American "Atlantic Monthly" article on December 28, 2023, original title: Why are children's movies so sad? A few weeks ago, I saw an animated picture from the 1994 movie "The Lion King", which was the moment after the little lion Simba discovered the body of his father Mufasa: he rubbed himself under Mufasa's limp arm, and then lay down By his side. Seeing this scene, I was immediately filled with sadness, remembering the next scene: Simba caressing his dead father's face with his paws, imploring him to "stand up." This scene and a few others like it from cartoons have stuck in my mind: Dumbo resting on his abused mother's nose in "Dumbo"; his doting wife Ellie in "Up" Grieving from a miscarriage, he dies within the first five minutes of the film; Bambi searches for his recently shot mother in a snowy forest. I always have the same thought when these scenes come to mind: why are so many children's movies so sad, and how does this sadness affect the children they are meant to entertain?
Randy Bochtal, a psychologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, told me that different children experience these movies differently, depending primarily on their sensitivities, exposure to the themes of the films, and their understanding of the content. level of understanding. Guardians can observe their reactions afterwards and note changes in their behavior. For example, "Are they suddenly afraid of going up and down stairs on their own? Are there any changes in sleep or appetite?" If there are significant changes, it may be time to limit some children's exposure to disturbing images.
Overall, though, Bochtal believes sad movies are just one of many ways children are exposed to the harsh realities of life. Seeing characters succeed after tragic events can also teach children that although life can be difficult, joy and meaning still exist.
Until now, neither Bochtal nor I know whether the producers of sad children's films intentionally intended sad scenes as a form of education. So I contacted Rob Minkoff, co-director of The Lion King, directly. Minkoff agrees that children can learn important lessons from sad movies, and notes that many of these lessons are meant for adults as well. He also told me that Disney often mines storylines from existing works, and the original versions of these stories are also relatively heavy. For example, Snow White is derived from a disturbing fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm; "Pinocchio" Adapted from the novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi, in the story, the disobedient puppet killed his friend Cricket and was eventually hanged.
Recent animated movies or children's movies also contain similar heavy plots. Take 2010's Toy Story 3, for example, in which the characters are trapped on a conveyor belt leading to an incinerator - heartbreakingly holding hands while realizing they may be living in their final moments. But young audiences are still very receptive to such plots. Meredith Buck, who studies children's video media at Rutgers University, told me that children can understand sad episodes or find them meaningful; they may also be led into new perspectives. She said, "It's important for filmmakers to respect young audiences and acknowledge their ability to understand and express a wide range of emotions."
Looking back now, I don't remember watching "The Lion King" in the theater as a child. 》, I just remember that I loved it. With this in mind, I conducted a survey among family members with children: Who becomes more emotional, children or parents, when watching a children's movie with a sad theme? The opinion is basically unanimous: it’s the parents. Some children will become emotional in front of such sad content, but more often, they will show curiosity or discuss with their parents how the character should avoid such a fate. Children often understand a lot more than we give them credit for. However, these contents tend to have a greater impact on adults, perhaps because adults have the experience or cognitive ability to understand these movies from multiple perspectives. When I saw the scenes with Simba and Mufasa, I thought not only of the devastation of losing a father, but also of the tragedy of a child being left alone.I even thought about my dog and how confused he would be if I left him. So, the question may not be whether these movies are too sad for kids, but that adults find them too sad. (Author Kelly Conambo, translated by Chen Xin) ▲
