Movie Analysis: The Incredibles

Movie Analysis: The Incredibles

For this assignment we chose to watch and analyse the movie “The Incredibles”. This movie focuses on a superhero family living in a normal world. Each member of the family has their own superpower and they work together to protect and save the world. This movie shows much more violence than the average family PG rated film. It is a Pixar film and it is one of their most famous movies. The movie shows the family adventure of Mr. Incredible and his wife Elastigirl, and their three kids Violet, Dash and Jack Jack. The movie starts off by showing them as a normal family because all superpowers had been banned from the government, but when things start to go bad and Mr. Incredible get asked to help save the day he goes back to his superhero ways. Then he gets in trouble and his family has to come in and save him by using their superpowers. This movie shows a lot of weapons, destruction, violence and explosions. The Incredibles could be very confusing to children watching because of the limitations that young children have when processing media content. The children in this show go their whole life as they know it as normal kids, they are unaware that they have super powers until they have to save their dad. This could be confusing to kids because, like the characters, the viewers of this movie live normal lives without super powers. It could confuse kids by making them think that they could develop super powers if their family needs them. Children process this so differently when they view it at a young age. They are normalized to the violence they see because it is violence that is being used for good. Since super hero’s are using violence to achieve good and save the world than kids are more accepting of it.

When kids of different ages view this movie they have very different reactions. Younger children have a harder time understanding that you can not develop superpowers. They are more likely to believe that superpowers and superheroes are real and that they are going to come save the day. They normalized violence throughout the film because the characters have superpowers. “Fistfights are also a common means of communication between the good guys and the bad guys. Dash and Violet scuffle with each other during dinner, prompting Mom to forcibly rein them in with her super-long arms” (Isaac, 2004). Younger kids are more likely to develop fear from the violence that is shown in this film. They are likely to fear the “bad guys” that are easily identifiable throughout the movie. Older kids, on the other hand, have a better grip on what is realistic and what is not. The older kids get the more they are able to understand that this is just a movie and it is unrealistic not likely going to happen. This movie is suitable for all ages but the effects it has on fear reactions for different ages is noticeable. Younger kids have a harder time seperating fanatsy and reality, so it is harder for them to understand the idea of superheros and supervillians.  

“The Incredibles” has multiple depictions of violence that can have a lasting effect on young viewers. Some of the most prevalent displays of violence in the film were how the villain, “Syndrome” killed many superheroes, and the Incredibles family constantly used violence to attack their opponents. There was also heavy use of weapons, even in the opening scene which included a high speed car chase with a shootout (watch here). The film constantly has scenes of violence, whether it is physical violence like hitting, punching, or throwing things at others, as well as violence in their language use. Dash’s teacher refers to him as a, “guilty little rat”, they refer to a character as, “the fat guy”, and Mr and Mrs. Incredible are displayed fighting and yelling at each other which frightens their children. While the language used in the film is not inherently bad, children can pick up on the habits that are displayed, which include this negative language in not being able to converse without yelling, or referring to someone’s weight.  An additional scene that could impact children negatively is when Dash was sent to the principal's office after being accused of putting a thumb tack on the teacher’s chair. However, because he is insanely fast, he was able to get away with it in the video clip the teacher had since you can't see him move to put the tack there. This can be problematic for children, because since Dash is a young child like them, and is displayed as an attractive character to viewers, they will be more likely to model his behaviors. Also, when his mom brings up at the dinner table what Dash had done at school, his father asks, “Wow how fast were you going?”, and his facial expression changed to an excited look. The social cognitive theory says that modeling of behaviors is aided when there is an attractive perpetrator, and whether there is a reward or punishment. While Dash was not necessarily rewarded for the violence, he was not actually punished which can show young viewers that they too can get away with their actions. 

Another main component in media violence for children is if they perceive their to be reality in the situation it will affect their behaviors and thoughts. Perceived reality is an intervening variable where viewers are more likely to pay attention to things that they perceive as real, especially for younger audiences. Since the characters in this show are portrayed as normal human beings who go to school and work, and aren’t supposed to use their powers, the perceived reality will be greater for this film. Overall, the film portrays violence in a glorified way as the characters constantly use all types of violence and are not punished for it. Since young viewers are very susceptible to media effects, it can be detrimental for young viewers to view this film without co-viewing that can explain to them that in the real world people would be punished for their action and it is not acceptable behavior. 

            Although “The Incredibles” is a popular children’s film, due to all the glorified violence, there can be major potential health effects on children’s behaviors and attitudes. Gentile and Bushman (2012) found that the best single predictor of aggression in elementary school kids was past aggression, followed by violent media exposure. After viewing this movie, young children will have more aggressive attitudes and behaviors which is a serious public health issue.

The movie “The Incredible” has a lot of lessons to take away from after viewing.  Definitely one of the most important ones is the importance of family that the movie portrays.  All throughout the movie, we see instances of the family sticking together and always looking out for one another no matter the circumstances that might be at hand.  This is a can be a crucial thing for young kids watching the movie to learn because if they are able to see that message and receive it then their family life will be a lot better.  In the scene where the Incredibles land on the island for the first time to save their dad, we see Elastigirl, Dash and Violet in a cave waiting until morning to start searching for Mr. Incredible.  Elastigirl decides that she wants to go explore the island before they do anything so she makes Dash and Violet stay put in the cave that they are taking shelter in.  Before she goes she stresses the importance of how they need to watch over each other and make sure that each other is safe.  This is very important for the little kids watching especially if they have siblings.  The lesson in that scene will teach them that they should always keep their siblings safe no matter what, while also teaching them to listen to their parents.  Most likely when little kids are watching the movie they will be watching it with their parents which will hopefully make them appreciate the message that is being portrayed.  Kids at a young age are like sponges and they take in every bit of information that is given to them.  So if this movie can get the importance of family across to their young viewers then that will make them appreciate everyone that is in their lives and make their bonds stronger.

Overall, The Incredibles is a very famous children's movie that has strong effects on its viewers. This movie stresses the importance of family, which can influence developmental perspective of small children. It shows a strong family that is filled with superpowers. Depending on age, children reactions to the violence shown in this movie would be different. Younger kids are more likely to be scared from the violence depicted in this film because they are limited in how they process media and have a hard time deciphering reality from fantasy. This movie is very attractive for kids because it is action packed and filled with attractive models. The Incredibles has proven to be a very influential movie for children.   

References:

Bird, B. (Director), & Bird, B. (Writer). (n.d.). The Incredibles [Video file].

Farrar, K. (2017). Media Violence. [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from https://lms.uconn.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_1218841_1&course_id=_27516_1

Gentile, D. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2012). Reassessing Media Violence Effects Using a Risk and Resilience Approach to Understanding Aggression. American Psychological Association . doi:10.1037/a0028481

Isaac, S. (2004, November 29). The Incredibles | Movie Review. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from http://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/incredibles/

Knight, E. (2015, December 13). The incredibles Opening Analysis. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENItuSY3vK8

Movie Analysis: The Lion King

The Lion King VHS tape was a staple in every childhood home around the world from the 1990’s until the early 2000’s. Since this era, we’ve upgraded from rewinding tapes for what felt like hours on end, to binge watching five Disney's original animated movies in a row on Netflix, but the messages and images shared with children in these movies remain the same.  Since this film was released in 1994, children everywhere have been enamored with the story of Simba, a young and zealous lion cub who runs away from home after falsely believing he was responsible for his father, Mufasa’s, death. Along the way, he meets Timon and Pumbaa, a pair of misfit friends who help him to find certainty in himself and his legacy, reunite with his friend Nala, and eventually take over the Animal Kingdom, which is rightfully his. While this is generally a very inspirational plot in which children can take away important lessons on friendship and ideals such as “Hakuna Matata”, there are clear hurdles in fully comprehending this plot when looking through a developmental lens.

To begin, there is a clear issue in comprehension for young children when it comes to the anthropomorphic nature of The Lion King. Research studies, such as those conducted by Wilson on children and media violence, show that young children are unable to understand the severity of violent acts committed by media characters that are not human and, for that reason, are more likely to imitate these behaviors. (Wilson et al., 2002) Some violent acts that are more likely to model are scenes such as Rafiki hitting Simba on the head very firmly with his walking stick, the roughhousing nature of Nala and Simba’s greetings with one another, or the battle between Simba and the hyena (shown here). If children are more likely to emulate behaviors shown by likable, anthropomorphic characters, then actions like these in The Lion King are particularly dangerous for children to view in terms of their own personal well-being in play and other activities. Additionally, the anthropomorphic characters could lead children to recreate various behaviors that aren’t violent, but still potentially dangerous. For example, in the “Hakuna Matata” scene, all three of the characters are shown consuming bugs and other questionable creatures. Very young children, who are the target age range for this film, would not be able to view these acts as potentially dangerous to their health which could lead them to mimic the behaviors and have to deal with consequences that the characters themselves don’t.

Another element of this film that could be potentially harmful to young children is the visually frightening nature of many of the “bad” characters in the film. It is common practice to make the villains in children’s programming aesthetically displeasing, as young children are most frightened by visual stimuli, but many of the settings, such as the hyena caves and the elephant graveyard, could scare younger viewers to the point of distracting from the plot. (Farrar, 2017) Again, the villainous characters, such as Scar and his band of hyena counterparts, all are visually very scary, especially considering their coloring, haphazardness, and intense features. This could leave a very negative impression on young children and potentially cause prolonged fears associated with animals into their adolescence.

Lastly, the emotional range needed to comprehend the various aspects of this film are also far beyond that which a young child, even up to age 10, might not have yet developed. Notions such as Simba’s guilt regarding his father’s death, Scar’s betrayal of his family, or self-doubt in if Simba has what is needed to be a good king, are emotionally complex situations involving contradicting thoughts and actions that may be beyond the understanding of children. (Lapierre, 2015) Given that they can’t understand the depth of the relationships these characters have and, therefore, the motives behind their actions, the themes that emerge from this film may not be received by a young audience. Individuals pull from their own experiences and those of their peers to comprehend themes in media, meaning that the understanding of this film may be more feasible to a more adolescent audience than very young children. Knowing all of this information, it is clear that while The Lion King is an entertaining film, the dangerous behavioral modeling coupled with the lack of experiential schemas may make this film too complex for an audience of young children and should be recommended to slightly older children, over the age of 10, in order to safely watch this film and receive the most positive messages from it.

References

Farrar, K. (2017). Fear Reactions and Media. [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from https://lms.uconn.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_1218841_1&course_id=_27516_1

Lapierre, M.A. (2015). Developmental Persuasion and Understanding: Predicting Knowledge/Selling Intent from Children’s Theory of Mind. Journal of Communication, 65(3), 423-442.

Wilson, B. (2002).  Violence in Children's Television Programming: Assessing the Risks. Journal of Communication, 52(1), 5-35.

Movie Blog Post- Mulan

Mulan has a few areas in which media violence, bullying, and emotional understanding come into play. While watching various scenes of the movie Mulan has to go through many violent tasks that a young child especially may be more affected by. There is a scene where there is a fight on a mountain and Mulan shoots a blazing rocket at a glacier to cause an avalanche killing all the men on horses running after Mulan and her counterparts.This is a very violent scene similar to a typical war scene that you would see in a war film. As a young child viewing this, this may lead them to handle conflict more aggressively because the characters in the movie killed off the Huns by pummeling them violently with and avalanche caused by firing a rocket. At the end of this scene the Mushu then explains “You’re the man!, well sort of” insinuating that there is a gender role stereotype explaining that the aggressive behavior Mulan depicted was something only a man could be capable of. As media violence effects and risk factors explain it is more likely that males are more affected by violence due to media exposure this line from the film and specific scene both don’t help to reduce this problem. 

Emotional understanding of violent content and understanding the meaning is prominently associated with the child’s age. A child 2-7 may only be afraid of the violent, emotional, and bully content being presented to them because the characters or scene may look scary. While on the flip side a child to adolescent who is 7-12 may be more affected by the violent content because the conceptually understand why the characters are acting the way the are acting but may mimic that aggression in real life. This violence is also glamorized. During this great battle Mulan never barely breaks a sweat and her aggressive behavior is brushed off afterwards as if it were a normal part of the day. This concept normalizes and tricks kids into thinking that solving differences can be easily solved with violence.

There is another scene where the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is played and Mulan and the other members of the tribe are led through various difficult tasks. I think for most of the movie this idea is vary challenging for kids, especially younger kids because the film flip flops between showing Mulan as a female character who can be “masculine” and complete masculine tasks, but is always brought back to the reality that she is still a woman.  This insinuates that all these tasks she is doing will never be fit or categorizable for women. This ties bullying and emotional portrayals to each other because this reoccurring theme throughout the movie depicts that a woman is less than a man, and men should treat women unequally. Even if in the end the woman was strong, better, faster than the man, she is still discounted for it. For a young child this may be harder to see because they primarily see more abstract images in films. For a bit older child to adolescent this may confuse their thoughts about a woman’s role in typically masculine settings and roles. 

    As discussed earlier, Mulan is about a young woman who disguises herself as a man in order to serve in the Chinese military. With that being said, this movie has several strong and powerful messages, however these messages may be difficult for a child to fully understand. According to the Developmental Differences lecture, younger children are known to be concrete thinkers rather than inferential thinkers. In other words, children are more focused on what is happening, as opposed to why it is happening (Farrar, 2017). That being said, young children watching this movie may not understand why Mulan has to pretend to be a boy in order to enter the military. This is a complex situation where children may not realize that at one point in time, women were not allowed to enter the military. This may lead to a misperception of reality because it may cause them to believe that only men are allowed to serve their country. In addition to not being able to fully comprehend the underlying complexities of the film, children are also at risk of potentially adopting dangerous health behaviors. According to Gentile and Bushman (2012), the best predictor of aggression in elementary school children is past aggression followed by violent media exposure. Therefore, this is something important to consider, as children who have been aggressive in the past should not be exposed to Mulan or other violent media.

Mulan contains several scenes that would be considered violent and dangerous. In the battle scene Mulan is faced by the Huns who are all holding swords, charging at the Chinese military. In order to prevent the Huns from attacking her fellow troops, she launches a fire rocket into an avalanche which then takes out all of the Huns. According to the Media Violence lecture children who even view a firearm can prime aggressive thoughts(Farrar, 2017). This is also something important to consider. Due to the fact that Mulan is seen as the protagonist of the film, her actions are viewed as heroic and are not demonstrated as a dangerous act. This may be misperceived by children, as they may think that they can also partake in violent acts in order to “fight off the bad guys.” This poses the concern for modeling, as children are said to model figures who are depicted as attractive and heroic (Farrar, 2017). Another concerning scene is when Mulan’s true identity is exposed, and as a result her leader Li Shang, pulls out his sword to kill her. Fortunately, he did not follow through with his punishment, as he claimed that he owed her, her life because she saved his. However, if it were not for this reason, she would have been sentenced to death. That being said, this is a very serious matter, as children may think that it is okay for men to kill women who disobey their rules.

The Disney Classic Mulan is not considered a “scary” movie. But depending on the age of the child watching, it could invoke a good amount of fear. Mulan is a very progressive Disney movie for its time, depicting a young woman who disguises herself into a man in order to save China and become a war hero. The movie is set in the 600’s. Developmental differences can influence the way young children process Mulan as opposed to older children. Age groups 7 through 12 and 13 up are more frightened by realistic threats. Since Mulan is set thousands of years ago in China, any child 7 years and older could put together the fact that this setting is much different than the one they live in. China during this time was in conflict with the Huns, so understanding that we are currently in modern, peaceful time America helps control fear reactions to the fight scenes in Mulan. On the other hand, 2-7 year olds would be scared of the fighting scenes in Mulan. This age group is more prone to being scared of visual images, whether realistic or fantastic, that are naturally scary. The Huns are depicted as huge, dark-eyed grizzly men that growl their words. A 2-7 year old would be scared of this cartoon image even though it is clearly not real and could not possibly come into contact with someone who looks like that in reality. Another visual that may frighten a young child is when mulan starts bleeding after being swiped with a sword, and then faints. Mulan being a cartoon in general would not hold back a 2-7 year old from being frightened by it. Another difference in fear reactions to Mulan has to do with concrete to inferential thinking. Younger children think more concretely, focusing on exactly what is happening rather than why it is happening. In Mulan, the fight scenes are a result of years of conflict between Mulan’s side and the Huns. But a younger child might focus on the fight without regards to why they are fighting; this may invoke fear that they may be susceptible to this kind of attack without any preceding conflicts. In general, a main reason younger children may be frightened by Mulan and older children may not be is due to their lack of regulatory competence, or ability to regulate their moods. Older children may feel nervous during these battle scenes, but then be able to remind themselves to not be scared, it is just a cartoon. Younger children do not have this level of control over their mood.

Citations

[Nicole Rey]. (2015, September 19). Mulan-Mountain Fight HD. [Video File]. Retrieved from

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFbybmBbcIU

[xFliiy]. (2006, November 6). Mulan-i’ll make a man out of you. [Video File]. Retrieved from

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64

Gentile, D. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2012). Reassessing Media Violence Effects Using a Risk and Resilience Approach to Understanding Aggression. American Psychological Association . doi:10.1037/a0028481

Farrar, K. (2017, January 24). Developmental Differences. Lecture presented at Lecture in Charles B. Gentry Building , Storrs.

Farrar, K. (2017, January 31). Media Violence. Lecture presented at Lecture in Charles B. Gentry Building , Storrs.

Mulan, by Rita Hsiao (& Others). Walt Disney Home Video, 1999. DVD. 

CGI’s Impact on Fear and Ways to help Children Cope with Fear Responses

The 2016 rendition of Jungle Book retells the classic story of Mowgli, a boy who has been raised in the Jungle. He is raised by Bagheera, a panther, and later with the help of Baloo, a large bear. Throughout the film Mowgli is trying to escape from Shere Khan, a tiger who is attempting to kill him because he believes Mowgli will exploit the animals when he grows up, like the other men from nearby villages have done. Due to the tension between Mowgli and Shere Khan, there are moments in the film where children are likely to experience fear. Not only can these fear reactions be explained, but we will also discuss the best course of action to take when your child does experience fear.

Children have a difficult time overcoming the fact that certain things look scary, regardless of the true nature of the character or setting (Farrar, 2017). Many young children fear Bagheera, simply because he is a panther who looks fierce. For example, in this scene where Bagheera and Shere Khan are fighting, older children may understand Bagheera is fighting to save Mowgli’s life, however younger children are more susceptible to fearing Bagheera due to his aggression.

It’s understandable that young children would fear Bagheera regardless of the fact that he is a kind character, because children ages two to seven years tend to fear visual images, regardless of whether or not they are real or fake (Farrar, 2017). Children ages two to three years often cannot even distinguish that what they are seeing is fake, because they believe what they see on TV is real (Farrar, 2017). Another element that contributes to the fear reaction in slightly older children is the CGI animation of the film. CGI causes the film to impact children who understand  TV as a representation of reality, because these children often still believe the things that look real are real (Farrar, 2017). While older children may be able to distinguish cartoons from reality, the high quality CGI used in this film makes it increasingly difficult for children to understand the film is not real.

One of the best examples of CGI increasing the fear the film induces is by comparing the final fight scene at the end of the film to the 1967 version of The Jungle Book. The most glaring difference is that the 1967 version of the film is a cartoon, and much easier for children to understand as fake. Whereas, the 2016 version looks real, and for children it becomes increasingly difficult to understand that the content is not real.

The best course of action when a child experiences a fear reaction depends on their age. Preschool age children respond best to noncognitive strategies (Farrar, 2017). Noncognitive strategies are essentially distractions that help the child focus on something other than the stimulus that frightened them. Potential activities could include coloring, having a snack, or even covering the child’s eyes. School age children tend to react best to cognitive strategies (Farrar, 2017). These strategies challenge the child to think about why they should not be scared, such as explaining that the content they saw was not real and will not occur in their own life. 

-Elliott Ackroyd, Stephanie Thorell, & Katherine Landrey

Of children, smartphones and pornography....

Recently, the average age of exposure to pornography was 11. That may seem young. Recent research suggests the average age may have now crept down to 9.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Pornography and 9 year olds?

What is driving this increasingly early access to pornography?

Many argue that it is smart phone technology.  Many kids at younger and younger ages now carry smartphones with them at all times. The world of online pornography is privately and readily accessible to them at all time. Gone are the days of trying to steal a dirty magazine.

This article suggests that the dangers of this access are real.

Here's another resources that talks about how pornography can actually change the brain chemistry of young people:

yourbrainonporn.com 

Sesame Street and the Tough Parts of Life

Most of us are familiar with Sesame Street teaching young children about letters and numbers. However, Sesame St. has always had a parallel emphasis on social skills and real world problems and they have not shied away from tackling tough topics in developmentally appropriate ways. The above clip illustrates how the show tackled the real life death of the character that played Mr. Hooper.

Here's another example, from the events of 9/11/2000.

For more, read this article.

Games for Serious Learning

Can a video game function like a class text or a video or movie?  How can we best use games to facilitate learning in the classroom?

This article describes several games that could be used in language arts programs, particularly for high school students.