When we were younger, we would watch all these movies and not even realize there were hidden meanings or symbols involved. We would just watch movies and think nothing of it. Well, during my quarantine I had the opportunity to go back and watch some childhood movies and realize that movies aren’t as innocent and perfect as I thought they were. Now that I’m older, I am picking up on things and ideas that I missed as a child.
POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Hunger Games was full of symbolism and realism when I rewatched it. In it, there are “peacekeepers,” who are essentially the police. They make sure that everyone follows the rules and gets rid of those who don’t follow the law and those who misbehave. People have compared the rebellion to America, especially the Black Lives Matter protests because of the type of reaction and responses they received in the movie and real life. People speak up and against what’s going on and the peacekeepers have to control them and the situation. In the movie, those who are rebelled are shot and killed. From some of those protests, people have been shot or other forms of less-lethal weapons have been used to control crowds. Also, this can be compared to how people don’t like speaking up about certain issues. In the movie, you get killed for speaking up and being the one to lead. Depending on the case in real life is what happens, but usually, you’ll just be ostracized if those around you do not share the same belief. Or, you will just be shut didn’t completely and told your ideas are wrong.
Along with this, people have compared our lame-duck POTUS to President Snow. This is because of the separation of President Snow creates and how some of the things he says creates such an uproar and reaction. The rebellion could be compared to how our government needs to be reformed and fixed so that there is peace and not one but group profiting while (The Capitol) while others are suffering and can barely make ends meet (The Districts ).
The Hunger Games have the most symbolism and realism from a trilogy that I have seen. I watched and read the series when it first came out when I was in middle school and didn’t think anything of it. Now that I’m older and pay attention to the world, I realize how realistic it is and how many hidden meanings there are.
Now, Disney movies have always had subliminal messaging in their movies and stories, but they were more discreet with it when I was a child. One Disney movie and reference that I never realized comes from Toy Story 3. Some theories as a whole compare this whole movie to the Holocaust. Now, there is one specific scene I could never watch as a kid because it was too sad for me. Andy’s toys were taken to daycare and the original toys there hated them. They were not wanted and the old toys wanted to get rid of them. Due to this, Andy’s toys end up on a conveyor belt at the dump going towards the incinerator. This scene/movie caused an uproar because of the subject they handled. I never realized this as a kid, but not rewatching it, I see the similarities.
Disney also does not portray people correctly as well. In Peter Pan, the Native Americans have their skin color as red. There is cultural appropriation seen as well as stereotypes. This was not talked about when the movie originally came out because things were seen differently then, which doesn’t make it okay but things were different. Now as a society, we have grown and we can see that it is offensive. I never even noticed their skin color as a kid, but now that I’m older I can see how this is offensive.
Also, a lot of the princess movies are problematic in their own ways. I still love the movies but some things can make you feel uneasy. Snow White and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty were both kissed by random men when they were unconscious. I know it’s supposed to be a true love’s kiss, but I would not have acted that calm if a random man kissed me. In Beauty and the Beast, it has a subliminal message that women can change men since Belle changed the beast and made him kind and sweet.
Disney is huge on subliminal messages along with pushing the envelope on things. Some of these are good ideas and some just miss the target.
Dr. Seuss was also huge in having hidden meanings in his writing and the movies. The Lorax is a warning to society about what will happen if things keep going the way they are. “The Once-ler” is a greedy man who comes and destroys the environment because of him using up and exploiting the resources they had. There was only one Truffula seed at the end of it all. The Lorax was trying to convince him to stop the whole time because the Once-ler was destroying everything and ruining the environment, but he did not listen. This causes the downfall. There are more hidden messages in it, but the main one is that if things do not stop going the way they are and if people don’t get rid of their greed, the changes made will be irreversible. When I first watched the movie, I never realized the plot. I just saw an orange small guy with yellow facial hair and thought it was cute.
There are many more hidden meanings and things I never even realized as a kid, this was just to name a few. Do remember that theories can just be theories and not factual, it is okay if you do not see the hidden messages or do not want to believe it. But just remember, the things you watch may not be as innocent and juvenile as you think. So, go back and watch your favorite childhood movie. See if you see it any different now that you are looking at it from a different perspective.
