ZooScope

Tag: Childrens

  • Paddington. Dir. Paul King. StudioCanal. 2014.

    The 2014 film ‘Paddington’ appears to champion inclusivity and acceptance of migrants over merely wanting to observe or distance ourselves from animals and people that are different from us, just as Millicent does with her taxidermy. In essence, Paddington is a migrant, ‘an outsider trying to find a new home’ [1] in England after the…

  • Shrek. Dir. Vicky Jenson and Andrew Adamson. Dreamworks. 2001.

    Directed by Vicky Jenson and Andrew Adamson Produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Aron Warner, and John H. Williams Production Companies were Dreamworks, Dreamworks Animation, and Pacific Data Images _____________________________________________________ While the 2001 film Shrek has a large cast of animal characters, both mythical and realistic, it is the part of Donkey that is of real interest here. There have been a…

  • Animal Farm. Dir. John Halas, Joy Batchelor. Pathe, Universal, RKO . 1954.

    Halas and Batchelor’s 1954 Animal Farm holds a firm place in cinematic history as Britain’s second animated feature.  The film is based on the 1945 novella by George Orwell and is often read as an allegory for communism and Stalinism. The unrest of the animals and desire for revolution also has echoes of Marxist ideas about the…

  • Over the Hedge. Dir. Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick. DreamWorks. 2006.

    After Verne, an anxious turtle, breaks through the boundary of the manicured hedge he enters a pristine garden on the periphery of a middle class suburbia. A far cry from the overgrown animal-populated wood, the suburban garden represents a natural environment controlled by humans, a place where that which is considered wild or ‘other’ is…

  • A Bug’s Life. Dir. Dave Foley. Walt Disney Pictures. 1999.

    The notion of capitalism is undeniably present in A Bug’s Life [1] and is a vehicle that allows the ants and grasshoppers to be considered anthropomorphic beings. Hence the parallel to the class system that exists in human society: ants being the underclass and grasshoppers being the bourgeoisie, exploiting the ants for theirlabour. Thus, A…

  • Bee Movie. Dir. Steve Hickner and Simon J. Smith. DreamWorks. 2007.

    This textbook human thinking opens Bee Movie [2], an animation which follows the film’s aptly alliteratively named protagonist, Barry B. Benson, an aspiring bee, on his search for individuality in a conformist bee society that has worked non-stop for ‘27 million years’. Barry, disillusioned at the thought of working for the rest of his life…

  • Aladdin. Dir. Ron Clements and John Musker. Disney Studios. 1992.

    Ron Clements’ and John Muskers’, Aladdin (1992) [1]  follows the life of a poor street dweller and his sidekick monkey, Abu in the fictional city of Agrabah. After being coerced into entering the subterranean ‘cave of wonders’ by the villain Jafar and his accomplice parrot, Iago, Aladdin retrieves a magic lamp containing a genie. With the…

  • My Dog Skip. Dir. Jay Russell. Warner Bros. 2000.

    My Dog Skip is a true story based on the early life of Willie Morris and his pet dog, Skip. The film is narrated by that of an older Willie Morris, reminiscing on those early memories that have become so precious to him. Before Skip is introduced into the Morris’ lives, Willie lacks friends, especially…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Pixar. 2007.

    Within Ratatouille, the scene in which Remy figures out that he is able to control Linguini, Brad Bird confounds expectations through undermining the stereotype about the animality of rats, and using the rats as symbols for immigrants. This interaction challenges the human/animal binary and strengthens the anthropomorphism of Remy. The director, Bird, suggests unity within this…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava. Pixar. 2007.

    Brad Bird’s Ratatotuille challenges how we stereotypically perceive rats through the depiction of the protagonist, Remy. The narrative shows Remy struggling with finding acceptance in human society, despite the exceptional cooking talents he has to offer. In anthropomophising Remy to directly challenge our negative perception of rats, Ratatouille promotes wider messages of hope and perseverance for the underdog, as…