Homework Assignment #3
Relevant Content Standard - Students will identify the mood and the author’s tone in scenes from animated feature films.
In this unit about Mood as an element of literature in animation, we have discussed the definition of Mood. The mood of a story is defined as the emotional atmosphere that a story creates for the reader or viewer of an animated feature film. It is how the story makes you feel as you experience it. Mood is an element that is established through visual effects, background artwork, descriptive language, the appearance and names of the characters, and music. Also, a story or screenplay can have more than one mood.
Tone
In this lesson, we will focus on how mood is different from the tone of a story. Tone in literature expresses the author or narrator’s attitude towards the subject matter, characters, or events in a story. It is conveyed through word choice, and sentence structure, and it can be formal, informal, serious, humorous, sarcastic, or any other attitude the author wishes to communicate. Tone is primarily about what the author thinks or feels about the subject.
Some might wonder how a story writer can determine how an audience will feel when they experience what they read or see. You might wonder how you or anyone can write something in a way that they know will make the reader or the viewer feel happy, sad, afraid, or horrified. The answer to those thoughts are in how mood is conveyed or expressed. Mood, as it is defined, is expressed through visual effects, background artwork, character dialogue, and music. This means that when a story writer develops a story, they can predetermine the mood of the story by making it so that the images look a certain way, that the characters talk and use certain words, and by how the music sounds in the scenes. As we will discuss further in this lesson, tone can be determined and pre-determined in much the same way. Even though there are times when the audience will also have emotional responses that were not planned or anticipated, in most cases they can be.
Another concern some people may have is with regards to story writers conveying and expressing messages. You might wonder why it is that a writer has to express a message in what they write. An answer to this sentiment is that they do not have to do so. However, it is understood in these lessons that the elements of literature are those that should be included in every story for the story to be classified as a good story and as one that is interesting and engaging to the readers. In addition to the elements of literature, the tone or the “voice” as some call it, can also be expressed in a story or animated feature, which lets us know the author’s attitude and how he/she thinks about the subject matter, characters and events.
Example 1 The first example features a clip from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! television special which aired in 1966. We will first discuss the mood of the scene, which changes from suspense to disgust. Then, briefly to sad and back to disgust. We feel sad when Cindy Lou Who wanders into the living room and finds the Grinch, whom she thinks is Santa Claus, taking away all of their Christmas decorations and presents. As viewers, we are again disgusted at him for lying to her about stealing the things that don’t belong to him. Some might also feel slightly horrified when she encounters him because he looks like an ungle green monster and not anything like a jolly old St. Nick that we have come to know as Santa Claus. The music in the scene and the lyrics of the song are also consistent with the moods that we feel during this part of the story. The narrator says he had a smile that most stunk. The lyrics of the song state that he is a mean one, he is the king of sinful sots, and he is a toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce.
In this example, we also notice that the tone is consistent with the mood. The words that the writer chose to use lets us know his attitude about the character and what he is doing. The tone is one of disgust and sadness. The character’s appearance also lets us know that the writer’s attitude about The Grinch is not appealing. He is drawn to look old, green, ugly and out of shape. In fact, the Grinch looks like a scary monster.
Example 2 In this scene from Shrek (2001), the mood is dark, suspenseful and scary, and then sad. Donkey goes to look for Princess Fiona and finds out she has a horrible secret – she was cursed by a witch as a child and it can only be broken by “true love’s kiss.” She sadly tells Donkey that she must marry Lord Farquard during the day so that he will not see her at night when she turns into an ogre.
The tone of the scene is somewhat different in that the writer seems to express the fact that Princess Fiona should tell the truth. The sentiment that the truth will set her free is evident in this scene as viewers later find that since she is really in love with Shrek, a kiss from hm will break the spell. However, in this scene, Shrek overhears her talking to Donkey and incorrectly hears something that is not true. This highlights the need for truth in this situation even more.
Example 3 In this scene from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012), the Once-ler sings about his desire to cut down trees to make money for himself, to drive the economy, and as an activity based on his understanding of the natural order of life in which the world evolves according to the “survival of the fittest.” The mood is foreboding as we listen to the lyrics of the song. He sings about weaker beings winding up as “someone else’s lunch,” how the people with the money make the world go round, and about how everyone should think about themselves take care of their own.
The tone of the scene is that the Once-ler’s selfish way of thinking is dangerous and should be taken as a warning. Even though the Lorax is elderly, small but brightly colored figure, he represents someone with a conscience and who is concerned about nature and the environment. The writer clearly sides with Lorax, even writing the title of the song as How Bad Can I Be.
Instructions
Watch the scenes from animated feature films in these seven (7) videos. Then, determine the mood of the scene as well as the tone.
Scene 1
This classic Betty Boop short titled The Old Man of the Mountain was made in 1933 by Dave Fleischer of Fleischer Studios with his brother Max Fleischer. It features music written, composed and performed by the late African American big bandleader Cab Calloway and his Orchestra. Calloway influenced the dance moves that the animators incorporated into the animated short film, which was groundbreaking at that time. What is the mood of this scene and what is the tone?
Scene 2
In this scene from Disney’s animated feature film Cinderella (1950), they receive an invitation to a ball from the Prince. What is the mood of this scene and what is the tone?
Scene 3
This scene from The Flintstones animated television series is titled “Hubby Responsibilities.” What is the mood of this scene and what is the tone?
Scene 4
Bebe's Kids (1992) is an American adult animated comedy film produced by Hyperion Studio for Paramount Pictures. The film is based on a stand-up routine created by the late African American comedian Robin Harris. It was released on July 31, 1992. In this scene from the film. Robin picks up Jamika to go on a date with her and her son and finds out that Jamika is also babysitting her friend Bebe’s three children for the day. What is the mood of this scene and what is the tone?
Scene 5
In this scene from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991), Belle finds her ather and meets the Beast. What is the mood of this scene and what is the tone?
Scene 6
This scene in Disney-Pixar’s Up (2009) is titled “Married Life.” Although there is no spoken dialogue between the characters in this scene, the images begin to tell the story of how Carl and Ellie Fredricksen got married, lived, and grew old together. What is the mood of this scene and what is the tone?
Scene 7
This scene from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (2009) is titled “Tiana’s Place.” In it, we see how Tiana’s mother tells her and her friend Charlotte a story about how a princess is convinced to kiss a frog who becomes a handsome prince. Tiana and her mother (who is the family’s maid), go home and Tiana makes a wish on the evening star for what we later find out is to own her own restaurant. What is the mood of this scene and what is the tone?