Environmentalism on the Screen: An Unheard Message

Environmentalism is exactly what is sounds like, a movement to preserve and protect the environment. Environmentalism is not new, but the ways it is presented to us is changing. One example of the ways we are exposed to this ideology is through movies. And although some would beg to differ, art, including movies and films, is political. Here's what I can tell you: stories move us, they make us care. Storytelling is a huge part of human culture and it always has been. Stories engage us and allow us to live in another "life", so to speak, for brief moments. Storytelling isn't just oral communication, but also pictures, videos, movies, and more. The digitalization of storytelling has had astounding results but there is one fault. Not everyone can fully understand. Media and film literacy is a tool that is absolutely necessary in the world we live in, but it is not taught as much or as often as it should be, especially considering the speed of innovation. Unfortunately, this defeats the purpose of environmentalism in movies, which can be detrimental to both the art and the message of what's on the screen. 

I see environmentalism the most in children's movies. Some of these include 2008 WALL-E, 2012 The Lorax, 2024 The Wild Robot, and 2026 Hoppers. Although this list is short, the message each of these movies share is nearly twenty years old, but what have we learned? These movies primarily being targeted to children is a catch-22. While the animation or child-like scenarios are easily digestible for a wide audience, adults are less likely to be as perceptive. Not to say the message isn't there, but it fades into childhood memory - a movie enjoyed on a Friday night accompanied by pizza and soda. Further, it is easy to ignore such issues when a small, furry, orange man is standing up for cotton-candy colored poofs. 

I've heard more than one adult discuss the tragedy they have seen in other similar films, like Avatar, The Hunger Games, and Star Wars, incredibly successful series I might add, but remain unable to connect the dots. Where is the inspiration behind these movies? I'll let you in on a secret, the inspiration is right in front of both you and me. Our society can easily cover up atrocities through many methods and we have become blind enough to go without noticing the propaganda in front of our eyes. What was once deforestation for urbanization and timber harvesting has now become AI data centers taking over to "improve" our society as it sucks up our fresh water, kills native plant and animal species, and causes unbearable noise pollution. 

I propose a solution. I believe that if, with fresh critical thinking skills and media literacy, we re-watch these classics, we can become more in-tune with important messages. What we see in these children's movies is no longer a warning, it is reality. We must return to them to return to what is important.