Sinervo1

AnimatingDesire:

Lacan,Deleuze,andDisneyErotica

KalervoA.Sinervo@kalervideokalervo.sinervo@gmail.comApril2011

“Whenyouwishuponastar

MakesnodifferencewhoyouareAnythingyourheartdesires

Willcometoyou”--JiminyCricket

1.Foreplay

InDecemberof1937,WaltDisneyProductionsreleasedtheirfirstfull-length

animatedfeature,SnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfs,throughRKORadioPictures.

Thefilm,basedontheBrothersGrimmfairlytaleSnowWhite,offeredasimple

enoughifsomewhatinexplicablestory:theyoungheroineSnowWhiteisplotted

againstbyevilstepmother,whoisjealousofWhite’sbeauty.Enragedbyhermagic

mirror’sstatementthat“SnowWhiteisthefairestinalltheland,”thestepmother

ordersaservanttotakeWhiteintotheforestandkillher.Theservant,however,

takespityontheyounggirlandwarnshertorunaway,whichshedoes,eventually

findingherwayintothehomeofsevenprospectordwarfs.Furthercutenessensues,

buteventuallyWhiteisfelledbyapoisonappledeliveredtoherbythestepmother

(whoisdisguisedasahag).Ratherthandying,thebeautifulyoungladyfallsintoa

deepsleep,andisonlyawakenedforherperpetualslumberbythekissofaprince.

Rollcredits.

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Inthenearly75yearssince,DisneyStudioshasproducedandreleased

scoresmoreanimatedfeatures,nearlyallinvolvingmagic,love,andahappyending.

Thefilmstendtopatternthemselvesonthissuccessfulformula,andthoughthe

storiesarealwaysdifferent,theyallshareincommontheoneconstantthatmakes

allstoriespossible:want.DesireisthelynchpinofthegeneralDisneyanimated

feature,asitalsoservesasacatalystinnearlyallofhumanbehavior.Thisclaimis

onethatwouldbesharedtovaryingdegreesbyFrenchthinkerandpsychoanalyst

JacquesLacan,aswellasFrenchphilosopherGillesDeleuze.However,thetwo

mightwelllookatthestatement,andmoreimportantlytheDisneycartoonfairytale

feature,fromdifferentangles.LacanwouldviewamovielikeSnowWhiteor

SleepingBeautyorPocahontasandlikelyseeinallofthemthefailureofdesireto

traversethefantasyandglimpsethereal,aswellasevidenceoftheabsenceof

sexualrelationships.Deleuze,ontheotherhand,wouldlikelycomeawayfroma

screeningofBeautyandtheBeastorTheLittleMermaidmuchmoreinterestedinthe

positivedesiring-productionofthemediumitself—thatis,animation.Whereboth

mightagree,intheend,isintheuncoveringoflack—Lacanthroughanexamination

ofcontent,andDeleuzethroughanexplorationoflimitationsimposedbythe

paranoiacmachinesinherenttocapital.Whatevertheimplications,itseemsthatan

appraisaloftheDisneyanimatedfeatureoffersmultipleopportunitiestofindpoints

ofintersectionaswellasdebatebetweenLacanandDeleuze.Consequently,suchan

appraisal—madefromthetheoreticalperspectivesofboththinkers—mayprovide

insightintoadiscussionofthetwoinrelationtooneanother.

2.Love,Disney-style

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ALacanianinvestigationintothecustomsofDisneyanimatedfeatureswould

probablybeginwithafocusonthetypicalromanticrelationshiptobefoundina

Disneyfilm.BytargetingrelationshipsinDisneymovies,wecanseefroma

Lacanianperspectivehowsuchrelationshipsreinforcenotionsoflackanddesire,

andultimatelyLacan’sstatementthatthereisnosuchthingasasexualrelationship.

Tobeginwith,anexaminationofthenarrativesofmanyDisneyfilmsmakes

evidentthefailureofdesiretoconfrontourobjecta.Thefirstpieceofproofforthis

claimcanbefoundbyrecognizingtheaddressingoftaboosinDisney.ManyDisney

animatedfeaturenarrativesinvolvethethreateningoftaboo,whichclearlygestures

towardssexualizedrepression.TakeforexampleTheLittleMermaid.Basedona

HansChristianAndersenstory,Disney’sTheLittleMermaidtellsthetaleofAriel,a

youngandrebellioushalf-woman,half-fishwhodreamsoflifeonland,fallsinlove

withahumanprince,andisluckyenoughtohavehimloveherback.Everyoneof

thesedesiresrepresentssometaboo:Ariel’slongingtoexperiencelifeonthesurface

issimplynotsharedbyanyoneelseinherunderseasocietyandthelovebetween

herandEricisessentiallybestiality;thisisquitesimilartoBelle’slovefortheBeast

inDisney’sBeautyandtheBeast,whichreflectsthetabooofbestialityeveninits

title;furthermore,bothSleepingBeautyandSnowWhitehavestorylinesthatinvolve

amanbeinginlovewithacomatosewoman,whichpointstowardsnecrophilia;the

DisneyversionsofLadyandtheTramp,TheAristocats,Oliver&Company,and

Aladdinareallessentiallyclasswarfarestoriesinwhichstar-crossedloversfight

againstsocietalcasteboundaries;andPocahontasdealswithissuesofinterracial

romance.Alloftheseaspectsreflecttotheperceptiveviewerthepresenceofsexual

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repressionatworkinsocietythroughthesilencingofthatexquisiteexcitementand

fearovertheOther’sdesirethatLacancallsjouissance.InSeminarXX,Lacanasserts

thatrepressionservesasproofthatjouissanceisnot“appropriate”toasexual

relationship:

[If]jouissancecomestosomeone(celui)whospeaks,andnotbyaccident,itisbecauseitisabitpremature.Ithassomethingtodowiththerenowned(fameux)sexualrelationship,concerningwhichhewillhaveonlytoomanyoccasionstorealizethatitdoesn’texist.Itisthussecondratherthanfirst.TherearetracesofitinFreud’swork.IfFreudspokeofUrverdrängung,primalrepression,itwaspreciselybecausethetrue,good,everydayrepressionisnotfirst—itissecond. Peoplerepressthesaidjouissancebecauseitisnotfittingforittobespoken,andthatistruepreciselybecausethespeaking(dire)thereofcanbenootherthanthefollowing:quajouissance,itisinappropriate(elleneconvientpas)…Repressionisproducedonlytoattest,inallstatements(dires)andintheslighteststatement,towhatisimpliedbythestatementthatIjustenunciated,thatjouissanceisinappropriate—nondecet—tothesexualrelationship.(Encore61)

ThispassageilluminatesLacan’spointthatthesexualizedrelationshipisrepressed

becauseitdoesnoservicetojouissance.Extendingthisargument,wecanclaimthat

taboosarerepressedforjustthesamereason:whateverjouissancederivedfrom

taboodoesnotfitwiththeLacanianviewofeitherjouissanceorsexuality.

Accordingly,theseDisneynarrativesdocumenttheeffortsoftaboorelationships

tryingtojustifytheirjouissance,wheneventhejouissanceofnon-taboosexual

relationshipisinappropriate.Furthermore,consequenttoalltheserelationships

beingtaboosisthefactthatallarethereforestruggles.Thisiswellinkeepingwith

theLacanianperspectiveondesire,asaLacanianvantagepointcantellusthatthe

directpathtowardsone’sdesireisalmostalwaysdoomedtofailure.Lacanscholar

BruceFinkiteratesasmuchinhisbookLacantotheLetterwhenhewrites,“desire

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isstructurallyunsatisfiable…Havingisstatic,beingisapursuit”(LacantotheLetter

23).FinkpicksthisopinionupfromLacan’sownÉcritswherewearetoldthat

desirealwayslies“elsewhere,”outsidewhatwebelievetobetheobjectofour

yearnings:

Amanofdesire,ofadesirethathefollowedagainsthiswillintowaysinwhichhesawhimselfreflectedinfeeling,dominationandknowledge,butofwhichhe,unaided,succeededinunveiling,likeaninitiateatthedefunctmysteries,theunparalleledsignifier:thatphallusofwhichthereceivingandthegivingareequallyimpossiblefortheneurotic,whetherheknowsthattheOtherdoesnothaveit,orknowsthathedoeshaveit,becauseineithercasehisdesireiselsewhere;itbelongstobeing,andman,whethermaleorfemale,mustaccepthavingitandnothavingit,onthebasisofthediscoverythatheisn’tit.(Écrits277)

Whatthisexcerptmeansisthatregardlessofwhetherwepursueanobjectforour

owngratification,orifwetrytogratifytheOtherinthepursuitofjouissance,there

willalwaysbesomethingatissuetospoilsatisfaction.Thekeypointisthatitisthe

“discoverythatheisn’tit”whichisperpetuallythethingatissue,i.e.thatweinvent

thepreventionofourdissatisfaction,justasweinventourowndesiresinthefirst

place.Belledreamsofalifeoutsideherlittlevillage,butatfirstfindsithorrifying

andoppressive.Aladdinlongsforrichesandluxury,butfindsthetrappingsof

princehoodtobequiteempty.Disneyfilmsarelitteredwithinstancesofcharacters

achievingtheirhearts’desiresonlytofindthatwhattheytrulywantissomething

else.Andwhileallofthefilm’spresentviewerswithapproximationsofhappy

endings,itisacertaintythatanydirect-to-videosequelproducedwillpresentthe

characterssomedissatisfaction,breakingupthe“static”ofhavinginfavorof

replacingitwiththe“being”ofpursuit—oftenincarnatedinsomenewtaboo.

3.TheCaseoftheMissingDisneyVagina

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Whilethepresenceofthetaboopointstowardsexualrepression,thelackofa

sexualrelationshipisoftensymbolizedintheroleofwhatwecancalltheDisney

Princess.TheDisneyPrincess,thatis,thefemalesubjectofaDisneyfilm,isoften

relegatedtothesidelines,deprivedofagencyandthereforerelegatedthestatusof

the“not-whole”feminine.WecaninferfromareadingofLacan’sSeminarXXthat

jouissanceistheexcessproducedbylack,andthatthefemaleisthislackbecause

sherepresentsasignifierthatcannotsignifyanything:

There’snosuchthingasWoman,WomanwithacapitalWindicatingtheuniversal.There’snosuchthingasWomanbecause,inheressence…sheisnot-whole…“Woman”(la)isasignifier,thecrucialproperty(propre)ofwhichisthatitistheonlyonethatcannotsignifyanything,andthisissimplybecauseitgroundswoman’sstatusinthefactthatsheisnot-whole.Thatmeanswecan’ttalkaboutWoman(Lafemme).

Awomancanbutbeexcludedbythenatureofthings,whichisthenatureofwords…Thefactremainsthatifsheisexcludedbythenatureofthings,itispreciselyinthefollowingrespect:beingnot-whole,shehasasupplementaryjouissancecomparedtowhatthephallicfunctiondesignatesbywayofjouissance.(Encore72-73)

Thismeansthatwomanisnotcompleteuntoherselfbecauseanyjouissanceshe

carriesissupplementarytotrulyphallicjouissance.Therefore,thewomancanonly

offersupporttotheman’sjouissance,becausesheismostoftenthelackthathe

seekstofill.AndbecausetotheLacanian,womanrepresentsalack,thenitis

thereforenaturalforwomantobeexcluded.Thisisquitecompatiblewiththe

customsoftheDisneyanimatedfeaturenarrativeandcharacterization.Letustake

asourfirstexampleDisney’sSleepingBeauty.Thetitleofthisfilmaswellasits

morewell-knownqualitiesareenoughtoshowusthatthetitularcharacterherself,

PrincessAurora,movesherownstorylittle,butaslightlycloserlookatthe

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narrativeisfurtherrevealing.SleepingBeautyopenswithAurora’sbirth,whichis

quicklyfollowedbytheKing’sbetrothalofhertoPrincePhillip.Herthree

dodderingfairygodmothersarrivetoblessher,butbeforetheycancompletetheir

rituals,anevilwitcharrivesandcursesAurora,foretellingherdeathatagesixteen

byprickingherfingeronaspinningwheel’sspindle.Aurora’sroyalfatherasksthe

fairygodmotherstobreakthecurse,butalltheycandoismodifyit:insteadofdying

whenshepricksherfinger,shewillinsteadfallintoadeepslumber,onlytobe

awakenedbyhertruelove’sfirstkiss.Wearenowfifteenminutesintothis75-

minutefilm,withtheentirestoryline’spremiselaidout,andthemaincharacterhas

yettoissueanutterance(andtherewillbeanadditionalthreeminutesofplot

developmentbeforeshedoesspeak).ThisisaperfectexampleofwhatLacanmeans

byexclusion,andthefactthatthekeytowakingtheheroineisakissfromthehero

isaperfectexampleofthewoman’sjouissanceservingonlyassupplementarytothe

man’sphallicfunction.

ThesituationisquitesimilarinSnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfs.Like

Aurora,SnowWhiteisputintoadeepsleepandawakesonlywhenthedashing

princearrivesandkisseshersleepingform,andlikeAurora,Whitegenerally

remainsblissfullyunawareofthedangersurroundingher:sheisthreatened

withoutprovocationandthensavedbythehuntsmanalmostbeforesheevenknows

thatsheisbeingthreatened.Shemovesfromthisman’sarmsintothearmsofseven

moremen,andonlyleavesthemwhensheiswhiskedawaybythefinalman,her

handsome,unnamedprince.

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Takingyetfurtherexamples,inBeautyandtheBeastBelleistradedlike

chattelbetweenherfatherandtheBeast,inTheLittleMermaidArielisrescuedfrom

UrsulabyEric,inCinderellatheheroineisdeliveredfromherlifeofdrudgeryfirst

byherfairygodmotherandultimatelybyPrinceCharming,inHerculesMegarais

resurrectedbythedemy-godfromthedepthsofHades,andinAladdinJasmineis

firstoffereduptomultiplesuitorsandthenfinallysavedbyAladdin’squickwit.

EvenTheLionKingtakesthisconceptofthenot-wholefemininesubject,powerless

andobliviouswithoutthemasculinesubject,andfindsitreflectedinnature,

showingthatmanyfemalelionscannotstanduptoonemalelionbecausetheir

functionistohunt(supplementthemale),notfight.Torebelagainstatyrannical

alphamale,aprideoffemalelionessescallsononemalelionandafewofhis

bumblingbuddies.AndifwelookintothestoriesoflatterworkslikeMulan,weare

presentedwithawomanwhoneedstodisguiseherselfasamalebeforeshecanuse

anyagency.

AlloftheseexamplesonlyfurtherreflecttheLacanianviewofwomanasnot-

wholeandherjouissanceassupplementarytoman’s.Butthisconceptofthe

feminineincompletesubjectcanbeextrapolatedintosexualityaswell.Inthe

relationshipofthenot-wholefemaleobjectoftheDisneyanimatedfeaturetoher

counterpartmalesubject,anabsenceispresent,justasthereisaLacanianviewthat

whatmarksthefeminineasnot-wholeisherlackofaphallus,i.e.hervagina.What

createsjouissanceinmanishisexcitementoverfillingthewoman’slack,whichcan

beinterpretedliterallyasfillinghervaginawithhisphallus.Becausethewoman

lacksapenis,sheisonlyapartialobject,whichincitesthemale’sjouissance.With

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theDisneyPrincess,however,thevaginaistotallyabsentbynatureoftheDisney

filmbeingrated“G”forgeneralfamilyconsumption.Thisistheothersideof

jouissance,theabjectterrorthataccompaniestheexcitement.Whenpresentedwith

thepartialobject,weareabletoreconcileourselvestoit,butthewhollyobscured

partialobjectisthenightmareinthesamesensethattheimpossiblewholeobjectis

thenightmare.Inordertodealwiththisnightmare,wemustdecidethatnosexual

relationshipexistsinthefirstplace,whichisexactlywhattheDisneyanimated

featuredoes.

Thisbringsustothemainpointofthesection,whichhearkensbacktothe

earlierdiscussionoftaboos.InDisney,thetabooisneverbroken,andthefeminine

subjectisnevermadewhole.TheendingofBeautyandtheBeastseesBellegiven

herhandsomeprincefromthehuskofthebeastlycreatureshedesiredmoments

before,allowingtheirlovetoprogresswithouttheconnotationsofbestiality.In

spiteofthis,consummationremainsabsent.AtthecloseofDisney’sTheLittle

Mermaid,Arielispermanentlytransformedintoahumanbeingsothatshecan

marryPrinceEric,againcancellingoutthepossibilityofcross-speciesromance,

renderingtheirlovesociallyacceptableandnormative;consummationonceagain

goesabsent.BothAuroraofSleepingBeautyandSnowWhiteofSnowWhiteandthe

SevenDwarfsarerousedfromtheirtorporbeforeanythingtoonecrophiliccan

happen,andagainthereisnoconsummation.Disney’sPocahontaspresentsa

greaterchallenge,asthetaboothereistheinterraciallovesharedbyNative

AmericanPocahontasandwhitesettlerJohnSmith.Sothefilm’sconclusionsees

PocahontasremainintheNewWorldwhileJohnSmithreturnstoBritain.Anocean

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separatesthelovers,andobviouslyconsummationoftheirlovemustremainabsent.

OneexceptionwouldbeAladdin,wheretheyoungheroremainsapauperbutis

allowedtohavearelationshipwiththeprincessanyway.Butinthisexample,the

sultansimplyabolishesthelawthatsaysonlyaprincecanmarryaprincess,

effectivelynullifyingthetabooqualitiesofsuchaunion(andagain,consummation

isnowheretobeseen).

Whatalltheseexamplesaretellingofisthatwhilethetaboonatureofthe

typicalDisneyromancerelationshipisindicativeofsexualizedrepressionona

societallevel,thefactthatthetaboostaysunbrokenimpliesthattheDisneyfilm

itselfisrepressed.ThisnotonlyholdswiththeLacanianideaofsexualized

repressioninhabitingeverylevel(becausethereisnorelationbetweenthesexes),

butalsowithLacan’spointthatnomatterwhat,one’s“desireisalwayselsewhere,”

i.e.thatwhatonethinksheorshewantsisrarelywhatonegets,andifonedoesget

it,heorsheimmediatelydecidestowantsomethingelse.

4.DisneyBaroque,DizneyPr0n

Inaway,theabsenceofallthiscopulationgoesbacktopointsmadebyLacan

in“OntheBaroque,”theninthchapterofSeminarXX.“[A]llofthejouissances,”

Lacantellsus,“arebutrivalsofthefinalitythatwouldbeconstitutedifjouissance

hadtheslightestrelationshipwiththesexualrelationship.”(LacanEncore112)

Whatthismeansisthatjouissance,thatferventexcitedanxietyovertheexcitement

oftheOther,isatitscoredevoidofanysexualitywhatsoever,becausewhatthesplit

subjectreallywantscannotbegiven.Lacanfindsampleevidenceofthisinthe

baroque:

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IneverythingthatfollowedfromtheeffectsofChristianity,particularlyinart—andit’sinthisrespectthatIcoincidewiththe“baroquism”withwhichIaccepttobeclothed—everythingisexhibitionofthebodyevokingjouissance—andyoucanlendcredencetothetestimonyofsomeonewhohasjustcomebackfromanorgyofchurchesinItaly—butwithoutcopulation.Ifcopulationisn’tpresent,it’snoaccident.It’sjustasamuchoutofplacethereasitisinhumanreality,towhichitneverthelessprovidessustenancewiththefantasiesbywhichthatrealityisconstituted.(LacanEncore113)

Whatbaroqueartpresentstotheviewerislovewithoutcopulation,nudityand

near-nuditybereftofsex.Becausethetrappingsofbaroquismexhibitsuchstrength

ofdesireandhumancontactwithoutovertsexualityandcopulation,they

demonstratetheLacanianviewthatthephallicfunctionisnotaboutwantingsex,

butaboutwantingobjecta.Lacansubsequentlygoesontosaythat“Nowhere,inany

culturalmilieu,hasthisexclusionbeenadmittedtomorenakedly”(LacanEncore

113),butthebaroquemaybetrumpedonthismeterbymanyoftheDisney

animatedfilms.ThevastmajorityofDisneyanimatedfeaturesareaboutromantic

love,butnowhereinanyDisneyfeatureisclearfornication.Thisgesturestowardsa

gapthattheLacanianviewwouldpositexistsinalldesire;essentially,desire’s

failuretosatisfy.Toaidthisdiscussion,itbehoovesustoexploretheexistenceof

twoDisney-basedmediathathavenoofficialtiestoactualDisneyanimatedfeatures

(andaremostlikelycondemnedbytheDisneycorporation):Dizneyandcomicbook

artistJ.ScottCampbell’srecent“FairyTaleFantasies”calendars.Dizneyis,in

essence,pornographicartofDisneycharacters,usuallyrenderedinthesamestyle

asthatusedintheDisneyanimatedfeaturefromwhichthecharactersaretaken.

PerhapsSnowWhiteishavinganorgywiththesevendwarfs,orCinderellaisbeing

whippedbyherwickedstepmother,orBelleandtheBeastaremakinglovedoggy-

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style.Sometimescharactersfromtwomoviesanimatedinsimilarstyleswillcross

overandJasminewillbedrawnembracingAriel,orcharacterswillbedepicted

engagedinatypeofslashfiction,GeniefuckingAladdinfuckingtheSultan.Itmay

evenbesomethingassimpleasAuroraperformingfellatioonPrincePhillip.

Cinderella&stepmotherviadrawn-sex.com Ariel&Jasmineviatoon-sex-now.org Belle&Beastviatoontoon.com

Whateverthespecificcontent,DizneyisalwaysanattempttoeroticizetheDisney

canonthroughparody.Putasbasicallyaspossible,DizneyiswhatDisneywould

looklike—ifitwerepornographic.

J.ScottCampbell’sFairyTaleFantasiescalendars,ontheotherhand,are

attemptstoeroticizeDisneyfromtheotherdirection.Campbell,apopularcomic

artistwhobuilthisreputationonhislasciviousrenderingsofthefemaleform,took

hispopulardrawingstyleandappliedittothewomenofDisneyanimation.Instead

ofretainingagivenDisneyfilm’sstyleandalteringitscontent,Campbellavoided

overtpornographyinfavoroferoticizingDisneythroughhistechnique.InFairy

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TaleFantasies,nosexactsareportrayed,butallfiguresarenonethelessdepicted

erotically:

Lefttoright:FairyTaleFantasiesversionsofSleepingBeauty,BeautyandtheBeast,andtheLittleMermaid.Allimagesviajscottcampbell.com

ThereasonthatbothDizneyandFairyTaleFantasiesarerelevanttoourdiscussion

ofdesireinDisneyanimationisthatbothareattemptstoaddresstheimpossibility

ofphallicjouissancethatDisneyanimatedfeaturesshowus.Firstly,theyattestto

thegappresentedbythestrangelyeroticizedDisneyanimation.Disneyprincesses

andprincessesaredepictedasbeautifulfiguresintheirownworlds,buttheydonot

representreality.Clearly,theexistenceofDizneyandFairyTaleFantasiesdisplay

thedesirethatcanbeinspiredbyDisneyfilms,buttheyalsodisplaythegapinthat

desire,thefailuretosatisfy.IftheDisneyfilmswereenoughtosatisfythedesire

thattheycreate,outsideconsumersofthemwouldn’tfeeltheneedtoaltereither

thecontentorthestyleoftheminanattempttoeroticizethem.Essentially,these

imagesproducedbyfansspeaktotheurgetoplugthegapbetweenthestrangely

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eroticizedbutnotovertlysexualizedDisneywomen(ormen)andtheunsatisfiable

desirethattheyproduce.Turningbackonthemselves,theseattemptstoplugthe

gap,toresolvetheLacanianfailureofdesire,serveasevidencethatthefilmsare

beingexperiencedasagap.Inthisway,theLacanianmodelofdesiregivesusan

accurateportrayalofwhatisactuallyhappening(or,attheveryleast,whatcan

actuallyhappen)whenDisneyanimatedfeaturesareconsumed.Evenfurther

tellingisthattheseattemptsarealwaysafailure:theydonot,andlikelycannot,

synthesizeboththeDisneyformandpornographiccontentsuccessfully.Eroticizing

eitherthestyle(asFairyTaleFantasiesdoes)orthecontent(asDizneydoes)

perpetuallyfallsshortofproducingsatisfactionortraversingthefantasy.Most

importanttoourdiscussion,though,isthattheproductionofthesetypesofthings

atallmeansthattheDisneyfilmitselffailstofillthesplitsubject’slack.

5.AnAnimatedDiscussionwithDeleuze

Fromthesesections,aLacanianpositiononDisneyfilmcanbesummedup

thusly:whatDisneycreatesisagap.ThedesirerepresentedinDisneyanimated

featuresandthedesiretheyevokeinviewersalloperateonprinciplesoflack.The

lacktheDisneymovieproducesisitsproduct—essentially,webuylackfromDisney.

ForDeleuze,however,thisisallwrong.TheDeleuzianmodelwouldviewaDisney

filmandseetwothings:productivedesiring-machinesandlimitednovelty.Thisis

becausetheDeleuzianperspectivewouldfirsttakeintoaccountthestageupon

whichallofthisisbeingplayedout:animation.Becauseanimationisproduced,

DeleuzewouldseeaDisneyfilmasbeingnotaboutaninherentlack,butinsteadthe

needformoreproduction.WhiletheLacanianmodelhasusmicro-examinethe

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contentofDisneyfilms,seekingouttheircommoncustoms,theDeleuzianmodel

stepsoutsidetoviewthemediumandthesystemofcapitalinwhichthatmediumis

produced.

ForDeleuze,animationisfirstandforemostadesiringmachine.Thismeans

thatthemerefactthatananimatedfilmisproducedisevidenceofatypeof

desiring-production.Seeinganimationasdesiring-productionopensupamuch

morepositivistviewofdesireinDisneyfeatures,andaDisneyanimatedfeatureis

surelyatypeofdesiring-machinebecauseitcanintersectwiththebodyinvarious

ways.Infact,animationisalmostdefinitiveofdesiring-production,asitimpliesa

chainofflowsnotunlikethatofadesiringmachine:

Desiring-machinesarebinarymachines,obeyingabinarylaworsetofrulesgoverningassociations:onemachineisalwayscoupledwithanother.Theproductivesynthesis,theproductionofproduction,isinherentlyconnectiveinnature:“and…”“andthen…”Thisisbecausethereisalwaysaflow-producingmachine,andanothermachineconnectedtoitthatinterruptsordrawsoffpartofthisflow…Andbecausethefirstmachineisinturnconnectedtoanotherwhoseflowitinterruptsorpartiallydrainsoff,thebinaryseriesislinearineverydirection.Desireconstantlycouplescontinuousflowsandpartialobjectsthatarebynaturefragmentaryandfragmented.Desirecausesthecurrenttoflow,itselfflowsinturn,andbreakstheflows.(Anti-Oedipus5)

InthispassagetakenfromtheirbookAnti-Oedipus,DeleuzeandhiscolleagueFélix

Guattariexplainthateverythingthatexistsisproducedbydesire,whichcreatesa

flowtobeeternallyinterruptedandredirectedbydesiring-machines.Inour

discussion,wecanseedesireasleadingtotheproductionofanimation,which

redirectstheflowofdesirethroughitsvariousprocesses,andsubsequentlyflows

thedesiretotheviewers,someofwhomsubsequentlyredirecttheirdesiresintothe

productionofthingslikeDizneydrawingsorFairyTalesFantasiesimages.Instead

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ofviewingtheanimationasagapingvortexofexistentiallack,Deleuzewouldsee

themediumitselfasproduction,asmaking.Thisisoneessentialdifferencebetween

theLacanianperspectiveandtheDeleuzianview:theformerseesthesignifierand

thefailureofdesiretobelocatedtherein,whilethelatterseestheprocess,

experiencingthepositiveproductioninherentinthe“binaryseries”oftheform.

6.CapitalIdeas

EvenmoreimportanttoDeleuzethanthepositivemodesofdesirefoundin

themediumofanimationwouldbethebroaderimplicationsofcapitalandnovelty

hewoulddetect.Infact,DeleuzemightviewtheentireLacanianargumentasjust

anothercaseofparanoiaclimitation.InDeleuziantheory,therearetwotypesof

push:thelimiting,constrainingparanoiacpushandthenovel,univocal,and

expansiveschizoidpush.IntheDisneyanimatedfeatureform,Deleuzewouldfind

bothdrivingforcesatwork,bothparanoiacconstraintandschizoidnovelty.Where

LacanwouldlookattheDisneymovieandsaythattheviewerispurchasinglack,

Deleuzewouldsaythatwhatwearereallybuyingishalfaunitofnovelty.Thisis

becauseeachDisneyanimatedfeatureiscreative(novel)enoughtoentertainand

evencaptivatetheaudience,butsimpleenoughnottochallengetheaudienceinany

essentialsense.TheimportantdifferencesfromfilmtofilmfromaDeleuzian

perspectivewouldbefoundinthecadenceofdifferentactor’svoicesortherises

andfallsofeachnewcinematicscore.ThesearetheschizoiddrivesofDisneyfilms,

becausetheyinvolvedifferencesofproductionanddifferencesofform.Meanwhile,

thoughthesedifferencesmeaneverything,andviewersdolovethem,Deleuze

wouldalsofindacritiqueofcapitalinthefilms,becauseinhisviewcapitalwantsto

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makemoneyratherthanbetterpeople—whichiswhytheDisneyanimatedfeature

straddlesalinebetweenthenovelschizoidandtheconstrainedparanoiac.Dueto

this,thefilmsaremadedifferent,butstopatjustenoughdifferencetomakeviewers

buyaticketratherthanthink.Disneyfilms,withtheirrepetitivestorylinesand

relationshipstructuresconstrainingthevitalityandnoveltyofthedifferent

beautifulvistasinAladdinandTheLionKing,wouldappeartoDeleuzetoperfectly

encapsulatecapitalism.ThisisbecauseDeleuzeviewscapitalismashavingboth

constrictiveandenergizingorvitalisticcomponents:

Thedecodingofflowsandthedeterritorializationofthesociusthusconstitutesthemostcharacteristicandthemostimportanttendencyofcapitalism.Incontinuallydrawsneartoitslimit,whichisagenuinelyschizophreniclimit.Ittends,withallthestrengthatitscommand,toproducetheschizoasthesubjectofthedecodedflowsonthebodywithoutorgans—morecapitalistthanthecapitalistandmoreproletarianthantheproletariat…Whatwearereallytryingtosayisthatcapitalism,throughitsprocessofproduction,producesanawesomeschizophrenicaccumulationofenergyorcharge,againstwhichitbringsallitsvastpowersofrepressiontobear,butwhichnonethelesscontinuestoactascapitalism’slimit.Forcapitalismconstantlycounteracts,constantlyinhibitsthisinherenttendencywhileatthesametimeallowingitfreerein;itcontinuallyseekstoavidreachingitslimitwhilesimultaneouslytendingtowardthatlimit.(Anti-Oedipus34)

Putsimply,capitalismwantstobringusnovelty,whichtendstowardsthelimitsof

theschizoid,socapitalismmustalwaysalsopushbackagainstthisschiziclimitwith

paranoiacconstraint.Putevenmoresimply,capitalismmustwalkafineline.This

isexactlywhataDisneyanimatedfeaturedoes.Intheschizoidview,allmustbe

seenasunivocal,derivingfromandexistingasone.Hypothetically,theschizoid

seeseverythingasconnected,andaschizophreniccanpaintapictureinwhich

everythingandanythingthateverhasbeenorwillbewillimplyorisimpliedby

anythingandeverythingelse.Theparanoiacdrive,ontheotherhand,breaksthings

Sinervo18

downintopartsthatmayormaynotevenrelatetooneanother,parsingout,

compartmentalizing,structuring,ordering,andcategorizing(thoughoddlyenough,

theparanoiacdriveisitselfinasenseunivocal,becauseitsuncheckedprogress

parsesandcompartmentalizestosuchanendlessextentthatit,inessence,

totalizes).Similarly,theDisneyanimatedfeaturebothproducesandlimitsdesireat

thesametime,runningtheenginesofbothdesireproductionthroughandthe

constrictionofdesirethroughpredictabilityand“safe”content.TheDisneyfilm,

afteritscapitalisticfashion,needstohavequalitiesthatarenovel,alive,vital,and

interesting,butnottoonovel,alive,vital,andinteresting.Consequentlyitvacillates

betweentheschizicfosteringofdifferenceandparanoiacconstrictionofdifference.

Thisideaofschizoidandparanoiacdrivesastheypertaintocapitalcanalso

beappliedtothingslikeDizneyandFairyTaleFantasies.WhiletheLacanian

perspectiveonconsumer-producedDisneyeroticaisthatitisthereturnofthe

repressed,theDeleuzianwayoflookingatthingswouldseethemasthefreeplayof

schizoiddesirethatsuchobjectsasDisneyanimatedfilmsthemselvesmighthave

takenweretheyconstrainedbytheparanoiacbackpushofcapitalism.Inthe

Deleuziansense,thedesirous,sexualcomponentsofDisneyfilmsarenotrepressed

becauseofagapindesire,butbecauseoftheparanoiacmachinesinherentto

capital.

7.ClimaxPoints

Everythingelsetakenintoaccount,itisfurtherimportanttonotethatthe

Deleuziancampwouldfindtherealproblemtobeoneoflimitation.ForDeleuze,

thesexualcomponentoftheDisney-desire-repressionexplorationwouldbeonly

Sinervo19

oneaspectthatislimitedandconstrainedbythecapital’sparanoiacmachines.

Othersmightincludevibrancy,phenomenalresonance,andemotionalengagement.

Thisfinalquality,likethesexualizedcomponentsofDisneydesire,canbepushed

andconstrictedaccordingtothelogicsofcapital.Capitalism,Deleuzemightsay,

doesn’tliketogiveusmoviesthatoverlyengageusinanyway,beitsexual,

emotional,intellectual,orotherwise,becausetobesoengagingonanyoreverylevel

theschizicmustbepushedtoofarandtheparanoiacdoesnothavethechancetocut

outenough.Amovieconstrainedbycapital,whichDisneyanimatedfeaturesmost

certainlyare,canonlygosofaronanyregister.Theregisterthathasbeenthemost

importantforacontrastofDeleuzeandLacanistheregisterofdesire,andinthis

discussionhasoftenbeensexualdesire.ButthisisexactlytheproblemthatDeleuze

wouldhavewiththepsychoanalyticdiscussionofDisneydesire,thesameproblem

Deleuzehaswithpsychoanalysisingeneral:ititselfisconstrainedbyitsfocusonits

owndiscourseofphallicfunctionanddesirethatitendsupbeingreductive.

Deleuzebelievesthatpsychoanalysiscanexplaineverythingwhilesimultaneously

missingeverythingbecauseithastooperatewithinitsowndiscursivepracticesand,

liketheparanoiacdrive,breakseverythingdownintocomponentparts.Deleuze

looksatLacanandseesacorrectviewpoint,butonelimitedbyitsownboundaries.

Sowheredoesthisleaveus?Intheend,delvingintothestructuresofdesire

tobefoundinDisneyanimatedfeatureshasbeenrevealinginseveralways.To

beginwith,theexplorationhasshownusanessentialdifferencebetweenLacanian

methodsandDeleuziantechniques:Lacanianthoughtprocessesfocusinonone

aspectandgodeep,muchthewaytheanalystismeanttofocusonanyone

Sinervo20

utterancefromtheanalysand,becauseitmaybetheutterancethatisakeyslip.

Deleuzianthoughtprocesses,ontheotherhand,stepbackfromthecontentto

examinethecontext—ofthemedium,andthesysteminwhichthatmediumis

produced.Itseemsthatthetwotacksarequitedifferent,buttheremaybeapoint

ofsynthesisthathasbeenglossedover.Thissynthesispointisfoundinthedesire

itself.Earlierinthisdiscussion,wepositedthatsubject’sobjecta,thetrueobjectof

thesubject’sdesire,isalwayselsewhere.Thisisnotcoincidental;thesubject

manufacturesreasonstokeepondesiringandkeeponpursuing.Thisisn’talltoo

differentfromtheDeleuzianviewofdesireasproductive.Itmaybeasmallpointof

intersection,butinadiscussionthatrevolvesarounddesire,itisasignificantone.

Finallythen,itseemsthatwhetheritisAladdin’syearningtoberichandhave

Jasmine,theanimator’slongingtocreatealastingworkinfilm,theconsumer’s

ambitiontoeroticizeeitherthecharactersortheartstyle,orourdesireinthispaper

tomakesenseofitall—desireisbothproducedandproductive,bothsubjectedand

subjective,atoncecreationandmaster.

“AdreamisawishyourheartmakesWhenyou’refastasleep

IndreamsyouloseyourheartachesWhateveryouwishfor,youkeep

HavefaithinyourdreamsandsomedayYourrainbowwillcomesmilingthrough

NomatterhowyouheartisgrievingIfyoukeeponbelieving

Thedreamthatyouwishwillcometrue”--Cinderella

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