It should be noted that there is one prevalent Pixar film that draws upon the concept of personhood but does not utilize a Human as Partner relationship; in fact, The Incredibles is the only Pixar film that focuses entirely on a population of only human characters. However, the idea remains similar: instead of non-humans, the narrative focuses on super-human characters with powers who regardless retain the struggle of isolation and ostracization from the rest of society. Instead of illustrating the conflict for non-humans to be accepted as human, the film depicts how human enhancement and extraordinariness will still trigger equally strong negative reactions of otherization. Although initially revered as heroes, the main protagonists – Mr. …show more content…
In its basic premise, personhood is defined as granting “rights and moral standing not based on someone merely being human, but based on their cognitive ability and the way they behave” (Munkittrick 38). This collection of behaviors can simply be summed up as “personhood”; but, as a moral concept, it is impossible to explain it entirely objectively. However, on the other hand, “personhood” is also not something that most individuals actively think about. Somehow, human beings can identify persons intuitively based on interaction, observation, and experience. Through comparisons of traits and actions amongst people is how “personhood” is most typically judged in modern society; thus, in the case of Pixar, the intuitive identification of personhood through trait comparisons has served sufficient and practical within their narratives (Munkittrick 38-42). This is evidenced through the previously discussed cases of Ratatouille, WALL-E, and The Incredibles: the themes of talent and ambition, love, and family in the respective films serve as testimonials for the idea of recognition of human traits even in non-human …show more content…
The implementation of humane qualities in non-human characters serve as a direct metaphor into real life, proposing the argument that everyone who displays characteristics of a human, regardless of walk of life, deserve the rights and acknowledgement of a person, and that the acceptance of that concept results in compelling benefits for humanity. The stories Pixar has crafted act as stand-in visual illustrations of personhood where worded descriptions fail; implementing relatable characters in non-human forms serve to both address the concept of humaneness while also bringing in qualities familiar to audiences. These films allow society the conceptualized interpretation of how to determine humanism – even without a concrete definition of personhood, it is undeniable to attribute some level of comparison and affirmation to Remy’s talent for the arts, to WALL-E’s compassion towards both human beings and EVE, and to the Incredibles’ idealization of family and moral responsibilities. With their narratives, Pixar has suggested that being human is not necessarily the same as being a person; in acknowledging this concept with the introduction of intellectual and righteous non-human characters, the studio has made a compelling argument that personhood can come from anywhere, and universal inclusivity is an important notion that modern society should
The Mickey Mouse Monopoly documentary reveals the obscure social messages behind the animated films created by the Disney Company. Although we are conditioned to believe that these movies are pure forms of entertainment, further examination has proved that there are hidden messages concerning gender, race and class that Disney is instilling in the minds of children. The speakers in the documentary argue that Disney is extremely political and hides its ideas behind innocence, magic and fun. When masked by features that are appealing to a younger audience, it is difficult to realize these ideas without taking a closer look.
The mouse we all grew up to love and adore, Mickey Mouse, the face of the Walt Disney Corporation, has a racist past. Although he was initially created to become a satirical character, he ended up as the face of racism as well. Sadly, not many are aware of Mickey Mouse’s cartoon shorts, Mickey’s Mellerdrammer and The Opry House, which incorporate blackface in a minstrel and vaudeville show. Considering, that these films were made in the early 1930s, it is not surprising that they contain racist ideals. Thus, this raises questions about Disney’s past. It even makes me wonder if this all started from the creator, Walt Disney, because many assume that “Walt Disney himself was a famous anti-Semite, and under his direction, notoriously racist and sexist films were completed” (Dague 1). For instance, after the Mickey Mouse debacle, films, such as Pocahontas and Peter Pan; contained racist characteristics. Ironically, Disney always reiterates the importance of teaching a moral lesson, so it is quite baffling that they would have forms of racism and cultural appropriation in their films.
What images come to mind as one reflects upon his or her childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the fondest of memories. Yet, for many, mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept off their feet, and lions roar to their royal place in the animal kingdom. Disney films have captivated the American culture for years and have become a pivotal part of popular culture as well as a form of education. However, these films have devoured the youth of America and, in the process; have perpetuated an institutionally racist society based on harsh stereotypes. Minorities are often underrepresented, and even completely left out, of many Disney films such as Dumbo (1941), The Lion King (1994), Aladdin (1992), and
‘The Incredibles’ is an animated Pixar movie that focuses on two of Metroville’s superheroes who are married-- Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl (add more) The government creates a law stating that ALL superpower activities are prohibited. Consequently, they are obligated to conform to a “normal life” in their society and wind up assimilating to suburban life with their children Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. After 15 years of living as a civilian and insurance claims specialist, Mr. Incredible decides to take advantage of the opportunity to live the life of a superhero proposed by a mysterious informant. However, it turns out to be a set-up by an adversary who once idolized him in his years as an adolescent. It’s up to his family to save him and the world from any danger that stands before them. In the movie, there are numerous ways the characters are portrayed as based on their ethnicity and power. The film ‘The Incredibles’ depict and display societal issues through the family’s inherited super powers, stereotypes in the movie, and what society defines a hero as.
Certain films evoke an emotion in you. Whether it being happy, sad, scared or even angry – movies have a way of teaching us new things about ourselves and even the world. I, myself, often find myself trying to piece together what types of roles individuals play within society, regardless of if it is a film or real life. We all have these roles and functions that determine how we will act, what we will do, how we will react, and who we will interact with. These are all things that we want to know about someone, not only out of curiosity but so we can predict how others that do the same will also react. The movie, Divergent, which is based on the three-novel series by Veronica Roth is one that showed me how society functions from a
This movie is a great example to help everyone realize the stereotypes, discrimination, and labels that we give to those around us. Not everyone is the same, and we can't judge them based on who they are or where they came from. In this movie, “Zootopia” has reflected stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. The movie shows that preys are perceived as weak and incapable where it also shows that preys that are small in size such as rabbits are even more discriminated then others. On the other hand, predators are also apparent as dangerous and threatening. Sociologically this explains that race is a group of animals who are aware to share the same biological traits and physical differences because of these observations, individuals make distorted generalizations about the characteristics of an entire social group. More significantly, it affects the attitude they have for the other social group and are used to justify discriminatory
Although the best reasons for “going to the movies” are to be entertained and eat popcorn, understanding a film is actually quite complex. Movies are not only a reflection of life, they also have the capability of shaping our norms, values, attitudes, and perception of life. Through the media of film, one can find stories of practically anything imaginable and some things unimaginable. Movie-makers use their art to entertain, to promote political agendas, to educate, and to present life as it is, was, or could be. They can present truth, truth as they interpret it, or simply ignore truth altogether. A movie can be a work of fiction, non-fiction, or anything in-between. A film is an artist’s interpretation. What one takes away from a film depends upon how one interprets what has been seen and heard. Understanding film is indeed difficult.
In their essay, Gillam and Wooden express their revelation that Disney/Pixar is trying to teach their young viewers a new perspective regarding the characteristics of a male. The authors focus on denoting certain points in Pixar movie plots when the male protagonists underwent character growth and hence became the “ideal” character the audience learned to love. Gillam
At first, The Incredibles is your average superhero story, with the stereotypical good guy- bad guy scenario. Despite it’s simplicity, The Incredibles definitely reflects on today’s society and culture. “Everybody’s special.” super-mom asserts to her super-fast son. Without being able to show off his skills on the track, he replies,“Which is another way of saying that no one is.” Social Darwinism, a concept that was used to justify the Holocaust and white supremacy, states that the “strong” only survive in society, politics, and economy. Nowadays, instead of promoting condescending ideas, we say “Everybody wins!” or “Everybody is special.” or even “Everybody has a hidden talent.”
Disney creates gender roles, racial roles, and white supremacy through socialization within their motion pictures. For example, Walt Disney’s “Snow White”, “Fantasia”, and even “The Little Mermaid” all show females as obscenely beautiful, male dependent and flirtatious creatures who couldn’t save themselves from a Chinese finger trap. Males are the perfectly sculpted rescuers who can be easily wooed by a woman’s body; and these exaggerated roles create a false standard for children and can lead to severely underdeveloped sociological skills. Moving onto the racial roles; in the movie “All dogs go to
The values being represented in this media text can be influential in a negative way. Media texts play a major role in producing and reproducing ideologies (Dines & Humez, pp. 1). Ideologies are how we make sense of the world and put it into context. Although Disney is known for the illustration and projection of positive possessive values and messages through their imagery and symbolism, they are also responsible for the negative illustrations in their imagery in terms of misrepresentation of cultures and races, the generalization and encouragement of racial factors in their
During the last several decades, the media has become a strong agent in directing and controlling social beliefs and behaviors. Children, by nature, can be particularly susceptible to the influencing powers of the media, opening an avenue where media created especially for children can indoctrinate entire generations. Disney movies, like all other media “are powerful vehicles for certain notions about our culture,” such as racism. (Giroux 32). Racist scenes in Disney movies are often identified as simply being “symbols of the time” when the films were produced. Furthermore, Disney racism is often passed over as simple humor, or as a simple guide to
On the surface, Zootopia might appear like a fun, silly Disney movie, but the film actually touches on powerful messages about stereotypes, prejudices, and power in today’s society, especially regarding racial relationships. Zootopia is a film about a world where prey and predators live together in supposed harmony. Judy Hopps, a bunny aspiring to become a police officer, faces resistance from other animals. Similarly, Nick Wilde, a con artist fox, faces social stereotypes that harm his self-image. These two characters work together to solve a missing mammal case, and end up discovering a darker secret: the mayor’s assistant, Bellwether, hatched a plot to turn predators into savages so that prey would finally get recognition in government. The prey, however, are the majority, making up ninety percent of Zootopia’s population, and the predators are the minority, making up ten percent of the population. (Zootopia) Throughout the movie, the viewers are exposed to the stereotypes and discrimination that the prey impose on the predators. Ultimately, this film is a message about the relationships between the dominant and minority groups. Through this prey-predator relationship, Zootopia reveals how the power of language and the dominant narrative results in both harmful stereotypes and unconscious biases.
The Walt Disney Studio’s Diversity Mission Statement is “To create an inclusive environment that is open to all perspectives, allowing us to tell compelling stories in film, animation and music that visually and emotionally reflect our audience worldwide.” “The Walt Disney Studios maintains that the only existing boundaries are those of talent, ambition, imagination and innovation.” (Moore, 2007)
Traditionally, animated films have been made for and consumed by children, with the plotlines and themes being relatively basic and forthright. However, recent years have seen the release of animated films that explore significantly more adult themes and thought provoking ideas. Perhaps the most confronting example of adult themes in an animated film is in 2016’s ‘Zootopia’. The film forces viewers to think about concepts such as racial segregation, nature vs. nurture and the debilitating effect of stereotyping. Although Zootopia features anthropomorphic animals, it is easy to draw a connection between the film’s prey vs. predator narrative and racial divide in our own society.