Happy Feet

                                                           

                                                            Happy Feet

The film I decided to review on is Happy Feet. The film originated in November of 2006. The first time I watched the video I didn’t think anything of their being stereotypes or racism throughout the movie, but having to do a report on stereotypes and racism, I paid a lot more attention to the film, and noticed that the opening song “kiss” by Price, was not very child appropriate. Another thing that caught my attention in the film was when Mumble was born, and his feet were dancing all over the place and said his feet are happy also, his dad didn’t want to accept him for dancing. His dad said “it’s just not penguin”. The way I interpreted that was a stereotype, of being gay. He wasn’t accepted for who he was as an individual, and was supposed to be like all the other penguins, by having the ability to sing. His parents were embarrassed by him, and wished he could sing like all the other penguins. Another part of the movie that caught my attention was Loveless saying to the girl penguins “don’t be a snooty booty” when one of the girl penguins said “not tonight”.  I thought that interpretation was taken as don’t be such a prude, just do it for me, which can be a stereotype toward men, because all guys are pigs, and all they want is sex.

            When children are watching this film they might be absorbing to take in bad habits from the penguin Loveless, because he is always thinking he is the best, and should be worshiped and when penguins do not do has he says he says “go forth and multiply” which is another way of saying go away and do something else. Children can take that in and think it is ok to boss other people around.  In the end of the film it can show kids that being different is okay, because everyone danced with Mumble. It shows that kids should stick to what they believe in because Mumble never gave up dancing, and all the other penguins sang, and never danced. I never watched this film as a child because it did not come out until 2006, but the year it came out, I did watch it. I never thought anything of the movie having anything fowl until now, and know that children are watching this.

According to commonsense.com, Christians were attacked throughout this film, from portraying the penguin "elders" as condemning religious leaders who quoted bible verses and a "televangelist"-like leader who blasphemed Scripture, speaking of "Going forth and multiplying", then taking several female penguins out of sight to "have pleasure" on his couch, asking, "who will be first?". Mumble, the main character, decides to find out who the "aliens" are and ask them to stop taking the penguins' food supply, fish. The "aliens", who are clearly defined as human beings, are portrayed as evil, uncaring, scary, palliative and destructive. As Mumble crests a hill looking for signs of "alien" life, the first structure that is shown is a church. Sexual innuendo is all over this movie, as male penguins frequently try to "get laid" and sing offensive secular songs that I don't let my children listen to, such as, Salt 'n Peppa's "Let's talk about sex baby" as well as Prince's "Kiss" and others. Mumble's parents are basically Marilyn Monroe and Elvis personified, and very "sexual" in their speaking and body movements. Mumble's penguin friends are very sexual when speaking about getting female penguins, at times thrusting their pelvises when speaking about how "hot" and desirable they are.

Comparing what commonsense.com and I had both said, there is a lot of agreement in the video that was discussed. I think it’s not very age appropriate for children who are under 12. However, the younger kids (ages 2-5) may not even understand how to interpret the movie other than it being a childrens movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjhvWf7OeEE

                                                                                                                                                           

One Of Us

Are characters "outside the mainstream culture" depicted as individuals or as caricatures? They are being looked at as a group of people instead of individuality, and what they look like instead of their personalities.

Does their representation include significant specific cultural information? Or does it follow stereotypes? It follows stereotypes, student’s who have their hair put up, and have different lunchboxes, wear different kind of shoes, etc, are to sit at a different table during lunch, then the kids who are wearing cowboy boots, have their hair down.

Who has the power in this story? What is the nature of their power, and how do they use it? A girl named Katie, seems to have the power in the story. She tells Roberta, who is the girl who was late to school, that she is not allowed to play on the monkey bars she has to hang out there and sit and chat with Katie’s group of friends, and that she isn’t allowed to hang out with her at lunch because she is different from them.

Who has wisdom? What is the nature of their wisdom, and how do they use it?

Nobody in particular has the wisdom, all the students thought they knew it, but they all had their own independence.

How is language used to create images of people of a particular group? How are artistic elements used to create those images? Language is used by stereotypes. Pictures are used from showing different items of what children have, and the language is used by saying if you have cowboys boots for example, you are in a different group, then the kids who wear running shoes.

Who has written this story? Who has illustrated it? Are they inside or outside the groups they are presenting? What are they in a position to know? What do they claim to know? Peggy Moss wrote the story, Penny Weber illustrated the book. They are presenting that “you are one of us” it doesn’t matter what color hair you have, what color eyes, or shoes, that people shouldn’t judge on the way that somebody looks, and should be friends with everyone just because they look different.

Whose voices are heard? Whose are missing? The students voices were heard the most, and so was the principle of the school. There wasn’t any parent interaction, or teachers involved.

What does this narrative and these pictures say about race? Class? Culture? Gender? Age? Resistance to the status quote? There were all kind of different races in the book, not just one specific race or gender. The ages of the children were probably around second grade.

Analyze the illustrations for stereotypes.  What are people doing that may create or perpetuate a stereotype?
They had different images of what they should and shouldn’t do. What they should and shouldn’t wear, and who was who, and you should follow this group or that group.
Analyze the storyline.  How are problems presented and resolved? At the end of the story it is resolved by children who are not in a specific group that it’s ok to sit with them because nobody is different, and it didn’t matter what you wore or what you were dressed as.

Would you recommend this book?  Why or why not? I would recommend this book to parents and teacher to read to their children/students because it’s important for kids to know early in age that kids should all be able to get along.