Special Affects retells the emergence of Disney animation and classical Hollywood cinema from the perspective of affect and the embodied modes of generating affection. The emergence of these media enables new modes of perception that create 'special' sensations of wonder, astonishment, marvel and the fantastic. Such affections subsequently become mined by consumer industries for profit, thereby explaining the connection between media and consumerism that today seems inherent to the culture industry. Such modes and their affections are also translated into ideology, as American culture seeks to make sense of the sociocultural changes accompanying these new media, particularly as specific versions of American Dream narratives.

Special Affects is the first extended exploration of the connection between media and consumerism, and the first book to extensively apply Deleuzian film theory to animation. Its exploration of the connection between the animated form and consumerism, and its re-examination of twentieth-century animation from the perspective of affect, makes this an engaging and essential read for film-philosophy scholars and students.