Adults who do notice may have concerns about what to say to their children about the death and dying in these films. Adults may not know how to approach the topic or whether to say anything at all to children. Conversely, people may not pay a lot of attention to death scenes, or may not be aware of the amount of death presented in children's films. This thesis surveys adults to determine if they remember how they felt after seeing a sad film, and if that in any way affects their approach to discussion of animated films with their children. The purpose of this study is to determine if adults remember death in children's animated films recognize its salience when re-exposed to it, and how this relates to discussion with children.
Findings show adult memory is jarred when exposed to death scenes in children's films.
This impacts their intended interaction with children. Implications for helping children in viewing content are presented.