Paper 1

S-Town is a complex podcast which delves into the life of John B. McLemore. The podcast is narrated by and told through the lens of reporter Brian Reed. Prior to being assigned to engage with the podcast, I had no frame of reference of its content or characters, for lack of better words. When listening to episode 1, I found myself feeling bad for John. He was, as described by Brian, “a redhead, with red goatee and glasses, looks a bit younger than his 48 years, in ratty jeans and ratty sneakers.” It was here I was drawing conclusions about John, making assumptions about why he was the way he was. It wasn’t until episode three that I began to look outside of this scope. It was that this was not necessarily how John was but rather how he was masterfully described. My point of view shifted during episode three where I realized I was focusing too much on what John was doing and saying and not enough on how Brian built the character that became John out of how he narrated the podcast. Focusing on episode one, the events consisted of the preliminary acquaintance of John and Brian. This is where I feel Brian intentionally sets the stage for the rest of the podcast. Brian builds up his description of John through his choice use of vocabulary from the beginning of the episode, detailing what he was like both physically and psychologically. What stands out to me most when thinking of this is about half way through the podcast when Brian describes a comic saved on John’s computer that is of three drinking glasses. “The first one smiles and says, ‘I'm half full.’ The next one frowns and says, ‘I'm half empty.’ The last one throws both arms up and says, ‘I think this is piss.’” Brian paints this scene in a light to explain how John is perpetually negative and that this comic is his worldview. Brian continues this pattern throughout the entire podcast, constantly putting down what John knows and believes by painting him this way. Brian does not stop to say that the fact John notices so much is impressive and astute of him, but rather it is always John being stuck in this negative mindset. Brian never thinks beyond this realm and that perhaps John has other factors playing into his detail and outcome-oriented personality. Brian spends so much time, especially during the first episode to mold John into this character. He convinces the reader, me included, that John deserves pity, is a raggedy recluse from Alabama, and can’t see anything good that happens in his life. What this passage detailing John’s comic brings to my attention even more so is that Brian is breaking down John to build himself up. “At one point, I mentioned that the landscape around here is really quite pretty” Brian says in return to Johns “virtuosic negativity.” So much of the verbiage in this episode, and section of the podcast specifically, let the listener believe that John has something wrong with him and that to view the world this way is detrimental. By the quote above, Brian takes this opportunity to paint himself as a breath of fresh air, offering relief from the dark and dismal veil John has placed on the world.

Paper 2 Proposal

For paper 2, I would like to focus on the theme of mental health in the movie The Breakfast Club in comparison to our common text, S-Town. I chose this movie because the main characters of the film all deal with a particular mental health struggles, as John does in the podcast. Whether it have been attempts at suicide, emotional abuse from family members, or physically abusive homes, it is not until the individuals are forced to get to know one another that they find solace and understanding in each other’s life experiences and realize there is more to each of them than meets the eye. By exploring the relationships between the students in The Breakfast Club to Brian and John in S-Town, I will seek to understand how Brian reacted and regarded red flags about Johns condition in comparison to those that were present in The Breakfast Club and how it shaped the dialogue surrounding mental health in each.

Paper 2 Proposal Revision

For paper 2, I would like to focus on how the narration style of S-Town compares to that of the book All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire. In S-Town, the narrative is told through the point of view of Brian Reed who reports on occurrences in the life of John B. McLemore. The opinions of Brian heavily impact how the audience experiences and interprets other characters and incidents throughout the podcast. This can be seen as he will use verbiage that paints John in a particular light and has authority over the podcast to include and exclude what he wants as well as highlight specific details. All the Little Lights contrasts with the narration style of S-Town as the narrator changes between chapters with either Elliot or Catherine telling the story. This affords the reader the opportunity to understand events, specifically how they view each other, from the perspective of both people. As events take place, two different viewpoints are offered helping the reader to understand what both characters, rather than only one as in S-Town, interpret each other like and their life experiences as detailed in the plot of the book. By comparing S-Town to All the Little Lights, I will seek to understand how the lens through which a story is told affects the reader with one point of view versus two and how it can limit the scope of the narrative.

Paper 3 Proposal

Leading up to project three, I would like to focus my essay on how animals are fantasized in Disney films. I find this an interesting area of research following discussion of this topic in another class and I would like to delve into this further. Disney movies have largely created a culture in which animals are largely regarded as innocent, coddled, and anthropomorphized beings. In turn, this has created a shift in the way society thinks about animals as well. Because they are often regarded as something that should be protected, and most often protected from man, there is a major divide about the ethical nature of using animals for food and clothing as well as the death of animals and the intervention of humans when animals act instinctively towards one another.

Thesis Statement

Disney films have created a mindset about animals that animals should only be regarded as precious and vulnerable creatures because they are often represented in films without portraying death, raw instincts, and as defenseless beings creating a society which finds all animal-related practices cruel.

Literature

Review

When choosing a research essay topic, I wanted to focus on something that was both culturally relevant and interesting to me as an individual. This led me to explore the topic of how film influences viewers and their perception of animals through anthropomorphism, specifically their opinions regarding animal welfare. To do so, I am exploring this topic through Disney films, all of which feature animals either as the main characters or simply as accessories to the plot. Anthropomorphism is defined as when non-humans are given human attributes. Through my research, I will be able to explore how Disney films evoke feelings in viewers, through anthropomorphism, that lead to heightened feelings of guilt regarding animal consumption.

Beginning my research, I wanted to understand better the research that has been conducted on how film influences audiences. This is relevant to the topic I am exploring because I am seeking to better understand how film leads to viewer action. Pautz and Pautz & Warnement both explore how film influences the audience’s perception the government through multiple studies. Each of these studies surveyed viewers before and after a film, taking note of how they regarded the government at each time. Across all of these studies, it was made apparent that attitudes were changed after the completion of the film. This is a positive indicator that what is presented to audiences via movies has a direct influence on the way people feel regarding the topics presented. Audiences generally reported feelings of positivity towards the government when surveyed after. It was also noted in these studies that young people are those who are most susceptible to these influences because of undeveloped opinions and worldviews. Similar in method of measuring the effect of film, Wilson, Linz, Stipp, & Donnerstein and Mazur & Emmers-Sommer also measured how movies impact attitudes. They conducted their research on rape, family life, and sexual orientation. They measured changes in attitudes by conducting surveys before and after the film was presented.
Geen & Thomas focused their research on how violence in the media leads to aggressive behavior in viewers. What I found must useful to my topic from this publication was that physical action was being measured, Rather than assess only opinions. The focus on how people acted and were physically impacted following a film correlates to my topic because people will make a physical decision to not purchase animal products because of the light animals are represented in in films. Because viewers see animals as helpless and vulnerable, they are more likely to have a distaste for foods that come from animals. Barnett, Wagner, Anderson, Houle, & Kafka similarly examine how movies impact audience yet do so by measuring students knowledge of science before and after watching science fiction films. What was found is that, contrary to the results found by government related movies, the audience was negatively affected; students understanding of science was degraded over the course of a movie.

Understanding these sources helps me to solidify my notion that film does in fact have a measurable effect on the audience. Reading about studies done on popular media and animals by Molloy transitioned my researched from impact on the audience to the role animals play. Molloy notes that media containing animals and animal-related themes and characters are more popular. Henderson & Anderson published a study that reported film with humanized animals mislead audiences. Intelligence, capabilities, morality, and death are all skewed and misinform audiences of what animals are really like. It was also discussed that humans seek out animals in real like that most closely resemble the animals we see in films; the “Walt Disney dog” to be exact. This research emphasizes what I am exploring because it delves into how the way animals are represented evokes feeling in viewers and can residually impact how one views animals.

Looking more into the effects of anthropomorphism, I read an article by Hight on how anthropomorphism arouses feelings of empathy in viewers and also aided memory recall. This memory recall was attributed to the fact that when you feel more emotionally attached to a character, or animal in this case, it is more memorable. This article helps strengthen my argument because it solidifies that the way in which information is presented on the screen alters the way the audience reacts and how they feel about animals. When an audience feels sympathetic towards animals they are less likely to consumer meat and other animals products. Geerdts also comments on the effects of anthropomorphism yet focuses on how children are better able to understand biology when animals are given human traits. This is because it makes the animal more familiar when compared to something a child has an understanding of.

The sources that came the closest to my argument were by Wang & Basso, Butterfield, Hill, & Lord, and Diaz. Noting previous sources, it is understood that the way animals are presented in film causes a shift in emotion of the viewer. What Wang & Basso, Butterfield, Hill, & Lord, and Diaz have done is take this information and study the effects of it. Wang and Basso discuss how anthropomorphizing leads to feelings of guilt regarding consuming animals which translate into choices people make in their diet. Butterfield, Hill, and Lord found that humans have a sympathetic view of animals when they are given human traits leading to an increase in willingness to adopt, support for animal welfare, and the vegan diet. Diaz reaches a similar conclusion stating that humanlike animals directly affect attitudes and therefore promote vegetarian and vegan diets.

Muth and Jamison published research that especially appealed to me in their work On the Destiny of Deer Camps and Duck Blinds: The Rise of the Animal Rights Movement and the Future of Wildlife Conservation. They build their argument by outlining four reasons for the rise of animal rights: disconnect from wild nature, popularized interpretation of science, anthropomorphism, and egalitarianism. Looking deeper at their argument for anthropomorphism, Bambi is at the forefront. Bambi is a highly effective anti-hunting movie that is wide-spread both across the county and around the world. What made the movie so effective is the way in which deer were represented as helpless creatures and hunters were cruel and vicious. Man is painted as responsible for corruption, fear, and violence that exists in the animal world. Bambi highlighted how audiences were sympathetic to animals and animal rights and protection.

By reading and understanding research that has been conducted surrounding my topic, I can now draw conclusions by translating this information to my own subject. Through my research, I noticed that ample research has been conducted on the effects of film on the audience as well as the role animals play yet little has been done in direct correlation with Disney films. By looking this through the lens of Disney movies, I will be able to appeal to a wide range of people with something many people are already familiar with.

Barnett, Michael, et al. “The Impact of Science Fiction Film on Student Understanding of Science.” SpringerLink, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 25 Aug. 2006, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10956-006-9001-y.

Butterfield, Max E., et al. “Mangy Mutt or Furry Friend? Anthropomorphism Promotes Animal Welfare.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Academic Press, 21 Feb. 2012, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103112000224.

Geen, Russell G., and Susan L. Thomas. “SPSSI Journals.” Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 14 Apr. 2010, https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1986.tb00240.x.

Henderson, Antonia, and Marla Anderson. “Pernicious Portrayals: The Impact of Children's Attachment to Animals of Fiction on Animals of Fact in: Society & Animals Volume 13 Issue 4 (2005).” Society & Animals, Brill, 7 Oct. 2018, https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/13/4/article-p297_2.xml.

Hight, and Sarah Rosemary. “Does Anthropomorphism Affect People's Ability to Distinguish Fact from Fiction?” OUR Archive Home, University of Otago, 1 Jan. 1970, https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/handle/10523/7604.

Megan. “Anthropomorphic Media and Children's Biological Knowledge.” Welcome to RUcore - Rutgers University Community Repository, https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/43766/.

Muth, Robert, and Robert Jamison. On the Destiny of Deer Camps and Duck Blinds: The Rise of the Animal Rights Movement and the Future of Wildlife Conservation. JSTOR, https://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~goheen/mammalogy course/muth_and_jamison.pdf.

Pautz, Michelle C., and Megan K. Warnement. “Government on the Silver Screen: Contemporary American Cinema's Depiction of Bureaucrats, Police Officers, and Soldiers: PS: Political Science & Politics.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 21 June 2013, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/government-on-the-silver-screen-contemporary-american-cinemas-depiction-of-bureaucrats-police-officers-and-soldiers/E958C2A4B2C76D5C6B575D06B3F3B453.

Pautz, Michelle C. “Argo and Zero Dark Thirty: Film, Government, and Audiences: PS: Political Science & Politics.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 31 Dec. 2014, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/argo-and-zero-dark-thirty-film-government-and-audiences/889B13ED0B53B2DF7C09372D4ACCECE5.

Pautz, Michelle C. “Cops on Film: Hollywood's Depiction of Law Enforcement in Popular Films, 1984–2014: PS: Political Science & Politics.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 20 Apr. 2016, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/cops-on-film-hollywoods-depiction-of-law-enforcement-in-popular-films-19842014/AD96EFF7E47E47A7045A72085B54B77C.

“The Effect of Movie Portrayals on Audience Attitudes About Nontraditional Families and Sexual Orientation.” Taylor & Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J082v44n01_09.

Wang, Feiyang, and Frédéric Basso. “‘Animals Are Friends, Not Food’: Anthropomorphism Leads to Less Favorable Attitudes toward Meat Consumption by Inducing Feelings of Anticipatory Guilt.” Appetite, Academic Press, 21 Mar. 2019, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666318305634.

Wilson, Barbara J., et al. “The Impact of Social Issue Television Programming on Attitudes Toward Rape.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 17 Mar. 2006, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1992.tb00299.x.

1st Draft of Final Paper

We are constantly processing the world around us. Taking in billboards, radio commercials, tv advertisements, and even which movies we choose to watch. This consistent flow of information processing means we are being exposed to messages, whether obvious or not, that are important to acknowledge and analyze. It is necessary to understand what we as the audience are being exposed to and decide the intent of the author who created it. Using Disney movies as my text of choice, I want to explore how the anthropomorphism of the animals across their films translates to heightened animal sympathy and the choice of vegan or vegetarian diets in the audience. Disney is widely familiar to many making this text readily understood and accessible while the effects of anthropomorphism have yet to be explored through this genre. Anthropomorphism in Disney movies influences audience members to feel guilt and sympathy towards animals because of the human to animal relationship, mirror effect of humans and animals, and the illustration technique of animals across the films ultimately leading to non-animal diet choices. Understanding the effects of anthropomorphism through texts, such as children’s books and movies other than Disney, will allow us to make the connection between the effects it has within Disney movies based on how it influences other audiences. I will also research the ways in which animals imitate humans. This being the way anthropomorphized animals walk, talk, behave, interact with other animals as well as humans. Looking closely at these relationships and mannerisms will give insight into why the audience feels the way they do towards films as such. Lastly, I will seek clarity on illustration techniques between movies such as the way they take on human stature as well as how the expression of animals contributes to the heightened effects of anthropomorphism. Each of these areas of research will come together to support my argument that Disney movies contribute to the rise of the anti-animal consumption sentiment.

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to nonhumans. This is primarily seen as animals which talk and interact as humans would, often seen in media geared towards children. When animals take on these characteristics, the audience recognizes them more so as humans than as animals, arousing feelings of empathy in viewers. (Hight) This empathy stems from the fact that our perception changes from creatures which do not perform the same as humans to animals which are equal to humans. Hight also reports on the fact that anthropomorphism aids memory recall. This is attributed to the fact that when we are more emotionally attached to something, a human-like animal in this instance, it is more memorable. This research solidifies the notion that the way in which animals are presented to us changes the way we feel about them and regard them even after viewing anthropomorphized media. When animals depart from their naturalistic behaviors and traits, the audience regards them as animals which have more feeling, understanding, and intelligence than is the reality. Research conducted by Henderson and Anderson measured that this causes misunderstanding in audiences. What was reported is that anthropomorphism misleads audiences as animals are portrayed as having human-like morals, capabilities, intelligence, and depart from their instinctive natures. (Henderson and Anderson) It is also noted that animals in their anthropomorphized form are rarely shown to die. This is especially prevalent in Disney movies. Looking at the movie Snow White, Snow White herself treats her animals companions as equals to her. She looks to them for advice, friendship, and relies on them to help get her out of certain situations. This is just one of many scenarios across Disney movies that represent how animals are widely departed from nature. Because animals are being represented so closely to humans, we regard them as such and they take on the same level of ethics and morals that we would apply to human-human interaction. Anthropomorphisms effects on the audience to feel emotion and empathy is what directly translates to specific dietary choices. As noted by Henderson and Anderson, audiences believe that animals are equal to humans after viewing such films. With Disney primarily geared towards younger audiences, it is of importance to note that these feelings persist over time. Wang and Basso in their research, “Animals are friends, not food”: Anthropomorphism leads to less favorable attitudes toward meat consumption by inducing feelings of anticipatory guilt, they dive into how the attribution of human qualities effects emotions, similar to the work of Hight. In their work, they outlined how people are quick to befriend animals yet have adverse feelings towards the consumption of animals products. Using the verbiage of “Animals are friends, not food,” they detail that because we are constantly fed visuals and media which portray animals as human-like, friends rather, and we no longer view them as animals, as the earlier noted research supports. (Wang and Basso) In Disney films, animals become friends. Cinderella finds solace in the mice that share her living space. She confides in them, shares her hopes and dreams, and talks through what she is experiencing as the step-sister of an unfortunate family. The mice respond with understanding as they explain, in their animalistic world, they experience some of the same things. It is here that Disney connects the human world and the animal world by illustrating that we live the same lives as animals simply on a different scale. Tying back to the misleading of audience members, the audience feels animals feel emotion the same as humans because they are depicted in this way. I feel it is because of this that when people make dietary decisions, they are reminded of the images we are constantly fed and think that the animal product in the grocery store is that same as the one seen on the movie screen. Now understanding how anthropomorphism affects emotions, it is necessary to understand the way in which animals and humans interact and the relationships they share affect the audience as well.

Snow White and Cinderella are two examples of how humans find friendship in animals. Bambi is an example of how the relationship between humans and animals is shown in popular media.

Final Paper

The Influence of Anthropomorphism in Disney Movies on Dietary Choices

We are constantly processing the world around us. Taking in billboards, radio commercials, tv advertisements, and what we choose to watch for both television shows and movies. This consistent flow of information processing means we are being exposed to messages, whether obvious or not, that are important to acknowledge and analyze. It is necessary to understand what we as the audience are being exposed to and decide the authorial intent. Across the history of Disney movies, anthropomorphism has been utilized to bring movie plots and characters to life. It is of particular interest to understand the effect this has on the audience. Disney is widely familiar to many making this choice of text readily understood and accessible to many. Anthropomorphism in Disney movies evokes feelings of guilt and sympathy towards animals ultimately promoting vegan and vegetarian diets. This effect is achieved by the way in which animals, humans, and the relationship between the two are portrayed through both choices in animation and dialogue style. Animals in an anthropomorphized form take on human characteristics and feelings which contribute towards empathy concerning their consumption as part of a traditional diet. Humans, as will be expanded on later, are widely portrayed as the antagonist or “bad guy” in Disney movies. Because of this, viewers take on feelings of blame as defenseless animals, as portrayed in Disney movies, fall victim to the hand of man. The way in which humans and animals interact to find friendship and solace in one another contribute to these heightened emotions as well. Looking closely at these relationships and mannerisms will give insight into why the audience feels the way they do towards films as such. From this, it will come to light how Disney movies have underlying pro-animal messages which contribute to the rise of anti-animal consumption sentiment.

In order to be able to reach justifiable conclusions, understanding research surrounding the subject is vital. Both the effects of film and the effects of anthropomorphism must first be understood before exploring a new topic. Research published by Pautz, Pautz & Warnement, and Wilson, Linz, Stipp, & Donnerstein were all similar in their methodology leading to decisive results. Each of these studies surveyed an audience before and after the presentation of a film in order to measure how film influenced the way the felt about a particular subject. The subjects studied varied from attitudes concerning the government, rape, sexuality, and family life. Each of the research studies upheld the notion that film changes the way an audience feels emotionally (Pautz) (Pautz and Warnement) (Wilson, Linz, Stipp, and Donnerstein).

Geen & Thomas, in their research, The Immediate Effects of Media Violence on Behavior, established that audiences can be led to have changes in physical behavior when exposed to media violence. This conclusion was reached when results of their study indicated people who viewed violent films had more aggressive behavior following their exposure than those who did not (Geen and Thomas). Results such as these directly correlate to my argument as viewers of Disney films have a change in their physical behavior, to consume or not to consume animal products, and is supported by the conclusions reached in Geen & Thomas’ study.

Looking closely at the effects of anthropomorphism, Henderson & Anderson conducted research that found anthropomorphism misleads audiences concerning animal intelligence, capabilities, morality, and mortality (Henderson and Anderson). This correlates to research conducted by Barnett, Wagner, Anderson, Houle, & Kafka stating that film can misinform viewers to believe fantastical depictions, as in science fiction movies, are real (Barnett et al.).

Hight, Wang & Basso, Butterfield, Hill, & Lord, Diaz, and Muth & Jamison all published studies regarding how anthropomorphism affects viewers emotions. From these, it was concluded that anthropomorphism leads to intensified emotional attachment to fictional characters, feelings of guilt are aroused when animals become human-like, support for animal welfare, animal rights, and adoption is increased, and anthropomorphism creates a disconnect from true-life nature (Hight) (Wang and Basso) (Butterfield, Hill, and Lord) (Diaz) (Muth and Jamison).

All of the research mentioned before concerns the argument at large; anthropomorphism causes audiences to choose non-animal consumption diets. To best understand the case, grasping basic concepts regarding the subject is compulsory. By building a foundation of the key concepts at play will help to solidify my argument and build credibility.

Anthropomorphism is defined as “the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object” (Anthropomorphism, Lexico Dictionaries). Through the lens of Disney movies, this is more specifically how animals walk, talk, dress, eat, live, interact, and form relationships as humans do. By giving a nonhuman these human-like traits, an audience is able to relate more closely to the characters and the plot of a movie.

Animal rights and animal welfare are central to the argument I am making as anthropomorphism promotes support of these causes. Animal rights are “rights believed to belong to animals to live free from hunting, use in medical research, and other services to humans (Animal Rights, Lexico Dictionaries). Animals welfare is defined as “providing for an animals physical and mental needs” (Animal Welfare: What Is It?, avma.org).

Disney movies are an ideal text to utilize when exploring this argument because of the reach the brand has making it a household name. Earning nearly $12 billion in box office sales in 2018, Disney is a behemoth in the film industry (Whitten, The 2019 Box Office…). With that known fact, Disney has had the capability to reach people all over the world with channels in 133 countries (keeping in mind there are 195 countries in the world) (About, thewaltdisneycompany.eu). Reaching audiences through theme parks, merchandise, television shows, and movies, many of their key players are animals. Nemo from Finding Nemo, Simba from The Lion King, and Judy Hopps from Zootopia to name a few. While not all films include talking animals, there are no Disney movies that do not contain animals in some aspect (Smith, 40 Amazing Disney Movie Statistics). With the range and spread of the Disney platform through various media channels, animals in their anthropomorphized form have reached people all over the world. Necessary to understand is the effect the portrayal of animals in this way has had on an audience such size.

Looking at the movie Bambi, the impact of animation style and choices in dialogue are at the forefront as well as how the relationship between human and animal is represented. At the climax of the movie, Bambi has his first encounter with man. Tipping off the chain of events is “the great prince of the forest” or the buck (male deer) which leads the rest of the herd. It is an otherwise idyllic day in the forest. The herd, which young Bambi and his mother belong to, is grazing the meadow where the sun is shining and birds are chirping in the background. “The great prince of the forest” begins to walk out of the meadow and into the thick of the forest. Climbing up rocks, over a creek, and up the hill, he begins looking around as if he is scoping the area for signs of trouble. Trees are towering over and he contrasts with the greenery of the forest around him, yet he appears confident and sturdy as he takes in his surroundings. Music plays triumphantly in the background emphasizing the regality the buck carries as leader of the herd. In an instance, a group of birds erupt out of nowhere cawing loudly and spurring worry in the buck. He is alarmed at their sudden flight and with this the music quickly changes to fast paced and dramatic as he rushes back to the meadow where the rest of the herd grazes. Cascading back over the creek and sliding out of the foot of the meadow, the buck catches the attention of the herd. With a puff of his chest alerts the herd that there is trouble. The color scheme shifts dramatically from green to red accentuating the frenzy that is taking place. Lost in the scuffle, Bambi calls out desperately for his mom. His ears are pinned back and he cowers to the ground, careful not to find himself under the hooves of fleeing deer. Quickly, the view is shifted back to the mom who, as frantically as Bambi, is looking around and yelling out for her son. As the rest of the herd is disappearing to safety, Bambi is left in the middle of the now dark and foggy meadow seemingly helpless and defenseless against what may find him. To his rescue, the buck comes back and leads Bambi towards the forest with his mom close behind. Just as the three are making their escape into the forest, a gunshot rings through the air and birds cry out once again. Hiding under a shrub, Bambi is terrified of what just took place and his mom is left to coo him out of his spot. Ears still pinned back and keeping low to the ground, Bambi asks, “What happened, mother? Why did we all run?” To which she replies slowly and with trepidation, “Man… was in the forest.” Music resumes to a slow and somber tune as the pair walk away from their safe hiding spot further into the forest.

The animation and dialogue style of this scene was crucial to building emotion and suspense. Throughout the entirety of the scene, the buck kept his head high and his chest out, never seeming to cower to the fear that consumed the remainder of the herd. Bambi, on the contrary, was depicted during the entire scene with his ears back in fear, his big, brown eyes full of worry, head tilted down, and crouching low to the ground as if that were safest position. His body language is that he is experiencing unshakeable distress of what he is not sure of until later in the scene. What this scene highlights is that man is the reason to be afraid, run, and hide, as his mother explains. Because of the horror the deer have of humans, they are shown to escape as quickly as they can in order to avoid whatever may harm them. As a viewer, you are watching the events unfold through the point of view of one of the deer. It is here that the audience can begin to feel the fear and stress the animals do. Hasty yelling out and searching for one another arouses these feelings. It is when the scene changes viewers are able to come back out of the scene and process what took place. As the plot of the movie goes, along with this specific scene, humans are the bad guy and are to be feared. Because we feel so connected through this point of view, we are experiencing the scene and the fear as the animals do. Viewers see and hear the characters emotions and guiltiness and responsibility is felt for making the animals that way. This is what translates to an individual’s dietary choices. Bambi is vulnerable to the actions of man and because of the shame viewers feel in associating themselves with the hunters in the movie, more empathy is felt for animals. Whether subconsciously or not, when making decisions in the grocery store per say, an individual who viewed Bambi and remembers how scared the young deer was of humans may be more inclined to pass up beef or chicken for dinner. This can be attributed to the fact that a viewer would assume if a deer can feel that way certainly any other animal can as well. This is what Muth and Jamison argued in their piece stating that anthropomorphism allows viewers to believe animals have the same feelings as humans which is a disconnect from how nature really is (Muth and Jamison). Henderson and Anderson’s work connects as well as they outline how an animal’s emotion, among other attributes, is misleading to how they are in real life as in films such as Bambi (Henderson and Anderson).

As Bambi carries a strong anti-hunting message, Dumbo heavily critiques the premise of circuses. Following typical circus chaos, Dumbo’s first experience as a show elephant turns south. In this scene, Dumbo and his mom are together, sectioned off from the bustling crowds by only a rope barrier. A group of six kids, including a boisterous red head with big ears, big teeth, and prominent freckles approach the pair. Loudly mocking Dumbo, the red head boy remarks “he’s got the funniest looking ears!” The remainder of the group erupt in laughter. Thinking he is entertaining the juvenile group, Dumbo plays along, wiggling his ears at the boys. Smiling from below his trunk, Dumbo’s ears flash at the crowd. The camera cuts quickly between the rowdy group of kids and Dumbo. All the while, Dumbo’s mom, dressed in a pink and blue hat and cape is watching over the situation. Getting protective over her son who had previously been ridiculed for his ears, his mom reaches down with her trunk and scoots Dumbo back and behind her, shielding him from the cruel comments. She wears a surprised and sad expression as the remarks are less than desirable to a mother. The red head boy does not shy away from Dumbo even after his mother tries to hide him. Reaching under the mother elephant, the boy grabs Dumbo by the tail and pulls him out into the open. Dumbo pulls his ears back in fear now beginning to understand it was not harmless fun. The boy continues to taunt Dumbo and blows into his ear until it fans out with his breath. It is here that music begins playing in the background, dramatic and loudly to match the commotion that is taking place. Dumbo’s mom does not take these actions lightly and as the boy trips trying to run away, she begins to hit him with her trunk. This sends all circusgoers into panic mode as they run haphazardly towards the exit. Appearing suddenly from behind the curtain, the circus showman yells out angrily “what is going on here.” He is met with the sight of the mother elephant throwing hay bales at the kids making fun of her child and spectators running away in fear. Cracking his whip in an attempt to take control of the mother elephant, the showman and a group of circus workers use rope to try and tie her down. She rears back sending men flying into the air with her great strength and size. Amidst the uproar, Dumbo hides under his mother with a worried expression painted across his face. The whip cracks again and the dramatic music heightens the emotion of the scene. A man reaches and steals Dumbo from under his mother as she is simultaneously shackled by another person trying to tame her. Dumbo cries out and his mother catches his gaze. Her eyes turn from blue to red as she becomes upset that her boy is being taken from her when her only intent was to protect him. Breaking the circus tent and sending more men flying into the air the mother tries to escape their bondage. Picking up the showman she drops him into a bucket of water. It is here that the scene transitions, showing the mother shackled by all four feet in a crate labeled “Danger! Mad elephant!” Slow and somber music plays to match the feeling of the isolated mom.

What Dumbo shows us is that the relationship between mother and child is no different for animals than it is for humans. As any mother would, Dumbo’s mom was protecting her young from the ridicule of a harsh crowd. Because she chose to defend her son, she fell victim to the abuse of her human captors. In the scene detailed above, Dumbo is depicted as a young elephant who is alienated from others because of the size of his ears. Through this scenario, the elephants mirror human behavior in that people who differ from normalized standards are treated differently. This is one example of how anthropomorphism effects this scene. Viewers are able to relate to and feel for Dumbo because of how he is treated because of his individual qualities. Strong emotion is also felt towards his mom because she is only trying to do what is best and take care of Dumbo yet is punished for her maternal instincts. While it is not typical to consume elephants as some individuals choose to consume deer, as related to Bambi, the strength of emotion felt towards Dumbo and his mom contributes to the cause, nonetheless. It is in this scene that animals are shown to be afraid of the actions of man which evoke feelings of guilt in the viewer. Because of this guilt, there are heightened feelings to support pro-animal causes such as veganism and vegetarianism. By depicting emotions and scenarios that humans experience, such as being made fun of and being protective of family members, the creators of Dumbo capitalize on the emotion felt by the audience. Choosing these particular situations bonds the audience directly to the characters allowing for a deeper emotional connection.

Another example of how anthropomorphism effects audiences can be seen in the film Lady and the Tramp. This can be seen when Aunt Sarah brings Lady to the pet store for a muzzle. Walking up to the storefront, Aunt Sarah is carrying arms extended outwards as if Lady were a dirty, crude animal. Lady takes in the fish and birds as she passes them, unaware of the intent of bringing her to the pet store. “I want a muzzle, a good muzzle, a strong muzzle” Aunt Sarah remarks in a snooty tone to the clerk. He proceeds to show her the latest model, a red muzzle with a leash attached. Lady looks at the contraption with curiosity until it is strapped around her head without warning. Pulling away form the clerk and fighting Aunt Sarah holding her, she shakes her head vigorously trying to escape its restrictive nature. Bottles, books, cans, and a parrot are in her path of destruction as she works to free herself from the muzzle. Unsuccessful, Lady jumps from the grasp of Aunt Sarah and out the front door but not before she knocks Aunt Sarah over. Freeing a parrot in the process, Lady scurries out of the front door and into the road, barely missing the paths oncoming cars, bikes, and trucks. Running into an ally, Lady finds herself being chased by stray dogs which patrol the area.

In this scene, Lady does not talk or exhibit human-like characteristics yet still demonstrates the effects anthropomorphism can have. Leading up to this moment in the movie, we learn about Lady and her relationship with her owners. This relationship is changed when a baby is born and Lady is no longer the priority. To talk through her feelings, Lady turns to her dog friends which live in neighboring homes. It is here that the emotions and experiences of Lady, a family pet, begin to resonate with the audience. Because of this connection, when Lady is reprimanded and placed in a muzzle by Aunt Sarah, the audience feels like this is unnecessary and uncalled-for. We see that she is treated unfairly by Aunt Sarah and are more in-tune with what Lady is experiencing because of her human-like emotions and mannerisms. By recognizing that a dog, such as Lady, can experience these emotions we translate these understandings to pets in real life. This is similar with how she reacts to the muzzle. Because the audience understands the feelings of Lady so well, through anthropomorphism, and it is apparent she has a distaste for the muzzle a correlation is made between her and all other dogs which may wear muzzles. There is a sympathetic feeling towards Lady which is a direct correspondence to the way we feel about dogs off the screen. Without anthropomorphism, the understanding the character of Lady would be different because the audience would not be able to connect with her over the same emotions. Perhaps she would be regarded less as a human-like pet and more so as a naturalistic animal. Pro-animal agendas support these feelings of sympathy towards animals and encourage supporters to act upon these notions. This is why the way in which audiences connect with on-screen animals affects choices made concerning one’s diet. Those who feel sympathetic of animals in such ways will tend to choose diets that support these ideologies and stray from consuming animal products.

By taking an in-depth look at Bambi, Dumbo, and Lady and the Tramp, the argument at hand is clear. I was able to describe how the way human-animal relationships are depicted effects the audience yet I was not able to discuss the impact animals species, age of animal, and gender of animal has on the viewer. These are all factors that may account for variation in residual feelings across viewers. By choosing one animal, say a dog, over another animal, perhaps an armadillo, a less common pet, to be the main character in a film the audience will be more attached. The age of the animal also has an effect as young animals tend to capture audience’s attention more so than an older animal may. By changing the gender roles of character in movie plots, especially in any of the three mentioned earlier, the outcome and overall tone of the movie would be greatly impacted. Audience members would experience the movie in a different way if this were to take place. It is uncertain to say the effect these changes would have on the audience or if it would lead to pro-animal attitudes in the same way. By only including how animals, humans, and the human-animal relationship is depicted, my argument is limited.

Keeping each film in mind and viewing them as parts of a whole allows for the understanding that all movies we view convey a message. Whether it may be as apparent as an advertisement to sell a service or an underlying message such as Disney’s case, being a part of an audience asks one to separate authorial intent and what we are trying to be told from what is actually true. By being able to discern between the two, individuals will be more aware of what others may be trying to push upon them and become independent from these ideas. Making decisions free from these things does not mean others are always wrong it simply implies that you are aware of what others want you to think. This sometimes subconscious persuasion can affect many of our day to day decisions such as how what we consume in the media can effect what we consume on our plate. By analyzing what we are audiences of we will be able to make connections about why we feel a certain way and what it is that makes us feel that.

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