Imagining the Sacred: Spiritual themes in Children’s Media and Sientje

My favorite quote from the sections I read in Professor Leeper's paper was, “My animation is generally thought of as children’s films, not because it lacks the content to engage adults, but because one encounters themes of mystery and wonder, differently by taking on the stature of a child.” I think when looking through the eyes of a child, observations are made without the basis of a worldview. Children have the ability to unbiasedly see the world as it is(or at least less biasedly then most adults), making them one of the best critics.

This paper made me realize how unique writing for a children’s book or movie is. The author has to take on the perspective of a child to view the world as a mystery. I can sometimes consume children’s media with a superior view, thinking I won’t gain anything from children’s media. I was very much reminded how wrong this view is while I read the article and watched the short, “Sientje.”  felt myself take on this mentality of superiority, but by the end I realized that I needed to watch that to understand the child’s perspective. This is what I love that children’s media: it brings me back to the perspective I used to own—viewing the world as a place of mystery and wonder.