INTD

In the Sparkshort, Float, raises awareness about the daily life struggles of parents with disabled children, most specifically children with autism. In this animated short, a single father’s son has the ability to fly, which is meant to show that he is different from other children. This short is relevant to everyone because it connects to those who are different from others. It attempts to explain to others how difficult it is to fit in with society when having a disability or even just being different from others.

The short starts by showing the father playing with his baby son outside his house when suddenly his son begins to float. At first, the father is pleasantly surprised, but when he sees his neighbors looking at his son in fear and shock, he quickly takes him into his house to be hidden from the outside world. In this short, the son’s ability to fly causes fear and confusion in others because it is meant to represent disabilities or differences that people have in the real world. Often, people with disabilities are considered weird and odd because of how different they are. Therefore, like the father’s neighbors, people tend to look at people with disabilities as an unnatural and frightening thing because they do not understand the nature of the disability.

A few years later, the father decides to take his child to the park. The father seems okay with his son’s ability, shown by the crayon marks and stickers on the ceiling. However, he becomes stricter about his son’s ability as they prepare to go out in public. He puts his son on a leash and stuffs rocks in his backpack in order to keep him from floating and seeming abnormal to other people. The dad forces normality upon the boy because he does not want him to be seen as different and also wants him to have a normal childhood where he is treated equally despite his abilities. Like the father, many parents of children deemed different want to ensure that their child is seen as “normal” in society. Many parents that have children with disabilities feel the need to hide them to have a safe and “normal” childhood. 

After walking his son down the street, they come across a park where various children are playing alongside their parents. The father looks at the children and smiling, indicating that he wishes that he can have fun with his son like the other families where his son is not seen as different or strange. Afterwards, it is revealed that his son has escaped from his leash and floating around the park. Other children hide from him and parents even move their children away from him. As he floats around, his father chases after him, trying to prevent any more disturbances from happening. To parents of disabled children, this reflects the struggle for their children to be themselves around other children without being feared or treated differently. This scene implies that “normal” people tend to treat people with disabilities as abnormal and strange, which makes them fear them as shown by their attempts to keep their own children away from the father’s son. 

After creating chaos in the park, the only line of dialogue of the short is spoken as the father shouts, “Why can’t you just be normal?” to his son, which causes him to physically sink down and become downhearted. At this point, the short tries to connect to parents that have to deal with the same problems. By having this as the only spoken dialogue emphasizes the struggle it is for parents of disabled children to be able to give their child a normal childhood. The father is so fixated on other people’s reactions to his son that he forgets that his son’s disability is part of who he is, and he should not feel responsible for keeping his child “normal” as well. This shows to the audience the distress that parents of children with disabilities are faced with trying to care for their children. They only want a happy and safe childhood for their children without worrying that their child’s differences will get in the way or cause them to be treated with fear or confusion.

Afterwards, the father takes his son on the swing, which makes him feel better and has the courage to fly again. This time the father is supportive of his son’s ability despite everyone staring at them. The father realizes that he needs to stop relying on what other people think and let his son be who he is. This shows that families with children who are deemed different do not have to change for society and should, instead, embrace who they are. It shows that families should embrace the uniqueness of every child and should not have to change who they are to fit in with other people.

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As a child, I watched a lot of television which exposed me to plenty of advertisements and commercials that still resonate with me today. I saw many ads that promoted toys, food, and many other products but one of the advertisements that I enjoyed was one for a product for Danimals, a kid-focused yogurt company. Starring in the commercial was Dylan and Cole Sprouse, best known for their Disney Channel television shows, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Suite Life on Deck. By introducing Dylan and Cole Sprouse in the advertisement, the company builds trust with children watching due to the fact that they recognize Dylan and Cole as stars from their favorite shows.

The ad they were in featured the new Danimal’s Crush Cups, which are cups of yogurt which kids can squeeze in order to slurp their yogurt directly from the cup without the need for a spoon. The ad also had one of their more popular products: the Danimals Smoothie. The ad features the Sprouse twins singing about how good the Crush Cups are. The catchy song captures kids’ attention and even encourages them to sing along. While singing the song, Dylan and Cole are shown at various times consuming Danimals Crush Cups and Danimals Smoothies. By showing Dylan and Cole having fun while enjoying Danimals products, children will also be encouraged to get and consume their own Danimals snacks since they view them as role models and hope to have as much fun as the Sprouse twins.

Throughout the ad, red is a prominent color since all Danimals products are red which not only emphasizes their products but also highlights the whole advertisement in order to capture the attention of the children watching it. Also throughout the commercial, the brothers say things to make the yogurt more appealing such as “it’s danimalicious” and “your flavor needs to come on strong” in order to imply that the product is delicious, encouraging kids to buy the product. Additionally, the brothers are shown playing basketball and with turntables. I believe this is to appeal to kids who love sports and also those who enjoy music, while also supporting the fact of how fun you can have while drinking or eating a Danimals snack.

Altogether, the commercial is fast-paced in order to get a lot of information in 30 seconds while also leaving a lasting impression on viewers without losing their attention. This commercial represents the consumerist ideology because it attempts to sell and promote a product by revealing to its audience that using the product can produce happiness or a sense of fun. When I was a kid, I remember that I enjoyed this commercial the most because it combined my favorite Disney Channel stars and a snack I enjoyed. I also enjoyed the music and found it to be very catchy. Although it was made ten years ago, it has stuck with me to this very day. Overall, the advertisement for Danimals implies that with their products, kids will have fun and enjoy their snacks. By appealing to the kid’s sense of ethos and pathos, the commercial is very effective in appealing to children.

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Throughout history, people of color have been oppressed and subjected to harsh treatment, such as slavery and segregation. The movie, Hidden Figures, explores the ideology of race and sexism in 1961, where people of color and women struggled to be seen as equal. The film is about gifted African American women named Dorothy, Mary, and Katherine, who is known as the “computers” at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), a white-based company. By calling these women “computers” demonstrates the fact that they only see them as objects that are only used for their intelligence rather than see them as real people. However, since these African American women were doing as much work as white males, they should have been seen as equals because of how much effort and time they put into their work.

Additionally, there are few women working at NASA which shows male dominance during this period. Males were still seen as superior during this time so there were few women seen working at powerful companies or at higher ranking jobs. However, during this time, women should have been seen as equal because not only did the women who worked there work really hard but they were essentially the backbone of the company. As a result, these women were kept in a different department of the Langley Research Center called the West Area Computing division. They were not allowed in the same area as their male coworkers because of how controversial their race and gender would reflect the administration. However, they should have been able to work in the same area and have the same resources due to the fact that they worked as hard as their male co-workers. They should have not been discriminated against or segregated from their other co-workers because of how they were born.

Also, there is a scene where Katherine pours herself a pot of coffee while the men stare at her. The next day, there is a second coffee pot labelled “colored”. Not only did the white males treat her as an object for their advantage, but they also treated her as something different, essentially something that does not deserve the same privileges as them. However, by doing the same work and having the same priorities does actually entitle her to the same opportunities as everyone else. Her race should not play a factor in her privileges.

Although Dorothy, May, and Katherine played a big part in the success of sending the first American astronaut into orbit, they did not receive the credit they deserved. They were overshadowed by the white males on the mission. Although they were not given the same opportunities as the white males, they put in the same work and effort as them which should have given them equal credit as the males. The movie does an excellent job of pointing out the disadvantages that race and gender gave them due to the ideologies of the period. Therefore, it is good to know that these women were finally acknowledged and were appreciated once their story came out to inspire many to come.

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As a child, the movie that scared me the most was Gremlins. This movie was about a creature called a mogwai named Gizmo and his owner Billy. Unfortunately, Billy did not follow the specific instructions that were given to him in order to take care of Gizmo. As a result, many evil gremlins formed and caused chaos throughout the movie. The gremlins had big pointed ears, sharp teeth and red eyes which gave then an animal-like appearance. They were chaotic and sadistic which made them frightening for me as a child.

The first scene that featured the evil gremlins was when Billy left a gremlin to his teacher to examine it. One of the rules for gremlins was that they could not eat after midnight, but the gremlin did exactly that and turned into an eviler and uglier version. The first thing it did was kill the teacher. This showed that the gremlins were dangerous and had the ability to hurt and kill others. Afterwards, the evil gremlin tried to kill Billy using suspenseful moments to his advantage. These gremlins were horrifying and repulsive, which made it hard to watch as a child but also made it a great horror movie.

Additionally, many of the gremlins in the movie were careless and sadistic, which made for many scenes with mayhem and violence. One scene features a bar full of Gremlins drinking, smoking and even killing each other. Their unpredictable nature meant that they would be harder to control or defeat. Additionally, they were able to multiply when in contact with water which meant that there was no limit to how many there could be when one fell into a pool. When they multiply they are able to create more chaos and unpredictability, which causes more distress for the characters in the film and the audience.

Also, when there are gremlins on screen, the gremlins theme plays which created more of a chaotic tone which supported the chaotic nature of the gremlins. This theme is fast-paced and energetic to portray the gremlin’s chaotic nature. The theme is played whenever the gremlins are seen committing chaos and mayhem, which shows that the theme is a representation of the wickedness of the gremlins in the film.

However, this movie is also considered a comedy movie due to its unusual gags. Throughout the movie, the gremlins are shown to murder various people, but also includes many gags to support the gremlin’s sadistic and carefree nature. At one point, before murdering an old woman, they decided to come to her front door and perform Christmas carols for her. This scene introduces comedy to this horror film by showing the gremlins doing something that is typically enjoyed by humans. In another scene, all the Gremlins are gathered in a movie theatre to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The Gremlins sing along to the song “Hi-ho” in a comedic fashion. Although they are seen as monsters, in this scene they can be seen as cute and funny by enjoying a children’s film.

Between the gremlin’s unpredictable nature, chaotic music and visual gags of the movie, this movie is great at creating a horror-comedy movie for families but frightening for me as a child.

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Throughout my childhood, I loved watching animated movies. One of my favorite animated films that I have watched as a kid was Toy Story. Now, as an adult, I have decided to watch the last scenes of Toy Story 3. During one of the last scenes of Toy Story 3, Andy is finally leaving for college. One of the scenes reveals Andy with his mother looking at his empty room that he had lived in all his life as he finally leaves for college.

As a child, I never realized how significant this scene was, as it showed Andy’s mom crying over Andy’s empty room and she finally embraces her son one last time before he leaves to college and be on his own. Now, as I make it halfway through my first year of college, I finally understand how emotional it is to make the transition from high school to college. When I first came to college my family was very emotional because of how big of a step I was taken into the next chapter of my life. I’ve realized how much I’ve grown as an adult and after years of being close with my family, I have finally gained some independence by going to college and creating new experiences that will help me grow as an individual.

At the end of the movie, Andy leaves his toys with Bonnie. Much like that scene, I have left my childhood behind and started a new chapter of my life where I am able to have a little more freedom of my own. Therefore, watching the last scenes of Toy Story 3 as an adult made me realize how relatable and emotional it is to start college and start on a new page, something I never quite understood as a kid.

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