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Courtney Budd

Prof. Hagemaster

ENG 2322

26 November 2019

How Children’s Movies Promote Othering

In most situations, assumptions and prejudice are a normal part of human life. However,

many fail to recognize it in their lives. This especially applies to media. Unless the media is

specifically using a certain dichotomy to reach a desired effect, it is very difficult to see them

beyond the storyline. This is especially true for children’s films. While it is common to attempt

to remove as much of the negative attributes of society as possible from these films, the innate

creation of dichotomies is still present. For example, to many viewers, Monsters Inc. is an

endearing film about two monster’s attempts to return a young girl to her home. However,

deeper investigation into the film reveals a much more sinister truth about humanity. By

observing the monsters in a different context than face value, viewers are able to identify a

dichotomy hiding in the cutesy animation. The popular concept of “us versus the other” is a key

part of understanding the film in the fullest capacity. Understanding the deeper messages of the

film helps highlight the negative mindsets caused by othering, which is creating an intolerant and

problematic society.

Othering in media has the largest effect on children. Because of their age and lack of

exposure to the world, they are at the greatest risk of being influenced by what they see and hear.

It is a commonly understood principle that children mimic what is around them. For example, if

a child is frequently exposed to positive influences whether it be through media, parents , or

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school, they show noticeable changes in behavior which mirror what knowledge they have

gathered from it. This is best shown in a study conducted by Rebecca N. H. de Leeuw and

Christa A. van der Laan. In this study, children were exposed to a Disney clip and their behaviors

after watching were observed. By doing this, researchers found that most children demonstrated

a much more positive and helpful demeanor than those who had not. (de Leeuw and van der

Laan 159). By researching children in this manner, it is much clearer to see how any type of

negative nuances in media can greatly impact children, which then impacts society as they grow

older and practice these views in their lives.

Author Jon Negroni speaks from personal experience in his article regarding media’s

impact on children. Negroni writes “I was one of those kids who was raised by movies and

television. That sounds like a scary thing, and it probably is. But that’s the reality of how I

learned a great deal of what I know about the world and myself in it.” (n.p.). What Negroni is

saying is that most of what he learned as a child was influenced and shaped by what he saw in

the media he consumed as a child. This is common among children, which is why it is so crucial

that media developers understand and monitor exactly what kinds of messages they are sending

in their works. If negative undertones can continue, then more children will continue to harbor

and pass along harmful views. This is demonstrated in a study by Gregory Fouts, Mitchell

Callan, Kelly Piasentin, and Andrea Lawson. In this study, they address how the concepts of

“evil” in films influence children. They discuss how the evil attributes in films cause children to

identify people they view as similar and assume they are evil as well (Fouts, et. al 16). This ends

up contributing to the problems that society should be trying to change.

One such work that demonstrates othering hidden in underlying messages is Monsters

Inc. At first glance, the movie appears to be a cute twist on human’s widespread fear of
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monsters. While this is the main concept of the movie, our innate tendencies still make their

presence known. The film focuses on the journey of a young girl named Boo as she mistakenly

finds herself in the world of monsters. Through the course of the film Sully, a top “scarer” for the

company Monsters Inc., and his colleague Mike, another employee of the company, find

themselves attempting to safely return her to her home. In the monster’s world, many believe

that a touch from a human will kill them, and Boo’s presence causes widespread panic and fear.

This belief is proven untrue, and Mike and Sully break all the common protocol with dealing

with a human, ultimately learning that everything they assumed about humans was wrong.

The movie is touching and completely appropriate for children by society’s standards.

However, upon examination, the underlying tones of othering are prevalent. It is apparent that

the monsters do not understand much about humans, as most of their widespread beliefs are

debunked by Boo and her interactions with the monsters. This type of misunderstanding is a

common prerequisite to othering and other forms of hatred. When people do not see a connection

between themselves and another culture, race, etc. then they see themselves as two separate types

of beings. Even throughout the film it is obvious that the characters do not see themselves as a

part of the same universe as humans, despite relying on them for energy. There are distinct

indicators in language, actions, and even a physical representation shown by the doors that

separate the monsters and humans. In reality we often see this same type of narrative that is

shown in the film. People assume they know everything there is to know about other cultures,

situations, or workplaces because they heard something from someone or they read an article

online. Often, like in the case of Boo, there is a huge misunderstanding and their hatred and

adversity is completely misguided. This is the opposite of how we should be viewing things we
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do not understand. Unfortunately, this is not something people stop to think about, and the issue

is allowed and often encouraged to continue.

In society today, there are distinct categories which are commonly the victims of

othering. Stela Saltaga digs into this in her research. According to her findings, students, racial

minorities, and the disabled are most commonly the victims of othering. (Saltaga 22). This is

largely because these groups are in situations which are not commonly shared. They do have

their own groups, but since society as a whole does not commonly experience their everyday

lives there is a lack of empathy that develops. This slowly becomes a hatred for most, as they do

not care to understand the reality of these situations. Instead, many choose to remain ignorant

and the cycle of othering continues. Saltaga’s findings also display the severe effects that this

type of isolation and treatment can cause in individuals it affects, which then impacts our society.

(Saltaga 34-35). She discusses how feelings of isolation can lead an individual to become

unhappy and unproductive. The more common this becomes in our society, the worse off we will

be. More people will be hateful for no real reason, and more people will lead miserable lives

because of it.

However, many people will simply dismiss othering or mock the idea of it. This is largely

due to it being a psychological concept as opposed to a tangible outcome. People who fail to see

othering as a serious issue are the reason that companies such as Pixar can get away with the

subtle othering that has carried on for years. For example, Tekkai Wallace writes about the

incredible amounts of white norms found in their films. They mention the white voice actors,

characters, and backgrounds found in Pixar’s film and the lack of any racial or cultural diversity

(n.p). This is a prime example of othering. While the majority of the white Amercian population

will not see a problem with the lack of diversity in these films, Wallace once again mentions how
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leaving out children of different backgrounds isolates them (n.p). By isolating these children, not

only do they end up feeling like they do not belong, but it allows more privileged children to feel

like it is ok to further isolate and pick on them, which later becomes violent tendencies and

malicious mindsets in adulthood.

By being mindful of what is actually being reflected in popular media opens up a

multitude of opportunities for bettering the world. Othering may seem a minor and obsolete

concept when put into context of children’s media, but it is more prevalent than ever. The

mindsets and acts that are promoted by these reflections allow our youth to believe that these acts

are ok. Thus becoming the hateful and violent adults that are becoming a larger issue by the day.

Allowing othering in these medias will contribute to the problematic society, whereas a more

positive message in place of these dark undertones will help teach and promote a positive

mindset and eventually better society.

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Works Cited

Fouts, Gregory, et al. “Demonizing in Children’s Television Cartoons and Disney Animated

Films.” Child Psychiatry and Human Development, vol. 37, no. 1, 2006, pp. 15–23.,

doi:10.1007/s10578-006-0016-7.

Leeuw, Rebecca N. H. De, and Christa A. Van Der Laan. “Helping Behavior in Disney

Animated Movies and Children’s Helping Behavior in the Netherlands.” Journal of

Children and Media, vol. 12, no. 2, 2017, pp. 159–174.,

doi:10.1080/17482798.2017.1409245.

Negroni, Jon. “How Pixar Movies Are Dramatically Reshaping Culture.” Relevant, 7 July 2016.

Saltaga, Stela. “Students’ Experiences of Othering: Recommendations for Inclusive Classroom

Climates.” Boise State University, Boise State University Graduate College, 2017, pp. 9–

101.

Wallace, Tekkai. “Pixar Isn't Brave.” Medium, Oddly Specific Criticisms, 12 Feb. 2017,

medium.com/oddly-specific-criticisms/pixar-isnt-brave-85ee0ae0b9c3.