I rarely watch animated movies anymore, however yesterday I was reminded of their influential significance on children. This was after I decided to put Dumbo on yesterday, while I did some chores. I was immediately hooked by this old Disney classic of which I had not seen since I was very young. I always remember how sad the movie made me, especially when Dumbo is separated from his mother. After watching it yesterday, the movie still had a very emotional and nostalgic affect on me, and I think there's value in that worth considering here.
Walt Disney Studios
Since the creation of television and movies, animation has been a key component of the medium. This is because it is able to successfully target it's colorful illustrations and stories with children. It was Walt Disney who first made the art of animation popular in the late 1930's with his creation of Mickey Mouse and first feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Ever since Walt Disney Pictures have been the staple for top quality animated feature films.
After it's success from Snow White, Walt Disney Studios released a string of successful feature animated films. In 1940 it released it's second major feature in Pinocchio followed by Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi (of which I've yet to see the latter). In the 50s they had another string of successful features with Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty. The studio then began to dip for the next couple decades until it returned to prominence once again in 1989 with the release of The Little Mermaid. This ushered in a new era, known as the Disney Renaissance, of which I grew up with, that saw consecutive successful films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Goofy Movie, Pocahontas, Toy Story, Hercules, and Mulan.
With the release of Toy Story in 1995 a new age of digital animation began, and this is perhaps when these movies began to lose their influential power over me. Nonetheless Disney's success continued into new generations with their new digital format such as Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E, Up, and so forth. And although the illustrations and technology has changed the stories and messages of these films still serve as important influences on the young mind.
The Influential Role of Animations
Cartoons and animation have always best captured the imagination of children. From their colorful illustrations, the characters, the music and sounds, to the story lines, it's always the stuff of fantasy. Both parents and producers alike understand this convenient tool to shape the curious young mind. Therefore it is upon the producers to embed a creative story with real life lessons to shape the mind in a positive direction.
This recipe is quite simple. First they hook the child with an incredible fictional setting so they can capture their imagination; then they introduce some conflict so the young viewer can understand that the world is a complicated place; finally they bring it all together in an optimistic happy ending, so the child can walk away with their hope and innocence still intact. In the end it's the subtle lessons within the story that will forever shape the young mind's subconscious, in a very powerful way. Walt Disney has especially succeeded in this art. In the next post I'll highlight my top 10 films that most influenced me as a child.
Walt Disney Studios
Since the creation of television and movies, animation has been a key component of the medium. This is because it is able to successfully target it's colorful illustrations and stories with children. It was Walt Disney who first made the art of animation popular in the late 1930's with his creation of Mickey Mouse and first feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Ever since Walt Disney Pictures have been the staple for top quality animated feature films.
After it's success from Snow White, Walt Disney Studios released a string of successful feature animated films. In 1940 it released it's second major feature in Pinocchio followed by Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi (of which I've yet to see the latter). In the 50s they had another string of successful features with Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty. The studio then began to dip for the next couple decades until it returned to prominence once again in 1989 with the release of The Little Mermaid. This ushered in a new era, known as the Disney Renaissance, of which I grew up with, that saw consecutive successful films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Goofy Movie, Pocahontas, Toy Story, Hercules, and Mulan.
With the release of Toy Story in 1995 a new age of digital animation began, and this is perhaps when these movies began to lose their influential power over me. Nonetheless Disney's success continued into new generations with their new digital format such as Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E, Up, and so forth. And although the illustrations and technology has changed the stories and messages of these films still serve as important influences on the young mind.
The Influential Role of Animations
Cartoons and animation have always best captured the imagination of children. From their colorful illustrations, the characters, the music and sounds, to the story lines, it's always the stuff of fantasy. Both parents and producers alike understand this convenient tool to shape the curious young mind. Therefore it is upon the producers to embed a creative story with real life lessons to shape the mind in a positive direction.
This recipe is quite simple. First they hook the child with an incredible fictional setting so they can capture their imagination; then they introduce some conflict so the young viewer can understand that the world is a complicated place; finally they bring it all together in an optimistic happy ending, so the child can walk away with their hope and innocence still intact. In the end it's the subtle lessons within the story that will forever shape the young mind's subconscious, in a very powerful way. Walt Disney has especially succeeded in this art. In the next post I'll highlight my top 10 films that most influenced me as a child.
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