Thoughts on Children's Media
During last night's class talk rolled around to kid movies and whether the current popular ones are setting up the villain as a likeable sympathetic character and one of the movies used as an example was Maleficent. There was also the statement made that the movies in the 80s/90s were more innocent, examples used was The Lion King and Aladdin. Now it just so happens that I've seen all three of these movies and frankly can't see the huge difference in them that was being put forth.
I admit that I loved Maleficent. Maybe if I'd seen it as a child I would not have picked up on the subtle themes of unconditional love, redemption, revenge discrimination and basically a look at humanity. Maybe but I don't think so, for one kids aren't in general as clueless to allegory as we like to think. Just because something isn't spelled directly out doesn't mean they have no hope of getting it. The villain here was shown as a complex person and yes sympathetic without minimizing the horror of her villainy. Honestly I think the idea that villains are supposed to simply spring forth full grown isn't a new one in children's media, but is it one that should be discouraged. People are complex, good people can do bad things, bad people can do good things and most people fall somewhere in the middle on any given day. If we actually want children's stories to be mirrors of reality as much as stories with talking animals, fairies, and aliens can, then we need to show not only the most positive version of all the characters.
In Maleficent you have a character who starts off a vibrant happy girl and allows betrayal to morph her into an unforgiving vengeful woman and eventually by being given unwavering love learns to love herself and others again. The biggest issue I had with the movie was the lack of a positive male presence. I'd frankly be a lot more concerned about what that is teaching my children than the fact that the main character was both villainous and loveable by turns.
I admit that I loved Maleficent. Maybe if I'd seen it as a child I would not have picked up on the subtle themes of unconditional love, redemption, revenge discrimination and basically a look at humanity. Maybe but I don't think so, for one kids aren't in general as clueless to allegory as we like to think. Just because something isn't spelled directly out doesn't mean they have no hope of getting it. The villain here was shown as a complex person and yes sympathetic without minimizing the horror of her villainy. Honestly I think the idea that villains are supposed to simply spring forth full grown isn't a new one in children's media, but is it one that should be discouraged. People are complex, good people can do bad things, bad people can do good things and most people fall somewhere in the middle on any given day. If we actually want children's stories to be mirrors of reality as much as stories with talking animals, fairies, and aliens can, then we need to show not only the most positive version of all the characters.
In Maleficent you have a character who starts off a vibrant happy girl and allows betrayal to morph her into an unforgiving vengeful woman and eventually by being given unwavering love learns to love herself and others again. The biggest issue I had with the movie was the lack of a positive male presence. I'd frankly be a lot more concerned about what that is teaching my children than the fact that the main character was both villainous and loveable by turns.
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