ZooScope

Tag: Family

  • A Matter of Loaf and Death. Dir. Nick Park. BBC. 2008.

    Beloved characters Wallace and his side-kick canine Gromit return for another film, and this time they are running Top Bun, a brand new bakery. Business is booming for the duo, but a serial killer is on the loose, killing all the bakers in town. While Gromit begins to fear for the pair’s safety, Wallace 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…

  • Anita and Me . Dir. Metin Hüseyin. BBC. 2002.

    Auntie Shaila and her family arrive early in the film, the last of many Indian families who have come to see Meena’s family. The scene recreates the overarching approach of the film, where humour serves to subdue and ridicule racism.

  • 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…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Buena Vista Pictures. 2007.

    Brad Bird’s 2007 computer-animated film Ratatouille uses its mode as animation to estab­lish an alternate logic to the real world, enabling communication between humans and animals. The turning point that establishes this communication is when Lin­guini captures Remy in a jar. After asking a series of aggressive questions, Linguini calms down, and begins to take a more…

  • Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird. Buena Vista. 2007.

    In a world where humans are relentlessly attempting to control and train animals, it is intriguing to see this portrayed in reverse in Brad Bird’s, Ratatouille.[1] Remy the rat is depicted as significantly smarter than the human (Linguini), as he teaches him how to cook and navigate his way around a kitchen; whilst Linguini remains predominantly confused…