Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk
9th August 2010, 01:11
I'm talking about animated movies here, but paying specific attention to the Hollywood variety. I am sure that comrades will think of examples of non-animated children's films with similar themes. Monster's Inc is my favourite example.
The workers in this film are oppressed in their workplace in the same way that any workers in the real world are. The company itself can be compared to an energy company, in the sense that it relies on natural resources (in this case, the screams of children) to power their world, but with the aim of profit and not actually providing a rightful service to other monsters.
At the end of the film, the workers have taken control of the company and run in it a cooperative, democratic fashion, and what's even more refreshing is the fact that they find a friendlier and more humane (or monsterly) way to extract power, in this case through the laughter of children as opposed to screams. This whole premise speaks of not only workplace democracy, but also environmental care and well-treatment as a result of the new-found democracy in the workplace. It could be said that this film is very much anti big-business and even anti-capitalist.
I'm not sure of how intentional the themes of class-struggle and alternative energy are in this film, but they are definitely evident and I would actually recommend this film to anyone who hasn't seen it. What other children's films contain this kind of (either intentional or otherwise) pro-worker democracy and environmentalist propaganda? Or any propaganda that is "of the left"?
The workers in this film are oppressed in their workplace in the same way that any workers in the real world are. The company itself can be compared to an energy company, in the sense that it relies on natural resources (in this case, the screams of children) to power their world, but with the aim of profit and not actually providing a rightful service to other monsters.
At the end of the film, the workers have taken control of the company and run in it a cooperative, democratic fashion, and what's even more refreshing is the fact that they find a friendlier and more humane (or monsterly) way to extract power, in this case through the laughter of children as opposed to screams. This whole premise speaks of not only workplace democracy, but also environmental care and well-treatment as a result of the new-found democracy in the workplace. It could be said that this film is very much anti big-business and even anti-capitalist.
I'm not sure of how intentional the themes of class-struggle and alternative energy are in this film, but they are definitely evident and I would actually recommend this film to anyone who hasn't seen it. What other children's films contain this kind of (either intentional or otherwise) pro-worker democracy and environmentalist propaganda? Or any propaganda that is "of the left"?