As mainstream cultural products, it is increasingly recognized that movies can influence the way places are perceived, exploited and materially transformed, particularly in tourism development. The relationship between movies and places has been widely explored in geographical research, but the role of animated features is still relatively unexplored. Thanks to its extremely precise geographical connotations, Disney-Pixar’s animated film Luca (2021) is an exceptional case study. The film is set in Cinque Terre (Liguria, NW Italy), an area that in the last twenty years has been affected by over tourism phenomena. By examining how the movie has been received by local institutions, residents and tourists, this paper aims to provide new insights into how such products can contribute to create meaning of places and influence local attractiveness. In particular, the paper focusses on Destination Marketing Organisations’ reactions to Luca’s release and how it was perceived by residents and tourists, by analysing the results of a survey we administered in 2021. The results show the positive impact and potential issues of geographically defined animated films particularly in terms of sense of belonging and authenticity perception amongst insiders and outsiders.

Between authenticity and belonging: residents’ and tourists’ perception of the Cinque Terre (Italy) in Pixar-Disney’s Luca

Stefania Mangano;Pietro Piana
2022-01-01

Abstract

As mainstream cultural products, it is increasingly recognized that movies can influence the way places are perceived, exploited and materially transformed, particularly in tourism development. The relationship between movies and places has been widely explored in geographical research, but the role of animated features is still relatively unexplored. Thanks to its extremely precise geographical connotations, Disney-Pixar’s animated film Luca (2021) is an exceptional case study. The film is set in Cinque Terre (Liguria, NW Italy), an area that in the last twenty years has been affected by over tourism phenomena. By examining how the movie has been received by local institutions, residents and tourists, this paper aims to provide new insights into how such products can contribute to create meaning of places and influence local attractiveness. In particular, the paper focusses on Destination Marketing Organisations’ reactions to Luca’s release and how it was perceived by residents and tourists, by analysing the results of a survey we administered in 2021. The results show the positive impact and potential issues of geographically defined animated films particularly in terms of sense of belonging and authenticity perception amongst insiders and outsiders.
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Articolo finale.pdf

accesso chiuso

Tipologia: Documento in versione editoriale
Dimensione 2.05 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2.05 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11567/1100754
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 1
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact