Trash, Technology and Love = Wall-E?

It’s a proven fact that the character Wall-E is one of the cutest Pixar characters ever created; I do not have data to back this claim up but believe me, it’s true. Wall-E embodies all the characteristics of a cute, cuddly teddy bear but he himself is a clunky robot who picks up trash all day. The sole purpose for Wall-E’s existence is because the human’s trashed the earth so bad that is was uninhabitable. This leads to the negative thesis in the film: if humans keep up their messy and selfish ways, we could destroy the earth to an unfixable spot. Also if humans continue to depend on technology to get everything done, we will become unable to accomplish simple tasks. However the movie Wall-E has a good thesis about love coming in all different forms because Wall-E and Eve ended up falling in love and they were two different types of robots. There is a negative thesis of humans destroying the earth and relying on technology but there is also a positive thesis of love coming in all forms.

            The stronger of the two messages was the negative thesis about trash and technology. In the opening scene of Wall-E it shows earth covered in trash and debris with dark clouds. When it shows Wall-E and his house, earth is shown as covered in feet of trash with towers hundreds of feet tall made up of trash squares. The movie goes on to say how humans produced so much trash that everyone had to evacuate to outer space. This leads to the other negative thesis about depending too much on technology. In the film, humans are shown as unable to even walk because all they do is sit in chairs and have robots do everything for them. I believe this thesis was directed towards children because they are the future and need to be warned of the possible detriments. This message was strong and clear and I know the message was received.

            However, there is also a good thesis to Wall-E. In the end of the movie, Wall-E and the other robot, Eve, fall in love. Wall-e is a trash-consuming robot while Eve was a flying robot who scanned earth looking for life. These two robots are very different but they end up being with each other because they fall in love. This thesis is that there are no barriers in love and that it doesn’t matter your complexion. I don’t believe this thesis is very strong and I believe the trash and technology thesis overshadows it tremendously.

            All in all, there were two very good thesis’ in Wall­-E. There were the negative ones about technology and trash while there was the positive one about love. Both were good arguments but the negative one strongly outweighed the positive one. I think this was one of Pixar’s best movies and I could watch it anytime. With this in mind, I believe Wall-E deserves four stars out of five in regards to the argument.

An Unexpected Heroic Rebel

An Unsuspected Heroic Rebel

Every movie is created for a purpose. For some films, the purpose may be to inform an audience about a certain social issue, some movies are created purely to entertain, and some movies have an underlying theme or moral that it tries to convey. More often than not films will contain a thesis, although more often than not it is implied as opposed to explicit. As Giannetti says, “Cinema can be a powerful source of moral persuasion” (Giannetti 4). Children’s movies are generally known for their thesis. Mulan is a children’s movie that contains both positive and negative implied theses.

The underlying positive message in Mulan is the theme of gender equality. Mulan’s father is required to serve in the war, yet he is elderly and in no condition to fight. Against Mulan’s will, the Imperial General refuses to let her serve in place of her father because she is a woman. Mulan decides to take matters into her own hands, and dresses as a man to take her father’s duty in the war.

From the beginning of the film, Mulan is treated as inferior because she is a woman.  She is expected to be the stereotypical Chinese woman of the time- to stay home and support her husband as her main duties. For example, when she goes to the “matchmaker” of the time, she is described as “too skinny” which is “not good for bearing sons.” Mulan is quickly portrayed as unique, as she fails to pass the test as an adequate woman. When Mulan tries to stop her father from serving in the war, she is told to “hold her tongue in the presence of a man” and that she “is a dishonor to her family.” Despite the continual oppression, Mulan refuses to let the feudalistic ideation dissuade her from helping her father. When Mulan sneaks out in the middle of the storm to go to war for her father, the theme of gender equality begins to reveal itself.

The power and determination of women becomes very obvious theme after Mulan is shown training at the army camp. She fails continuously but refuses to give up until she succeeds. Eventually, Mulan is able to complete the tasks, and even exceed the performance of all of the male soldiers. This creates an argument of ethos, as it creates emotions of empowerment within the female audience.

The movie continues to show scenes where Mulan succeeds and outperforms her male counterparts, building the argument for the equality of women. The climax of the movie comes when Mulan defeats the antagonist, the head Hun. It is possible that the death of the antagonist is symbolic of Mulan defeating her discrimination. This is a quintessential point in the movie that solidifies the underlying theme, bringing the argument to a close.

The argument for the theme of gender equality was successful in the movie Mulan. Against all odds, Mulan showed persistence and determination, and was able to save not only her father, but also all of China. The use of ethos was critical to the success of the argument. The viewer is emotionally drawn to the character of Mulan, which inevitably makes the theme successful. The movie is most specifically directed at a younger audience; however, the theme presents a relative argument to everyone. The theme is obviously more disguised to the younger audience, but older viewers will definitely relate to the theme. This is an effective method because generally a younger audience views movies with parental guidance, making a more complex theme a logical choice (logos).

While the positive message of gender equality is the ideal theme of the movie producer, there is a more negative implied theme that results: rebellion. Mulan, beginning early in the movie, is resistant to authority. She acts out of place, such as when she inappropriately confronts the emperor’s messenger, and defies the will of her father. This theme, while unintentional, is potentially harmful to the easily influenced mind of young viewers. It advertises the feasibility of being disrespectful and a rebel toward authority.

While the theme of rebellion is potentially problematic, I think overall the movie is still successful in arguing for gender equality. The positive message has a more lasting and greater impact than that of the negative theme. The theme of gender equality is argued with much more clarity and ethos, which makes it the more effective theme. However, the negative theme is still prevalent and a potential setback of this movie. For this reason, I give the film four out of five pickles. In order to show the theme of gender equality, some display or rebellion was necessary; however, it could have been minimized somewhat and still have had the same result.

Up and Over Children's Heads?

            At first glance, Up is an inspiring children’s film about fulfilling dreams. But to an adult, the message has a darker undertone, as the film also discusses death and grief. This film has an incredible balance of implied and overt messages, allowing it to cater to all age groups because the content is more serious for older audiences, as they catch onto both the implied and overt messages.

            The first scene I will explore is the first scene of the movie. Carl and Ellie meet in childhood, eventually getting married and getting a home for themselves. After trying for a baby, there is a scene in which Ellie is in the doctor’s office crying, implying she had a miscarriage. To a child watching the film, this may not be very obvious, since it is only implied in the scene. To the adult audience, however, this is fairly easy to understand.  This heavier, negative message seemed to be directed at the adult audience, because the scene was very abstract in the way it presented the miscarriage, which would go over children’s heads. This is an implied method of presenting the material, because “nobody spells out the ‘moral of the story’” (Giannetti, 403). In their older age, Ellie grows ill and eventually passes away before Carl could fulfill their dream of moving their home and escaping to paradise falls. However, Carl vows to make it to Paradise Falls. This scene is very straightforward and lets children in on the theme of death. I believe the film presented these two instances of death in an effective way. For adults, they made the film heavier by presenting an implied message, a miscarriage, along with Ellie’s death, an overt message. For children, the film was lighter, as they likely only understood the overt message. This allows the film to be relatable both to the adults and the children in the audience. It caters to the developmental levels of both age groups, and has a message for everyone who watches it, establishing ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos, because adults see Carl as relatable and credible due to his life experiences; pathos, because of the emotional themes running through the film of death; and logos, because Carl’s decision to keep trying to fulfill Ellie’s dream after her death is something one would expect a spouse to do.

            The positive message comes when Carl finally reaches Paradise Falls and the waterfall where he and Ellie planned to move their home. Carl is going through his Adventure Book that he created with Ellie, when he comes across pages Elli had filled out on her own. There were pictures of them getting married, buying a house, celebrating birthdays, and other milestones, along with the message “Thanks for the adventure – now go have a new one! Love, Ellie.” This is the climax of the film, as Carl finally realizes that although he was unable to get Ellie to Paradise Falls before she passed, he provided her with an amazing journey full of adventure and happiness. This is an implied message, because a child may not understand that the pictures in the scrapbook represent Ellie’s adventure. A child sees the overt message, Carl arriving at the falls, as the climax, rather than the realization he has upon reading the scrapbook. This is another example of establishing ethos, because the language and structure of the film “addressed [the audience] neither above nor below their capabilities” (Lunsford, 62). The film uses these overt and implied messages to target different parts of the audience. For children, it provides enough overt messages that they are not being “addressed above their capabilities” with too many implied messages. Older audiences understand more of the implied messages, and therefore see the film as more credible because it provides material that is not “below their capabilities.”

            Overall, I feel the messages of death and fulfillment balance nicely, and neither the negative nor the positive message wins out. You walk out of the film feeling satisfied with positivity, but there is still a heavy undertone. I believe the film did an amazing job of balancing overt and implied messages, thus catering to all ages in the audience and establishing ethos, pathos, and logos effectively. I would give this film a 5, because it is universal and carries great messages about following your dreams even in the midst of grief.

Pinocchio’s message grows just as much as his nose does

                             Pinocchio’s message grows just as much as his nose does

                                                          A Chris Pozzi Critique

            There are a few separate movies that people will first think of when you suggest early, famous Disney movies.  One of these movies is the beloved Pinocchio.  This is one of Disney’s most timeless hits that will never grow old.  It is a constant source of entertainment for children and adults alike.  However, it is most definitely geared more towards children.  It is in the Children’s Movies genre, of course.  A big debate that has gone on in the world of Walt Disney and his company is the message that comes across in these movies.  Some seem very lighthearted and fun at first, but as you dive into the movie deeper, you come to realize that there could be a ton of extra meaning to each movie that is not necessarily meant for children.  While Pinocchio has both positive and negative messages, the movie has a stronger influence of negativity that outweighs the positive messages shown in the film. 

It is argued that these movies have many types of messages that can be seen as positive but also negative.  These types of messages are what determine what the movie is trying to show and imply.  In addition, there are different ways to show these messages: whether they are overt or implied.  From our power-point presentation in class, overt messages are defined as messages that are “specifically stated by a main character or supporting character at some point in the film”.  In addition, implied messages are those that are “never really stated but present whether by examining actions, reading facial expressions, or by focusing on what the characters are NOT saying”.  Both of those are present in many movies, and especially in these movies that are geared towards kids.  Whether or not they are seen as positive or negative messages depends on the movie and how it is analyzed.

The positive message that is shown in Pinocchio is shown throughout the movie.  First, he is constantly told that he should not lie.  The message that is being brought across is very overt coming from his father as well as Jiminy Cricket.  This is where the aspect of his nose comes into play.  Whenever he lies, his nose grows.  This tells kids that lying is not okay and almost shows that there will be a consequence of some kind if they lie.  Lying will obviously never actually make your nose grow, but to a little kid it is very real that their nose may grow if they lie, so they have a reason not to.  While this message is brought out and is most definitely a positive aspect of the film, there are more negative messages in this message that tip the overall feeling of the movie.  Specifically, this message is interesting because there is a character named Honest John, who is most definitely one of the biggest liars out there.  This contradiction could be confusing to kids, but the name having honesty in it shows the emphasis on the concept of lying. 

The first negative message brought out in this movie is pretty implied.  It is the fact that a bunch of young boys are stolen and turned into donkeys, and the only reason that Pinocchio escapes is because he wishes upon a star to become a real boy.  This implies that only the lucky will get chosen to escape.  Cody Hoskins expresses this aspect really well on the website MUBI when he says that Pinocchio is the only boy that “…has won all his happiness while many more are not so lucky and will never be seen or heard from again”.  This kind of kidnapping is a real world issue and is implied when all of the boys are captured in this movie.  In addition, another negative message in this movie is something that Cody Hoskins expresses on MUBI: “[Pinocchio] shows the dangerous underlying evils of society, personified by Honest John, Stromboli, and the Coachman, and how those evil forces get away with their crimes unpunished”.  All of these forces are not messed with whatsoever, and is imprinted into a child’s mind.  They are shown that what these forces do can occur and not be punished.  An example of this is, like I said above, when the evil Stromboli is able to take all of these boys and not get in trouble for this issue. A child sees this and thinks that this is a normal act to have happen in the world, which they should not be thinking.   

While Pinocchio has many different aspects that can bring a child joy, whether it be coming from the fun characters or the nice music, the overall message is way too negative for this age group to be immerged in.  I would rate this movie a 3, just because it is most definitely an entertaining movie for children, but has many areas that could be fixed to not have the flaws that it does that could frighten or be impressionable on children in any way.       

Even Belle Couldn't Live Happily Ever After with a "Beast"

Giannetti states that “the filmmaker uses actors as a medium for communicating ideas and emotions” and although Disney is animated, they still use their characters and story line to communicate messages to their audience (Giannetti 5).  In Beauty and the Beast, there are many implied messages that can impact the children that are watching the movie.  The director mainly focuses on the message that true beauty lies within but unfortunately, the effectiveness of this message is degraded by the message that a person’s outer appearance mirrors their inner appearance. 

The most obvious message in Beauty and the Beast is that true beauty lies within and you shouldn’t judge someone by their outer appearance.  The tone of the movie is set in the opening scenes when the old beggar woman warns the young prince to not be deceived by looks because true beauty lies within.  In the film, Belle falls in love with the Beast, even though he is not visually appealing to the eye.  When she first meets him, he both looks and acts the part, treating people horribly and frightening them.  However, over time, Belle begins to fall in love with the person hidden behind the beast facade.  This is an important message to the children watching the film as they learn that someone’s appearance doesn’t dictate whom they are inside.    As she begins to love the Beast, he begins to realize that he is worth loving despite the way he looks and is actually capable of loving Belle in return. This message is also portrayed as Belle refuses to marry Gaston, a male character who is both attractive and extremely selfish.  This taught kids that you shouldn’t marry someone based off of their looks, it is important that they have a good personality too.

Although Beauty and the Beast does teach children that you shouldn’t judge someone based on their looks, it also portrays a negative message regarding the relationship between looks and personality.  There are two transformations of characters that support this negative message and we will discuss both of them briefly.  The first transformation (and most obvious) is of the beast.  In the beginning of the film, the young prince is “spoiled, selfish, and unkind” and as a punishment, he is transformed into a beast (Beauty and the Beast).  Throughout the movie, the Beast is just that: beastly.  He is beastly looking, treats people horribly, and is frightening.  He is under the curse until he learns to truly love another and gain their love in return.  If he isn’t able to transform from a selfish beast to a kind man, he will remain ugly and deformed for the rest of his life.  Disney makes it apparent throughout the film that the idea of loving someone who looked like the beast isn’t appealing.  They use different methods to present this idea to audience, playing on their emotions.  The opening scenes of the movie ask the audience “who could ever learn to love a beast?” and at one point during the movie Gaston looks at Belle in utter disgust while he states, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you have feelings for this monster” (Beauty and The Beast).  Young children watching the film begin to associate being ugly and beastly looking with someone who is unlovable, cruel, and frightening.   At the end of the movie, Belle falls in love with the Beast, breaking the curse.  The moment she announces her love for him, he transforms back into a handsome young prince.  Belle loved the Beast for who he was but Disney had to interfere because it only makes sense the beautiful princess ends up with a handsome prince rather than the “beast” she fell in love with right?  This transformation implies that outer beauty reflects inner beauty and that a kind, lovable person is more physically attractive.  The second character that undergoes a physical transformation is Gaston.  Throughout the film, he is highlighted as the “attractive” male character but at the end while he is trying to kill the Beast, his appearance becomes disheveled.  He becomes more unattractive as he true selfish and cruel personality becomes more apparent. 

The two most apparent messages in Beauty and the Beast are direct contradictions of each other.  They play on the emotion of the audience for the entire film, convincing them that even beastly looking people are lovable.  However, at the end, the film contradicts this by transforming the Beast into a handsome man as soon as he becomes “lovable”.  This is illogical and can cause confusion and frustration from the audience.  The audience asks “wait, I though that it didn’t matter what you look like, someone as beautiful as Belle could still marry and live happily ever after with a Beast right?”  Disney tells us you’re wrong.  This contradiction takes away from the credibility of the film because people feel lied to.  Unfortunately, most the time, this contradiction is lost on young children who, like me, don’t realize the negative message that Disney portrayed so effectively until they are older.   The credibility of the positive messages Beauty and the Beast is trying trying to send to children at home is also lost because the negative overshadows it. 

Understanding Movies is spot on when it states “cinema can be a powerful source of moral persuasion” (Giannetti 4).  Young children are like sponges and soak up almost everything they are exposed to, including the messages in Disney movies that they watch on repeat.  Unfortunately for Beauty and the Beast, the negative messages they sent outweighed the positive.  Although the movie is created on the idea that true beauty lies within, the negative message that outer appearance reflects inner appearance is much more effective.  It’s ironic and illogical that a movie based on inner beauty transforms their main character from an ugly beast to an attractive man as soon as he becomes a better person, worthy of the love of a beautiful woman like Belle.  Because of this, I give Beauty and the Beast 2 out of 5.