Hide and Seek: Underlying Political Messages in Contemporary Children’s Films
April 30, 2024
This paper was done during my senior year of high school. All views are my own, I aimed to take a neutral approach and did not look to promote any political ideology or party through this paper.
Abstract
This research paper explores the presence of political messaging in children’s films from 2000 to 2019. Movies were selected during this time because of the growing political polarization in the United States. A convergent mixed methods approach was used alongside content analysis to investigate the selected 40 movies, 20 in each decade, and collect quantitative and qualitative data on political messaging in films. It was determined that most films had a moderate amount of political messaging which was most strongly prominent in the overarching theme of the movie. Character depictions also accounted for a significant amount of political messaging while dialogue and scenes supported the message of the themes and depictions of each character. There was significantly more progressive themes and characters compared to conservative themes and traditional characters. There was also no major different amongst production companies and their political bias.
Introduction
With vibrant stories and characters, children’s films have historically been a common source of entertainment for young audiences. While there are consistently positive themes of friendship, adventure, and morality on the surface, many also contain underlying political messages (Booker, 2009, p.2). Instead of overtly political messaging, films can create these messages through depictions of characters, cultures, stereotypes, and societal structures (Van Wormer & Juby, 2016, p.3; Hofmann, 2018, p.268). Children are also aware of the cultural messages regarding appearance; for example, that thinness is desirable, and fatness is objectionable (Harriger et al., 2018, p. 78). Children as young as eight also begin to develop greater world awareness in areas such as understanding stereotypes in other nations and cultures and nationalism and national identity (Scoffham, 2019, pp. 8-9). The influential period of growth demonstrates a critical point in developing political understanding and movies can significantly influence the growth of a foundation for civic awareness (Scoffham, 2019, p. 9).
With the significant growth over time of media’s influence on younger children (Strasburger et al., 2014, p.958) and growing political tension and division within the United States (Fiorina & Abrams, 2008, p.564), there is the potential for considerable political influence. Through a content analysis, this study will analyze underlying political messages in children’s films released between 2000 and 2019. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected, ensuring there is a balance and comprehensive insight into the extent of political messages in children’s movies. This can identify political biases in movies while also gaining a better understanding of potential implications for political influence of younger generations with the increase of media presence.
Literature Review
Implicit messages in Disney films
In an article published in the Journal of Social Work, Katherine Van Wormer and Cindy Juby, professor and associate professor of social work at the University of Northern Iowa, respectfully, investigated the representation of race, sex, ethnicity, and consumerism in contemporary Walt Disney productions (Van Wormer & Juby, 2016). Using The Lion King, Pocahontas, and The Princess and the Frog for close examination, their analysis determined the presence of “prejudice against Arabs, sexism, anti-Arab portrayals, and capitalist exploitation” (p.6). as well as the presence of “cultural slurs against Chinese culture” (p.7) in the movie Mulan. Van Wormer and Juby also concluded the presence of a solid societal structure and traditional gender roles found in The Lion King and Pocahontas (p.10), reinforcing the traditional conservative perspective. Additionally, despite many Disney movies containing an element of adventure, there is also a significant theme of romance. A content analysis conducted by Veronica Hefner, a quantitative media scholar at Saint Mary’s College of California, et al. studied twelve Disney princess movies for the presence of romantic expressions and noted ideals, challenges, and character reactions to those expressions (Hefner et al., 2017). They discovered that romantic ideals such as “unrealistic or dysfunctional expectations about relationships” (p.515) and traditionally ideal character traits were commonly present. Romantic challenges were common in modern movies and “portray more underlying themes consistent with independence, without a happily ever after” (p.528). This shows the traditional view Disney movies present with romance and ideals, suggesting a preference for established conservative views.
When examining female representation in Disney films, Lynda Haas, an associate professor of English and composition, et al., wrote a book regarding Disney’s film legacy from a feminist, poststructuralist, and cultural studies perspective (Haas et al., 1995). She determined that many films contained portrayals of different characters with implicit classism and strong societal preference favoring beauty and idealized bodies in females. This was common in princess who “adhere to fairy-tale templates […] with their bodies as portraits of strength discipline and control” (p.112), while ugly stepsisters were depicted as the attitudinal counterpoint (p.112). Haas et al. also determined a strong presentation of the “domination and exploitation of lower classes” (p.181), further propagating the traditional class system and devaluing the people in lower classes.
Political Messages in Non-Disney Films
There has been significant research on political messages in film and children’s films not produced explicitly by Disney. Films with political messaging have generally worked towards maintaining or changing public perception (Combs, 1993; Radulović, 2019; Doucet, 2005). In a study that analyzes the Lego Movie, produced by Warner Bros, Dalia Grobovaite, an administrative researcher at the University of Calgary, focused on the political, capitalistic, and corporate messages (Grobovaite, 2017). Grobovaite concluded that despite the film’s overarching theme of individualism, it also ensures conformity, instilling the idea that “imagination appears to be [limited to] a tiny Lego brick” (p.70). Still, it is important to understand that the Lego movie acts primarily as a promotional piece for Lego. There is also the depiction of anti-capitalistic ideals with the main character taking down a large corporate conglomerate (p.65). However, the company in the film dictates many aspects of life, essentially ensuring conformity in the general population and so the collapse can be seen as supporting individualism and rejecting consumerist ideals. Hollywood movies have also historically responded to global political events (Cornea, 2017). In an analytical and historical overview, Christine Cornea, an associate professor of media and American studies at the University of East Anglia, investigates how Hollywood science fiction films have addressed America’s political relationship to the world since 1930. Cornea found that science fiction films during the World Wars and post-war era have incorporated the themes of defending a nation, focusing on the political narrative of the “US as a boundary nation-state” (p.166) and the message of concern with the “costs and consequences of attempts to secure an American future” (p.167). Through the Cold War and the Reagan presidency, movies often had a “distinctly corporate and anti-communist” view, even with the characterization of the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” in the Star Wars films (p.172). These references and themes illustrate the political participation and message from movies regarding political issues of the time.
Current Research on Children’s Understanding of Politics
Research has also been conducted on children’s understanding of politics and how they perceive political socialization (Furnham, 1994; Kallio & Hakli, 2015). In a 2010 study conducted by Jan Van Deth, a professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Mannheim, et al., they surveyed 700 children in the first year of primary school to research younger children’s political orientations. They found that “they express political opinions and attitudes, and they display basic political knowledge” (Van Deth et al., 2010, p.166). This understanding demonstrates the ability of children to understand basic political concepts and perceive different perspectives. However, there is conflicting research on children’s understanding of civic nationality. In a systematic review of children’s thinking about social issues and citizenship by Anne-Lise Halvorsen, a professor of social studies education at Michigan State University, she determined that children’s civic participation, and therefore understanding, is “often limited to their social networks of the classroom and school” (Halvorsen, 2017, p.398). This small range means younger children may not fully comprehend political perspectives. However, children can therefore understand all political messaging as “true” without proper analysis. Nevertheless, Halvorsen acknowledges the lack of research and that children can still be educated on the larger political landscape (p.407). Overall, there is limited understanding of young children in politics and their understanding of social concepts.
Gap Analysis and Hypothesis
Despite the abundance of research on political messages in Disney-made films (Van Wormer & Juby, 2016; Hefner et al., 2017; Siddique et al., 2021), there is little discussion of messages in children’s movies in general, including from production companies like Universal Pictures or Warner Bros. Despite the book published by Keith Booker (2009) about hidden messages in children’s films, there is minimal current research on political messages in newer children’s films during the 2010s and a broader range of movies made from production companies other than Disney. Thus, this study aims to fill the gap in research by exploring the political messages present in children’s films since 2000. By analyzing and identifying these messages, this study will give insight into the political leanings of modern children’s films and their political implications for children.
Given the previous research, I hypothesize that there is a moderate amount of political messaging in most children’s films however different production companies will differ in political biases.
Methodology
A convergent mixed methods approach was utilized to investigate underlying political messages in modern children’s movies. According to John W. Creswell, a professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan, and John David Creswell, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, a convergent mixed methods approach collects both quantitative and qualitative data at the same time and merges data to interpret and compare results (Creswell & Creswell, 2018, p. 300). Both quantitative data and qualitative data are necessary as this can help eliminate bias while also giving a more comprehensive analysis of the films (Creswell & Creswell 2018, p. 300). Quantitative data is essential to providing detailed numerical statistics on the films, creating a measurable quantity on the content. Qualitative data allows for greater specificity on the quantitative data collected, accounting for immeasurable variables and descriptions of analyzed content. To ensure balance in quantitative and qualitative data, both types were weighed similarly to reduce any inequality in sampling (Creswell & Creswell, 2018, p.301). Since data was collected at the same time, qualitative data was not reliant on the quantitative data nor vice versa.
Both data types and observations were collected through content analysis. According to Klaus Krippendorff, a professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania, content analysis is a “research technique for making replicable and valid inferences from texts (or other meaningful matter) to the contexts of their use” (Krippendorff, 2018. p.24). To identify political perspectives on things such as overarching themes, character perspectives, and societal structures, existing research on political views will be utilized. Andy Hamilton, a professor of politics at Durham University, determined that conservative themes can be characterised as an “approach to human affairs which mistrusts both a priori reasoning and revolution, preferring to put its trust in experience and in the gradual improvement of tried and tested arrangements” (Hamilton, 2020). This means that tradition is emphasized over drastic changes, encouraging stability in the government and self-evident truths. Contrastingly, Duncan Bell, a professor of politics at the University of Cambridge, defines liberalism to have always “endorsed three foundational principles, rationality, emancipation, and progress” (Bell, 2014, p.684). The political beliefs are best summarized by Marius Ostrowski, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Political Ideologies, in a table of examples of left, center, and right concepts in different social domains (Ostrowski, 2023 p.11).
Quantitative data was collected through content analysis during the film to note political stances in dialogue, stereotypes like gender roles, character depictions, and scenes demonstrating support for a political side. Dialogue and portrayals that correlate with both left and right leaning political views are recorded to give contrast and compare the prevalence of each perspective in a film. Qualitative observations gathered by content analysis focused on explaining political messages in the movies. The qualitative data is used primarily to investigate the overarching theme of the movie, the main goal of the protagonist, main characters, and depiction of the villain or issue. The observations also account for the societal structure of the movie, personality of characters, and behaviors to further illustrate the political messages presented.
In a 2021 study by Solenne Tauty, a researcher at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, et al., a mixed method content analysis was conducted on the promotion of sexual health messages for young people in six popular Netflix shows. Although the paper focused on sexual health and utilized series instead of movies, it had a similar research method and goal. Like my study, Tauty et al. collected quantitative and qualitative data through content analysis on the prevalence of targeted promotional messages in mass media found in dialogue, overarching themes, and how those messages were delivered (Tauty et al., 2021, p.1).
Sampling
A stratified purposive sample of 40 children’s films released since 2000 was utilized. A children’s film is defined to generally appeal to children while represented in genres like realism, fantasy, adventure, comedy, and literary adaptation (Wojcik-Andrews, 2000 pg. 5, 161). For this study, films rated by The Motion Picture Association (MPA) with ratings of PG or G only will be considered in the sample. These are the ratings most commonly present in children’s films and are commonly made to be suitable for a younger audience.
The sample was divided into two decades, with the first ranging from films released between 2000 to 2009, and the second from 2010 to 2019. Due to the prominence of Disney films, they will be limited to 10 per decade. The variation in production companies creates a more holistic analysis that better represents different political perspectives in children’s films. This was done for both decades. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) provided a list of all films rated PG and lower within each decade and can be ranked based on US Box Office receipts. Using this list for each decade and accounting for the limit of 10 Disney films, the top 20 box office selling movies for each decade were used as the sample. This was done due to the positive correlation between box office sales and viewership, helping ensure a measure of reach to younger audiences and potential influence. International films were not included due to the focus on US produced films, rather than a global discussion.
The content analysis began with movies in 2000s because, according to Morris Fiorina, a professor of political science at Stanford University, and Samuel Abrams, a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College, media and political interpreters of American politics began to promulgate a polarization narrative in the mid 1990s (Fiorina & Abrams, 2008, p.564). This was supported by the Democrats losing control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years in 1994 and the growing polarization with the representation of red and blue states (Fiorina & Abrams, 2008, p.564). This also correlates with the growth in the digitalization and spread of media in the early 2000s. According to a Time article by Ian Bremmer, a professor of applied geopolitics at Columbia University, tech companies that grew to power our modern world “fragmented into more niche offerings until consumers could ‘enjoy’ only the viewpoints that reinforced their own” (Bremmer, 2021). Thus, the specialization in content for viewers further perpetuates a left versus right political narrative.
Ethics
Since the research was conducted on existing children’s films and does not require any participants, there are no major ethical concerns. This research was approved by my school’s Internal Ethics Review Board.
Findings
Quantitative
40 children’s movies from 2000- 2019 were analyzed (see appendix A). All movies contained political messaging and characters that correlated with both the left and right.
There was a total of 38 protagonists who were depicted with mainly left leaning characteristics and 16 protagonists who were depicted with mainly right leaning characteristics.
There was a total of 40 villains or issues that were depicted with right-leaning characteristics and 18 villains or issues that were depicted with left-leaning characteristics. The total number of villains or issues and protagonists is higher than 40 because there was often more than one individual antagonist or protagonist.
On average, each movie had 8.05 left leaning scenes and 8.45 right leaning scenes with 5.3 lines of left leaning dialogue and average of 5.425 lines of right leaning dialogue. Right leaning stereotypes were, on average, slightly more represented with approximately 3.75 per movies compared to the 3.075 left leaning stereotypes.
Qualitative
The main overarching themes were entered into a word cloud generator to create figure 4. The themes were determined by content analysis to confirm similar ideas were observed.
The characteristics and depictions of the protagonist could be categorized into four main categories: individualistic, good natured, traditional, and other. Individualistic protagonists were unique from others and strayed from the traditional path while the less common traditional protagonists followed the rules and adhered to norms. Good natured protagonists were shown to be kind, ethical, caring, compassionate, and other benevolent traits.
The characteristics and depictions of the villain or issue could be categorized into five main categories: greed, tradition, self-discovery, manipulation, and other. The most common depictions of greedy antagonists were capitalistic businessmen or power-hungry individuals, while traditional villains represented a fear of change or enforcing historic traditions. Movies that followed a problem amongst the characters often surrounded ideas of a journey home or the protagonist becoming unique while manipulative villains were depicted as authoritative and containing prejudice.
Discussion
Overarching themes
The overarching theme of a movie can put greater weight on political messaging. When analyzing Figure 4, the most prominent themes were self-discovery, friendship, and embracing yourself. While these themes are not inherently political, they can relate to aspects of nonconformism and avant-garde ideas that drive individualism, which tend to align with the politically left (see Table 1.).
This is illustrated in the film Moana (2016), which follows the story a young woman who is depicted as a Pacific Islander and is determined to fulfil her connection with the ocean (see Figure7). However, this comes at the cost of challenging the tradition of her village, which has historically remained on their island. Through Moana’s journey, she challenges established generational norms and creates an individualistic message, focusing on becoming unique and finding oneself. She also challenges gender roles as she refuses to follow the same path the women follow on the island and instead explores the ocean, a role that has historically been male dominated. These differences contribute to the overall progressive theme of being individualistic and challenging traditions with new ideas.
The theme of individualism is also heavily displayed in the Lego Movie (2014), which is in line with Grobovaite’s research (Grobovaite, 2017) on conformity and anti-capitalistic ideas in the film. The society is controlled by a single company and run by Lord Business, a stern, corporate, and authoritative figure who aims to achieve order. Emmet, the protagonist, is forced to become creative and undergo self discovery to break the rules and defeat the corporate conglomerate, beginning protests and a revolution. The elimination of Lord Business not only supports an anti-capitalistic message but also uniqueness and rejecting preservation and tradition for new ideas which are left-leaning ideals (see Table. 1). This theme is represented in a similar pattern with the protagonist going through a physical or mental journey to challenge traditional ideas established by a right-leaning antagonist. Many movies such as such as Coco (2017), Zootopia (2016), Ratatouille (2007), and others (See appendix B) demonstrate this journey.
Conversely, themes supporting tradition, loyalty, and family were less common. These relate strongly to conservative norms on preservation, trusting experience, and institutions such as family (Hamilton, 2020). However, most movies with a right-leaning overarching theme follow the protagonist’s journey as they encounter new ideas but often return to traditional practices due to familiarity and lack of success with the new ideas. This conflict creates a cautionary message of what could negatively happen if characters depart from tradition and try progressive ideas while left supporting films demonstrate what could positively happen if characters refuse to conform to tradition and new ideas are introduced.
This was demonstrated in The Lion King (2019), where there is an emphasis on “the circle of life” and defined leadership roles. The hyenas and Scar revolted against the lion-led hierarchy, leading to Scar becoming an authoritative and oppressive leader, exploiting the land, and favoring the hyena-proletarian class, reversing the class structure (See Figure 8.). Eventually, a revolt by the lions restored balance in the jungle. The leadership of Scar creates an anti-authoritative message while also discouraging drastic social changes, supporting conservative values. The message also follows an aristocratic view of the natural order, suggesting tradition and following what must be done and not challenging the balance of power, a right-leaning ideal. Some films that demonstrate this are The Bee Movie (2007), Puss in Boots (2011), and others (See appendix B) However, there were significantly more films with a progressive theme rather than a conservative one.
The contrast correlates with the high number of films produced by Disney and Pixar which held a high number of left leaning films such as Moana (2016), Coco (2017), Zootopia (2016), and Ratatouille (2007). Similarly, other production companies also had left leaning films such as Warner Bro’s Lego Movie (2014), Sony Picture’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), and Paramount Picture’s Kung Fu Panda (2008). There were also right leaning films such as Disney’s Lion King (2019) and DreamWorks’s Shark Tale (2004), but they were not as common. All production companies analyzed contained more left leaning films, but Disney owned companies presented a stronger bias and accounted for most popular children’s films, holding greater influence.
Characters
When analyzing characters, protagonists and villains have a greater impact as they are the main characters and foci of the movie. Although multiple political viewpoints were represented, it can be seen in Figure 1 that there are significantly more left-leaning protagonists at 38 compared to right-leaning protagonists at 16. Political bias was determined through evaluating how they are depicted, as demonstrated in Figure 5, which could be divided into four main categories: individualistic, good-hearted, traditional, or other. Protagonists depicted as challenging stereotypes and straying from the traditional path align more strongly with progressive ideas while protagonists who strictly followed rules and adhered to norms were depicted to align with conservative values. However, protagonists often challenged ideas to achieve their goals, relating strongly to a left-leaning idea of nonconformism.
An example is Judy Hopps in the movie Zootopia (2016). She is an expressive rabbit who looks to challenge stereotypes and is determined to become “the first rabbit police officer” (see appendix B), a role that is traditionally for larger and stronger animals (see Figure 9). Actions of nonconformism were also present in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) when the main character refused to work with his dad in his sardine shop and chooses to pursue science and inventing new products. Instances of left-leaning protagonists also appear in Kung Fu Panda (2008), Ratatouille (2007), and Big Hero 6 (2014), while protagonists who fear a change or have a strong emphasis on family appear more right-leaning. An example is Max in The Secret Life of Pets (2016). He is a small dog who lives with his owner and opposes the introduction of another dog into the home, eventually attempting to get rid of him through framing accidents in the home. Instances of right-leaning protagonists also appear in Finding Nemo (2003), Beauty and the Beast (2017), and others (see appendix B).
Contrastingly, it can be seen in Figure 2. that there are significantly more villains or issues depicted to be right-leaning at 40 compared to left-leaning at 18. Since protagonists are mainly left leaning, this contrast creates a dynamic in many films, such as Bee Movie (2007) and Spider-man: Into the Spider verse (2018), where the protagonist attempts to overcome a tradition to undergo a journey of self-discovery or defeat a villain, which is often depicted as greedy, traditional, or manipulative (see Figure 6). Although greed is not necessarily a left or right-leaning political attribute, many greedy villains, such as Mr. Waternoose in Monsters, Inc. (2001) and the evil witch in Chronicles of Narnia (2015), were depicted to be capitalistic or an authoritative monarchy which is more strongly associated with right-leaning ideals. This trait was often paired with their fear of change and enforcement of traditional forms of thinking, resulting in many villains being depicted as conservative while the more unique, progressive protagonist brings new ideas to defeat the villain or overcome the issue.
This dynamic was displayed in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). The protagonist, Miles, becomes Spider-Man after being bit by a radioactive spider and undergoes a journey of self-discovery but faces threats from the capitalistic antagonist, Kingpin. Due to Kingpin losing his family, he aims to create a device that brings them back but rips spacetime, leading to Miles trying to stop him. Conversely, Kingpin looks to maintain control by stopping Miles, seeing him as a threat to his power (See Figure 10). Despite Miles initially shying away from the challenge, he begins to embrace the role and is depicted as brave, unique, and curious, connecting more strongly to progressive ideas, and not conforming to norms. Contrastingly, Kingpin has a strong emphasis on family while also looking to maintain control and what was traditionally done, relating to conservative ideas on preservation. Similar instances of this dynamic have also been demonstrated in The Jungle Book (2016), Monsters Inc. (2001), and How to Train Your Dragon (2010). Left-leaning conflicts were often shown as an issue the protagonist faces, such as in Sing (2016), rather than a traditional villain.
Although extra characters may not be the focus, they still offer insight into left and right-leaning messages. Many characters were complimentary and supported the protagonist or antagonist through their journey and, by extension, follow a similar political ideology. This was demonstrated with the grandmother Tala in Moana (2016), “Wyldstyle” in The Lego Movie (2014), and others (see appendix B). There are also relatively more left-leaning characters since movies often have multiple characters that support the protagonist on their journey and less for the antagonist. However, since these characters are not the primary focus, they do not contribute as strongly to political messaging in the film and do not have enough attention to properly determine their political leaning.
Scenes, Dialogue, Stereotypes
Looking beyond the overarching themes and characters, analyzing scenes, dialogues, and stereotypes offers more specific and direct insight into left and right-leaning political messages. As seen in the Figure 3, there is a similarity between the number of left and right-leaning scenes, dialogues, and stereotypes. However, it is important to note the difference in who is presented. Since there are significantly more left-leaning protagonists, it is more likely that the left-leaning scenes, dialogues, and stereotypes are from the protagonist’s view. Comparatively, there are substantially more right-leaning antagonists, meaning that many of the right-leaning scenes, dialogues, and stereotypes are from an antagonistic view. This difference creates a positive correlation between politically left views and the protagonist, seeing it as positive, while the opposite is true for politically right views and the antagonist or issue. Resultingly, scenes that display acts of nonconformism, breaking cultural customs, and other left-leaning beliefs will tend to include the protagonist, while scenes that display an enforcement of tradition, authority, and other right-leaning beliefs tend to include the antagonist or issue. This relationship is demonstrated in How to Train Your Dragon (2010) when the main character receives pushback from his traditional village when he tries a new approach to dragons. It is also portrayed in Ratatouille when the main rat, Remy, tries to make food in the human kitchen but faces opposition from his stern father.
Dialogue also contributes to this dynamic as the most influential phrases often come from either the protagonist or the villain. Although dialogue was usually not explicitly political, messages of being unique and breaking tradition often came from the protagonist while messages of maintaining order and authority often came from the antagonist or supporting figures. This was depicted in Coco (2017) when the protagonist, Miguel, says that “music is the only thing that makes [him] happy.” However, his family strongly forbids music due to an unforgiving history, and his grandmother says, “you will listen to your family, you will stop playing music.” Although not inherently political, it represents progressive ideas in opposition to authority figures trying to maintain control. Another example is in The Lego Movie (2014) when the protagonist, Emmet says that “the only thing you need to become special is to believe you are special.” Contrastingly, the antagonist, Lord Business, attempts to maintain order and says: “Let’s put things in where they used to be, so I can make things permanent.” The progressive ideas of Emmet and his supporting cast were often based on being unique, while Lord Business contrasted this with goals on maintain order and commonality (see appendix B), a trend seen with conservative ideals.
Further, political scenes and dialogue are often paired. This combination was demonstrated in Kung Fu Panda (2010) (see Figure 7) when Po tries to overcome the walls of a palace on a makeshift rocket chair to watch a kung fu event. He claims that he doesn’t want to “make noodles anymore” and that he “[loves] kung fu.” The image represents both his love of kung fu and disapproval of his father’s tradition in the noodle business as he yearns to follow his passion and break family norms. This discourse also represents the dynamic of a left-leaning protagonist challenging the traditional right-leaning norms, a relationship commonly found in many movies.
Stereotypes were also prevalent in children’s movies. Princesses were often depicted as beautiful and kind, such as in Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Frozen (2013) (see Figure 12), which is consistent with to Haas’s research on standard princess depictions (Haas, 1995). There were also many cultural stereotypes throughout the films, with Italian gangsters in Shark Tale (2004), “rural” cars in Cars (2006), and Chinese people in Karate Kid (2010) (see appendix B).
Interestingly, it was a common stereotype that businessmen were depicted as evil, as demonstrated in Figure 13, and Lord Business of the Lego Movie (2014). Although children would likely not understand the reference, it still implants the idea that big corporations are inherently evil. However, many stereotypes such as Italians loving Ferraris in the movie Cars (2006) and Chinese people knowing karate in The Karate Kid (2010) did not correlate strongly with a left or right-leaning perspectives.
Limitations
If more movies had been analyzed in this study, it would have created a more holistic view of the Hollywood film industry and a more accurate conclusion. Next, the analysis on left and right leaning political data and character descriptions may have been impacted by my own personal biases. This was mitigated by strictly following guidelines and characteristics made from prior research (as seen in Table 1) rather than relying on personal insight though subjective analysis is inherent with this methodology.
Further Research
To dive deeper into political messaging in children’s movies, more movies can be analyzed, as well as international movies to find potential differences in trends of political messaging. Older movies can also be further researched as this allows for the display of trends of political messaging in movies through time, seeing potential changes and relating it to political tensions in real life.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to identify the presence of implicit political messaging in North American children’s movies. Despite some films having strong political messages, most contained a moderate amount of political messaging which was most prominent in the overarching theme of the movie. Character depictions also accounted for a significant amount of political messaging while dialogue and scenes supported the message of the theme and depictions of each character. There was significantly more progressive themes and characters compared to conservative themes and traditional characters. Although children may not understand each political messaging fully, the ideas and perspectives represented can create implicit beliefs that promote conformity in thought.
There was also no major political difference between production companies. Although there were a few films that leaned politically right, there were significantly more left-leaning political films from both Disney and non-Disney production companies. This aligns with my hypothesis as many films did have a moderate amount of messaging and political lean, however I discovered that production companies did not differ drastically, which contrasts my hypothesis.
Appendix
Due to Length, please contact me personally for the appendix if interested.