Blog # 6 with Pluto's Playmate

If the body follows the mind, as in chapter 5, then the audience follows the heart, at least according to chapter 6. Here’s a question that concerns all mass media in general and animation in particular. The LCD, lowest common denominator, of mass appeal is often considered a “dumbing down” of content so that so-called ordinary people can “get it.” But what if the LCD was not a dumbing down (of the mind), but a warming up (of the heart)? What do you think (is this “true” of mass media or something Disney brings to the table)? Does your selection support your thesis (understanding that it’s only one selection and not a representative sample of anything)? 

Mass Media often dumbs things down for appealing to wider audiences. This is the case with many blockbuster movies that are geared for mass appeal. We went over in class how Animation in Japan is considered more as a medium to express to all ages. I think that a good approach would be to gear animation and movies towards everyone, and not to water them down for the general public. If a person doesn't get it, that's their own problem.

And if your kids are too young to see it, then don't let them go to the movie. Parents should be in charge of making sure the movie is right for them, but animation is an art that should be expressive of the message. I feel that Disney, while a lot of their videos are cute, is completely geared toward mass appeal.

This means that Disney has a certain style that everyone can get, but all their movies are pretty much the same. It's not necessarily that the animation is not heart-warming, and I think that Pluto's Playmate is a good example of a funny heart warming cartoon.

The thing is, now a days I think people want to see animation that appeals to more than light hearted humor or childhood. Even if it is about childhood, should they be so dumbed down? I think Disney could make animations that are less mass marketed, because overall animation is the art of expressing things that are hard to express in film.