Pete Docter, the same director who brought you the beloved Disney films, Up, Monsters Inc. and Toy Story, brings the latest Disney Pixar film, Inside Out. “Inside Out is undoubtedly the bravest story that Disney-Pixar has ever tackled together” (Rotten Tomatoes). However, like these previous beloved Disney movies, Inside Out also teaches valuable lessons. The movie starts off with the peculiar question, “Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head?” and follows up with, “What might such psychic events actually look like?” Well this 102-minute film meets these challenges with an eccentricity that is simply eye opening.
Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink have more in common than Molly Ringwald. Stereotypes, different economic backgrounds, and feminism all have some part in these 80’s teen films. The themes are all the same, rich vs poor, popular or unpopular and changing yourself to fit into the ‘norm’.
At a young age, I can recall watching Disney Channel regularly; I remember the countless movies from The Little Mermaid to Zenon. As a child, I saw the ideals being presented, but I did not recognize or understand the message that was being sent through the characters in these movies. I did not understand why I questioned my darker skin tone or four-foot frame or tomboyish ways until I was in my late...
In the 2003 Universal Pictures version of “Peter Pan,” the children are depicted as strong, independent individuals with their own agency throughout a great portion of the film. However, there are numerous examples of interpellation, during which the children fight against and conform to the interpellation of family and society. In the following paragraphs, I will explain how “Peter Pan” is a movie with both interpellation and agency. Also, I will explain how the film is adult-centered in spite of the agency the child characters possess.
There’s something magical about animated movies that can’t quite be captured with a single sentiment. Whether it’s the bright colors of the characters or the mise en scène, the punny humor with the few sly jokes just for adults, or the ability to present complex social topics to a younger audience in an accessible way, you’re suddenly transported to a world that isn’t limited by real life locations or the physical capabilities of actors. This is especially relevant for the movie Zootopia (2016), which – while falling into the category of “just another kid’s movie” – not only displays a modernized look into the animal kingdom but speaks strongly about stereotypes, racial prejudices, and power dynamics between differing social groups.
Pixar’s “Geri’s Game” was a very educational short film and it showed many lessons for the viewers to learn. Short films are a wonderful way to send messages while still making it entertaining to learn. Furthermore Pixar has made many great short films with all different lessons to learn. It also causes you to look for the meaning of the film, which makes you more observant. Overall these films are a marvelous way to advise and enthrall kids and adults of all
From the works of Karel Čapek and Isaac Asimov to the modern day films ‘Ex- Machina’ and ‘I, Robot,’ the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence (AI) has always been a wavering question. Some could say that the fears are nonsense, but they are mostly based on the philosophy that the more knowledgeable a species, the more controlling and violent the species becomes. The philosophy itself is somewhat true - look at the human race; we destroy the habitats of other creatures for our own personal or financial gain. But as for the proposal that a machine could take power over our world, a machine would have to be able to think. But the question of machine based thought has been a question since the beginning of computer science. Not many are proposing
Comedy / Romance movies deal with emotions in a variety of aspects. Overcoming your fears and getting what you want out of life is very important. In the movies The Sweetest Thing, written by Nancy Pimental, and Coyote Ugly, written by Gina Wendkos, both of the main characters are working towards overcoming their greatest fears while making their dreams come true. Even if doing this means making wrong decisions, it always becomes a good learning experience as long as you have friends to rely on.
The brief film, For the Birds, produced by Pixar Films, represents the acts and consequences of bullying. The plot of the film gives the audience the opportunity to take away a very meaningful message from a comical kid’s film. The film presents its message in a way that is manageable to comprehend, because it was meant for adolescent onlookers. However, it does not matter whether someone is young or elderly, For the Birds sends all viewers the same message.
For today’s response paper, I would like to dive into my initial thoughts on the Ebrahim’s article on gender in Pixar movies. In this article, her main argument was to show how Pixar movies often portray female human girls in a demon-child role. More specifically, characters such as Molly from the original Toys Story and Darla from Finding Nemo are narratively and cinematically portrayed as forces of nature that can harm the non-human characters in an ironic twist.
Monsters Inc. is an incredible animated movie (by Pixar Studios, 2001, and directed by Pete Doctor) about monsters working in a scare factory. Proudly, the scare factory – a pillar in the community – is a workplace in a monster world where monsters scare children. Through a high-tech system, doors are brought to the factory that, if activated, allows the monsters to enter the child’s room through the youngster’s closet. The scream produced by the child creates energy for the monster world, so that monsters can do everyday things, such as quickly turning on a light or vacuuming the carpet. However, this is not an easy job because children are extremely toxic to monsters (who tremble when a child is near), and are also becoming increasingly hard to scare. With lessoned screams, Monstropolis (the monsters’ world) is experiencing a scream shortage. Who will save the day?
Walt Disney was a man of many talents. He “was the first to be imaginative, not only with story ideas, but with the adaptation of new technology” (Brody 351). He created many beloved characters that children were able to connect with through his story books and animated films. Along with his success in the literature and the animated world, Disney created a land for all dreams to come true for any youngster; Disney Land. This magical place is made up of “Disney’s nature films and live action adventures” (Brody 351). But with all this excitement, can Disney’s creations be related to positive outcomes in a child’s development? Disney’s stories and films are viewed as harmless on the surface, but when studied, there has been a suggestion of alternate meanings for his stories. In the early stages of life, children are eager to encounter new things and learn from them. This does not advocate that everything a young child, going through the crucial developmental stages of life, is exposed to will be enlightening. There are few positive developmental outcomes a child will gain from watching and interacting with Disney’s beloved character’s; whether it be in a story book, animated film, or a real life event. The negative developments seem to greatly outweigh the proposed positive ones.
Copious amount of people knows about the powerful inspiring film Finding dory. In actuality, Finding dory is the by-product of the movie Finding Nemo; which was initially in theaters thirteen years beforehand. Finding dory is what Kim Edwards expresses in her article. “far more than a subpar cash-grabbing sequel to a beloved family classic, the latest from Pixar provides myriad opportunities to help young viewers reflect on such important issues as disability, difference, family and belonging.” Finding dory is the definition of different. The animation sets forth an adventure worth a lifetime. In Seger’s essay, she states “a hero begins as nonhero; innocent, young, simple, or humble” (336). This movie depicts a different
Today I will be demonstrating my interpretation of change through the movie Up #. Up is a 3D computer animated comedy-adventure film, directed by Pete Docter and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It was released in Australia by Walt Disney Pictures, on the 29th May 2009. Up is about a 78 year old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfils his lifelong dream and completes a promise made to his lifelong love. He goes off on a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds
Where most children’s movies start with a narrated backstory, like in Beauty and the Beast, or a tragedy like in Frozen, this film begins with the creation of a doll. The doll is not ordinary, nor are the hands that build it, as they are almost mechanical in origin. The doll created by these strange hands is revealed to be an exact replica of the film’s protagonist, Coraline, who has recently moved into an old house inhabited by rather strange neighbors. Feeling neglected by her busy parents, who are barely able to tear themselves away from their computers long enough to pay attention to her, Coraline explores her new home. After a short time, she discovers a small, hidden door that seemingly leads to nowhere. That night, the door magically opens. She crawls through into a surreal, parallel world whose occupants mirror those in her own world except for one small detail; they have buttons for eyes. Her “other parents” are the exact opposite of her real ones, as they listen to Coraline and care about her opinions. Their attention keeps drawing Coraline from the real world to the parallel one. She is offered a place in this “perfect” world, but she must become like the other inhabitants. She must replace her eyes with buttons. Horrified by the Other Mother’s offer, Coraline does all she can to escape the parallel world and return to her true home, dull as it may
Disney Pixar’s animated film Inside Out, released in the Summer of 2015, depicts the human brain regarding the different emotions felt. The movie follows a young girl, Riley, who experiences the worst thing that could happen to a girl who has everything going for a developing child soon to be a preteen. This traumatic event would be moving across the country. Although unlike most children’s movie the main character is not the human, but the different emotions such as; joy, anger, sadness, disgust, and fear. Not only does the movie demonstrate the emotional state that comes with moving, it also shows the developmental aspect of emotions as one gets older.