Hidden Messages In Children’s Movies
Movies have a way with presenting messages that we sometimes take for granted or may not fully understand unless there is a super spy facing a relatable villain, a child overcoming a bully, or an orphan child finding his or her place in this world through the most unconventional form of family. Regardless of how, movies are able to speak to us and teach us lessons subliminally. The common themes of friendship, love, and individualism are seen in all forms of movies, but they are especially prevalent in children’s movies. In this analysis, I will explain a few examples of the hidden themes, messages, and lessons children’s movies may be teaching but the expected audience may not grasp upon its viewing.
WALL-E: We Are What We Create
Set in a dystopian future, the viewer follows a trash collecting robot (Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth class). The ideas of this adorable and inspirational movie are that with a little hard work, the world can be healed, and if we aren’t careful, we will be consumed by our consumerism, materialistic, and convenience prioritizing mentality. Four scenes really present these messages: The opening scene of the waste-filled Earth; the scene where WALL-E is sent to the spaceship and he sees the reason why Earth has become a literal dump; the scene where the AI tries to override its master (man vs human) in order to keep the ship from returning to Earth where machines would no longer be needed; finally, the scene where the humans return to Earth, glancing around, afraid of a place that was once their home, while the babies - those that have the least experience at being consumed by convenience, are the ones to begin restoring the Earth. This movie is deeper than the love story between a lonely male robot and a strange female robot. This story - like many other Pixar movies - teach how the little things in life need to be appreciated and not taken for granted. A child may not grasp the full concept of not relying on technology for everything or even, the importance of protecting the environment, but the viewers who are able to look past the obvious scenes in the movie are able to internalize the true meanings the writers of the movie want to establish. Unlike The Lorax and Incredibles 2, WALL-E does not spell out the hidden concerns, and this creates a powerful pull for the viewer who understands the message. We are more likely to remember things that require work rather than something someone spelled out for us.
The Little Mermaid: Teenage Rebellion = No Consequence
Even with the more positive messages children movies want to introduce to their viewership, there is sometimes a disconnect between the intended message and the plot of the movie. Disney movies are known to end with happily ever afters, or at least with all of the introduced problems finding solutions. The Little Mermaid is an example of a hidden message that doesn’t necessarily need to be taught to a younger, more vulnerable generation. The story follows a young (possibly a teenager of 15 and up) mermaid. She is a free and creative soul, wandering around the sea and the sea’s ocean top for all sorts of things that spark her interest. Although the movie portrays her as an adventurer who wants to live her life exploring and learning, instead of being prim and proper like her sisters and father want her to be, there is something that most viewers may overlook.
Without mentioning Ariel’s hoarding problem, the audience members with a sharp eye are able to see three crucial flaws of the heroine of the story. First, she is dissatisfied with her life, ungrateful of the home, family, and privileges she has as being born the youngest of the Sea King’s daughters. Second, she believes in this idea of love at first sight. Although that is a premise most Disney Princess movies followed at the time, it can still be seen as negative today. As we don’t know Prince Eric’s age nor Ariel’s, it is more than a little be creepy that she has such an infatuation with the male. They had never had a conversation, she had only seen his face a handful of times, and he is a complete stranger - a pirate at that! For her to trade her family to even have the chance to meet the guy is beyond reckless, and quite honestly, it is an immature show of hormonal females. Going into the last flaw of our heroine, Ariel’s decision to give up her life (one she has yet to even start living, considering she is only a teen) for a male (one she doesn’t know) makes her selfish, immature, reckless, boy-crazy, and ungrateful - messages we shouldn’t have our young females internalize. A man does not make all of life’s problems go away (in some cases, a man/significant other can make life worse.) Ariel’s impulsive (she was angry at her father), pressured (Ursula - my queen - was rushing her), and love-blind (her only real drive for going to Ursula in the first place was to find a way to bewitch Prince Eric) makes Ariel an example of why we have parents and guardians and rules to begin with. Yes, the guidelines and rules of one’s life can be overbearing sometimes, but rebelling as Ariel did does not make the situation better. Most times it even makes it worse.
To make the movie’s message even more misconstrued is this idea that someone will always come to protect you from consequences when you are in trouble. Ariel’s father risked his life to save her (Prince Eric too, but that was his own choice.) Ariel was saved and then, after the entire lesson was seemingly learned, King Triton granted Ariel her wish. The entire end scene sets this idea that if a child (a young female) throws a temper tantrum and apologizes (though Ariel never did), the child will not only be forgiven, but will also be rewarded. Yeah, children’s movie are a dangerous collection of story ideas. If the creators of the movies aren’t careful, they could end up with a The Little Mermaid, or worse, a Cinderella.
There are countless other movies that contain hidden messages and meanings such as Meet the Robinsons’ “family comes in all forms,” and Incredibles 2’s “the technology we create will soon create us; don’t rely too much on easy access and convenience.” One of my favorite childhood movies has multiple meanings within it, and I had never realized. Winnie the Pooh: The Heffalump is a movie that follows Roo, the baby kangaroo, as he tries to prove he is older than how his older friends and his mother see him. He felt out of place being the youngest, and he wanted to make himself seem responsible, mature, and older, so he sets out to capture this creature all his friends claim to be terrible, horrible, and dangerous. The first lesson in the movie is “Don’t rush through your youth.” The audience only has one life to live, so it shouldn’t waste it, trying to desperately be something he or she is not because all his or her peers are. It didn’t strike me how prevalent in life this message is until I watched certain situations around me recently unfold according to this idea. The second message follows Roo’s decision. He, like Ariel, despite warnings from those who care for his well-being, goes on a journey to find this creature that could quite possibly kill him. The next lesson is based on the stories and descriptions Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, and Eeyore were giving Roo about a creature they didn’t know personally and had never interacted with. They called heffalumps dangerous, scary, terrible, and the like, and this is a parallel to how we often view things we don’t know. Because we are unsure of some things, we tend to automatically believe said creature or object is something negative and could harm us. The lesson Roo eventually learned after meeting and getting to know Lumpy (the baby heffalump) is that although they were different, it didn’t mean they couldn’t find similarities to make them friends. The most important message to me in this movie is to try before you judge. Younger viewers may only apply this to making new friends, but it is an important message that we should all use in our everyday lives.
Children’s movies have a profound way of expression different ideas in unorthodox and creative ways. They use completely out-of-the-box scenarios or everyday problems to teach important and necessary lessons to the generation that will ultimately shape the world one day. As children’s movies writers understand who their audience is, they have to be original, inventive, and inspiring techniques, stories, and characters to make their intended messages stick. Children’s movies truly are a not so hidden treasure.
