Mini-Analyzations

February 27, 2009

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  • A long-running – seemingly endlessly iterated, in fact – conflict between enemies known as Tom and Jerry. Where else have we seen this?  That’s right, the First World War, in which the Brits were known collectively as “Tommy Atkins” and they called the Germans “Jerries” (well, when they weren’t calling them “Huns”).  Interesting, then, that it’s with Jerry – the historical loser – that our sympathies lie. Revisionist propaganda? Perhaps. Perhaps.
    Come to think of it, weren’t the majority of these cartoons produced during and shortly after the second World War, in which Jerry (if you will) was once again the enemy?  Posited: a subversive attempt to counteract the “all Germans are Nazis are Evil” propaganda then current – a sort of Don’t Let’s be Beastly to the Germans, without Noel Coward’s sarcasm.
    -Contributed by Jeffie
  • You know, if you think about it, The Muppets were quite a sublime commentary on the human condition. None of the Muppets were good at what they wanted to be. Piggy wasn’t beautiful. Fozzie wasn’t funny. Kermit couldn’t make his show a success. The Swedish Chef could not cook, etc. They all constantly failed, yet kept trying.
    -From Scott Kurtz’s PvP, 12/10/2008
  • There’s one reservation I have about [The Rescuers Down Under]. Why does the villain have to be so noticeably dark-complexioned compared to all of the other characters? Is Disney aware of the racially coded message it is sending? When I made that point to another critic, he argued that McLeach wasn’t dark-skinned – he was simply always seen in shadow. Those are shadows are cast by insensitivity to negative racial stereotyping.
    -From Roger Ebert’s Review of The Rescuers Down Under
  • The Count from Sesame Street shows classic symptoms of OCD.
    -Contributed by Jim W.
  • In WALL•E, the span of years listed for each of the Axiom’s previous captains is ambiguous about whether it denotes each captain’s lifespan or the number of years in which he or she was captain of the ship. It should be noted that there is no overlap in the years for each captain. This leans towards the possibility that each person’s time as captain lasted an average of 133.2 years. Regardless, whatever each captain’s span of years denotes, they just happen to total out to 666.
    From the first captain to the last one before Jeff Garlin’s character:
    143+131+140+124+128 = 666
    -Contributed by Joon K.

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2 Comments | diagnosis, ex situ, Mini-Analyzations, philosophy, racism, Sesame Street, stereotypes, The Muppet Show, The Rescuers Down Under, Tom and Jerry, villains, WALL-E | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by The Editor

Mini-Analyzations

September 29, 2008

  • I don’t know if others have noticed, but Pepe Le Pew is a glaringly insulting portrayal of the French people and all things Gallic. The cartoon relies on the stereotype that the French don’t bathe, hence Le Pew being a skunk, a rather malodorous animal. (Some people might think that the cartoons portrayal of the French as oversexed is a stereotype but, as anyone who has been to France knows, this is an astonishingly real picture of the French.) He speaks with a funny accent, too! It is completely galling! Could it get any worse? At least there was never an episode of Pepe capitulating to the Nazis. Vive l’amour!
    -Contributed by Mark C.
  • Brendan S. mentions several characters seen in the feature Who Framed Roger Rabbit? that were created after 1947, the year the film takes place. I read an interview with the filmmakers where they stated their excuse for this was that these characters were hanging around Toon Town in that year until they were “discovered” a few years later by the studios, as if they really existed and shared the same legends as live action movie stars. A bit of dramatic license. I think a bigger problem is the glaring lack of Tom and Jerry in the film. I guess they couldn’t get the rights to these characters.
    -Contributed by Mark C.
  • Is it just me, or does Panthro of the Thundercats seem like a feline representation of a black man?  It’s interesting to me that even when human protagonists are replaced with somewhat more bestial protagonists, that animation directors would feel the need to express racial diversity.  If you ask me, Thundercats was already demonstrating diversity by depicting feline humanoids, which have been grossly under-represented on television and elsewhere.  (I mean, just because they don’t exist doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be represented, right?)
    -Contributed by YHN

8 Comments | anthropomorphica, ethnicity, Mini-Analyzations, Pepe Le Pew, racism, stereotypes, Thundercats, Tom and Jerry, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by The Editor

From the archives: Chromatic Sexism and Animated Felines

March 8, 2008

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Contributed by Fawzi.

catsdontdance_1997.jpgDid you ever notice that patterns emerge in the fur colors of major protagonist characters of the domestic feline species portrayed in popular, secular, post modern children’s media? Female feline protagonist tend to have white fur, a reoccurring characteristic for the heroines in a significant number of films involving cats, examples include female characters from The Aristocats, Cats Don’t Dance, The Rescuers (she’s a mouse, but the concept still stands). On the other hand, the male feline protagonists have orange fur, examples include male characters from Garfield, Heathcliff, The Aristocats, An American Tail, Cats Don’t Dance, etc. Furthermore, leading males that have dark or cold colors as oppose to the traditional orange fur are sadistically tormented on a regular basis as in the case of the black furred Sylvester (he speaks with a lisp, indicating homosexuality, further “justifying” violence and bodily harm on him) or the blue furred Tom.

The question is: why? As in the case of females the trend of white fur can be explained in terms of color symbolism. White represents purity and virginity, which in itself raises questions as to why would somebody care if the leading female cat is a virgin? A healthy human mind shouldn’t be concerned with the sexual characteristics of an animal. This can be linked to the themes of zoophilia that are apparent in children’s media. The orange color typical in heroic male domestic feline characters has significance, personally I don’t know what it is, (I can’t provide anything more than weak allusions to the Orange Party of the 19th century, which may have something to do with the early American working class on which the nation was built.)

An anomaly in the white female trend would have to be Garfield‘s Arlene, she’s pink(which again could be explained in terms of identifying gender with color) the obvious implication of her not having white fur: she’s not a virgin.

Other implications of the white furred female felines in The Aristrocats, the leading female has white fur, indicating virginity, yet she has children with her, what is she? She’s a Virgin Mother! She’s being escorted to some safe paradise by a humble (orange) male, fleeing from an oppressive empire, the references to Roman society (aristocrats, hence the title.) Three children can represent almost anything, the number three is of significance to Christianity: the Trinity, the three Mages, the three Archangels, etc. All this has significance.

9 Comments | An American Tail, Cats Don't Dance, from the archives, Garfield and Friends, gender, Heathcliff, homosexuality, Sylvester and Tweety, The Aristocats, The Rescuers, Tom and Jerry | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by The Editor

Comparing Sympathies: Tom and Wile E. Coyote

February 21, 2008

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[Editor's Note: This article was submitted in 2001, but was never added to the site.]

Contributed by Bess G.

tomandjerrytitlecard21.jpgEven as a child, I found it curious that I sympathized with Jerry in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, while rooting for Coyote in the Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons. The premises of the cartoons were similar, were they not? Desperate carnivore fruitlessly pursues cute prey. Why did I cheer when Jerry got the best of Tom, but share Coyote’s frustration when he was yet again thwarted by Roadrunner?

I think I’ve figured it out.

Jerry is more than just cute. He is smart, resourceful, brave, and kind to friends and family who occasionally drop by. He may tease Tom from time to time, but usually we see him acting in self-defense to protect his home and his life. We like him. We don’t exactly hate Tom. He’s merely acting on basic cat instinct. But it’s always satisfying to see him get what’s coming to him for picking on Jerry. It isn’t Jerry, after all, who thought it would be a good idea to run around the house with a loaded rifle, or rig up a bunch of explosives in the living room. Tom gets hurt through his own foolishness. And he has no real reason to persecute Jerry other than his own petty malice. Sure he may get swatted on the rear with a broom, or get put outside for the night, but that’s not so bad in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to what he had in mind for a decent fellow like Jerry.

Coyote, on the other hand, is in a desperate situation. He and Roadrunner appear to be the only living organisms (besides cacti) in the vast desert expanse they inhabit. If Coyote wants dinner, Roadrunner is his only option. The cartoon takes place entirely from Coyote’s perspective. We see the painstaking research and planning that go into his intricate Roadrunner traps. We see his utter conviction that this time his plan will work. We see the pathetic fear on his face as he plummets yet again from that blasted cliff. We identify with these feelings. Roadrunner, on the other hand, is barely a character. He merely runs around, pausing occasionally for some bird seed, with a vacant expression in his eyes. He never exhibits fear, or relief, or joy, or cunning, or bravery. He is one of the least “human” animated characters I can think of. Why should I feel sorry if Coyote gets him?

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6 Comments | morality, Roadrunner, Tom and Jerry, villains, Wile E. Coyote | Permalink
Posted by The Editor

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