Animated Movies and Young Children

I think that animated movies and shows do influence young children to a certain point but are not necessarily the major contribution to what shapes a young child. I grew up watching cartoons like Looney Toon's and Tom and Jerry every night with my family. I remember all of us sitting together in the living room after dinner laughing at all the simple humor. I never once thought that those shows were anything but all good and fun. Perhaps I was subconsciously influenced by certain characters or actions but I believe that most of the influences came from what my parents or older brother had to say about the cartoons. If  my parents would have pointed out the fact that many of my childhood shows were racist, maybe I would have began to see the racism. I believe I was unaware of the harsh reality of the jokes because I didn't know that racism even existed.

As a child I could not get enough of the Disney Princess movies either. I think those movies had the most influence on me because I felt like I related to the Princesses. Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin all convinced me that there was a chance that I would marry a Prince one day and we would live happily ever after. These movies influenced me as a child without even realizing it and they are definitely still influencing children today.