From Steamboats to Snow White: How the Mickey Mouse Short Films Between 1928 and 1934 Resulted in a Shift from an Abstract to a Naturalistic Animation Style in the Disney Studios

This thesis claims that between 1928 and 1934, technological developments, along with cultural shifts in the acceptance of machines in American society, led the studio away from the abstract style of their silent films toward the naturalism that would work to create the illusion of the fantasy worlds of Disney's full-length feature films.