The Fear of Separation in Children's Films
Themes of Severance and Separation Anxiety in Kids Movies
A common and as yet not widely recognised theme has become prevalent in modern children’s films and animations. This is the fear of separation between a parent and child.
Why is the Fear of Separation a Common Theme?
The reason the theme of separation fear occurs so readily and so successfully in stories for children is that it evokes feelings not just within children but also within parents. No child wants to be separated from their parent and no parent wishes to be separated from their child. Because this is so ingrained within our collective psyche it makes stories involving this theme very dramatic and compelling for an audience.
Every one of us can remember that time when we were a child in the supermarket and the panic that came over us when we lost our mum or dad for a split second. This is also why new stories that feature missing children often resonate deeply with readers.
Disney Animations that Feature the Fear of Separation
The success of Disney animated films in recent years has be down to their wide appeal across all age ranges. They have created some of this success by using the universal them of fear of separation as the basis of many of their stories. Some of the best examples are;
- Finding Nemo
- Toy Story
Films that Feature the Fear of Separation
There have also been a number of highly successful children’s films that also deal with a child becoming separated from their parents. Two good examples are
- Home Alone
- Big
The dramatic power of this them has also meant it has featured in films that aren’t just for children. Jodie Foster only agreed to be in Flight Plan (2005) because she felt such a connection with the stories central premise; the sudden loss of one’s child.
Separation and Plot Archetypes
Stories that feature the fear of separation as their main theme could fall into the two story archetypes the “voyage and return” and “the quest”. Generally they are a combination of the two with each plot type being associated with either the parent character (the quest) and the child character (the voyage and return). Where there is no parent in a story (like Toy Story) there will always be a parent equivalent. For instance in Toy Story it’s the boy who owns the toys.
A list of all seven basic plot types and their definitions can be found in The Seven Basic Plots. More Screenwriting tips can be found in An Introduction to Screenwriting Books and Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama.
Parent and Child
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Writing & Publishing
Latest Articles