphic work, drawing, sculpture and video, as well as vernacular objects and documentary material, the book considers Disney's engagement within Latin America, extending from Donald Duck's first featured role, the 1937 Mexican-themed short 'Don Donald', to the 2013 attempt to copyright the Day of the Dead. The reach and influence of Disney is also examined in a series of commissioned essays drawing on cultural studies, historical research and postcolonial theory. 'How to Read El Pato Pascual' also features a reprint of 'How to Read Donald Duck' (Chile, 1971), an essay by Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart that critiques Disney comics through a Marxist lens as vehicles of American cultural imperialism. The book includes artistic contributions from artists including Liliana Porter, Nadin Ospina, Enrique Chagoya, and Arturo Herrera, as well as written contributions from Jesse Lerner and Ruben Ortiz-Torres, amongst others.