Comparing Snow White and Shrek Essay Example

Comparing Snow White and Shrek Paper In this essay I am going to look at Snow White as the first feature length animated film and what impact its production had on its audience. I will later on compare it to Shrek an animated film produced over two generations later. To help me do this, I will look into the background of Snow White and what led to its production. I will start by looking at how and when it was produced. Snow White was produced in the 1930s by Walt Disney, and first premiered in 1937, while America was trying to recover from The Great Depression. The great depression had left many people unemployed and millions of them were miserable. Disney aimed for the film to appeal to all sorts of audiences. The Young and the old. The release of Snow White was a way of raising the morale of the American people who sacrificed the little money they had to go and see the film. Disney used songs like someday my prince will come and heigh-ho heigh-ho to cheer the audience up. Therefore, Snow White was made as a feel good factor for the people of America. The film was based on the story by the Brothers Grimm. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Snow White and Shrek specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Snow White and Shrek specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Snow White and Shrek specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Normally, the Grimm tales are notoriously dark and unpleasant but Walt Disney, the producer, decided to change the story line to make it more appealing to the audience. This way, the story would appeal to both adults and children. The production of Snow White cost about i 1. 75million but brought out a grand total of i 4. 2million. It was a great risk for Disney to take and if it hadnt been successful would have cost him his entire studio. Disney managed to capture the attention of his folly blind audience, as they were called, by producing thousands of individual sketches which gave the tiniest bits of detail. The death scene as well brought out a lot of emotions in the audience and tears in peoples eyes. Dream Works made Shrek in 2001, over two generations later. It was a direct parody of Snow White and other fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty (when Fiona wishes to be kissed by a handsome prince) and Peter Pan (when Donkey flies and a voice of Peter Pan is heard). It came from a childrens illustrated book by William Steig. Unlike Snow White, the characters in Shrek do no sing in a magical style but instead carefully chosen sound tracks are used to match the different moods of the scenes. The sound tracks also reflect the popular musical taste of time. The songs are a range of a number of American grunge. Challenging and mocking as it may be to Disney, Shrek like Snow White is a feel good film although it debunks the gentility of tradition fairy tales. Snow White begins with Once upon a time. It starts a long shot of the country and the castle, then zooms in to reveal the Queen dressed in black and purple. The audience first sees the back of the Queen to make her more mysterious. Only the crown on her head shows she is a Queen. The colour of her clothes, her pale complexion, dark eyes and very red lips show that she is an evil person. When she speaks to the mirror, her accent is slightly German and in the 1930s, the Americans did not trust the Germans. This was a deliberate way to make her seem evil and let the audience know she is an enemy towards Snow White. The mirror, whos voice seems to echo from somewhere within, hell perhaps, seems to feel sorry for Snow White when it mentions her name: Alas my fair lady. The Queen however disrespects the mirror because he/she is a slave. Her voice is loud and sharp, which makes her, appear bossy. She moves swiftly, superstitiously with long strides, which make her look dominant and overbearing. When the mirror mentions Snow White, her cat shaped eyes narrow and she hoarsely repeats it to show a malicious intent toward her. It is at this point that a dissolved shot introduces us to Snow White. Shrek on the other hand has a very different opening. The audience is shown a book with calligraphy writing, which is narrated sarcastically by Shrek himself. After six pages, a voice shouts Like its ever gonna happen, at this point, a page is torn and opening shot comes. A hut is shown and Shrek continues, What a lot of ****. Just the opening scene shows it is a comedy aimed for everyone. Like the Queen in Snow White, Shrek is shown at a low angle shot to make him look more menacing. In contrast to Snow White, Shrek is different from a traditional type of hero. He uses the page torn out of the storybook, and holds it in content. He baths in muddy water unlike any traditional hero who is portrayed as clean. He breaks wind and kills fish, one of which floats to the surface. He has a gross mannerism and the signs next to his home says: keep out, Ogre beware. Shrek is portrayed as a vicious large Ogre who is anti-social who roars and scares people with his smelly mouth. He doesnt want people around and he scares them. On the other hand however, he is shown as a private but friendly character. His privacy is a defence mechanism because he thinks people dont like him. He does it to make them think he doesnt like them either. He judges people before they get to know him just like they judge him. We can see he is not as unfriendly as earlier made to look when he has a love -hate relationship with the streetwise donkey who later became his friend. The donkey is instantly loved by the audience because of its chatter. He is not intimidated by Shreks size or the fact that he comes across as scary. He compliments Shrek by saying: I respect you Shrek, youve got that I-dont-care-what-nobody-thinks attitude and I like that. Snow White on the other hand is everything like a fairy tale princess. She is very cheerful and unaware of what happens around her. She is dressed in white, a great contrast to the Queens clothes. Her high pitched voice and wide eyes represent her innocence. Her small and delicate body highlights her youth purity. Her innocent, childlike behaviour makes people associate her with themselves. The well echos her song as she sings: my prince will come. She plays with doves, a symbol of purity, and runs away from the prince in embarrassment. She sends a dove to go and kiss him because she is too modest to do it herself. Even when the prince tries to entice her, she hides behind the curtains. In a dissolved shot, the camera zooms in to show her purity. He camera tilts upwards to reveal the Queen with an evil expression on her face. Mise-en-scene, all the animals like Snow White and play with her and it shows that she is a real princess. She is gentle, shy and modest, unlike Princess Fiona in Shrek. Princess Fiona in Shrek reacted oppositely when attacked. She hits and kicks Shrek the first time they meet. She also kills a bird at one point. Snow White is pretty too unlike Princess Fiona who turns into an Ogre. This also shows the difference between the two films. We can see the two films have different characters and certainly different heroes. While both are feel good films and are targeted for all audiences, they show different humour and reflect the different times of their production. This can be seen in the language the mirror in Snow White uses which is very out dated and humour used by the donkey in Shrek. We see that the music taste has changed as well since the production of Snow White, but also that technology has improved since then. For the production of Shrek, latest technology was used to create a lot of extras, which include life-like and realistic appearances like facial expressions, background, clothing etc. In the making of Snow White however, most of the details had to be sketched out because the technology had not advanced as much.

A consideration of the principles and practice that underpin the Early Years Foundation Stage and how the current framework relates to young childrens needs and interests The WritePass Journal

A consideration of the principles and practice that underpin the Early Years Foundation Stage and how the current framework relates to young childrens needs and interests Introduction A consideration of the principles and practice that underpin the Early Years Foundation Stage and how the current framework relates to young childrens needs and interests ) infers that such an approach could have positive longitudinal consequences for the child, including improved academic attainment and retention of knowledge, which seems to be a sound rationale for such an approach. Whilst it seems essential that the indoor environment should be stimulating cognitively, it may be wise not to neglect the emotional aspect of it.   Again, the key worker is at the centre of providing the warmth needed in an enabling environment. Nutbrown and Page (2008) assert that they should show warm responses to the children under their care and react well to them. In essence, an enabling environment is made up of the components of suitable and stimulating indoor and outdoor areas, which the key worker is central in maintaining and facilitating. Principle 4- Children develop and learn in different ways and rates The final principle espoused by the EYFS framework is perhaps more concerned with the cognition of children, although it does refer to their social and emotional development in part. Nevertheless, Katz (1988, as cited in Carr, 2001, p.21) hypothesises that each child has a certain ‘disposition’, something which is distinct from learning; it is concerned more with how they react to certain situations and the habits they adopt and carry out on a regular basis. In a later document, Katz (1993) elaborates that dispositions in young children are normally learned from those around or the environment they are raised in or looked after, which seems to resonate with Bandura’s (1977) theory of modelling mentioned earlier in the assignment. Katz (1993) also articulates that dispositions are strengthened when they are acknowledged and efforts are made to continue them (particularly if they are good habits), which seems to emphasise the importance of treating the child as an i ndividual. It seems evident that all children learn and develop in different ways, as evidenced by the argument above. However, a conjecture could be made that there may be certain strategies which a practitioner or worker can implement which will result in children developing into sensible and mature adults. One way in which to do this is to cultivate a child’s resilience in their ability to complete a task or try a new activity.   Children may give up if they perceive the task to be beyond their capabilities and not extend themselves to complete this. This could be a natural response from the child (particularly if the task is incommensurate with their skillset) or it could be something that they have learned over time. Dweck (1975: 673) terms this as ‘learned helplessness’, where a child habitually gives up in the face of a challenging task or adversity, possibly because of a lack of response from the adult in encouraging the child to complete the task and persevere. Combining the sentiments expressed by Katz and the argument above, could be essential in helping children to progress appropriately, particularly when faced with unfamiliar situations and tasks.   Siraj- Blatchford et al. (2002) concluded in their Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY) study that shared sustained thinking was crucial in helping a child to tackle new problems and persist. This is defined as two or more individuals (with at least one adult ‘facilitator’) working together to complete a task, although the authors stress that each person should be actively contributing to the task, and that there must be a progression towards an eventual solution, even if that is reached straight away. This coincides with Vygotsky’s (1977) theory of cognitive development, which posits that a child will enhance their zone of proximal development (the difference between what they can do on their own and with help) if they are supported by a more know ledgeable other such as an adult or more capable peer.   Both arguments suggest that collaboration between adults and children is essential to further the child’s development, although again the manner in which this is done should be unique to the child by using questioning which is appropriate to the child’s level of cognitive development (Bloom et al., 1956). Conclusion The rationale which underpins the EYFS framework is the need to treat the child as a unique individual and consider their needs at length, in a cognitive, emotional, social and physical sense to facilitate optimum development in them. There are several ways to ensure this, including that the environment is stimulating and appropriate enough for the child’s needs, that they have access to a multitude of activities, that the key worker has a warm and fulfilling relationship with the child and that they encouraged to develop a growth mind set and persevere with challenging tasks with the facilitation of another adult. Arguably, if a childcare provider follows all of the actions above and adheres to the EYFS framework, then this should allow for children to progress to the desired level of development and maturity. References Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H. and Krathwohl, D. R. (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay Company. Bowlby, J. (1951) ‘Maternal Care and Mental Health.’ World Health Organization Monograph. Bowlby, J. (1953) Child Care and the Growth of Love. London: Penguin Books. Bruner, J. S. (1961) ‘The act of discovery’. Harvard Educational Review, 31 (1): 21–32. Carr, M. (2001) Assessment in Early Childhood Settings. London: SAGE. Department for Family, Education and Skills (2004) Every Child Matters. [Online]. Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/dfes/1081/2004 (Accessed: 24 November 2014). Department for Education (2010) Social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) programme in secondary schools: national evaluation. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-and-emotional-aspects-of-learning-seal-programme-in-secondary-schools-national-evaluation (Accessed: 24 November 2014). Department for Education (2013a) Improving the quality and range of education and childcare from birth to 5 years. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-quality-and-range-of-education-and-childcare-from-birth-to-5-years/supporting-pages/early-years-foundation-stage (Accessed: 24 November 2014). Department for Education (2013b) Early years outcomes: A non-statutory guide for practitioners and inspectors to help inform understanding of child development through the early years. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237249/Early_Years_Outcomes.pdf (Accessed: 24 November 2014). Department for Education (2014) Early years foundation stage framework. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework2 (Accessed: 24 November 2014). Dweck, C.S. (1975) ‘The role of expectations and attributions in the alleviation of learned helplessness.’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31: 674-685. Dweck, C. (2006)  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books. Elfer, P., Goldschmied, E. and Selleck, D. (2003) Key Persons in the Nursery: Building relationships for quality provision. London: David Fulton. Garrick, R., Bath, C., Dunn, K., Maconochie, H., Willis, B. and Claire Wolstenholme (2010) Children’s experiences of the Early Years Foundation Stage. DfE: London. Gardner, H. (2004) Changing Minds: The art and science of changing our own and other peoples minds. Harvard Business School Press. Gov. UK (2014) Free early education and childcare. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/free-early-education (Accessed: 24 November 2014). Katz, L.G. (1988) ‘What Should Young Children Be Doing?’ American Educator: The Professional Journal of the American Federation of Teachers: 29-45. Katz, L. (1993) Dispositions: Definitions and implications for early childhood practices. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Nutbrown, C. and Page, J. (2008) Working with Babies and Children Under Three. London: Sage. Piaget, J. (1952) The Origin of Intelligence in Children. New York: International University Press, Inc. Siraj-Blatchford, I., Sylva, K., Muttock, S., Gilden, R. and Bell, D. (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY) DfES Research Report 365. HMSO London: Queen’s Printer. Steel, N. (2012) Encyclopaedia of the Sciences of Learning. New York: Springer. Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford I. and Taggart, B. (2004) The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: Final report. London: DfES and Institute of Education, University of London. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press