The only thing constant in the world is variable change. Things always change no matter how much you don’t want them to and with those changes some things are also left behind. Yes, the Walkman is obsolete in the face of the iPod Touch. With each new generation, those things of the “good old days” are steadily no longer recognized or even heard of. You don’t have to like it, but sometimes you just have to roll with it because it’s out of your control. With that being said, you would still hope some things possess the permanence to span generations by virtue of its quality.
Two weeks ago, an old high school friend of mine posted a Facebook status that alarmed me greatly. She was running late to class and, as she was passing the receptionist’s desk at the front of the building, began singing to herself, “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date!” The 18-year-old receptionist asked if she was going on a date with the hot EMT she had been flirting with days prior. My friend stopped in her tracks in amazement and informed her that it was a song from “Alice in Wonderland.” Then came the bomb. “What’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’?” My jaw dropped reading this.
Yes, things change over time and with each passing generation, certain things get left behind. I understand that. Someone can’t reasonably expect me, a product of the ‘90s, to know every good film from the ‘60s. But Disney is one of those things that has a quality of permanence. Their films have endured for decades, standing the test of time and even ever-evolving technology. I’d like to think everyone of a certain age grew up watching more than a few Disney animated films. Say what you will about them now (bring back 2D animation!), but you know that you’ll always have “The Fox and the Hound” and “Sleeping Beauty.” I can remember when I was six years old peeking out from deep inside a couch cushion fort and watching “The Little Mermaid” on VHS over and over again. (Check your jokes about my name at the door.)
But apparently this young receptionist had no knowledge of one of Disney’s classic animated films, to my friend’s and my dismay. I don’t even want to think about how many youths don’t know HBO’s children’s show “Happily Ever After.” Why is it so sad to me that the signs are pointing towards the classics of my childhood fading away into obscurity? Because silly YA book series are overtaking the movie theaters and the volume of “reality” television shows airing. Soon, these will be the images that kids of the future will have at the base of their culture. And what do these really say? That pouty, sparkling pretty boys, 10 years older than the age of the character they’re playing, are model boyfriends? Good luck finding those guys. Snatching a woman by her hair over a couch is the appropriate response to her harassing you on live television? I’m sure the police will totally understand that logic.
This is the culture, or lack of culture, that is being set up for future generations to use as a basis for their adult lives. Fairy tales aren’t realistic in our world, but neither are “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and “Mortal Instruments.” At least fairy tales are innocent and entertaining enough in presentation to deliver morals and ethics to young minds. In an era of school shootings, stabbings due to romantic rejections, etc., I’d say we could use some more innocence. So to my animators and film/television majors, take care when you create for an audience of children. What is the culture, what are the messages, you want to pass on to the future? Because it absolutely matters.
