Week Two

 Morality

The Jungle Book (1967), Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman

"I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is no answer to delinquency. Preaching won't keep youngsters out of trouble, but keeping their minds occupied will."

- Walt Disney, "Deeds Rather than Words"

In Walt Disney's The Jungle Book (1967), based on stories by Rudyard Kipling, a young boy name Mowgli is raised and shaped within a world full of danger around every turn. His story is about his reluctance to leave such a world and enter what we might call normal, secure civilization. This was the last film Walt himself produced, though he wouldn't live through its completion, and his proclaimed "entertain first, preach second" philosophy didn't stop him from injecting this film (and many others) with definite moral undertones. Children's media has always been seen as an opportunity to present moral lessons, and many of the most memorable media experiences from my childhood are shining examples of that.

The Giving Tree (1964), Written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein

In the same essay quoted above, Walt Disney talks about the importance of exposing children to portrayals of both light and darkness in media. The same must happen to the characters. In The Jungle Book, Mowgli is confronted by danger and temptation on every side. In order to make choices and develop, there is a necessary exposure to evil. Or, to put it more scripturally, and in a father's words to his young son:

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad..."

- 2 Nephi 2:11 

Portrayals of morality can be subtle or overt. Walt Disney's comments serve as an interesting question: what responsibility to we have to include good morals in our stories for children? And to what extent do we expect the kids to "get it," or just be entertained? One of my favorite films growing up also happens to be one of the most barefaced, Old-Testament-punishment-style morality tales I know of for kids, but I'm still not sure if I came away from it having learned anything, or just with a craving for chocolate:

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), directed by Mel Stuart.

Like Charlie's adventure through the factory, Mowgli's reluctant journey for civilized society is very episodic in nature. As they run the proverbial gauntlet they meets a number of distinctive characters and situations that test or challenge him in some way. In the case of The Jungle Book, the climax of the film is Mowgli's showdown with Shere Khan, but the film doesn't have just one solitary villain, and they all have something to teach him in one way or another. If you were so inclined, you might even begin to break down the colored cast of characters Mowgli encounters into, say, embodiments of the seven deadly sins:

Wrath: You have Shere Khan the tiger, who hates man and wants to destroy him at any cost.
Gluttony: Kaa, the cobra, who is driven only by appetite.
Envy: King Louie the ape, who aspires to be like man and have everything he does.
Sloth: Baloo the bear, the friendliest of the bunch, living by the philosophy that what you need in live will just "come to you." Though not a villain by any means, he might be the greatest threat of all to Mowgli, because he represents Mowgli's own desire to shirk responsibility and just stay in the jungle.

If we wanted to force the comparison further we could probably identify an embodiment of pride (like Colonol Hathi the elephant), and perhaps even lust. But the more important point is that each encounter gives Mowgli a chance, doctrinally speaking, to exercise his agency; to transgress and pay the consequences, or to "choose the right" and progress on his quest. As in all morality tales, characters' choices bring about either good or bad consequences. Mowgli's eventual shows of courage and resourcefulness lead him safely to his destination, while the wrath of Khan (see what I did there?) is is downfall--there's room for a William Blake joke in there somewhere, about Tygers burning bright, but I'll wrap this up.

Portrayals of morality in children's media can range from overt, to subtle, to practically non-existent (like in Tex Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood that we watched in class). Questions about what responsibility, if any, we expect from children with regards to the media they see, and what responsibility is expected of the producer's of that media, are ones that I hope to explore further in this class. But teaching and entertainment in children's media need not be mutually exclusive. We only need to decide which to prioritize.

Week One

Intro to Children's Media

The White Balloon (Panahi, 1995); E.T. (Spielberg, 1982); Boyhood (2014, Linklater)

I’ve often heard it repeated that everything we need to know, we learned in kindergarten. In my case I’ve found that to be pretty accurate, and the rest of my life has been spent in the (often failed) application of those lessons. For the sake of simplicity, let's say that children's media can be defined by one of four camps: media for children, media about children, media by children, and all the media children are exposed to whether they’re meant to or not. Son of Rambow (2007) manages to be and explore a bit of all these at once.

Still from Son of Rambow (2007)

Trying to define children’s media in the first place is difficult, but I think Son of Rambow is at least indicative of what the best children’s media should attempt to do. For children, it can serve as a jumping off point for adventure and discovery while also teaching some of those essential formative lessons—to have passion for a goal, to play well with others, to overcome challenges. And for grown-ups, it can act as a point of access for the rediscovery of things that have are often forgotten, and desperately needed. Music, films and stories are made so often with this kind of attempt in mind. Here’s one of my favorite examples:

The White Stripes, "We're Going to Be Friends" (2001)

I think what Jack White is trying to do here is important, and it's the same thing Son of Rambow accomplishes. While we shouldn’t necessarily put childhood on a pedestal, it’s even more important that these kinds of stories aren’t told from above, looking down. First of all, kids can have a pretty good idea of when they’re being force-fed some kind of lesson. And second, it’s a period of time to learn from, not scoff at. The adventures of Will and Lee Carter are told from their perspective, and treated as no less real or daunting than the challenges facing the adults in the story. The lesson is that it’s okay to be smart, creative, and even a little rebellious at times.

And like the best stories of any type, even our hero is allowed to make mistakes. Will is swept up in his power and newfound ambition as a filmmaker and is cruel to the first boy he befriended. There are real and nearly deadly consequences, and Lee Carter ends up in the hospital. There are some heavy themes at work in Son of Rambow: there’s guilt as Will struggles to reconcile his family’s faith with his passion for creation. There is unrequited love for family as Lee Carter silently craves the affection of his older brother. The biggest realization I had during the screening of the film was this: good children’s media isn’t afraid to deal with big issues and ask important questions. There’s something kind of magical and liberating for children and adults alike when we recognize that while we do our best, adults don’t have all the answers either. Doubt, fear, shame, loneliness, loss—these things affect all of us regardless of age. Children’s media is where we can find common ground and ask universal questions. There we can find meaning in the experiences that transcend age, time, or place.

Scene from The Little Fugitive (1953), Dir. by Ray Ashley