It seems to be a prevailing joke in Rick and Morty that the often-alien antagonists frequently have domestic families and lives that even humanize these supposed antagonists. Even the Freddy Kuger-esque dreamscape killer has a quaint domestic life.
In some ways, it also reminds us that these creatures have stakes too. It parallels in some way to Rick's family man status. Rick, though a sociopathic, self-centered scientist, is also a family man. How does the existence of their domestic lives ultimately cement how chaotic and complex the multi-verse is and mirror upon Rick's domestic life?
This is really interesting, I never thought about it much until now but you are right, they give a lot of antagonists backstories. A good way to look at it in a neutral way is that it promotes the idea "we do things for others." Although Rick is selfish he cares deeply about Morty and his happiness as seen in him killing the Jelly Bean King that sexually harassed Morty. It's an easy thesis to support considering the end of season 1 Rick gives up the Wubalubadubdub phrase when he finds fulfillment in being with his grandchildren. – Slaidey9 years ago
Look at the changes in the Disney princesses throughout the decades. The princesses went from being all white, to finally adding in some other "races." However, most of the princesses even today are of white European appearance. There is a shift happening within the world of the Disney "princess" to where princesses of other persuasions are slowly joining the beloved originals like Cinderella and Snow White. With Tiana, there is finally an African American princess. There are other heroines such as Ariel, Megara, Esmerelda, Pocahontas, and Mulan. However most of these characters could be classified as ethnic whites. This group is a minority in the group of Disney heroines and princesses. Disney is coming out with new movies that are introducing characters from other places in the world besides the European region. Show the changes in the princesses' culture and ethnicities and explain any patterns that have developed. By this I mean to look at the additions to the Disney princess grouping since the 1980s.
The "shift" happened in the mid-90's and it seems like another is happening "now." Is your topic asking to explore the different patterns that have occurred with ethnic princesses since Snow White or just recently? I think this needs clarification. Also does "appearance" also include animation style? Because that too has changed with technological advances. – Cmandra9 years ago
I'm not sure what you mean by "ethnic whites". It's an interesting term, but Mulan is Chinese (Asia) and Pocahontas is Native American (North America). Esmeralda is Romanian, Megana is Greek, Ariel is a fish. Do you mean how light-skinned they are in the films? – Katheryn9 years ago
Ethnic whites are those that look white but are not European. Merida would be an ethnic white. So would Rapunzel. – amandajarrell9 years ago
How does Disney potentially teach kids lessons early in life? Sure there are good and bad things in disney movies, but ultimately, isn't it better for kids to understand these things when they are young rather than having to go through the harsh reality later in life?
I saw you guys speaking about exploring this topic further, based on what I had written in my article. So I'm very flattered that it inspired you to look into it more. Although, I thought you wanted to write an article about this yourself, not offer it up as a topic for someone else to cover? Also, I think the description you've written here doesn't quite remove itself enough from my article, in that it asks basically the same sort of question I asked, and sets the potential writer up for the very same answers and content. It might be more fitting to approach further exploration of this idea by asking people, "In what ways can Disney films, and other animated movies for children, be used to actively teach lessons and morals, rather than just appreciating them as entertainment?" This gives a more specific and different intention for a "sequel" article than what could result in a rehash. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
Be careful with this topic as a similar article has already been written on it! It was my first one actually haha, comparing Disney and Chaplin. It was quite a long time ago, true, but if you could explore the more 'parenting' side and differ from it, that would be better for The Artifice! – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun9 years ago
If this topic has been done already. Perhaps you could branch out into stories in general? Or moral based stories? Or even silly things we tell children about the boogie man.
– Tatijana9 years ago
I want to know more about this topic because I wonder if it the right thing or not. I haven't watched disney channel in a while, but when I see it nowadays, the topics are about dating and other teenage topics that I wonder is good or not for young children who are watching. – sidneylee9 years ago
A different angle for this topic might be the parenting styles represented in Disney movies. For example: Cinderella's stepmother Lady Tremaine is authoritarian and abusive. Ariel's father King Triton is not purposely abusive but definitely authoritarian. Jasmine's dad doesn't really "parent" her since she's an older teen, but he definitely has shades of the permissive parent. Tiana's parents are authoritative but attentive, as are Mulan's. How does each style influence what a character does and how he/she gets along in the world? What do kids learn, good or bad, from watching these parents? Can parents learn anything from them? – Stephanie M.8 years ago
Looking back to cartoons and animated series as an adult can be nostalgic, but it can often make you blush as a passing line of dialogue catches your attention. Animation studios are able to get away with double entendres and subtle adult humor since they mostly work with adult voice actors, and children aren't involved until they consume the product. Is adult humor acceptable in youth programming if the children don't get it? Is it a good way to snag the attention (and viewership) of adults? Or is it wrong to potentially expose kids to more mature themes and subjects? I suggest looking to SpongeBob SquarePants (pre-2002) as well as the Animaniacs, a cartoon that often tested its censors, and Ren & Stimpy, a cartoon that was rehashed for kids as some examples of adult humor in cartoons/kid's shows.
If it's mostly expressed in dialogue, or in a way that children would never get unless they had context, then I think it's a clever thing to include for the adults who are also watching. It allows a show to grow and mature with you (in a juvenile way you could say). Although it's also better if the show is well written in a way that adults can appreciate on a critical level. For me personally, this kind of humor makes a lot of old shows I used to watch more entertaining because they can sometimes get a tad risque. Animaniacs was the king of this concept. Besides which, if any kid already does have context for certain dirty jokes, then letting them hear that joke wouldn't necessarily adversely affect them, because they already know what the joke means. Adult jokes can't teach kids anything outright if they're hidden intentionally to only resonate with adults who get the references. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
I think of it as a courtesy honestly. You grow up watching these shows for one reason, and when you grow up, you can watch the same exact program because you then discover new things to love. I don't think there's anything inherently bad about double entendres in children's programming since there are just as many shows out there without them. If a parent was worried about hidden meanings, they can always watch Sprout or Nick Jr. – moonkid9 years ago
As long as the dialogue is not too confusing for the children, then I think it's alright to add subtle adult jokes into youth programming. Children television series are usually watched with adults (whether it's a parent, relative, or guardian), so the creators like to make humour that can cater to both audiences as long as it fits. I think this happens more with programming catered to middle schoolers though, since I can't recall any double entendres in pre school. – YsabelGo9 years ago
I've actually had this conversation with my dad, and he told me the only reason he could stand me watching Toy Story almost every day of my child life was because of the more adult content in the dialogue. The way I see it, the dialogue we see like that was specifically designed to appease adults, because if they have to sit through a childish movie about toys, they might as well get a few laughs out of it. – brady6729 years ago
Going to the movies was once a family experience--newsreel for adults, a 7-minute cartoon for kids, and a feature for everyone. Animators like the Fleischer Brothers and Tex Avery tried to keep adults in mind in the 1930s (and '40s and '50s for Avery) when making the cartoons that distributors marketed to kids. – drchrisp9 years ago
Nickelodeon cartoons, for sure! And Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network! – Jaye Freeland9 years ago
I think about this a lot when my children are watching Teen Titans. The name itself suggests it's marketed toward teenagers, but I'm not sure that's true; the creators would know that a younger market would be interested, at least. The humor is also borderline - and it's not the language per se, but much of the physical humor - there is a lot of emphasis on the consistently thwarted romantic relationships (Robin and Beastboy longing for Starfire and Raven, respectively), kissing, butt shots, tongues hanging out and eyes bulging when Raven takes off her cloak; things like this make me a little uncomfortable when my young children are watching. Ultimately it is up to me as the parent to make this judgment call, but it's hard without knowing who they are actually trying to market to. – Katheryn9 years ago
The Simpsons has never restrained from making political statements, but what happens when life imitates art? Research and analyze the presence of political commentary in The Simpsons which have made their way back into political commentary.
What are some examples of representations of mental ilnesses/disorders in animations aimed at children? Who exactly are the characters that exhibit certain maneurisms of such things for? Are they for the children to idenify and connect with or for the parents to have an awareness and to help spot any symptoms?
The big example for both it's animation adaptation and book is Winnie the Pooh. Essentially all the characters appear to be diagnosable with specific mental disorders; Eeyore is perhaps the instantly recognisable one with depression, but Poo exhibits symptoms of ADHD, Owl dyslexia and even Christopher Robin with schizophrenia.
Other animated characters that could be mentioned I can think of off the top of my head come from Pixar. There are various examples of depression in the Pixar film universe – Marlin(Finding Nemo, Carl (Up), Jessie (Toy Story) and Wall-E may exhibit some signs of OCD and/or anxiety disorders.
There are plenty of different animations that could be mentioned for this, but the real driving point should be the questions mentioned at the beginning. How can these characters be read in terms of what illnesses they may portray? Who are these representations for? What purpose (if any) do they serve and is it useful?
I feel as though this topic is especially important since the new character released on Sesame Street (or that has been announced to be, anyways, I'm not sure if she's on the show yet). Julia is a puppet new to Sesame Street meant to demonstrate the struggles of autism and help alleviate stigma towards it. Will children identify the character as autistic, or just another puppet? Is she there for the kids or the parents? – Slaidey9 years ago
I think one thing worth mentioning is whether or not the characters were intentionally made for children to identify with or if the character is only speculated to embody that trait. Like the aforementioned Winnie the Pooh characters or Julia from Sesame Street. – Austin Bender9 years ago
I think there are a couple different reasons as to why as to why an artist or author would depict character traits so diversely without singling them down to just one. For instance, to add depth and diversity to the overall dynamics rather than having a variety of essentially all the same character archetypes, by differentiating personality traits, not only does the plot to the overall story thicken, but also the intended audience is no longer targeted down to one specific person or point of view. In doing so, anyone experiencing the show may be able to relate to a certain character that might reflect a certain quality or aspect in their own life and take comfort in that, especially children who are easily influenced and captivated by what they are watching. A young child may not have the capacity to fully understand the psychology behind a character depicted, but this doesn't necessarily mean they are not already processing that information and learning to recognize certain behaviors that they will inevitably learn to recognize in the real world or within themselves. In most animated shows, someone going through a tribulation learns to overcome it all the while taking away a hard earned life lesson, the road to happiness isn't always painted in bright colors. – IsabellasIncendia9 years ago
Don't forget the film Inside Out. I believe there's already been some discussion on how those characters can help children understand mental illness (i.e. sadness governs the mother's head = depression, anger governs the father's = anger issues). I found it particularly striking that the little girl was unable to access her joy and her sadness, so anger pretty much took over. Anger is commonly a cover for other emotions such as sadness. I also thought that it was interesting that the movie demonstrated that there was a place for every emotion... and ALL of them were trying to help the little girl, whether or not we might perceive them as negative. Overall, it really encouraged healthy psychological functioning! – Laura Jones9 years ago
Gobelins and Cal-Arts, two very strong arts institutions (the former in France and the latter in California), churn out some fantastic student films every year. The two have also collaborated on films in the last couple of years, creating great short films such as "Floating In My Mind," while films from Cal-Arts students themselves like "Omelette" are cute and well-made. "Kagemono," another Cal-Arts student film, was even purchased by Disney. Could be a fun thing to look into, as well as an excuse to watch lots of neat short films.
Personally, I love this idea. Pending availability, I might want to actually take this topic on! XD – Kevin Mohammed9 years ago
Analyse aspects of the film franchise and television series that depict the reality of a post-colonial Hawaiian culture. Specifically, how is Hawaiian culture present, represented, and changed in Lilo and Stitch, and what symbols and motifs are present that affect this?
Think about how the history of Hawaii, colonized Hawaii, and post-colonial Hawaii affect the culture. How does the history affect the people, the language, the belief system or morals? And how does that affect Lilo and Nani personally? How do Lilo and Nani represent the Hawaiian culture? How do their words and their actions, reflect the culture? And how does their influence impact Stitch? What does that mean about sharing cultures? – AutamnDarling9 years ago
Love the topic; I look forward to reading the article. – Stephanie M.8 years ago
