Why are children's movies so politically aware

[Broletariat]

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[Ocean Seal]

Because Pixar doesn't make "children's" movies even though they are animated.

[Broletariat]

Because Pixar doesn't make "children's" movies even though they are animated.
I watched them as a child thus they are children's movies.

[piet11111]

I watched them as a child thus they are children's movies.

I watched hellraiser when i was 12 :laugh: cant wait to show it to my 8 year old niece.

[The Dark Side of the Moon]

For fun.

I can't watch it right now, so I have no serious comment

[Tim Finnegan]

VLbWnJGlyMU
Because without identifying of who is in power and isn't, this doesn't transfer into reality in any meaningful way. How else do you think that the United States has spent two centuries running a revolution-fetish and capitalism side-by-side?

[praxis1966]

Moved to L & F.

[Sputnik_1]

the only purpose of children movies is to grow perfect consumers focused on superficial life and with no real values- those kind of people who are not a threat to the system. And a few films maybe, that stand out, are not really communicating much to a kid. The only thing that a kid will learn from that is that he wants a merchandised toy from macdonald's. There actually is not a bad documentary I've seen recently about it (and also advertisement). It's called "Consuming Kids" , I think you can find it on youtube.

[Ostrinski]

This was a good movie.































That is all.

[Aloysius]

Haven't seen A Bug's Life is too long. Might have to watch it tomorrow.

[GPDP]

I liked Antz better. It was more outwardly leftist, and less kiddy.

[Sixiang]

Except Walt Disney. He was ruthlessly anti-communist, fired his workers when they went on strike, and was an anti-Semite.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

There are so many ways you could interpret this film, not just as having revolutionary context of overthrowing the bourgeoisie. Off the top of my head: the grasshoppers are black militants who are attempting to remove the heirarchy system and ensure they get enough resources themselves while the ants, white capitalists, see it as the grasshoppers 'stealing' their food. The ants ensure there are enough docile insects, non-militant and co-operative races, to help them overcome the militant organisations and restore a status quo that props up a ruling elite (the queen).

At the end of the day you've got to remember that in the majority of children's films it isn't the entirety of the working class who profit from the overthrow of tyranny and evil but instead a princess and her hero.

[Zav]

It's just confirmation bias. That same movie is also monarchist. Those things that appear to us references to Leftist concepts are in children's movies because they are clichés and plain common sense. If anything, they are are a bit Rightist. In 'A Bug's Life' the main character is trying to preserve an authoritarian power system from partying invaders who want to take over his colony, so he sets off to serve the system. That really isn't very revolutionary.

[Ostrinski]

Except Walt Disney. He was ruthlessly anti-communist, fired his workers when they went on strike, and was an anti-Semite.Except that he died in 66.

[Sendo]

It's worth noting that some of the themes and the plot were lifted directly from the Seven Samurai. The tone is different. We have a scrappy misfit underdog. It's from only one character's perspective. And in A Bug's Life, the contracted "ronin" are circus performers hired due to a hilarious misunderstanding.

But other than those points, it's the Seven Samurai. Which is fine. Most of what Kurosawa did was adaptations of Shakespeare or a certain Russian novelist.

My point: if you like the arguments made about exploitation and solidarity and the woeful lot in life that peasants have, then check out the greatest film ever made (that I've seen). I know it's as cliche as loving Citizen Kane, but Seven Samurai is popular for a reason.

[Fawkes]

VLbWnJGlyMU

Overthrowing grasshoppers to instill a queen ant as ruler? Not revolutionary.

American (children's) movies nearly always praise individualism and reify sexual/gender roles. What's the last children's movie you saw that featured characters in polyamorous, non-possessive relationships or that stressed communal action over individual action?

If it operates within and can be accepted on the terms of the existing society, it's not revolutionary.

[Rafiq]

Probably anti semitism/communism

Grasshoppers are "jews" ants are (insert eastern european nationality). Ants want to bring back [tzar/fuhrer/etc.] back to power.

[Firebrand]

I love that film. Yes on the surface it supports a monarchical system, the hero gets the princess at the end etc. But that's just cover to keep the people who worry about sales happy. Lets be honest nearly every kids film made has to have some kind of individualist, plucky hero gets the girl theme. The fact that in the end the hero isn't the one that saves the day its all of them standing together is what makes the film subversive. And I reckon kids pick up more from those films than people give them credit for, theres only so radical a commercial film can get away with being, I think they did quite well to get that one through.