Abstract
In recent years, there have been several animated films, ostensibly for children yet appreciable by adults as well, which have made attempts to incorporate various mythologies of the world into their settings and plots. There is considerable variation in the amounts of mythology included, from offhand mentions to integral components of the story. There is also a wide range of the degree of faithfulness to the mythologies being depicted. This note gives an overview of some of the most well-known and readily available animations from 1992 to 2017, and show how the mythologies of many different cultures are represented. Some questions will be raised as to the educational value of such films in terms of introducing children to myths, legends, and folklore.
The cultures whose myths, legends, and folklores being examined will include:
- Greek, via Disney's Hercules (1997);
- Arabian, via Disney's Aladdin (1992);
- Irish, via The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014);
- Mexican, via The Book of Life (2014) and Coco (2017) ;
- Pacific Islands, via Moana (2016);
- Japanese, via Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) .
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
ORCID ID
0000-0001-9988-2354
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