Blog Post 11(Revised for Final): History as Animation – Schoolhouse Rock

Since originally publishing Post 11 last week, this specific blog has attracted a number of comments from my fellow students. This has made the choice of which post to revise quite easy. I will do my best to expound on the original elements of the post and address the comments it garnered as well.

A number of weeks ago, our class focused on Disney’s attempt at historical animation: Pocahontas. We were to ponder what type of history Pocahontas was presenting. Further, we were to evaluate the quality of that presentation. Pocahontas bore its flaws clearly on the surface. The quality of the history fell victim to the effort of presenting a compelling story to a young audience.  This raises the question: Can historically educational material be presented in a simple and affective form palatable to children?

Now how did Pocahontas fail? A brief overview of the films blunders can be examined in this CNN article from 1995. Attached to the review, a short series of reactions by Native Americans help put forward the common criticisms of the film. The film isn’t seen as “historically accurate” by its critics or Disney itself. A striking quote from Disney is provided in this short interview: “This is our version, our interpretation of what we see to be the really important points about what this legend told.” Approaching the film from the perspective of recounting legend absolves it of historical inaccuracy. It does not absolve the film makers from missing an substantial educational opportunity.

Others seek to present historically accurate films that can be educational and entertaining. Can they succeed at presenting historical information in simple, affective ways? Fortunately, the answer is yes.  By taking up the task of presenting accurate history to children you have to manage that balance Pocahontas failed to maintain. An example of well executed children’s animated history can be found in the Schoolhouse Rock series. The argument can be made that it is simplistic. Perhaps this is the compromise needed to make the series work. I fondly remember the series from my childhood. I not only enjoyed it at the time, but the songs reinforced material I was then learning at home and school. Here is Schoolhouse Rock’s take on the American Revolution.

Schoolhouse Rock’s American Revolution is not going to be criticized for being too complex. At the same time, it can not be criticized for rampant historical inaccuracies like those exhibited Pocahontas. This animated short summarizes the American Revolution concisely and effectively. Telling the story in song form help make the history lesson appealing instead of boring.

Comparing this to Pocahontas still further, Schoolhouse Rock’s short episodic format lends it a certain amount of privilege a Disney feature lacks. An audience is expecting much more from a feature film than from a tv cartoon. The audience is also expecting much more from a large animation house like Disney. Fundamentally, this may be a lesson in how best to present history in animation. Comparing Pocahontas and American Revolution, turning a historical period into an epic feature has accomplished little more than the 3 minute animated short. The expanded length animated epic leaves much more room to fail. An audience has standard expectations from a feature. Those expectations can cause the creators to quickly dwarf the historical substance with story. More so, focusing the film only on historical material would turn the film into a 2 hour lecture. No audience of mixed ages would sit through that on a Saturday afternoon.

Taking this matter of presentation into mind, every advantage seems to be held by short form education cartoons. Schoolhouse Rock has 3 minutes to present and conclude its message. The creators simply don’t have room for both story and fact. This allows for a focus on history that doesn’t unpleasantly surprise the audience or bore them. This short form educational cartoon structure barrages the viewer with a number of factoids. Clearly this is not the ideal form for a substantial education on the subject. This educational method succeeds exceedingly well as a supportive tool. In fact, a quick search on Google reveals that Schoolhouse Rock remains a frequently used tutoring tool even to this day.

In conclusion, Schoolhouse Rock exhibits an affective repeatable animation form that retains historical accuracy. Pocahontas remains in the realm of retold legends. Legends can serve an educational role if they inspire people to investigate the real history. Schoolhouse Rock is a proven educational tool that assists formal history education. It achieves this in a simple and affective form that remains appealing to children.