Environmentalism: Once Upon a Captain Fern Gully

Ah, the Great Outdoors!  It truly has been too long.  The doldrums of Modern life are far behind me...

What a beautiful day!  The sky is blue, the birds are chirping, and we are breathing in the sweet air of freedom that being one with nature brings.

~~

Suddenly, out of the forest comes a horrible mechanical guzzling noise. The trees shrivel up and die and the birds fall haplessly out of the sky as it turns into a brownish-gray haze of noxious smoke. The monstrosity comes closer and closer. If I dared breathe, I would let out a gasp when it comes into view. It is the most daunting of all of nature's beasts: MAN.

Wouldn't you agree? ;)

Does this narrative sound a bit overdramatic? I'd definitely say so.  And, overdramatic as it may be, this is actually the premise of movies like Fern Gully.  And Avatar, come to think of it... And Once Upon a Forest. And Captain Planet. And The Lorax...  Wow... Need I go on? This is a huge theme in a lot of shows and movies; we call this theme "environmentalism."

<<Here's a little mood music for you.  ;) >>

  

Saving the planet shouldn't  necessarily be a problem in and of itself. As a society, we owe a lot to our world and need to keep it beautiful and sustainable, which is an important responsibility. Art tends to reflect societal ideals, challenges, and philosophies such as those dealing with environmentalism, so it naturally follows that art includes much environmental commentary in its vast pool of ideas. But does it have to be so ham-fisted and heavy-handed with its message?

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Poster

Short answer: no. We understand that mankind needs to change and develop in a more sustainable and progressive way when it comes to our relationship with nature.  However, we need to also show the other side of that argument. I.e. what has industrialization done for our society? what have we learned in the progress of our development as a species? and why is this expansion so necessary for our societal needs are all questions we should be asking ourselves? Some movies such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, and WALL-E do this well, but others such as the ones listed previously do not.  That is, in my opinion, media texts like Fern Gully, The Lorax, and others are largely negative and incite guilt rather than inspire viewers to seek a deeper connection with nature. This is actually unfortunate because guilt-trips don't inspire sustainable change.  What does provide opportunities for sustainable change is that deeper connection with and appreciation for nature and the planet as a whole.  So, I would say that it's important to see nature as a living being with whom we can more fully enjoy life rather than a huge, messy mistake that humans are obligated to clean up.  That way, we as human beings will be more inclined to help lessen pollution and environmental problems by way of compassionate service to our planet that deserves it.

Art imitates life and, as such, can grant us a better understanding of the world around us. At the same time though, we can definitely save the planet and encourage positive treatment of the environment in our films, but we need to remember that art is primarily art and secondarily a message. A message is so much more powerful when we keep the artistic elements, allowing for individual interpretation. In relation to that, if we neglect the interpretive elements in films about the environment and use blunt guilt and fear tactics, we lose an essential part of the message being portrayed.  With that, filmmakers may often tend towards a more direct and less interpretive message for fear of the central claim being distorted.  Unfortunately, what this does is it causes our films (namely those on the environment) to resemble propaganda more than art. Just remember: having a message is good. Drilling the message into the skulls of the viewers, on the other hand, is not. It just gives us a headache.

Logan Christensen 
(Pragmus Alpha)--AKA "Captain Pragmus" ;)
CEO of Pragmus Media

*Edited and co-written by Corey Cherrington (Sigma)