Aino Isojärvi

I am a Film PhD, animation researcher, Head of Film and Creative Medias at the University of Oulu, and an alumna of University of Kent, UK. I have specialized in various aspects of western popular culture, including cultural history, development of media technology, issues of gender and inclusivity, adaptation and children's fiction, focusing on animated worlds.

In my thesis I examined Walt Disney animated feature films and their representations of family structures and ideologies, concentrating on the contemporary and historicized portrayals of parenthood, paternity, gender and masculinities. Because of the company's pioneer position and influential connections to the Hollywood film industry, a comprehensive narrative and aesthetic, contextualized analysis of 'Disney paternity' concentrating on illustrations of motion, space, and characterization simultaneously reveals various issues concerning the narrative role of fatherhood in the history of Western cinema.

I am fascinated by film history and films as historical artefacts; both as discourses of power and as sociocultural reflections. I have also explored the global commercial context of blockbuster film, the concept of (target) audience, medium specificity, streaming services, merchandising, remakes and fan culture.

You may get acquainted with my thesis Animated Paternity: The History of Disney Fatherhood here:

https://oulurepo.oulu.fi/handle/10024/52717

My current research interests and upcoming research projects include the influence and remnants of vaudeville and blackface minstrelsy in animated videogame culture; animals, critical animal studies, posthumanism and animated violence; and landscapes and setting, topography and animation technology.

I teach a variety of courses related to media, film, and animation studies at the University of Oulu.